New rules simplify season structure, increase access, and maintain conservation protection
Fisheries biologists survey and tag striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay as part of the annual survey of the population. DNR photo
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing to implement a shift in the season for recreational striped bass, or rockfish. The seasonal shift opens April to catch-and-release fishing and closes all of August to targeting striped bass.
These adjustments are intended to simplify existing regulations, while allowing more recreational fishing opportunities and protecting striped bass during the hot, final weeks of the summer.
On Wednesday, the Maryland General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review approved DNR’s proposed regulation changes for the 2026 striped bass fishing season. The new 2026 striped bass regulations are scheduled to be published in the Maryland Register on March 20, and they will become effective ten days later.
This timing will enable the return of April catch-and-release fishing for striped bass. DNR is implementing the seasonal shift to enable anglers to catch-and-release striped bass in April when water temperatures are cooler, while closing the month of August for striped bass fishing when hot water temperatures make striped bass more likely to be accidentally killed by hook-and-line fishermen—known as recreational dead discards—while fishing them.
The 2026 recreational striped bass season in the Chesapeake Bay will be:
- January 1–April 30: Catch and Release
- May 1–July 31: Harvest
- August 1–31: Closed
- September 1–December 5: Harvest
- December 6–31: Catch and Release
“The new regulations simplify the recreational and charter boat seasons, making them easier to find and read,” said Kate Charbonneau, DNR’s Assistant Secretary of Aquatic Resources. “We are allowing for more access to recreational fishing opportunities without increasing mortality or total fish removed.”
The change has been under consideration for over a year and has been approved after extensive stakeholder engagement and consideration of thousands of public comments. Striped bass is one of the most popular recreational fisheries in Maryland. Recreational fishing and boating generate an estimated $701.5 million in value added economic activity in the state in 2024, according to outdoor recreation statistics compiled by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Striped bass are managed collectively on the East Coast, and state regulations must align with the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the species. In 2025, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Striped Bass Board approved Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which allows Maryland to change its Chesapeake Bay recreational season baseline. Fisheries scientists developed the seasonal shift to ensure the changes would not result in additional striped bass mortalities.
In the previous two years in Maryland, all targeting of striped bass in the Bay was prohibited from April 1 to May 15, and from July 16 to July 31, with additional closure areas and periods in specific tributaries.
When striped bass harvest is permitted, anglers may keep one striped bass per person, per day, with a minimum length of 19 inches and a maximum length of 24 inches. During catch-and-release season, officials encourage anglers to practice techniques that will help the fish survive, such as limiting the amount of handling and minimizing air exposure.
The ocean recreational fishery is open year-round with a 28-inch to 31-inch slot limit and a coastwide daily bag limit of one fish.
Spawning rivers will remain closed to targeting from March 1 to May 31 to protect spawning striped bass. Anglers can refer to DNR’s website for maps and additional information regarding these closures.
In April, the main stem of the Bay will be open to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass, while spawning tributaries will be closed to harvest. See DNR’s striped bass regulation maps page for additional closures over the course of the year.
Despite an increase in large coastal spawners in recent years, Maryland’s juvenile striped bass survey has documented seven years of poor recruitment in Maryland waters, and fisheries managers continue to investigate the pressures that could be affecting the survivability of very young striped bass.
The current adult population of rockfish is large enough to produce a strong juvenile year class when the environmental conditions are right. Fisheries scientists warn that the effects of the diminished juvenile year classes will likely become more apparent in the coming years, as those year classes mature.
The August closure is intended to better protect resident striped bass during a vulnerable period. Hot air and water temperatures in late summer make young resident fish in the population more vulnerable to dying, even when they are caught and released. Recreational dead discards, when a fish dies after being caught and returned to the water, accounted for 21% of total fishing-related striped bass deaths in the Bay in the most recent stock assessment data published in 2022. The August closure is aimed at giving younger resident fish the chance to grow and eventually leave the Chesapeake Bay to join the spawning stock.
The recreational striped bass fishery in Maryland is a significant economic driver that benefits communities throughout Maryland. The season shift will meet the needs of recreational anglers and businesses by bringing fishing opportunities back to the spring and moving the closure from July to August, when there are other species present in the Bay that can be targeted such as red drum.
DNR officials also encourage anglers to pursue invasive blue catfish and Chesapeake Channa, also known as snakehead, by using different fishing methods than those commonly used for striped bass during the striped bass closure. These invasive species have no bag or size limits, and their harvest contributes to a healthier ecosystem in the Bay. Tips and methods for fishing blue catfish can be found on the DNR website.
A fishing license is required to fish for striped bass. Maryland anglers can purchase their licenses online at MD Outdoors, at DNR service centers, or at sport license agent retailers. Fishing licenses, as well as tackle, boat, and marine fuel purchases, fund DNR’s fish conservation work.
More information on Maryland’s state fish and maps displaying the new season structure can be found on the DNR website. The department also shares guidance on responsible catch and release, as well as an advisory forecast for fishing striped bass in the summer.
