{"id":47043,"date":"2026-03-31T10:56:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=47043"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:07:37","slug":"marylands-2026-striped-bass-season-opens-for-catch-and-release-fishing-in-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/31\/marylands-2026-striped-bass-season-opens-for-catch-and-release-fishing-in-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland\u2019s 2026 Striped Bass Season Opens for Catch-and-Release Fishing in April"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_47045\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-catch-and-release.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-47045\" class=\" wp-image-47045\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-catch-and-release.jpg\" alt=\"A fisherman handling a striped bass in the water\" width=\"350\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-catch-and-release.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-catch-and-release-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-47045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An angler carefully releases a striped bass caught while jigging in the lower Bay. Photo by Eric Packard<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland regulations for 2026 recreational striped bass fishing will take effect April 1, implementing a shift in the season from the past two years. This shift returns catch-and-release fishing in April for the first time in Maryland since 2019. The summer hot-weather closure now takes place during the entire month of August.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These adjustments are intended to simplify existing regulations and continue long-term conservation efforts for striped bass, while allowing more recreational fishing opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The 2026 recreational striped bass season in the Chesapeake Bay will be:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>January 1\u2013April 30: Catch-and-Release Fishing<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>May 1\u2013July 31: Harvest<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>August 1\u201331: Closed<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>September 1\u2013December 5: Harvest<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>December 6\u201331: Catch-and-Release Fishing<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spawning rivers will remain closed to targeting from March 1 to May 31 to protect spawning striped bass. Those rivers include the Choptank, Chester, Manokin, Nanticoke, Patuxent, Transquaking, and Wicomico rivers as well as the Upper Bay spawning area, including the Susquehanna Flats. Anglers can refer to the DNR website for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/Pages\/sb_reg_maps.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">maps and additional information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> regarding these closures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-47044 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30-1.jpg\" alt=\"A map of the Chesapeake Bay showing closure areas for striped bass fishing\" width=\"612\" height=\"792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30-1.jpg 612w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30-1-232x300.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Striped bass fishing on the main stem of the Potomac River is managed separately by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/prfc.us\/pdfs\/BLUE-SHEET.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Potomac River Fisheries Commission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starting on May 1, 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">During catch-and-release season, officials encourage anglers to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/09\/safe-catch-and-release-and-avoiding-high-temperatures-helps-protect-striped-bass-research-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">practice techniques that will help the fish survive<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as limiting the amount of handling and minimizing air exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The same gear rules that apply in March will be extended through May 15, to ensure a low release mortality in April and early May. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/pages\/regulations\/changes.aspx#sbrec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These rules<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> prohibit stinger hooks, limit trolling to six rods, and require barbless hooks while trolling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DNR determined that catch-and-release fishing in April when water temperatures are cooler is generally safe for the breeding stock. To better protect the fish, DNR chose to close 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\u2014known as recreational dead discards\u2014while fishing for them. The change was under consideration for over a year and was approved after extensive stakeholder engagement and consideration of thousands of public comments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bea.gov\/data\/special-topics\/outdoor-recreation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">outdoor recreation statistics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> compiled by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maryland regulations for 2026 recreational striped bass fishing will take effect April 1, implementing a shift in the season from the past two years. This shift returns catch-and-release fishing in April for the first time in Maryland since 2019. The summer hot-weather closure now takes place during the entire month of August. These adjustments are<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/31\/marylands-2026-striped-bass-season-opens-for-catch-and-release-fishing-in-april\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,11],"tags":[5669,3032,5625,3031],"class_list":["post-47043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-fisheries","tag-catch-and-release","tag-rockfish","tag-seasons","tag-striped-bass"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47043"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47048,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47043\/revisions\/47048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}