Waterlands

Species guide · Maryland

Striped bass fishing in Maryland

Morone saxatilis, a sea-run species also called striper, rockfish and rock. Listed for the Mid-Atlantic region. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.

Right now it scores best in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD at 68, one of 14 Maryland bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Shoulder season
Where it's scoring nowAll Maryland waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

Mid-Atlantic

Shoulder season, about 1 more week
  1. Jan: Off season
  2. Feb: Off season
  3. Mar: Shoulder season
  4. Apr: Peak season
  5. May: Peak season
  6. Jun: Shoulder season
  7. Jul: Off season
  8. Aug: Off season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Peak season
  11. Nov: Peak season
  12. Dec: Peak season

Peak: Apr to May, Oct to Dec. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Jun, Sep to Dec.

Research notes, Mid-Atlantic region

Spring run as mature fish enter the Chesapeake, Delaware and Hudson to spawn (April-May), a slow hot-water summer, and a fall run as the coastal migratory stock moves south (October-December; New Jersey and Virginia often best in November-December). Ocean slot is 28-31 inches, 1 fish (ASMFC Addendum II). Maryland closes Chesapeake spawning rivers to targeting March-May and all Bay targeting in August (2026 rules); Virginia's Bay fall season runs October into December. Federal waters beyond 3 miles are closed.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 14

Maryland bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's striped bass score this hour.

1
68Great
Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

Best window today 8-11 PM (69) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 7 PM (78) · 59 named spots

2
67Great
Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

Best window today 8-11 PM (67) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 PM (73) · 46 named spots

3
67Great
Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD

Best window today 8-10 PM (67) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 6 PM (72) · 11 named spots

4
66Great
Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA

Best window today 8-10 PM (66) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 PM (71) · 10 named spots

5
66Great
Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD

Best window today 8-11 PM (66) · Best day Thu, Oct 1 at 6 PM (71) · 8 named spots

6
66Great
Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

Best window today 8-10 PM (66) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 1 AM (75) · 166 named spots

7
66Great
Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD

Best window today 8-9 PM (66) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 5 PM (71) · 3 named spots

8
65Great
Eastern Bay

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (67) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 9 PM (74) · 18 named spots

9
64Good
Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (66) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 5 PM (76) · 33 named spots

10
62Good
Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 5 PM (76) · 35 named spots

11
62Good
Coastal waters from Fenwick Island DE to Chincoteague VA out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 5 PM (74) · 53 named spots

12
61Good
Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 9 AM (71) · 8 named spots

13
60Good
Chester River to Queenstown MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (65) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 6 PM (74) · 11 named spots

14
51Good
Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 6 PM (75) · 39 named spots

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 45°F to 77°F, best between 55°F and 68°F.
Water depth
2 to 60 ft of water.
Structure
Rip, inlet, point, jetty, surf, channel and bridge, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers moving water and outgoing tide, with moderate current.Moving water is the rule. The outgoing tide at inlets, creek mouths and estuary outflows flushes bait to waiting fish, while the incoming tide pushes fish onto flats and marsh edges. Tide rips off points and reefs fish best while the current is building, and dead slack is usually slow. Very strong current (Cape Cod Canal, the Race) fishes well for anglers who can hold bottom or swing lures through it.
Light
Bites best around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
Pressure
Tends to feed as pressure falls ahead of weather.
Wind and sea limits
20 kt of wind and 5 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.

Methods
casting, surfcasting, live lining, chunking, trolling, jigging, fly fishing
Lures
bucktail jigs, soft plastic swimbaits, topwater pencil poppers, metal spoons, swimming plugs, tube and worm, umbrella rigs
Bait
live menhaden (bunker), eels, clams, bloodworms and sandworms, mackerel, anchovy and sardine (California), shiner perch (California)

Regulations

Maryland DNR saltwater regulations Buy a Maryland fishing license License types

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Synced with Maryland DNR Sep 20, 2026.

No reviewed striped bass rule for Maryland is on file yet. Check with Maryland DNR before you keep one.

Other Maryland species