Early morning on the 21 st April as the first rays of sunlight peer over the low-lying Eastern Shore of Maryland, excited anglers from all corners will be dropping lures into the main branch of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s finally opening day of rockfish season! The flats of the Chesapeake Bay and the rivers that feed it are the breeding grounds for the striped bass population, known locally as rockfish, the East Coast’s most popular[...]

From its headwaters in Pennsylvania, the Monocacy River flows 58 miles through Frederick County into the Potomac River. With river access via multiple bridge crossings and several riverside parks, much of the river can be wade-fished with about half of the river navigable by a canoe or kayak. The Trail site is focused on the upper river where fly fishers can cast for smallmouth bass, sunfish and channel catfish. Given much of the river’s shorelines[...]

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is the first fish that comes to mind when most people think of the Chesapeake Bay. “Rockfish” as we call them, is the State Fish of Maryland and the most sought-after species in the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to my most recent panfish book, I’ve written two books about catching rockfish on artificial lures. I love targeting stripers, but I could never have learned to catch them were it not for[...]

Some of the mill ponds date back as far as the 18th century. Dams were built to capture water from creeks and small rivers. The water was then used to power gristmills, saw mills, and textile mills. All but one of the mills are now gone, but their retention ponds are still here for our recreational use; and they are loaded with fish. The ponds hold a variety of species, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie[...]

Fish like to hang out near physical structures, whether it is underwater grasses, undercut streambanks, rocks or dock pilings. So now think about a tidal embayment once filled with many, many huge wooden ships, long abandoned mostly only visible above the tidal waters during low tides. You have just described Mallows Bay. Once you launch your kayak, canoe, jon boat, or bass boat from the boat ramp at Mallows Bay Park in Charles County, you[...]

With almost 29,000 acres of fully protected marshlands, forests and tidal waters, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge offers very unique opportunities for fly fishing for northern snakeheads, striped bass, speckled trout, redfish, flounder and bluefish. You will need a boat with a shallow draft to take full advantage of all that these seemingly endless tidal creeks, open waters and marshlands have to offer. From the soft launch, you can head west and fish the marsh edges[...]

Located within commuting distance of much of Maryland, you will find a beautiful trout stream and a great place to experience fly fishing on Gunpowder Falls. Naturally breeding brown trout populations, combined with continual cold water reservoir releases, yields year round fly fishing opportunities. This unique tailwater, located in Baltimore County, provides miles of trout fishing including the 7.2 miles of catch and release fishing only area which is the focus of this Trail site[...]

Purchasing a license is more convenient than ever before. Maryland DNR provides the following quick and easy ways for you to obtain your licenses and registrations. The online portal COMPASS will allow you access to hunting and fishing licenses, regulations, and other important information about outdoor recreation in Maryland. Using COMPASS you can: Purchase a license Register as a Saltwater Angler Reprint a license Sign up for a lottery Report a harvest Visit COMPASS now[...]

Where the free flowing river meets the tidally influenced river, the Choptank River at Red Bridges Trail site in Caroline County provides for a very unique fly fishing experience. For three seasons of the year, the menu of fish species that can be caught by fly fishers changes. Spring brings yellow perch followed by white perch, hickory shad and river herring. Then in the summer the menu changes to largemouth bass, redbreast sunfish, bluegill, crappie[...]