Welcome to Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail, the first statewide fly fishing trail in the Nation, where Maryland residents and visitors and their families and friends can experience a wide variety of unique fly fishing experiences with two Trail sites located in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City.
About the Trail
As the first in the Nation, Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail provides everyone with opportunities to experience fly fishing across the state. With two Trail sites located in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City, there are no shortage of options when it comes to fly fishing.
Each Trail site has been selected to provide a unique fly fishing experience. You’ll find as diverse a range of species—from native brook trout in small Western Maryland streams to largemouth bass in Eastern Shore ponds to striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay—as you will environments and water types. And we’ll make it easy for you to get the most out of your experience.
From how to get there, where to park and launch a boat, where to fly fish, what fly fishing gear and which fishing flies are recommended, even specifics on which species can find seasonally at each Trail Site—it’s all here.
The Fly Fishing Trail can also help connect you with organizations near you which offer mentoring and opportunities to get out fly fishing with others. Learn more about Maryland’s Fly Fishing Organizations . And depending on where you want to fly fish, the Trail can direct you to local fly fishing guides as well as fly shops and fishing tackle stores in the area for expert help with your fly fishing experience.
Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail has been specifically designed to make it easy for more people to get out and learn what makes fly fishing so special and to experience the diversity of opportunities that Maryland has to offer all fly fishers, from first timers to experienced fishers. All are welcome on Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail!
WHY FLY FISHING
Part artistry, part discovery, fly fishing taps into all of your senses. You'll experience the natural world around you, and the internal rush as energy transfers from your arm to your fly rod while casting as you feel the subtle pull of a fish first taking your fly and then the strong tug at the end of your line as you wonder what fish you've caught, how big it is and if there are more out there to be caught.
You find your subconscious continuously working away at the next challenge—should I try a different fly, where should I cast next, fast retrieve or slow it down, go deep or stay on the surface? You are more attentive to the wind, the weather, the sun angle, shadows and temperature. You become immersed in your surroundings, concentrating on how you can imitate a minnow, a crayfish, a mayfly, or a grasshopper to entice a hungry fish to seek your fly as its next meal.
You will join with a community of people from all walks of life. Hooked since their first experience, some may have expanded into the wonderful world of tying flies—recreating with fur, feathers, foam and thread every imaginable item on a fish’s menu or just expanding their own gear and fishing flies to reflect the wide variety of fish species they fly fish for. Come and join us for this outdoor experience and share in the passion that makes fly fishing so unique.
Where to Fly Fish in Maryland
You'll find excellent and unique fly fishing experiences in Western Maryland, Central Maryland, the Capital Region, Southern Maryland and on its Eastern Shore. Whether you are a long time fly fisher or a beginner, you will find plenty of opportunities to experience fly fishing. Click on any of the regions below to learn more about some of the best sites for fly fishing across Maryland.
Western Maryland is a great place for outdoor adventures. This region's streams, large rivers and lakes provide fly fishers with a diversity of opportunities - including significant populations of stocked brown and golden rainbow trout.
Central Maryland includes the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore as well as the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This region's combination of urban and tidal waterways, provides the most diverse range of fish species you can catch at the Trail's sites.
The Eastern Shore is located between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the Delmarva Peninsula. Unique from the other regions, is selection of fish species change with each season's migration patterns to provide 12 months of fly fishing fun, with an evolving seasonal menu!
Maryland's Capital Region includes the counties near Washington, D.C.: Frederick County, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County and includes the Potomac River. Trail sites in this region offer the opportunity to angle for a multitude of species, all within just about an hour from each other.
Southern Maryland is located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and is home to some true hidden gems. From a ship graveyard, to the bid waters in Solomons Island and kid friendly ponds, let the Trail sites guide you to your next fly fishing adventure.