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A prevalent—and delectable— gamefish, perch can be found on the Atlantic Coast from South Carolina to Nova Scotia. Maryland’s reservoirs, lakes, and the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries provide a wide variety of habitats for both white and yellow perch. In fact, this tasty species is one of the most abundant in Maryland.

White perch are semi-anadromous members of the family, Moronidae, that migrate to tidal fresh and slightly brackish waters each spring to spawn.​ Silver in color with a slightly projecting lower jaw and teeth, white perch may reach a mature length of 19 inches but are more commonly found around 7 to 10 inches, weighing from 8 ounces to 1 pound.​ The largest was caught in the Chesapeake Bay and weighed 2.6 pounds. Seasons While the[...]

Cobia Cobia have a long body that is blackish on the back and brown on the sides, two silvery bands run along its sides from the head to the tail and it has a yellowish or grayish-white belly. They usually grow 3 to 4 feet in length and weigh more than 50 pounds. Known to be strong and stubborn, Cobia will try to make a run for it once they are hooked making for a[...]

Spanish Mackerel They have a green back and their silvery sides are marked with three rows of elliptical yellow spots. Spanish mackerel have a single row of cutting edged teeth in each jaw (around sixty-four teeth in all) are large, uniform, closely spaced and flattened from side to side, these teeth look very similar to those of the Bluefish. Those caught in Maryland waters tend to be between two and four pounds, though a record[...]

Black Crappie Distinguished by their broad, compressed body mottled with dark spots, black crappie also have large eyes, rounded back (dorsal) and belly (anal) fins. Many of Maryland’s tidal systems such as the Upper Choptank, Nanticoke, Marsheyhope Creek, Wicomico, Blackwater, and the Pocomoke have historically yielded both healthy size and numbers of black crappies on the Eastern Shore. White Crappie White crappies are marked by vertical bars, rather than the irregular spots of black crappie[...]

Summer Flounder This left-eyed flatfish has both eyes on the left side of its body. Its "eyed" side is scattered with 10 to 14 eye-like spots which blend in with the ocean floor and it has a white belly. Its belly or underside is white.​ Summer flounder average between 3-6 pounds and 15"-22" (40-56 cm.) long.​ They spend most of their lives on or close to the bottom, as other flatfishes do, and use their[...]

Red Drum Red drum are generally iridescent silvery-gray in overall color, with a coppery cast that is usually darker on the back and upper sides. They also have one (or more) black ocellar spots on the upper sides near the base of the tail and elongated and robust body. Their Maximum adult size is nearly 5 feet (1.5 meters) total length and the largest caught in Maryland in 1977 in the Tangier sound weighed just[...]

A Tradition Almost Four Hundred Years in the Making In 1666, an Englishman named George Alsop wrote about his experience in Maryland. The waterfowl were so abundant, he wrote, “there was such an incessant clattering made with their wings on the water where they rose, and such a noise of those flying higher up that it was as if we were all the time surrounded by a whirlwind.” Now, nearly four centuries later, sportsmen and[...]

Maryland's Fly Fishing Trail The first of its kind, this Trail is a great resource for experienced fly fishers as well as anyone learning to enjoy the sport. It includes 48 sites located across all of Maryland's counties and Baltimore City. Information for each site includes details on location, species, recommended equipment, local guides, shops and more. Check out the Fly Fishing Trail to get ready for your next fishing adventure LEARN MORE Maryland's Catfish[...]