Places · MD
Places to fish in Maryland
Every place has a practical guide: what's biting and when, where on the water to fish, how to fish it and how to get there.
84 places
Western Maryland
Region guideRiverBeaver Creek (Washington County)Beaver Creek, southwest of Hagerstown in Washington County, is Maryland's largest limestone spring creek: it rises cold…RiverBig Hunting CreekBig Hunting Creek tumbles down the Catoctin Mountains along Route 77 west of Thurmont in Frederick County, through Cunni…LakeBlairs Valley LakeBlairs Valley Lake is a small, fertile lake in Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area, north of Clear Spring in Washing…LakeBroadford LakeBroadford Lake is the Town of Oakland's 140-acre water-supply lake and park in southern Garrett County, a family-friendl…RiverCasselman RiverThe Casselman is a gentle, meandering river that flows north through the farm valley at Grantsville, in northern Garrett…ReservoirDeep Creek LakeDeep Creek Lake is Maryland's largest lake: a 3,900-acre, 13-mile-long mountain reservoir in Garrett County that the sta…LakeHunting Creek Lake (Cunningham Falls State Park)Hunting Creek Lake is the 42-acre lake at Cunningham Falls State Park, west of Thurmont in the Catoctin Mountains. It's…LakeLake Habeeb (Rocky Gap State Park)Lake Habeeb is the 243-acre mountain lake at Rocky Gap State Park, just off I-68 east of Cumberland. It's clear, deep an…RiverMonocacy RiverThe Monocacy River winds 58 miles through Frederick County from the Pennsylvania line to the Potomac, a shallow, wooded…RiverNorth Branch Potomac RiverThe North Branch of the Potomac forms Maryland's border with West Virginia in Garrett and Allegany counties, and after d…RiverOwens CreekOwens Creek runs off the Catoctin Mountains north of Thurmont in Frederick County, from Catoctin Mountain Park down past…ReservoirPiney ReservoirPiney Reservoir is Frostburg's 120-acre water-supply lake in Garrett County, a shore-and-ice-only fishery where boats ar…RiverSavage RiverThe Savage River in Garrett County is two trout fisheries split by the Savage River Reservoir. Below the dam, the lower…RiverTown Creek (Green Ridge State Forest)Town Creek flows south out of Pennsylvania through Green Ridge State Forest, Maryland's largest block of public land, to…RiverUpper Potomac River (Cumberland to Great Falls)The nontidal Potomac above Great Falls is Maryland's big smallmouth river, and it also holds walleye, channel and flathe…RiverYoughiogheny RiverThe Youghiogheny ("the Yock" to locals) is a big, rocky mountain river in western Garrett County that flows north out of…
Central Maryland
Region guideLakeCentennial LakeCentennial Lake is a 50-acre lake in Howard County's Centennial Park near Columbia, circled by a paved path that puts th…LakeClopper Lake (Seneca Creek State Park)Clopper Lake is the 90-acre lake in Seneca Creek State Park, just west of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County. It averages…RiverDeer Creek (Harford County)Deer Creek flows east across Harford County through Rocks State Park to the Susquehanna River just below Conowingo Dam.…RiverGunpowder Falls (Prettyboy Dam to Loch Raven)Gunpowder Falls below Prettyboy Reservoir, in northern Baltimore County, is one of the best trout streams in the East an…ReservoirLiberty ReservoirLiberty Reservoir is Baltimore City's 3,100-acre water-supply reservoir on the Carroll–Baltimore county line, a deep, wi…LakeLittle Seneca Lake (Black Hill Regional Park)Little Seneca Lake is the 505-acre lake at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds, near Germantown in Montgomery County, an e…ReservoirLoch Raven ReservoirLoch Raven Reservoir is the 2,400-acre Baltimore City water-supply lake just north of the Beltway near Towson, the close…RiverMorgan RunMorgan Run is a small, rocky trout stream in Carroll County, protected inside the 2,000-acre Morgan Run Natural Environm…RiverPatapsco River (Patapsco Valley State Park)The Patapsco River runs through Patapsco Valley State Park on the western edge of Baltimore, from Sykesville down past E…ReservoirPiney Run ReservoirPiney Run Reservoir is a 300-acre lake in Carroll County's Piney Run Park, just north of Sykesville. DNR calls it arguab…ReservoirPrettyboy ReservoirPrettyboy Reservoir is the northernmost of Baltimore City's three water-supply reservoirs, 1,500 acres in the hills of n…ReservoirTriadelphia and Rocky Gorge ReservoirsTriadelphia and Rocky Gorge (officially the T. Howard Duckett Reservoir) are the two WSSC Water drinking-water reservoir…
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Region guideBayBaltimore Harbor and the Patapsco River MouthBaltimore's harbor and the mouth of the Patapsco River are some of the best urban striped bass fishing on the East Coast…RiverChester RiverThe Chester River winds from the farm country around Crumpton and Chestertown down past Kent Island to the Bay at Love P…RiverConowingo Dam and the Lower Susquehanna RiverConowingo Dam, where US 1 crosses the Susquehanna between Harford and Cecil counties, stops every fish swimming up Maryl…RiverGunpowder, Bush and Middle RiversThe tidal Gunpowder, Bush and Middle rivers are the marshy, grass-lined rivers of eastern Baltimore and Harford counties…Fishing AreaLove Point RocksThe Love Point rocks, off the northern tip of Kent Island where the Chester River meets the Bay, are one of the upper Ch…RiverMagothy RiverThe Magothy is a short, heavily developed Anne Arundel County river that meets the Bay just north of Sandy Point and the…RiverNorth East RiverThe North East River is a short, freshwater tidal river at the head of the Bay in Cecil County, flowing past the town of…Fishing AreaPooles IslandPooles Island, a small, off-limits island in the upper Chesapeake off the Gunpowder Neck, is surrounded by some of the m…Pier/Access PointSandy Point State ParkSandy Point State Park sits at the western foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, and it's the upper Bay's be…RiverSassafras RiverThe Sassafras is a small, scenic tidal river on the Kent–Cecil county line, flowing west past Georgetown, Fredericktown…BaySusquehanna Flats and Havre de GraceThe Susquehanna Flats spread across the head of the Chesapeake at Havre de Grace, where Maryland's biggest river enters…Fishing AreaSwan Point and Tolchester (Rock Hall)Swan Point and the Tolchester area, off Rock Hall on the Kent County shore, are the upper Bay's main striped bass ground…LakeUnicorn LakeUnicorn Lake is a 43-acre millpond-style lake at Millington, in northern Queen Anne's County near the head of the Cheste…
Middle Chesapeake Bay
Region guideFishing AreaBloody Point to Sharps Island LightThe steep eastern edge of the Bay's shipping channel, from Bloody Point at the southern tip of Kent Island down past Sha…Fishing AreaChesapeake Bay BridgeThe Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the twin four-mile spans between Sandy Point and Kent Island, is probably the most famous str…Fishing AreaChesapeake Beach and Breezy PointThe Calvert County towns of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach, with Breezy Point just to the south, face the western edge…BayEastern BayEastern Bay is the broad arm of the Chesapeake between Kent Island and the Talbot County shore, fed by the Miles and Wye…Pier/Access PointKent Island Fishing Piers (Matapeake and Romancoke)Queen Anne's County's two public fishing piers on Kent Island give shore anglers some of the best access to open Bay wat…Fishing AreaKent NarrowsKent Narrows is the short, current-swept channel between Kent Island and the mainland at Grasonville, where US 50 crosse…RiverLittle Choptank River and Taylors IslandThe Little Choptank is a short, broad Dorchester County river that opens onto the Bay just south of the Choptank, with T…RiverLower Choptank River (Cambridge to the Mouth)The lower Choptank, from Cambridge down to its wide mouth between Cook Point and Tilghman Island's Black Walnut Point, i…Fishing AreaPoplar IslandPoplar Island, a few miles northwest of Tilghman Island, is being rebuilt with dredged material into wetland and upland…RiverSevern River and Annapolis (Hacketts to Tolly Point)The Severn River flows past the Naval Academy and downtown Annapolis into the Bay, and the few miles of water around its…LakeSmithville LakeSmithville Lake is a 43-acre mill pond in the farm country of Caroline County near Federalsburg, just west of the Delawa…RiverSouth, West and Rhode RiversSouth of Annapolis, the South, West and Rhode rivers are three short, heavily used tidal rivers that open onto the Bay b…Fishing AreaThomas PointThomas Point, the tip of the Annapolis Neck peninsula south of Annapolis, is marked offshore by the famous screwpile lig…Fishing AreaTilghman Island and Black Walnut PointTilghman Island, at the end of MD 33 past St. Michaels, sits between the open Bay and the mouth of the Choptank, with Po…RiverTuckahoe Creek and Tuckahoe State ParkTuckahoe Creek, a major tributary of the Choptank, is a quiet, wooded Eastern Shore stream that runs through Tuckahoe St…RiverUpper Choptank River (Dover Bridge to Greensboro)Above Cambridge the Choptank narrows into a winding, tree-lined tidal river that runs past the town of Choptank and the…LakeWye Mills LakeWye Mills Lake, a 50-acre mill pond beside MD 662 just south of US 50, is one of the larger lakes on the Eastern Shore.…RiverWye River and Wye IslandThe Wye River and the Wye East River wrap around Wye Island, a quiet, largely undeveloped state natural resources manage…
Southern Maryland
Region guideFishing AreaCalvert Cliffs and Cove PointAt the southern end of the Calvert Cliffs, the Bay's western shore runs past the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant and…RiverLower Potomac River (Route 301 Bridge to Piney Point)Below the Nice Memorial (Route 301) Bridge, the Potomac widens into a big, salty river whose steep channel edges hold st…BayMallows Bay and Nanjemoy CreekMallows Bay, a shallow cove on the Charles County shore of the tidal Potomac, is best known for its "Ghost Fleet": the h…RiverMattawoman Creek and Smallwood State ParkMattawoman Creek, a long, winding tidal tributary of the Potomac in Charles County, is one of Maryland's healthiest wate…LakeMyrtle Grove LakeMyrtle Grove Lake is a quiet 23-acre lake inside Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area, a 4,460-acre tract of forest and…RiverPatuxent River (Jug Bay to Benedict)The middle and upper tidal Patuxent, from the Benedict bridge up through the wide marshes of Jug Bay, is a winding tidal…Pier/Access PointPoint Lookout State Park and Cornfield HarborPoint Lookout State Park fills the very tip of the Western Shore, where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake. The park's 710…Fishing AreaSolomons and the Lower Patuxent (Route 4 Bridge to Cedar Point)Solomons sits at the mouth of the Patuxent, and the lower river beside it is one of the most consistent striped bass are…LakeSt. Mary's LakeSt. Mary's Lake, in the middle of St. Mary's County, is a quiet, wooded, electric-motors-only lake inside St. Mary's Riv…RiverSt. Mary's RiverThe St. Mary's River, which winds south past Great Mills and St. Mary's City into the lower Potomac, is really two fishe…RiverTidal Potomac River (Wilson Bridge to Fort Washington)Just downstream of Washington, D.C., the tidal Potomac from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge past National Harbor and Fort Wash…LakeWheatley Lake (Gilbert Run Park)Wheatley Lake is a 75-acre flood-control lake in Charles County's Gilbert Run Park, east of La Plata, and one of the lak…
Lower Eastern Shore
Region guideFishing AreaBlackwater National Wildlife RefugeBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge, south of Cambridge in Dorchester County, is a huge tidal marsh on the Blackwater an…Fishing AreaHoopers Island, Honga River and the Target ShipHoopers Island is a chain of low marsh islands strung down the Dorchester County shore between the Honga River and the o…LakeJohnsons PondJohnsons Pond, a 104-acre pond in Salisbury owned by the city, is the largest impoundment on the Eastern Shore. DNR's 20…LakeLeonards Mill PondLeonards Mill Pond is a small, stump-filled millpond just north of Salisbury, with a county park, ramp and visitor cente…RiverNanticoke River and Marshyhope CreekThe Nanticoke River winds from the Delaware line past Sharptown and Vienna to Tangier Sound. Its upper reaches and the M…RiverPocomoke River and Pocomoke SoundThe Pocomoke River runs dark and slow through Maryland's northernmost bald cypress swamp, past Snow Hill and Pocomoke Ci…BayTangier Sound, Crisfield and Janes IslandTangier Sound, the broad, salty water between Crisfield and Smith Island, is Maryland's best-known spot for speckled tro…RiverWicomico River (Salisbury)The Wicomico River flows through downtown Salisbury and down through marsh and farmland to Tangier Sound. The upper rive…
Ocean City and the Coastal Bays
Region guideFishing AreaAssateague Island and Ocean City SurfAssateague Island, the undeveloped barrier island south of the Ocean City Inlet, offers Maryland's classic surf fishing:…BayOcean City Coastal BaysBehind Ocean City and Assateague Island lie Maryland's coastal bays: Assawoman and Isle of Wight bays to the north, Sine…Fishing AreaOcean City Inlet and Route 50 BridgeThe Ocean City Inlet, between the south end of the boardwalk and Assateague Island, and the Route 50 Bridge just inside…Fishing AreaOcean City Offshore CanyonsAbout 53 to 75 nautical miles off Ocean City, the continental shelf drops into a string of submarine canyons: Wilmington…Fishing AreaOcean City Reefs, Wrecks and ShoalsOff Ocean City, the ocean floor is dotted with shipwrecks, artificial reefs built by DNR and its partners, and natural l…