Maryland Trout Stocking Schedule 2026
Maryland stocks February through May, then a smaller fall round from early October. Waters under the March closure are stocked but never named in the daily updates.
Data checked 2026-08-28 · source: Maryland DNR
290
stocking records 2026
130
waters
254,770
fish reported
Between seasons
Maryland is between stocking seasons. February through May, plus a fall round.
The 2026 season at a glance
Stocking records by month. February through May, plus a fall round.
Jan
·
Feb
48
Mar
128
Apr
88
May
26
Jun
·
Jul
·
Aug
·
Sep
·
Oct
·
Nov
·
Dec
·
What gets stocked
| Species | Stockings | Fish |
|---|---|---|
| Trout | 290 | 254,770 |
Schedule changes
When the agency moves or drops a published date, it shows here instead of quietly disappearing.
- 2026-08-28 Youghiogheny River: quantity revised
- 2026-08-28 Youghiogheny River: quantity revised
- 2026-08-28 Youghiogheny River: quantity revised
State record fish
The heaviest fish of each species ever certified in Maryland, from the Maryland DNR record book. Weights are shown exactly as the agency publishes them; waters we track link to their stocking pages.
| Species | Weight | Water | Angler | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Drum chesapeake | 103.5 lbs. | Buoy 16 | Robert Messik Jr. | 1973 |
| Cobia chesapeake | 97.8 lbs. | Middle Grounds | John Scheifele | 1969 |
| Catfish, Blue invasive | 84.0 lbs. | Near Fort Washington, Potomac River | Ed Jones | 2012 |
| Red Drum chesapeake | 74.4 lbs. | Tangier Sound | Earnest Hutchinson | 1977 |
| Striped Bass chesapeake | 67.5 lbs. | Bloody Point | Devin Nolan | 1995 |
| Catfish, Flathead invasive | 57.0 lbs. | Lapidum Boat Ramp, Susquehanna River | Joshua Dixon | 2020 |
| Carp chesapeake | 49 lbs. | Susquehanna Flats | Logan Kuhrmann | 2022 |
| Carp nontidal | 47.5 lbs. | Frederick County Farm Pond | Wayne Longenecker | 1997 |
| Striped Bass nontidal | 47.1 lbs. | Liberty Reservoir | Robert Bruce | 2000 |
| Muskellunge nontidal | 33.0 lbs. | Along the banks of the upper Potomac River | Kyle Mullenix | 2022 |
| Catfish, Channel chesapeake | 29.6 lbs. | Mattawoman Creek | Kevin Kern | 1997 |
| Tiger Muskellunge nontidal | 29.3 lbs. | Dam 5 | Kevin Conner | 1997 |
| Catfish, Channel nontidal | 27.9 lbs. | Upper Potomac River | Steven Trent Abell | 2004 |
| Northern Pike nontidal | 24.8 lbs. | Deep Creek Lake | Shawn Jacobson | 1999 |
| Bluefish chesapeake | 22.0 lbs. | Chesapeake Beach | Thomas R. Talbott | 1991 |
| Bluefish chesapeake | 22.0 lbs. | Hackett's Point | Ronald Raffo | 1986 |
| Bluefish chesapeake | 22.0 lbs. | Off Queen Anne Marina | John Davidson | 1979 |
| Northern Snakehead invasive | 21.8 lbs. | Susquehanna River (tidal waters) | Matt Foreman | 2025 |
| Longnose Gar chesapeake | 20.5 lbs. | Marshyhope Creek | David Confair | 2025 |
| Trout, Brown nontidal | 18.2 lbs. | North Branch Of Potomac At Barnum | Gary Kuhn | 2001 |
| Trout, Rainbow nontidal | 17.4 lbs. | Antietam Creek | Jean-Philippe Lartigue | 2024 |
| Sheepshead chesapeake | 16.6 lbs. | Tangier Sound off Crisfield | Brian Summerlin | 2023 |
| Weakfish chesapeake | 16.5 lbs. | Nanticoke River | Wayne Lappe | 1979 |
| Spotted Seatrout chesapeake | 16.4 lbs. | Roaring Point | John Phillips | 1977 |
| Flounder, Summer chesapeake | 15.0 lbs. | Buoy 50 | Kenneth Grimes | 1978 |
| Walleye nontidal | 14.3 lbs. | Jennings Randolph Reservoir | John McCarley | 1998 |
| Spanish Mackerel chesapeake | 12.4 lbs. | Middle Grounds | Dean Mitchell | 2007 |
| Largemouth Bass nontidal | 11.4 lbs. | Huntingtown Farm Pond | Colton Lambert | 2013 |
| Largemouth Bass chesapeake | 11.2 lbs. | Potomac River | Justin Riley | 2008 |
| Atlantic Spadefish chesapeake | 10.0 lbs. | Buoy 72 | Charlie Barron | 2007 |
| Catfish, White chesapeake | 9.6 lbs. | Turkey Point near the mouth of the Elk River | Brian Dvorak | 2018 |
| Tautog chesapeake | 9.0 lbs. | Point Lookout | Gary Halbeisen | 2005 |
| Smallmouth Bass nontidal | 8.2 lbs. | Liberty Reservoir | Gary Peters | 1974 |
| White (american) Shad* chesapeake | 8.1 lbs. | Wicomico River | Vance Carter | 1975 |
| Chain Pickerel nontidal | 8.0 lbs. | Salisbury | Lee Haile | 2015 |
| Trout, Cutthroat nontidal | 7.6 lbs. | North Branch Of Potomac At Barnum | David G. Martin | 2000 |
| Chain Pickerel chesapeake | 6.5 lbs. | Susquehanna River | James Grant | 1965 |
| Croaker chesapeake | 6.5 lbs. | Point Lookout | Russell Knapp | 2006 |
| Florida pompano chesapeake | 6.4 lb | Bloodsworth Island | Bobby Graves | 2023 |
| Trout, Brook nontidal | 6.1 lbs. | North Branch Of The Potomac River Below Randolph Dam | Mike Fiorita, Jr. | 1999 |
| Smallmouth Bass chesapeake | 6.0 lbs. | Susquehanna River | Charles Janes | 1979 |
| Catfish, Bullhead nontidal | 4.9 lbs. | Big Gunpowder Falls | Nick Palese | 2019 |
| Crappie nontidal | 4.4 lbs. | Farm Pond | Jason D. Morrison | 2004 |
| Crappie chesapeake | 4.0 lbs. | Dundee Creek | Sid Stollings | 2007 |
| Hickory Shad chesapeake | 4.0 lbs. | Susquehanna River | John Schaeffer Jr. | 1971 |
| Bluegill nontidal | 3.4 lbs. | Deep Creek Lake | Sarah Brenneman | 1998 |
| Yellow Perch nontidal | 3.3 lbs. | Harford County Farm Pond | Philip Deere IV | 2006 |
| Fallfish nontidal | 3.2 lbs | North Branch of Potomac, Westernport | Blake Cronk | 2024 |
| White Perch chesapeake | 2.6 lbs. | Dundee Creek | Sid Stollings | 1979 |
| Redear Sunfish nontidal | 2.3 lbs. | Gilbert Run | Vittie Alkocius | 1985 |
| Yellow Perch chesapeake | 2.3 lbs. | Lower Susquehanna River | Thomas Dembeck, Jr. | 2025 |
| Norfolk Spot chesapeake | 2.0 lbs. | Tangier Sound | Parlett Moore | 1978 |
| White Perch nontidal | 1.9 lbs | Loch Raven Reservoir | George Venker | 2017 |
| Rock Bass nontidal | 1.5 lbs. | Thurmont Farm Pond | Earl Jenkins IV | 2010 |
| Rock Bass chesapeake | 1.0 lb. | Susquehanna River | Timothy A. Adams | 1997 |
| Rock Bass chesapeake | 1.0 lb. | Lower Susquehanna River | Thomas Over Jr. | 2024 |
| Warmouth nontidal | 0.7 lbs. | Gilbert Run Lake | Dezi Collins | 2018 |
All rows come from Maryland DNR publications
(official page).
Schedules change without notice, sometimes the same morning.
Seasons, limits, and licenses:
Maryland fishing
regulations.