Brown Trout regulations in Maryland

Trout · Freshwater · 2026 season

Is it a keeper? Brown Trout is closed to harvest. Release it.

Brown Trout size limit, season and daily limit

Where	Season	Size limit	Daily limit
Beaver Creek, Washington County (hatchery to Antietam Creek)	Closed to harvest	—	—
Savage River Trophy Trout areas (Rt. 135 bridge to reservoir dam)	Open year-round	18 inch minimum	2 daily / 4 possession, all trout combined
Other nontidal waters	Open year-round	No size limit	2 daily / 4 possession, all trout species combined

Notes

Release every brown trout in Beaver Creek from the Albert Powell hatchery down to Antietam Creek.
In the Savage River trophy sections a brown must be 18 inches to keep; elsewhere there is no size limit.

Exact Maryland DNR Fishing & Boating Services wording

Season: Open Year Round (statewide trout rule); possession prohibited in Beaver Creek below the hatchery
Size: None statewide; 18 inches in Savage River Trophy Trout areas
Limit: 2 trout in aggregate daily / 4 possession (statewide); 5/10 in Put-and-Take areas
Beaver Creek, Washington County (hatchery to Antietam Creek) — as printed: “Beaver Creek from Albert Powell State Fish Hatchery downstream to confluence with Antietam Creek. ... You may not possess brown trout in this area. You must immediately release any brown trout.”

Source: Maryland DNR Fishing & Boating Services, captured 2026-10-04 (2026 season).

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More trout

Brook Trout Trout (Put-and-Take, Delayed Harvest and Catch-and-Return areas)

About the brown trout

Species of fish

The brown trout is a species of carnivorous ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the salmonid genus Salmo, endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally as a game fish, even becoming one of the world's worst invasive species outside of its native range.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Regulations on this page come from Maryland DNR Fishing & Boating Services, not Wikipedia.

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Frequently asked

What is the size limit for Brown Trout in Maryland?

No size limit in Maryland state waters.

How many Brown Trout can you keep per day in Maryland?

Possession prohibited - release all brown trout.

When is Brown Trout season in Maryland?

Open year-round.

Is my Brown Trout a keeper today?

Brown Trout is closed to harvest. Release it.