Largemouth Bass regulations in Maryland

· Freshwater · 2026 season

Is it a keeper? A largemouth bass is a keeper today if it measures at least 12 inches, with a daily limit of 5.

Largemouth Bass size limit, season and daily limit

Where	Season	Size limit	Daily limit
Chesapeake Bay & tidal tributaries	Open year-round	15 inch minimum (March 1 – June 15); 12 inch minimum (June 16 – February 29)	5 largemouth + smallmouth combined

Exact Maryland DNR Fishing & Boating Services wording

Season: Open year-round
Size: 15 inches March 1–June 15; 12 inches June 16 through last day in February
Limit: Daily—5 in aggregate (largemouth and smallmouth)
Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries — as printed: “Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth) | 15 inches March 1–June 15; 12 inches June 16 through last day in February | Open Year Round | Daily—5 in aggregate | Cannot be used as bait.”

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

Check your largemouth bass in seconds

Say it, snap a photo, or type the length. SlotGauge answers KEEP or RELEASE using today's Maryland rules.

Open SlotGauge for Largemouth Bass

American Eel Black Drum Black Sea Bass Bluefish Cobia Atlantic Croaker Dolphin Grouper

About the largemouth bass

Species of black bass

The largemouth bass is a carnivorous, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico. It is known by a variety of regional names, such as the widemouth bass, bigmouth bass, black bass, largie, potter's fish, Florida bass or Florida largemouth, green bass, bucketmouth bass, green trout, growler, Gilsdorf bass, Oswego bass, southern largemouth, northern largemouth, Alabama bass or Alabama largemouth, marsh bass, and swamp bass.

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

All 92 Maryland species A–Z →

Frequently asked

What is the size limit for Largemouth Bass in Maryland?

15 inch minimum (March 1 – June 15); 12 inch minimum (June 16 – February 29) in Maryland state waters.

How many Largemouth Bass can you keep per day in Maryland?

5 largemouth + smallmouth combined.

When is Largemouth Bass season in Maryland?

Open year-round.

Is my Largemouth Bass a keeper today?

A largemouth bass is a keeper today if it measures at least 12 inches, with a daily limit of 5.