MANDATORY RULE
Non-Offset Circle Hook Mandate
Maryland DNR regulations require non-offset circle hooks when targeting striped bass with natural bait. Circle hooks hook fish in the corner of the mouth 92% of the time, dramatically reducing gut-hooking mortality.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Blue Catfish & Snakehead Harvest
Blue Catfish and Northern Snakeheads are aggressive non-native predators in Chesapeake tributaries. Anglers are encouraged to harvest all legal catches to protect native migratory shad, river herring, and blue crabs.