Maryland · USA

Deep Creek Lake

Species in Deep Creek Lake

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Species	Season	Limit	Notes
Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth)	June 16–last day of February (catch and release permitted at all times)	12-inch minimum (or as provided by special regulations); daily 5 in aggregate, possession 10 in aggregate; cannot be used as bait	—
Chain Pickerel	Open year round	14-inch minimum; daily 5, possession 10; cannot be used as bait	—
Crappie	Open year round	No minimum size; daily 15, possession 30	—
Northern Pike	Open year round	30-inch minimum; daily 2, possession 4; cannot be used as bait	—
Sunfish, including Bluegills and Rock Bass	Open year round	No minimum size; daily 15 in aggregate, possession 30 in aggregate	—
Walleye	Open year round, except on Deep Creek Lake and the Youghiogheny River downstream of the Route 42 bridge, where it is closed March 1–April 15	15-inch minimum year-round (Deep Creek Lake: 15-inch minimum with a protected slot of 18–21 inches — all fish in the slot must be released; Potomac River: 15-inch minimum with a 20-inch maximum Jan. 1–April 15 in the mainstem); daily 5, possession 10; cannot be used as bait	—
Yellow Perch	Open year round	Nontidal rivers and streams: 9-inch minimum, daily 5 / possession 10. Nontidal lakes and ponds: no minimum size, daily 10 / possession 20 (new for 2026). Possession of yellow perch eggs requires prior authorization from the department	—

Always confirm regulations with the official state regulations before fishing — rules change, and waterbody-specific exceptions apply.

Walleye: closed to harvest March 1–April 15; open season 5 daily / 10 possession, 15-inch minimum with a protected slot of 18–21 inches (all fish in the slot released) (2026 Guide Walleye remarks; MD DNR Deep Creek Lake fisheries page)
Bass (Largemouth and Smallmouth): Deep Creek Lake carries a 15-inch minimum size under special regulations (2026 Guide bass rules summary)

Species: Maryland state fisheries lake records, via the Bump Board dataset.