MDTailrace

Species guide

What swims below the dam, rated by rarity. Sizes, limits, and the lures that work.

General reference, not legal authority.

This guide is a general reference, not legal authority. The Conowingo Dam sits on the boundary between TIDAL water (below the dam) and NONTIDAL water (above it), so the rules that apply depend on exactly where you fish and on the season, and they change yearly. Always confirm current regulations with Maryland DNR before keeping any fish. Maryland DNR fishing regulations .

placeholder Common

Bluegill / Sunfish

Lepomis macrochirus

Season
Year-round, best late spring to summer
Typical size
5-9 in
Legal size
No minimum
MD limit
Generous panfish limit (verify current number)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Eager biters around shoreline structure. Great for getting kids on fish.

Top lures
  • Small jig under float
  • Garden worm
  • Tiny inline spinner
  • Foam spider fly
  • Ice jig tipped with grub
placeholder Common

White Perch

Morone americana

Season
Spring run strong, year-round
Typical size
7-11 in
Legal size
No minimum (verify)
MD limit
Liberal (verify current number)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Schooling fish, often caught in numbers during the spring run below the dam.

Top lures
  • Beetle spin
  • Shad dart
  • Small grub jig
  • Bloodworm
  • Tiny spoon
placeholder Common

Channel Catfish

Ictalurus punctatus

Season
Year-round, best warm months
Typical size
12-26 in
Legal size
No minimum (verify)
MD limit
No statewide limit (verify)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Reliable on the bottom in the tailrace, especially after dark.

Top lures
  • Cut bait
  • Chicken liver
  • Nightcrawler gob
  • Stink bait
  • Live bluegill (where legal)
placeholder Common

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Season
Spring to fall
Typical size
12-18 in
Legal size
12 in minimum
MD limit
5 per day, black bass combined

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

Holds in slack-water pockets and around cover off the main current. The nontidal Susquehanna has special seasonal harvest regs (a spring spawning closure / slot periods per COMAR); check MD DNR for the current seasonal specifics.

Top lures
  • Plastic worm (Texas rig)
  • Spinnerbait
  • Squarebill crankbait
  • Jig and craw
  • Topwater frog
placeholder Uncommon

Smallmouth Bass

Micropterus dolomieu

Season
Spring to fall
Typical size
10-18 in
Legal size
12 in minimum
MD limit
5 per day, black bass combined

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

The classic Susquehanna gamefish. Loves current seams and rocky bottom. The nontidal Susquehanna has special seasonal harvest regs (a spring spawning closure / slot periods per COMAR); check MD DNR for the current seasonal specifics.

Top lures
  • Tube jig
  • Ned rig
  • Crawfish crankbait
  • Jerkbait
  • Inline spinner
placeholder Uncommon

Crappie

Pomoxis spp.

Season
Spring spawn peak
Typical size
8-13 in
Legal size
No minimum (verify)
MD limit
Verify current number

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Suspends around brush and structure in slack water. Light line, small jigs.

Top lures
  • Marabou jig
  • Minnow under float
  • Soft plastic tube
  • Beetle spin
  • Hair jig
placeholder Uncommon

Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

Season
Warm months
Typical size
18-30 in
Legal size
No minimum
MD limit
No limit (verify)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Hard-fighting and abundant. Increasingly targeted on purpose for the fight.

Top lures
  • Sweet corn
  • Boilies
  • Dough bait
  • Bread
  • Pack bait over a hair rig
placeholder Uncommon

Hickory Shad

Alosa mediocris

Season
Spring spawning run
Typical size
12-16 in
Legal size
Catch and release in most MD waters (verify)
MD limit
Catch and release (verify current rules)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Fast, acrobatic spring-run fish. Light tackle fun on the fly or darts.

Top lures
  • Shad dart
  • Small spoon
  • Tandem dart rig
  • Sabiki-style flies
  • Tiny curly-tail jig
placeholder Rare

Walleye

Sander vitreus

Season
Best fall through early spring; seasonal, check DNR
Typical size
15-24 in
Legal size
15 in minimum
MD limit
6 per day

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

Low-light and current-edge feeder below the dam. Prized table fish. The nontidal walleye season has closures (roughly mid-March to early May per COMAR); confirm the current dates with MD DNR.

Top lures
  • Jig and minnow
  • Blade bait
  • Deep jerkbait
  • Bottom-bouncer crawler harness
  • Swimbait
placeholder Rare

Striped Bass (Rockfish)

Morone saxatilis

Season
Below dam (tidal): Chesapeake seasons. Reservoir (above): year-round.
Typical size
18-36 in
Legal size
Below dam: 19-24 in slot when open. Reservoir: 18 in min.
MD limit
Below dam (tidal): when harvest is open, 1 per day, 19 in min / 24 in max. Above dam (Conowingo Reservoir, nontidal): 2 per day, 18 in min, only one over 30 in.

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

The dam is the tidal/nontidal line, so two different rule sets apply. BELOW the dam follows the MD Chesapeake striped bass season: in 2026, catch-and-release Jan 1-Apr 30, harvest May 1-Jul 31, closed in August, harvest Sep 1-Dec 5, catch-and-release Dec 6-31; plus the Susquehanna Flats / Lower Susquehanna / North East River carry a 26 in max until June 1 and spawning-area closures Mar 1-May 31. This is complex and changes yearly, so confirm specifics with MD DNR. ABOVE the dam in the reservoir it is the simpler nontidal rule (18 in, 2 per day, one over 30 in).

Top lures
  • Bucktail jig
  • Swimbait
  • Shad-pattern crankbait
  • Soft jerkbait
  • Live or cut bait (where legal)
placeholder Rare

Flathead Catfish

Pylodictis olivaris

Season
Warm months, best at night
Typical size
20-40 in+
Legal size
No minimum
MD limit
Invasive: no limit, harvest encouraged (verify, do not release alive where prohibited)

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Invasive apex predator. Big, strong, and bad for native fish. Keep what you catch.

Top lures
  • Live sunfish (where legal)
  • Cut bait
  • Large circle hook on bottom
  • Live bullhead
  • Big chunk bait
placeholder Rare

American Shad

Alosa sapidissima

Season
Spring spawning run
Typical size
16-24 in
Legal size
Catch and release only in MD (no harvest)
MD limit
Catch and release only, no harvest

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

Once the great Susquehanna run. Strictly catch-and-release in Maryland to aid recovery.

Top lures
  • Shad dart
  • Flutter spoon
  • Tandem darts
  • Bright fly
  • Small jig
placeholder Epic

Northern Snakehead

Channa argus

Season
Warm months
Typical size
18-30 in
Legal size
No minimum
MD limit
Invasive: no limit. Do not release alive (kill before transport). Harvest strongly encouraged.

Exact limit not confirmed, verify with MD DNR.

Invasive and a blast to catch. Excellent eating. Killing them helps native fish. Confirm current handling rules with DNR.

Top lures
  • Hollow-body frog
  • Chatterbait
  • Weightless soft jerkbait
  • Buzzbait
  • Live bait under float
placeholder Legendary

Muskellunge

Esox masquinongy

Season
Cooler months best; no closed season statewide
Typical size
30-48 in+
Legal size
40 in minimum
MD limit
1 per day

MD DNR / COMAR 08.02.11, verified Jun 2026

The fish of ten thousand casts. Rare, huge, and unforgettable below the dam.

Top lures
  • Large bucktail
  • Glide bait
  • Big rubber swimbait
  • Jerkbait (musky size)
  • Topwater walker