Maryland Department of Natural Resources released the 2024 Black Bass Annual Review—a.k.a., the largemouth bass report for the state, which covers species abundance in a number of tidal rivers, conservation funding and efforts, educational resources, stocking, and angling opportunities. The 11-page report offers snapshots of popular largemouth bass watersheds, including the Potomac, Pocomoke, Middle, Gunpowder, Marshyhope, and Bush rivers, as well as the way upper Chesapeake region, Loch Raven Reservoir, Conowingo, and both Deep Creek Lake and the upper Potomac in western Maryland.
Among the report’s highlights:
- Black Bass Conservation Fund makes first purchase of a bead filter using donations collected in 2024. Larger fish to be stocked in tidal rivers in 2025.
- Black bass health in tidal rivers. A fish health index is being used during the Tidal Bass Survey to monitor the proportion of injured or diseased fish.
- Largemouth bass fisheries remain highly productive in upper Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, attracting Bassmaster and Major League Fishing tournaments in 2025.
- Same fish, new name: largemouth bass split into two different species. New research designates a genetic difference in fish declaring some fish Florida bass and others largemouth bass.
- Tidal Bass Survey data now available online. Access to over 20 years of monitoring data on tidal rivers and inland lakes in Maryland.
You can read the full report by clicking this link or visiting the Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s Fishing page.
