Species
Brook Trout
Salvelinus fontinalis · family Salmonidae
Maryland's only native trout and a conservation priority species. Surviving wild populations are in small, cold headwater streams in Garrett, Allegany, and a few pockets of central/western MD. Small, aggressive, and spectacularly colored — sensitive to warming and habitat loss.
Preferred conditions
- Water temp
- 40–65°F (ideal 52°F)
- Tide
- either
- Moon
- either
- Depth
- 1–10 ft
- Active months
- Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
Best brook trout conditions today
Regulations by jurisdiction
Maryland (non-tidal)
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 2
Statewide aggregate creel of 2 trout/day applies. MDDNR designates many wild brook trout waters as Catch-and-Return only or Zero-Creel — consult the water-specific rules before keeping ANY brook trout. Treat all native brook trout populations as fragile; catch-and-release is strongly preferred. Trout stamp required.
Source · verified 2026-04-22
Delaware (tidal)
non tidal-trout
- Creel
- 6
Delaware stocking literature lists brook trout among the species occasionally stocked (primary stocked species are rainbow and brown). There are no native reproducing brook trout populations in Delaware. Creel applies equally across all three trout species: 6/day aggregate, 4 in fly-fishing-only waters. No minimum size. Trout stamp required during stamp season windows. No night fishing in designated trout waters.
Source · verified 2026-04-22
Virginia (non-tidal — VDWR)
non tidal-trout
- Min size
- 7"
- Creel
- 6
Non-tidal VA: 7-inch minimum, 6 per day aggregate (combined with rainbow and brown). Virginia has the largest native brook trout program in the mid-Atlantic — hundreds of small freestone headwater streams in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, especially in Shenandoah National Park (catch-and-return only, single hook artificial lures). Heritage Trout Waters impose stricter single-hook / C&R rules. Treat all wild brook trout populations as fragile; the statewide 6/day aggregate creel rarely matters on native water because most is C&R-only by special regulation. Always verify per-water rules.
Source · verified 2026-04-22