The Best Crabbing Spots in Maryland (The Complete Guide)
Updated 12/16/2023 – New spots, new & updated sections, improved formatting.
Being a born-and-raised Marylander, crabbing is more than a summer activity – it’s part of our identity. I want you to take part in this Maryland past time and catch a few crabs for yourself. To accomplish this, I put together this article organizing different places to set a crab trap in the Chesapeake Bay and its many estuaries. Whether you’re a seasoned crabber looking for a new spot to run a trot line, or a brand new crabber looking to throw a few traps off a pier, this article has a spot for everyone in every corner of Maryland.
I spent dozens of hours compiling a list of spots that I already knew, spots I found by calling various bait shops posing as a newbie crabber, and scouring online forums. I appreciate everyone who helped me make this article. If I leaked your go to spot, sorry!
I took each spot them all together with icons in the Google Map embedded below.
Maryland Public Crabbing Spots
I color-coded the spots on this list to give you an idea of what each spot has to offer.
- Public piers which are perfect for crabbing are labeled with a blue pinpoint.
- Bridges you can throw a collapsible trap off of are labeled with a yellow pinpoint.
- Boat Landings to go crabbing by boat are labeled with a green pinpoint.
- Shoreline crabbing spots are labeled with a red pinpoint.
What to Consider When Picking a Spot
I wish it was as easy as finding the closest pinpoint to you and driving there. One thing I’ve learned from my crabbing trips is that there is just as much planning involved as there is actually crabbing. You need to consider:
- What gear you have.
- If you want to crab from shore, a boat or kayak.
- How many crabs you are after.
What I recommend is going crabbing with the gear you already have, or invest in gear to the amount you are comfortable with and pick a spot that compliments your gear. The more resources you have, the more complicated you can make crabbing. It’ll be more work, but leads to more potential for a big haul! Let’s briefly go over each type of spot and what traps you’ll need for them. If you’re unfamiliar with the traps I’m talking about, take a minute to read my article: The Best Traps for Blue Crabs (Avoid Trash Traps!)
- Piers: A couple hand lines, collapsible traps, or a crab pot (regulation permitting) will work great at this type of spot. Piers lower to to the water work best for hand lines. I recommend reading my guide: A Beginner’s Guide to Crabbing off a Pier (Step-by-step) if this type of spot interests you.
- Bridges: I would bring about 5 collapsible traps if I was crabbing off a pier. Piers over brackish, slow moving water that don’t have boat traffic work best for crabbing.
- Shorelines: Hand lines are your go-to methods here. The ideal spot is a reinforced shoreline that borders water with a depth of around three feet. A few hand lines, a dip net, and a good attitude will make the shoreline the most affordable crabbing spot.
- Waterways: For the crabber with a few more resources, this is the spot for you. With a boat or kayak, you can use any method of crabbing. With a commercial license in Maryland, you can go as far as setting whole crab pots from your boat. Otherwise, you can set collapsible traps and run a trotline for the potential of catching plenty more crabs than the other spots mentioned.
Now that you have an idea of what you need for each type of spot, let’s go over some specific spots.
Table of Contents
Crabbing in Maryland’s Waterways (for boaters)
Maryland Crabbing Spot Articles
Crabbing Charters in Maryland
Before you decide to go through the process of finding a crabbing spot, purchasing crabbing gear, and going down the rabbit hole that is recreational crabbing, you may want to consider a crabbing charter. A crabbing charter is a private crabbing trip with an expert captain. He or she will take you on the water with their boat to set crab traps and go fishing. You’ll spend the day on the water and learn a thing or two, and you get to keep whatever fish or crabs you catch!
I highly recommend this experience to anyone new to crabbing. There is a huge learning curve when it comes to figuring out crabbing techniques, buying the right gear, the right bait, finding the best time to go crabbing, and the list goes on. With a crabbing charter, however, you’ll get to have an expert at your side to answer any questions as you learn how to go crabbing.
I don’t say this to overwhelm you, but just to introduce the idea of a charter boat. I found a few captains who are beginner-friendly and have years of experience when it comes to catching blue crabs.
PrimeTime Charters, Stevensville MD
Captain Darnell Greenway has been a captain for 11 years. He captains a 33’ Wellcraft flybridge that’s equipped with restrooms, GPS, a live bait tank, and so much more. I chose to feature this charter because nearly every review shows that Captain Greenway is patient and kind toward children and any passenger on his boat. He’s eager to answer any questions you have and explains the tide, the current, and how it affects the trip. If you want a friendly captain, he’s the guy.
Click here to check his charter boat’s price & availability on FishingBooker.com.
Biff Fishing Charters, Stevensville MD
Another great charter boat in Stevensville is The Bliff. It’s run by Captain Justin Kaufam, an experienced angler in the Chesapeake Bay area. The Bliff is a 46′ Markley performance fishing boat that can carry up to 6 individuals and comes with a toilet, an icebox, AC, and so much more.
I have three reasons why I also recommend this crabbing charter: It’s affordable, the captain and crew are friendly, and they clean your catch on-site. On a good day, you’ll come home with cleaned and prepared fillets from the fish you catch that day on the water! Not to mention a good bunch of blue crabs to go with it. That, with the guidance and expertise of Captain Kaufam, is well worth the money spent on a charter boat. If Captain Kaufam wants my expert opinion, he should raise his prices.
Click here to check his charter boat’s price & availability on FishingBooker.com.
Crabbing Piers in Maryland
There’s no shortage of crabbing piers up and down the Chesapeake Bay. To help you find the pier for you, I’ll work my way down the coast. I’ll start with the Northeast and Elk river and work my way South. I’ll also include an Ocean City area pier, a region I promise I will not leave out in this article.
When crabbing from a pier, you will be using collapsible traps. This is when you lower a trap into the water by some rope and actively pull up the trap to catch crabs. The two best collapsible traps, in my opinion, are box traps and ring nets. If you want to read more on these two traps, check out my article: The Best Traps for Blue Crabs.
Perryville Community Park Pier
This first spot is one of the many Parks along the Chesapeake Bay. I think parks are some of the best spots to take the family crabbing. Most times, they have public restrooms and other amenities that make the experience more convenient. So, keep that in mind if you’re taking children along for the adventure.
Perryville Community Park is no exception! It includes tennis courts, baseball fields, walking trails, a playground, and bathroom facilities. This is all in addition to its pier, which is where I recommend you go crabbing. When you arrive, be sure to park nearby the pier, not the rest of the park. Take the road past the ballparks and Pavillion. There’s a small section dedicated to pier parking. This will be much easier than lugging crab traps, bait, and a cooler all the way from the ball fields.
The park is open from sun up to sun down throughout the crabbing season. I wouldn’t crab here earlier in the season, as it’s a bit of way up the Chesapeake Bay. I would hold off until later in the summer and early fall when the Northern Chesapeake Bay is its saltiest.
The pier is very small. I would get here as early as you can to claim what space you can get your hands on, especially on weekends!
North Point State Park Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
Just outside of Baltimore, North Point State Park Pier serves as an incredible spot to drop a few collapsible traps. It’s close enough to Baltimore to be a quick drive for locals, yet far enough away from the polluted waters of the city for me to feel safe about eating the crabs caught.
There’s a $3.00 entrance fee for in-state and a $5.00 for out-of-state visitors. Be careful not to confuse the crabbing pier with the larger pier you walk through trails in the woods to get to. You want to park at the parking lot with the roundabout before the visitors center.
There are bathrooms and picnic areas before the pier, including cast iron grills. If you are daring enough to steam your crabs at the park, by all means, bring some charcoal and a mini-steamer and fry up some crabs! Just don’t forget the Old Bay at home.
Click here to read my article: How to Pick the Perfect-Size Crab Steamer (Size Chart). I recommend a smaller steamer to be cooking at a park, for convenience sake.
Sandy Point State Park Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
Hopping to the next State Park along the Chesapeake Bay, Sandy Point serves as a great crabbing spot for the Annapolis area. Besides the impressively large boat launch, there’s a pier where you commonly see people setting hand lines, ring nets. and collapsible traps to catch blue crabs.
The pier isn’t very large, but it’s close to the parking lot. It’s situated in Mezick Ponds, which is a bit calmer and easier than crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay. You won’t have to worry about the current or adding as much weight to your traps.
Parking should be the least of your worries, especially if you’re smart and get there early in the morning. The park has the amenities of a park, including a playground, bathrooms, and walking trails. You’ll also find a large beach to play volleyball and wade in the water.
Matapeake Fishing Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
Matapeake Fishing Pier is the first spot I’ve mentioned on this list that’s less of a park atmosphere, and more of a serious fishing and crabbing pier. It stretches nearly 900ft out into the Chesapeake Bay, giving you plenty of room to spread out your crab traps.
This place naturally fills up with anglers on weekends. There’s a decent amount of parking, which costs $10 per vehicle. There are bathrooms in the parking area as well as picnic tables.
Be extra careful to follow Maryland crabbing regulations here! The pier is next door to Maryland DNR’s police force. Measure the crabs you catch, be mindful of gear limits, and for God’s sake bring your recreational fishing license.
Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
As another spot, nearby Annapolis, Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park Pier is a great spot to catch blue crabs. It’s the remnants of the former Naval Academy Bridge, renovated into a fishing pier.
At this spot, you’re a bit higher off the water. So, you will need to equip your ring nets and collapsible traps with longer rope. Be sure to set them away from the pilings so they don’t get caught on the side of the pier.
The park has plenty of parking, bathroom amenities, and picnic areas. There are grills if you’re daring enough to cook your own crabs. If you choose to do this, be sure to read my article: How to Pick the Perfect-Size Crab Steamer (Size Chart).
Solomons Island Fishing Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
For my crabbers south of Washington DC, Solomons Island Fishing Pier is an escape from all the rush. The pier lies at the south end of the increasingly rural peninsula. It offers over 600 ft of the pier to set crab traps from along the Patuxent River.
There’s no shortage in parking as the spot doubles as a boat ramp beneath the bridge, all you need to worry about is getting there before the next guy. Show up early on weekends, and even weekdays during peak crabbing season (June-August).
The pier is open 24 hours a day and lit at night. It’s also equipped with public restrooms that are very well-kept.
Isle of Wright Fishing Pier
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
As the only pier on this list in the Ocean City area, I made sure to pick the best of the bunch. This 500+ foot pier stretches over plenty of crab-filled marshland and stretches into the Isle of Wright Bay. Parking is limited, but there aren’t as many people at this spot compared to others on this list. As always, be sure to come early to secure your spot.
There’s not much else at this spot beside the crabbing pier. There are porta-potties for bathroom facilities and walking trails around the island. Regardless, you’ll be sure to find beautiful views of nature as a nice escape from jam-packed Ocean City.
The park opens at sunup and closes at sundown. There are two picnic tables but no public grills. What this spot lacks in facilities it makes up for in beauty and plentiful blue crabs.
Shoreline Spots in Maryland
If crabbing from a pier doesn’t interest you, you might like the idea of shoreline crabbing. Let me tell you, you can’t find a more minimal way of catching blue crabs. Instead of using traps, you’ll use some cotton string with bait tied to the end. This lures the crabs to your line, which you slowly pull in after a crab finds your bait. When you can see the crab, you scoop it out of the water with a dip net. If you want to read more about how to go crabbing from shore, read my article: How to go Crabbing from Shore.
It wouldn’t make sense to list every spot where you can use handlines in Maryland, as you can at any tidal creek, river, or waterway in the state. From pulling over and crabbing on the side of the road, to going to a designated crabbing spot in a state park, there’s bound to be a spot for you.
In this section, I’m going to recommend three public docks that work better for hand lines compared to ring nets. I don’t feel comfortable directing people to the sides of roads or random beaches to catch crabs. However, if you’re from Maryland and live around the water, I’m sure you can think of a spot that meets this criterion. If you’re comfortable crabbing there and it’s not restricted or private property, I say go for it!
Rogue’s Harbor at Elk Neck State Park
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
Besides the boat launch, Rogue’s Harbor offers plenty of dock space to use handlines. It’s low to the water, so you shouldn’t have any problems using lines. Parking is very close to the dock, so transport shouldn’t be a problem. As of now, it’s a $3.00 entry fee for in-state, and $5 for out-of-state visitors.
Herrington Harbor Dock
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
Herrington Harbor Dock is a nice spot to use handlines for those in the Annapolis and Washington DC area. This spot is a popular beach spot and includes restroom facilities. Besides crabbing from the available docks, enjoy your time by lounging on the beach.
Bayshore Drive, Ocean City MD
Click here to see this spot on Google Maps.
I didn’t forget about Ocean City! In fact, the city has some of the best shorelines for using hand lines and ring nets. Bayshore Dr, in particular, has a 300ft stretch of pilings to go crabbing from. You can park on the side of the road and get right to crabbing.
Crabbing in Maryland’s Waterways
If you’re a boater, you’re in the right place. Instead of crabbing from a pier or shoreline, you’re going to find a body of water to set collapsible traps, a trotline, or both! These are some of the most efficient ways to actively catch blue crabs, besides crab pots. Unfortunately, for the crabber at least, blue crab pots can only be used from private waterfront property.
According to Chesapeakebay.net, there are an estimated 282 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay (as of 2021). There’s no reason why you can’t catch a dozen or so for a crab dinner! Every tidal waterway in the Chesapeake Bay has blue crabs, depending on the time of year.
Blue crabs follow the tides to get around. They also prefer salty, or at least brackish, water. The Chesapeake Bay’s salinity levels fluctuate depending on the time of year. Instead of trying to explain the optimal levels of salinity for crabbing, I made a graphic depicting the best parts of the bay to go crabbing depending on the time of year.
The further south you go, the better the crabbing is. Some of the best waterways to catch blue crabs year-round in the Chesapeake Bay include The Choptank, Wye, Magothy, and Severn River. Any tidal waterway south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a great area to crab throughout the crabbing season.
I live near the north end of the Chesapeake Bay. Here, crabbing doesn’t get serious until mid to late summer. For most of the year, I have to drive down to Easton to catch crabs. This will last all the way until fall when the water starts to get chilly. Around this time, blue crabs retreat to the warmer waters of the Atlantic.
Crabbing at Private Waterfront Property
Private property is your best friend when it comes to catching blue crabs. If you own or have access to privately-owned waterfront property in the Chesapeake Bay, this may be the best spot to go crabbing. There is a great chance that it works much better than going to heavily-crabbed public piers mentioned above, as there should be less competition.
If you do own waterfront property, or know someone who does, you have the ability to use crab pots. If you aren’t familiar with what these are, read my article How Crab Pots Work (With Pictures!). It’s a completely passive way of catching crabs! Instead of sitting there pulling traps every 15 minutes, you can set a trap and come back to it full of blue crabs.
As of 2014, Maryland DNR requires that you register crab pots in order to use them. Click here to read more.
Read More: Crabbing Spot Articles in Maryland
I got very specific in a few of my articles regarding places to go crabbing in Maryland. Please feel free to check out one of the articles I wrote on where to go crabbing in Baltimore, Ocean City, and more places in Maryland.
