Cambridge gives shore and boat crabbers several public starting points on the Choptank River. The most important current fact is a closure: both sides of Bill Burton Fishing Pier are closed for structural safety. Build a trip around Cambridge’s active city waterfront and launches instead.
Long Wharf Park and Yacht Basin
Address: 2 Yacht Club Drive, Cambridge. The city waterfront has a public Choptank bulkhead, nearby bathrooms, picnic tables, marina services and public parking. Dorchester County currently lists Long Wharf Park as open daily from midnight to 11 p.m.
Maryland designates the city-owned bulkhead as a license-free fishing area, but that designation is not blanket permission for every kind of crab gear. A tended handline is the simplest option; obey city and marina signs and keep clear of working berths.
Gerry Boyle Park at Great Marsh
Access: public Choptank boat ramp, fishing piers, parking, playground and picnic facilities at the end of Somerset Avenue. This is a practical skiff launch for lower-Choptank and Hambrooks Bay water.
The official facility page verifies fishing and launching, not unrestricted trap use from the piers. Confirm posted rules before setting gear from shore.
Franklin and Trenton Street ramps
The city also operates public ramps at Franklin and Trenton streets. They are useful alternatives for small-boat access, but official pages provide little live amenity detail. Do not assume a restroom, accessible float or trailer space without checking locally.
Bill Burton Talbot shoreline
The Talbot-side trails and shoreline remain open from sunrise to sunset, with limited parking and portable toilets. The fishing pier itself is closed. This is a walk or shoreline alternative, not a substitute for the former over-water crabbing platform.
Maryland rules for a Cambridge trip
The Chesapeake and tidal-tributary crabbing season runs April 1 through December 15. Handlines and dip nets can be used without a recreational crabbing license within the unlicensed limits. Crabbers age 16 and older need a license for collapsible traps and net rings. Current male hard-crab minimums are 5 inches through July 14 and 5¼ inches from July 15 through December 15. Female hard and peeler crabs and sponge crabs may not be kept recreationally.
The unlicensed shore limit is two dozen male hard crabs plus one dozen male peelers or soft crabs. Gear type also controls legal days and hours, so consult the current table rather than applying handline rules to traps.
Choptank safety
The broad river can build short chop quickly in afternoon wind. Give marina and launch traffic room, watch thunderstorms, wear a life jacket in small craft and check Cambridge alerts after heavy rain. Never use a closed pier merely because the water below looks calm.
Cambridge marina and parks · current Bill Burton closure · Maryland license-free fishing areas · current Maryland crabbing rules
Access, closures and rules checked August 13, 2026. See the Maryland crabbing report.