Insect and Spider Identification: LARGE spider, striated legs, MD; fishing spider?, 1 by goodbug

goodbug wrote:
We found this under our deck last night in Maryland. Body almost 1-inch; Almost 4-inches including leg span. Is this a fishing spider? Haven't seen one here before. She seems shy. Our cat contracted MRSA last year from what we believe was a secondary insult due to a spider bite--she likes to play with arthropods. Are these spiders solitary? What is their prefered habitat? Can we expect more? We released her and her future babies in the woods. As pretty as she is, I'd rather not find one in my bed one night.