Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Probably more so than any other part of the bay, there has always been a lot of fishing activity in the downtown waters that include the Ocean City Inlet, the Rt. 50 Bridge area, the “Fish Bowl” and the “East Channel” that runs north to about 9th street. Throughout this zone flounder, bluefish, rockfish, tautog and shad are such regular catches that it’s not surprising this is the most heavily fished section of the bay with anglers dropping lines from boats, the bridge, Gudelsky Park, the North Jetty, as well as the Oceanic Fishing Pier, 9th Street Pier and 3rd Street Bulkhead.
With so many fishermen vying for so many different types of fish using a multitude of tackle and techniques including spinning gear, bottom rods, fly rods, surf rods, live bait cut bait, jigs, plugs, spoons and flies, there’s a lot of crazy stuff that goes on in that chunk of water! But despite all the differences that might exist from one angler to another, the one commonality that all downtown anglers share is the need to deal with the current that flushes through that area. Whether they are in a boat, on a pier or dropping lines from the bridge, every fisherman must take into consideration what the current will do to their bait or lure each time they make a drop or cast into the water.
Properly working the current is one of the most critical factors in fishing because most inshore species of fish base most of their movements and feeding around the stages of the currents and tides. Notice that I made a distinction between “currents” and “tides.” Tides are properly described as the vertical movement of water (up or down) and are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and are, therefore, very predictable and reliable. Tides either rise, fall or stand. While currents, on the other hand, are the horizontal movement of water which is certainly affected by what the tide is doing, but wind, rain and other natural forces also influence the current. Currents are known to “flood” when coming in, “ebb” when going out or “slack” when they are not moving. Anglers and boaters must keep in mind that currents and tides do not always work together. That’s why it’s common to have a rising tide with an ebbing current or the other way around. While that might not seem to make sense, trust me - it’s true!
Just focusing on currents and how they affect downtown anglers, it’s good to be aware that the strength of the current will vary depending upon just where you’re dropping your line. Because the east and west side of the bay are fairly close together, the water is relatively shallow and the bridge pilings create a bit of a damming effect, the current closest to and below the Rt. 50 Bridge is some of the strongest in the bay. All of those factors add up to help make it a great place for fish to hang out and fishermen to have some fun. The strong current can also make the Rt. 50 Bridge area a challenging and sometimes dangerous place to fish.
Those who spend much time fishing on, under or around the bridge know that when the current is pushing hard the strength is not the same in all locations. The velocity of the current at any given spot depends upon the depth of the water and the proximity to the shoreline and nearby sandbars. When anglers find that the water is moving too fast, or even too slow, for whatever type of fishing they are trying to do it’s often possible to simply move east or west to find better conditions. The same holds true for waters above and below the bridge as the maze of channels, islands and shoals create variations in the current flow.
Obviously, just how the current will affect an angler’s efforts is determined by what they’re trying to do. The most difficult scenario is when the current is ripping and you’re fishing from a stationary platform such as the bridge or an anchored boat. Under those conditions it can be really challenging to get a bait or lure down to where the fish might be hanging, but there are a few techniques that will sometimes make things work - such as casting up-current, and cranking the reel just fast enough to keep the line tight and allow the bait or lure to work as intended. If the current is really strong, this will require a super fast retrieve and unless the angler can cast a country mile they won’t have a lot of fishing time between each cast.
Anglers can also cast across and slightly into the current, like at the 10 and 2 o’clock position, and allow the lure or bait to be swept along as you work it back. The result will be that the end of your line will travel in a large arc, then, once it gets down-current it will be “game-over” until the next cast. Just like when you’re casting directly into the current, if you cast across the current you’ll only be in the strike zone for a short while before it’ll be time to throw again.
Bridge fishermen can only cast to their left or right if they are on the down-current side of the bridge, otherwise their terminal tackle will end up being swept into the bridge pilings. They can, however, use the current to their advantage by using a float above a bait or lure that’s set at a specific depth and allow the flow of water to pull their offering way out and away from the bridge.
When currents are strong, anglers might do well to leave the extra-light line behind and use tackle that can apply adequate pressure to bring a decent size fish into a strong flow of water. Particularly around the bridge where it’s always possible to hook into a big-dog rockfish that will turn side-to in the current and just let the flow of water help keep it away from the angler trying to bring it in. Considering how much the bridge pilings just love to liberate big fish, anglers should always fish around them with heavy enough tackle to haul a good fish in before it becomes just another fish story about the one that got away!
Strong currents running toward the bridge can create a real safety concern for those fishing from boats. An engine failure at the wrong time can allow a boat to be quickly swept into some very unforgiving concrete and steel. No matter where they are operating, boaters should always have an anchor rigged and ready to deploy in case they have a malfunction and need to stop the boat from drifting into dangerous territory. This is especially important when operating near a structure such as a bridge. It’s common for folks to anchor up-current of the bridge and allow the boat’s stern to drift close to the structure so anglers can cast beneath it. There’s nothing wrong with this tactic but anglers must make darn sure their anchor and line are in good working order and set properly because, if it starts to slip, a boat could slide into the bridge in just a few seconds.
Pier fishermen should also be very careful when fishing over water with a strong current because, if by some accident they should end up taking an unexpected plunge they could end up fighting a losing battle as they struggle to keep from being swept out of the inlet or some other hostile place.
Strong or even moderate currents can create wonderful opportunities for anglers to hook into some nice fish, but such areas are likely to come with special challenges and hazards. Anglers need not shy away from fishing areas such as our downtown waters, but they should always be ready with a plan that allows them to not only catch fish, but also be safe while doing it.
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center
