Article by Capt. Lance Smith
It’s that time of year when children are about done with school and family vacations are starting. Ocean City is Maryland’s only beach resort and will see more tourists this summer than any other locale in the state. Even those from other states (mostly to our north) recognize the value of our small summer destination and either vacation here, or set up permanent summer residence.
For the average Joe, vacationing for a week or so with his family, fishing in Ocean City can be a bit of a challenge. Not only do time constraints from family obligations such as laying on the beach, visiting the boardwalk and going out to eat factor into the equation, but so do monetary considerations as well. Not everyone can afford a $3,000 offshore charter for marlin and tuna, or multiple rods/reels to target each of our inshore fish species. So, in order to maximize your time and your dollars, there are several options available to the vacationing fisherman.
To begin with, a little bit of pre-trip research such as internet forums, Facebook and local papers like the Coastal Fisherman are a good place to start. Even better is some knowledge from previous visits where you have either caught big, or gone home empty handed? Even the bad fishing experiences from the past can help with future outings. For instance, if you “wasted” three hours fishing for striped bass off of the bulkhead while anglers around you were catching tautog and flounder, you may not want to try that again. Instead, adapt and overcome. Knowledge from local tackle shop employees can also be an invaluable tool for finding out when, where, and what to fish for. However, when you enter a store, be careful what you ask for. If you go in and simply ask, “What’s biting,” or say, “I want to catch a fish,” you will probably get as vague of an answer as you deserve. If you show a bit of enthusiasm though, and know a bit more about what you wish to accomplish, you may be able to spark a conversation that makes the difference between a good day of fishing and a great day of fishing. You should also exert a bit of caution when asking questions too. If you come off as a know-it-all or a local fisherman detects you are BS-ing them, you may actually be fed mis-information.
Now, for the angler on a tight budget and with a limited amount of time, there are several options that may put you on some fish. You’re first option is to fish from shore. Ocean City offers a variety of locations to catch quality fish without having a boat. If you happen to be renting a condo or staying on the “beach side” of Coastal Highway, surf fishing is always an option. Keep in mind that you can only fish in the morning and in the afternoon when the lifeguards are off duty. While the kids are still frolicking in the surf, and dinner and putt-putt are still an hour or two away, you can cast a line for a bit. If this is your plan, tell the local tackle shop guy or girl what your plans are. You don’t want to be talked into buying a $400 surf fishing combo when you are planning to use it only once a year for an hour or so. You also may not want to try targeting the larger gamefish that roam the beaches such as rockfish and sharks. Instead, maximize your time and money by concentrating on catching fish such as kingfish, croaker and spot. These smaller “panfish” are abundant in the suds throughout the summer months and if you like eating fish, they are hard to beat.
If surf fishing isn’t your game, there are numerous free fishing locations on the “bay side” of Coastal Highway. The best of these locations include places such as the Route 50 Bridge, the Bulkhead from 2nd thru 4th street and the 9th Street Pier. In fact, the bulkhead from 2nd thru 4th street is actually one of the few public places to fish where no saltwater license is required.
Fishing from the bulkhead takes place 24 hours a day. During the daytime hours, fish such as flounder, sea bass, tautog and small bluefish are available. After dark, your chances of catching a striped bass or larger “chopper” bluefish increase exponentially. This can be as much of a productive location as it can be a frustrating one. Directly beneath the wooden railing here, and extending out to twenty feet in some locations, are boulders and concrete rubble. Again, it pays to know what your options are. If you simply want to catch a few fish or keep the kids entertained while you target your trophy, smaller hooks tipped with baits such as bloodworm or clam will keep you catching panfish and undersized sea bass the whole time you are there. To accomplish this, you don’t need to make a heroic, ballistic missile type casts out into the channel. Rather, drop straight down or cast just a few feet out into the underwater structure. Watch the tide while fishing here. An extremely hard running tide in either direction can make it almost impossible not to get snagged. If the tide is slack, go ahead and make that cast out into the channel for flounder. When the tide is screaming by though, downsize your rig and stay closer to the shore. Remember, flounder like structure as much as the next fish, especially the big ones. Many a doormat has been pulled from directly beneath the railing in between boulders and snags.
Fishing from the Route 50 Bridge requires a completely different approach. If I were on a tight budget and only had a few hours to fish, this would be the place I would concentrate my efforts. Like the aforementioned bulkhead, there are rocks and rubble straight down underneath the Bridge. Also, like the bulkhead, the Bridge can be fished both day and night. I would fish at night here, as I often used to, while the rest of the family was sleeping. Using the same small rigs and dropping straight down will catch you the same species as off of the bulkhead and will keep children entertained. Here though, you can feel free to make that nuclear launch of a cast (just watch out for the cars behind you!).
As a general rule, fisherman concentrate on the west side of the Bridge in the shallows during the daytime and nearer the drawbridge on the east side at night. The West side of the Bridge offers expansive flats on both sides that can be fished during either tide for flounder. You will notice most of the local “sharpies” using rigs with bobbers that they drift out with their bait dangling below for flounder. This is a relatively skilled type of fishing and requires that you know what depth your bait is drifting over in order to keep it close to the bottom.
Flounder also hang very close to the Bridge as well. The pilings and the rubble below the bridge cause baitfish to pile up here and flounder will often lay in the pockets of deeper water directly beneath you. I find it comical that Bridge fisherman attempt to get their baits as far away from the pilings as possible, while I (fishing from a boat) try to get as close to them as I can.
Fishing the Rt. 50 Bridge at night can be amazing. Schools of baitfish often materialize under the lights as the tide shifts. Most often following these schools are hungry bluefish. Just about any artificial lure in the same size range of the prospective baitfish will do the trick here. When you see fish splashing on the surface or birds diving, bluefish are the most likely the predatory cause. Oh, contrary to popular beliefs, bluefish are quite tasty if bled quickly and put on ice!
The main attraction at night on the Bridge though is the striped bass (it used to be the sea trout until the stripers ate them all). While stripers may roam the entire length of the bridge at night, most fisherman concentrate their efforts in the deeper waters around the drawbridge. Smaller rockfish can be found in the shallows to the west at night, but they can be incredibly skittish. Using the strong-man cast in this situation is when it is most beneficial. Most nighttime striper snipers will cast lures up and into the current; reeling in line as the tide brings their baits back to them. As waters here can reach depths of 25 feet or more, this is the easiest way to maintain contact with the bottom and in the feeding zone of rockfish. Timing your retrieve is the only way to keep from getting snagged. Wind in too quickly and your lures will be out of the strike zone. Wind in too slowly and you are sure to lose your rig. With enough weight, you can also fish down-current.
Night or day, and throughout the summer, there are fish to be caught in Ocean City. They do not care how expensive your rod was or whether you fish all day or for ten minutes. Asking the right questions and knowing what your restraints are will get you pretty far in this town. If you have a bit more time and a bit more dough, fishing from pay-to-fish locations or renting a small skiff in the Bay can present you with even more options for a productive day.
Then there are the bayside charter and flounder boats that are available (that’s a whole different story but one that I will get to). I am not a rich man by any means but I always find time to sneak away and fish. If you can do the same, and have a clue as to what you wish to catch, your budget may take you farther than you think.
Lance Smith is an outdoor writer and Captain of his family’s boat, ‘Longfin”.
