Article by Capt. Lance Smith
Let's face it, not everyone likes to go fishing. I know, I know, I have a tough time comprehending it too. When you are on vacation in Ocean City, there really is so much to do that it can be hard to accomplish it all in one week while still finding some time to fish, especially if you have children. I hear over and over from my nieces and nephews when they come to visit that they want to go to the beach, or play lacrosse, or football or waste away on their phones. Now, if you are anything like me, there is nothing worse than sitting on a hot crowded beach all day just knowing that the flounder are snapping. My ex-wife used to sucker me into this once in a while and I would be miserable, which is not what you want to be on vacation.
There is a way to avoid the hordes of oiled up zombies and burnt feet though. One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to gather everyone and their belongings and head to one of the islands in the bay. You don't have to search for parking, you don't have to carry a hundred pounds of accessories and best of all, you can even bring the dog! These islands, ever fluid in their composition, grow, shrink and change form every season and with every tide. Now that the bay has warmed up enough that you won't freeze to death, you can access these islands with even the smallest of boats and entertain the family.
When choosing an island for the day, first determine exactly what you intend to do and who you intend to do it with. Each island is different and each one may provide something that the other doesn't. The best way to pick which island you would like to spend some time on is to view one of the many aerial photographs available online. The first island on the list is the one that lies just off of Bahia Marina/Fish Tales on 21st Street. If you don't own your own boat and don't have too much time on your hands, this may be the best island to choose. The actual island (the name escapes me) is several hundred yards from shore, is relatively small and is a bird sanctuary that you cannot step foot on. The sandbar which surrounds the island however, is huge and you are free to do as you please on it. As with any of these islands, the water will be shallower and more sand will be exposed at low tide than at high tide. At either tide extreme, there should be plenty of space for the wife (or husband!) to get a tan, and the children to swim and explore the sea life.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this island/sandbar is it's proximity to the marina. Bahia rents several different sized boats at different prices and for different lengths of time. So if you have never done this before and you are not quite sure how the family will react, this location is perfect. You can spend a few hours, the entire day or you can pack up and be back at your car in 5 minutes if it isn't your thing. The clamming on this island is excellent. Using a clam rake bought at any local tackle shop, or your feet as I do, you can easily fill a 5 gallon bucket with clams here. Sometimes they are in very shallow water, and sometimes you may wade up to your chest before you find them. The smaller clams that you dig up can be steamed and eaten whole. The medium ones you can use for clams casino and the largest ones are best for chowder or my favorite use, as bait.
The fishing off of this island is not quite as good as it is on the other two we are going to discuss later. The monster clams that you dig up though, make great bait for catching spot which can be had along the dropoff on the east and south sides of the sandbar. Live spot make excellent bait (a whole different column) for flounder, rockfish, seatrout, bluefish, tuna and mahi. Last year I even caught a swordfish on one! Those monster clams can last all vacation in a refrigerator and if you live on a canal in Ocean City you can keep them all summer in the water. I will separate all of the large clams out and drop them into the canal right up against the bulkhead in a shallow, vacant boat slip. Whenever you need to catch spot for bait you can simply hop in the water, grab some clams and fish in the canal. I let the kids do it all for me. They think it's great fun and I can fix things on the boat while they catch me bait!
If you feel comfortable enough to leave your guests on the sandbar, there are some very good flounder holes adjacent to the area. I can't reveal exactly where, but suffice it to say, you should be able to see and hear your landlovers quite easily. If you have a depthfinder, use it.
There are some surprisingly deep spots here. If you have a rental boat without a sounder, watch the other boats or fish where the current is strongest. Croaker love this area too.
The next two islands on the list are Skimmer Island and Horn Island. Both of these islands are just north of the Route 50 Bridge on the west side of the bay. Horn Island, just offshore of Hoopers Restaurant, is far and away the most popular island in the bay to "hang out." If it's beer drinking, barbecuing and socializing you crave, this is the island to come to. Remember, drinking and boating carries the same penalties as drinking and driving. Every year people get hurt or even killed in the bay by drunken boaters. Please designate a captain for the day if you are going to party.
The sheer amount of people and dogs here on a hot Saturday is reminiscent of spring break in Daytona Beach! Still, there are plenty of clams here and flounder can be caught along the edges. There are also terrific opportunities for flounder fishing from the boat within site of your peeps. Snapper bluefish also tend to invade the nearby channels when the tide is running hard. One drawback to this island is access. Everyone anchors off of the little channel on the west side of the sandbar that surrounds the island. Getting here the first time can be a bit tricky, especially in a larger boat. Follow someone else on your first visit or trim the motor up and go at high tide to get a feel for the place.
Skimmer Island and the little island/sandbar just north of it are my favorite of the bay Islands. It is not nearly as crowded as the others but it also "disappears" at high tide. My three nieces have grown to call it "Haunted Island" because of this. True, there may not be any dry sand to place a chair and cooler on at higher tides, but during low tide it is an incredible place.
Skimmer Island itself is a vegetated bird sanctuary like the island off of Bahia, and you are not allowed to go past the posted signs. The sandbar to the west of the actual island is where you anchor and spend your time. This sandbar runs for at least two hundred yards and on a very low tide, you can walk to within ten feet of the Route 50 Bridge! While there is some excellent flounder fishing to be had by boat on both the east and the west sides of this island, if you are a bit adventurous and willing to experiment, you need not leave the sandbar.
When viewed from above, the area surrounding Skimmer Island and the little island/sandbar just to the north is riddled with small channels, pools and flats. The water here is typically shallow and clean enough that you can actually wade around and site fish. Of course, you may not actually "see" any flounder lying on the bottom, but odds are you will probably step on one and there is a terrific chance to watch one actually follow and strike your bait or lure! As a side note, when doing this it is always a good idea to wear some type of water shoe or an old pair of sneakers because sting rays frequent these shallows as well. This is actually the first place I ever caught a flounder on a fly rod and is a great place to pretend you are in Belize or the Bahamas bonefishing! The snapper bluefish that roam the small channels while chasing shiners and peanut bunker are a blast on a fly rod.
One of the best tactics for catching flounder while wading in this area is to use a light or ultralight spinning rod rigged with a single leadhead and GULP! Swimming Mullet. I like to use the smallest possible bait/lure that I can cast and will usually use my ultralight trout fishing setup. Be careful though, saltwater can and will destroy your freshwater gear doing this. I prefer the smallest of PENN Spinfishers with 4 lb. test and a 10 lb. fluorocarbon leader.
Flounder can conceal themselves in some incredibly shallow water so don't be hesitant to cast into 2-feet deep pools or flats surrounded by shallower water. Cast across these flats, into the smaller channels, or off the surrounding dropoff and impart a hopping motion to your jig.
Don't be surprised to see a 24-inch flattie follow your jig to your feet or explode on the surface while you are retrieving. Vary the speed of your retrieve and the height at which you hold your rod to insure that you are maintaining frequent contact with the bottom and not dragging along it or skimming across the surface. When small spot and mullet become available, I will tie a minnow bucket around my waste and free-line them with no weight.
Finally, if the family insists that there must be wave action during this trip, you can anchor up on the north end of Assateague Island. There isn't much clamming to be had here, but the famous ponies are usually nearby and you can cross the dunes to get to the beach and the surf. I've never tried surf fishing here but I'm sure that there are plenty of kingfish, flounder and bluefish available. If you are going to fish the surf, bring along a castable spinning rod as well as your surf rod. While your surf rod is waiting in it's holder for a bite, you can cast tandem GULP! Swimming Mullets into the surf and retrieve them. Many flounder are caught this way and don't be surprised how close to shore you can get bit. When the timing is right, the blackberries over there are delicious. Just be careful not to get carried away by mosquitoes!
If you don't have your own boat, and don't feel comfortable renting one, there are several charter boats listed in the Coastal Fisherman that can make this trip happen for you. In either case, this can be a great way to beat the crowded beaches, give everyone something to do and possibly bring home a few fish for dinner. Please keep in mind that these islands are very fragile ecosystems and tread lightly, pick up your trash and leave the birds alone so we can continue to have access to them.
Lance Smith is an outdoor writer and Captain of his family’s boat, the “Longfin”.
