Mid-May means full-on spring fishing in Ocean City. Stripers are pushing through, flounder season is open with quality fish in the channels, and the offshore boats are starting to find tuna at the canyon edges.
Stripers in the Bay and Surf
Striped bass are spread across the bay and along the surf. Trolling umbrella rigs with bunker spoons and Stretch 25s in the channels (Ocean City Bay, the Thorofare, Sinepuxent Bay) is producing slot and over-slot fish. The surf bite from Assateague north to Fenwick has been steady at first and last light on bunker chunks. The Route 50 Bridge is loaded with school stripers at night on bucktails and swimming plugs.
Flounder Season Open
Flounder season opened and there are quality fish in the inlet channels and back bays. Drift the East Channel and West Channel of the inlet with live minnows and squid on a flounder rig. Some doormats over 20 inches are coming over the rails. Heavy current tides require 4–8 oz of weight to hold bottom.
Sea Bass and Tautog
Sea bass are excellent on the inshore wrecks and reefs in 60–90 feet. Squid strips and clam are standard baits. Tautog season is closing soon (check exact date) but white-leggers are still on the inshore structure for now.
Offshore
The canyon fleet is starting to find yellowfin tuna at the Washington and Poor Man’s canyons. It’s still early — a couple boats are getting one or two fish — but the bite will build through June. Some bluefish are showing on the wrecks and around the inlet.
Specific Spots This Week
For stripers in the bay, troll the East Channel and the Thorofare with umbrella rigs at 3.5–4 knots. The bridge bite is firing at night on plugs — work the lit fenders of the Route 50 Bridge with shad-pattern soft plastics. In the surf, the beaches from 28th Street north through Fenwick are producing schoolie stripers on bunker chunks at first and last light. Flounder anglers are killing it in the East Channel of the inlet on a slow drift with live minnows and a half squid strip. The deeper holes at the Convention Center and along the back side of Assateague are holding flatties up to 22 inches. Sea bass on the AC Reef and the 14 Mile Wreck.
Conditions and Outlook
Water temp 60–63°F. New moon Saturday — strong tides for trolling, soft tides for drift. SW winds Wednesday/Thursday, building NE Saturday. Inlet drift on a moving tide is the high-percentage flounder play.
Local Intel This Week
The Route 50 Bridge after dark is the OC striper hotspot this week — bucktails and swimming plugs in the pylons. The East Channel of the inlet on outgoing tide drift is producing flounder consistently. Assateague north beach holds stripers at first and last light on bunker chunks. The Old Inlet has tautog before the close. Maryland saltwater license required, striped bass slot 19-31 inches (one fish per angler), flounder 17-inch minimum. Tight lines.