Updated: Thursday, July 30, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 6, 2026
This Ocean City MD fishing report covers late July, the middle of the town’s best month. Flounder are the bread-and-butter target in the back bays and around the inlet, with the best ratio of keepers to throwbacks on the moving tide. Offshore, the canyons are strong for white marlin with tuna in the mix, and the surf gives kingfish and small blues to anyone who wants an easy morning without a boat. Plan around strong post-full-moon tides through midweek and hit-or-miss afternoon thunderstorms.
What’s Hitting
Flounder lead the inshore lineup in the back bays and around the inlet. Offshore, white marlin numbers are very good in the canyons, with yellowfin tuna, mahi and the occasional bigeye rounding out the trips. Sea bass and flounder sit on the wrecks. In the surf, kingfish, spot and small bluefish are steady, and croaker roam inside the bay. Sheepshead and triggerfish work the inlet jetty rocks, where barnacle-covered stone gives them both food and cover.
Where to Find Them
Work the Thorofare, the East Channel and the drop-offs near the Route 50 bridge for flounder on the outgoing. Falling water pulls bait off the shallows, and flatfish lie on the channel slopes waiting for it to wash past. The inlet itself gives up flounder and stripers around the rocks.
Offshore, the Baltimore, Poor Man’s and Washington canyons hold the marlin and tuna. Nearshore wrecks in 60 to 100 feet carry sea bass and flatfish. Surf fishing is best on the Assateague beaches on the incoming tide.
Tides & Conditions
Post-full-moon tides run strong through midweek, keeping water moving hard through the inlet and the back-bay channels. Expect water temps near 78 in the bay and low 70s in the ocean nearshore, with warm blue water pushed in tight to the canyon edges. Seas run 2 to 3 feet with a light southwest wind. Afternoon thunderstorms are hit or miss, so keep an eye on the western sky.
Tackle & Tactics
- Flounder: a bucktail tipped with a Gulp swimming mullet, or a live minnow and squid strip on a standard flounder rig, drifted with the tide.
- White marlin: a naked or dink ballyhoo spread with circle hooks.
- Tuna: a spreader-bar and ballyhoo trolling spread at daybreak, or chunking on the troll-down.
- Surf: a two-hook bottom rig with bloodworm or Fishbites for kingfish and spot.
Local Intel This Week
The West Ocean City public ramp on Sunset Avenue and the Third Street ramp in Ocean City are the main public launches; both put you minutes from the Thorofare and the inlet channels. The inlet jetty and the Route 50 bridge are the best land-based options, and the Assateague beaches cover the surf crowd. Expect fish to concentrate in the channels and around the inlet where the tide runs hardest. Flounder, sea bass and striped bass all carry Maryland season and size rules that change through the year. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Drifting for flounder, keep your bucktail ticking the bottom rather than swinging above it. If you are not occasionally feeling sand, you are fishing over the fish. Add a quarter ounce and the bite rate usually doubles, especially when strong post-moon tides push the drift along.
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