Updated: Thursday, June 18, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, June 25, 2026
This Ocean City MD fishing report covers mid-June, as Ocean City settles into its summer pattern. Summer flounder lead the way, with the action building in the back bays, the channels and around the inlet. Black sea bass stack on the offshore wrecks, bluefish crash bait in the inlet and surf, and the first mahi and early tuna show at the canyons for those making the run. The condition to plan around is the tide: the incoming pushes cleaner ocean water into the bay and turns the flounder on.
What’s Hitting
Summer flounder (fluke) are the inshore highlight in the back bays, the channels and around the inlet. Black sea bass stack on the wrecks and reefs offshore, and bluefish crash bait in the inlet and surf.
Kingfish, croaker and the odd cobia are around. Offshore, the first mahi and yellowfin tuna show at the canyons, giving the bigger boats a reason to look past the wrecks.
Where to Find Them
Drift the back-bay channels, the Thorofare and around the inlet for flounder on the moving tide. Sea bass sit on the wrecks and reef sites in 60 to 120 feet. Bluefish roam the inlet and the surf.
The canyons start to produce mahi and yellowfin for the offshore crowd. The surf holds kingfish, blues and the occasional early red drum.
Tides & Conditions
Flounder fishing is best on a moving tide, particularly the incoming. The incoming drags cleaner, cooler ocean water into the back bays, and that is when the inlet and channel flounder turn on.
Sea bass feed well on the wrecks with a moving current. Offshore canyon runs need a settled weather window. Water warms through the 60s and into the 70s inshore, and early summer can still bring a sporty afternoon sea, so watch the marine forecast.
Tackle & Tactics
- Flounder: drift Gulp on a bucktail or a live minnow-and-squid combo along the channel edges and slopes. A bucktail tipped with Gulp and bounced along the bottom on the drift is hard to beat for the better fish around the inlet and channels; the bounce keeps the bait in the strike zone and kicks up small puffs of sand that draw a flatfish’s attention.
- Sea bass: squid, clams and jigs dropped to the wrecks.
- Bluefish: metal and cut bait in the inlet.
Local Intel This Week
The West Ocean City Harbor ramps are the main public access to the inlet, the back bays and the offshore wrecks; launch there and time the first drift to the start of the incoming. Shore anglers can fish the Ocean City Inlet jetties for flounder and blues, and Northside Park and Assateague State Park give public access to the bay and the surf.
Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
For the better flounder, focus on the edges and drop-offs rather than the flats. Drift the channel slopes and the deeper cuts where the current funnels bait, and keep the bait right on the bottom; a flounder rarely chases up in the water column. Mark a productive drift on the GPS and run it again, because the keepers tend to stack in specific spots.
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