Ocean City MD fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. The back-bay flounder are starting to bunch up near the inlet ahead of their fall push offshore, and that has made the inlet and the Route 50 bridge area the busiest water in town. Offshore, the canyons are producing tuna and white marlin for the boats that make the run.
What’s Hitting
This week on the water it is flounder. Fish are stacking up in the inlet, along the Route 50 bridge channel, and in the Thorofare as they begin to move toward the ocean, with keepers coming steadily and a few doormats mixed in. Sea bass are steady on the wrecks and reefs in 60 to 100 feet, with some flounder on the same structure. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are along the beach and around the inlet, and the first fall croaker and kingfish are in the surf. Offshore, yellowfin tuna, white marlin, and a few wahoo are in the Washington and Baltimore canyons, with mahi around the lobster-pot floats.
Where to Find Them
Flounder are on the channel edges at the inlet, along the Route 50 bridge, and in the Thorofare and East Channel on the moving tide. Sea bass are on the ocean wrecks and the artificial reef sites in 60 to 100 feet. Bluefish and Spanish are in the inlet and along the beach from the inlet north to the pier at first light. The canyons from the Washington to the Baltimore have held the tuna and marlin, with the best action along temperature breaks.
Tides & Conditions
Moderate tides this week between the moons, which makes for a cleaner drift in the inlet than the spring tides did. Water is in the low to mid-70s in the back bays and low 70s on the beach. Winds have been light out of the north and east most mornings with seas of 2 to 3 feet, and the canyon runs have been comfortable.
Tackle & Tactics
For flounder, a live minnow or a Gulp swimming mullet on a bucktail or a two-hook flounder rig, drifted along the channel edges with enough weight to stay on bottom in the current. Sea bass want clam, squid, or a metal jig on a two-hook bottom rig over the wrecks. For blues and Spanish, a metal spoon or a Gotcha plug with a fast retrieve. Offshore, trolled ballyhoo and spreader bars for the tuna, and naked ballyhoo on light tackle for the white marlin.
Local Intel This Week
The Ocean City commercial harbor ramp in West Ocean City is the main public launch for the inlet and offshore, with the Assateague State Park ramp and the ramps along Route 611 serving the south bays. Shore anglers are catching flounder from the Route 50 bridge and the inlet bulkhead, and blues and kingfish from the Ocean City pier and the beach. Fish are concentrating at the inlet and along the channel edges on the moving tide. Flounder size and bag limits change from year to year; check current Maryland DNR regulations before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
At the inlet, the flounder sit right on the edge where the channel drops off, not in the middle. Drift so your bait works along the break, and when you feel the first tap, give the fish a few seconds before you lift. Flounder often grab the tail of the bait first.
More Ocean City MD Resources
All Ocean City MD fishing reports · Seasonal fishing calendars · Submit your own report
Planning a trip to Ocean City MD?
This report tells you what happened. ReelAI tells you what to do about it — a briefing for your date, your target species and how you're fishing, built from our reports plus live NOAA and USGS data.
Powered by ReelAI — fishing.digital's intelligence layer. Answers are generated from fishing.digital reports and public NOAA, NWS and USGS data, and may be incomplete or out of date. Regulations and marine safety information are summaries only; always confirm with the responsible authority before you fish.