Fishing Information

Ocean City offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities, such as head boats, charter boats, public fishing piers, bottom fishing, and private boats. License information may be obtained from the MD Dept of Natural Resources by calling 1-800-688-3467.

Public fishing piers are located at the Ocean City Inlet Park, Shantytown, 3rd Street Bayside, 9th Street Bayside (lighted pier), and 125th Street Bayside (Northside Park). Other public fishing areas are Inlet, the Oceanic Pier, the Ocean Pier, Route 50 Bridge, 2nd - 4th St. bayside boardwalk, Convention Center, Cape Isle of Wight, anywhere on the beach, Indian River Inlet, and the Fenwick Island Bathhouse.

The Gulf Stream is not far from the Ocean City shore and contains additional types of fish such as yellowfin and bigeye tuna, mako, dolphin, white and blue marlin, and sailfish.

Surf fishing is permitted but you must remain at least 50 yards from beachgoers or swimmers between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm. Surf fishing is also permitted on Assateague anywhere except surf zones and guarded beaches.

• Fish two hours before and two hours after high tide.
• Eastern breezes help bring fish into the surf.
• Often when the surf is too rough, you may have better luck with lures in the inlet or Ocean Pier.
• Fishing bite the most right before weather changes such as storms and fronts.
• Surf fishing is best early in the morning and after dark.
• Never fish with graphite rods while there is lightning.
• Slide your bait back and forth in the water to keep it lifelike.
• Cast on the deep side of the jetties.
• Use a sand spike to prevent your reel from falling into the sand.
• Reels should not be washed in the ocean, instead with fresh water at home.
• Cut squid bait into tapered strips and only hook them once so they dangle nicely.
• Store your bait in a cooler or closed container so the seagulls won’t take it.
• When baiting with bloodworms, hook size should be 6 or 8.
• When you have trouble with crabs stealing your bait, use a single surf floater rig. That will keep your bait closer to the surface and away from the crabs.
• Let the waves help bring "hooked" fish to you. You don’t want them to crank too hard in a retreating wave.
• If you will be fishing on the Route 50 bridge, get a bridge net, bucktails, white plastic worms, spec rigs, redfish rigs, Gotcha plugs, and Rattletraps.