Assateague Island and Ocean City Surf

Assateague Island, the undeveloped barrier island south of the Ocean City Inlet, offers Maryland's classic surf fishing: miles of open beach shared by Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore, with feral horses in the marshes and campgrounds on the island. Spring brings black drum, big stripers, bluefish and red drum along the beaches. Summer is steady fishing for kingfish, spot, croaker, flounder and puffers, and fall brings the big fish back.

When to fish

• Mid-April to May: the black drum run on sand fleas and clams, with big stripers and bluefish migrating north on cut bait and a few red drum. Late spring and fall draw the most surf anglers.
• June to August: kingfish (best in the morning), spot, croaker, northern puffers and flounder on small baits; sharks on big cut baits.
• September and October: kingfish, spot and small pompano early, then bluefish, flounder and big red drum as the water cools.
• November and December: a few kingfish and stripers, and the wait for big stripers migrating south along the beaches.

Where to fish

• Assateague State Park's two miles of ocean beach, outside the day-use swim beach and lifeguarded area.
• The national seashore beaches farther south, including the over-sand vehicle zone if you have a permit.
• The Ocean City beaches, away from lifeguarded areas.

How to fish it

• Tackle: a 10- to 13-foot surf rod with a pyramid or no-roll sinker, usually 3 to 4 ounces (2 to 6 as conditions demand), and a sand spike.
• Black drum: sand fleas, clams or peeler crab on the bottom.
• Stripers, bluefish and red drum: big chunks of menhaden or mullet; menhaden heads hold up to skates and dogfish. Ocean stripers have a slot limit, big red drum must be released, and bait fishing for stripers requires non-offset circle hooks.
• Kingfish, spot, croaker and puffers: small hooks with bloodworm, artificial bloodworm, shrimp or squid.
• Flounder: a bucktail or jig tipped with a squid strip, worked through the wash.
• Sharks: most big sharks in the surf, including sandbar sharks, are protected and must be released in the water right away; shark fishing with bait requires non-stainless circle hooks and a way to cut the leader.

Getting there

Assateague State Park is at the end of MD 611 south of Ocean City, across the Verrazzano Bridge, and is open from 7 a.m. to sunset. Its campground fills early. The national seashore's Maryland district is next to it; after-hours fishing passes aren't needed on the Maryland side, and driving on the beach requires a National Park Service over-sand vehicle permit from recreation.gov. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License.