Ocean City Coastal Bays

Behind Ocean City and Assateague Island lie Maryland's coastal bays: Assawoman and Isle of Wight bays to the north, Sinepuxent Bay to the south, and Chincoteague Bay beyond. They're best known for summer flounder, which pour in through the inlet in spring and spread across the bays, plus stripers around the Route 90 and Verrazzano bridges, and spot, croaker, bluefish and speckled trout in the marshy shallows. Most of the fishing is by drift boat or kayak, with a few public piers and bulkheads for shore anglers.

When to fish

• March and April: catch-and-release stripers at the Route 90 Bridge, and the first flounder as they move in through the inlet.
• May and June: flounder spread through the back bays; stripers on the bridge piers early and late.
• July and August: the best flounder drifting in the channels, when the water is clear; spot around the Route 90 Bridge and in the back bays; croaker in the channels near the inlet.
• September and October: flounder, croaker and speckled trout, until flounder head back out through the inlet.
• November and December: stripers around the Route 90 and Verrazzano bridge piers and the marsh sedge banks.

Where to fish

• The channels leading from the inlet and the channel in front of the Ocean City Airport: classic flounder drifts (watch for heavy boat traffic in summer).
• The Route 90 and Verrazzano bridge piers: stripers most of the year.
• Assawoman and Isle of Wight bays: sod banks, points, piers and pilings near deeper water, especially the Thoroughfare and 41st Street area.
• From shore: the license-free Northside Park pier at 125th Street, the Assateague State Park marina pier, and the county bulkheads at South Point and Taylors Landing.

How to fish it

• Flounder: drift the channels with minnows, squid strips, scented soft plastics or skirted baits. A flood tide brings clearer water, and larger baits help weed out the short fish.
• Stripers: cast soft plastic jigs and paddletails to the bridge piers and marsh banks, or drift bait at night. Stripers have a slot limit, and bait fishing requires non-offset circle hooks.
• Spot and croaker: bloodworm or squid on a bottom rig.
• Fly fishing: Clouser minnows or shrimp patterns on 5- to 8-weight rods along the sod banks and points on a moving tide.

Getting there

Public ramps include Worcester County's six-lane West Ocean City ramp (no overnight parking), the free 64th Street ramp on the bay side of Ocean City (fee to park a trailer), Ocean City's 87th Street ramp (very limited parking), and Assateague State Park's marina just before the Verrazzano Bridge (daily launch charge). Paddlers can use the Isle of Wight Park soft launch on St. Martins Neck Road. On Chincoteague Bay, Worcester County has ramps at South Point, Public Landing and Taylors Landing. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License outside the license-free areas.