Ocean City Fishing: The Inlet, Bridges and Piers

Ocean City is the part of Maryland’s coast that most Delaware anglers can reach in a short drive from Sussex County. Fishing here is built around the inlet, the Route 50 bridge, the bayside piers and bulkheads, and the surf. This guide covers the rules the state and the city publish, which fish the regulations are written for, what we could not confirm, and what kind of rod fits the job.

Start with the license question

Anglers fishing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal bays and tidal waters must either hold a tidal license or be registered with the state. The rules snapshot above lists the fees. Two things are worth knowing before you buy anything:

• The Maryland Saltwater Angler Registration is free, and it covers a few situations where you do not need to buy a license: anglers under 16, anglers fishing with a licensed guide or from a licensed commercial fishing pier, and anyone fishing on a free fishing day.
• DNR lists two license-free fishing areas in Ocean City: the bulkhead on Chicago Avenue between 2nd and 4th Streets, and the town-owned pier and park at Northside Park on 125th Street. You still need the free registration there.

The City of Ocean City’s own page adds that the Oceanic Pier and the Ocean Pier fish under a blanket pier license. That page was last edited in June 2024, and pier operators change their terms, so confirm with the pier before you rely on it. We are not publishing pier hours, fees or which piers are open, because the sources we could read disagree and the city’s pier information was not available to us.

The beach rule that catches visitors out

Ocean City limits surf fishing in the busy season. The city says surf fishing or surf casting on public beaches is illegal from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through September 30, between 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., unless you have permission from the Mayor and Council. It is also prohibited within 50 yards of anyone swimming, walking, sitting, lying, surfing or standing on the beach.

In practice that pushes summer surf fishing into the early morning and evening, and into the hours when the beach is empty. Outside that window, and outside the summer season, the 50-yard rule still applies when people are on the sand. Maryland’s other surf option is Assateague, which has its own rules: see Assateague Island surf fishing.

What the regulations cover

DNR publishes one table for the Atlantic Ocean, coastal bays and their tributaries, and it is the table that applies at the inlet, the bridge and the piers. The limits below come from the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing and were checked against the state’s online summary on the date shown in the rules snapshot.

• Summer flounder: open all year, 16 inches through May 31 and 17 1/2 inches from June 1, four a day.
• Tautog: 16 inches, with a closure to harvest from May 16 through June 30 and the daily limit changing with the season.
• Black sea bass: 12 1/2 inches, open May 1 through December 31, 15 a day.
• Bluefish: 8 inches, with 5 per person from shore or a private boat in 2026.
• Striped bass: one fish a day between 28 and 31 inches in the Atlantic and coastal bays, and striped bass cannot be used as bait.

Other species have their own lines in the same table. The rules snapshot lists the croaker, spot, red drum, black drum and other limits we verified. A few species that anglers ask about, including kingfish and spadefish, were not in the table we read and are not covered here.

Two gear rules matter here. Snagging is not legal, and Sabiki rigs and mackerel trees are illegal in Maryland waters. Multi-hook rigs are allowed only out in the federal waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone. When you fish for striped bass with fish, crabs, worms or processed bait, state rules require a non-offset circle hook, and treble hooks are prohibited. The guide also warns that towns such as Ocean City may have their own fishing ordinances, so check local rules for the spot you plan to use.

Fishing the inlet, the bridge and the bays

The sources we could verify describe the regulations. They say little about where fish are caught on a given day, so this section is general guidance rather than a catch report. Regional anglers describe flounder, tautog, bluefish, black sea bass and croaker around the structure at the inlet and along the bridge, and striped bass at the inlet in the cooler months. Fishing pressure and conditions change week to week, and DNR’s weekly fishing reports are a better guide to what is biting than any fixed list.

We could not confirm the rule that applies to fishing from the Route 50 bridge, including whether a bridge net is required. Until we have read the city or the state saying so, treat that as unknown and ask before you go.

Tackle that suits it

A medium-power spinning rod around 7 feet, spooled with 10 to 20 pound braid or 12 to 15 pound monofilament, covers most bridge, pier and bulkhead fishing for flounder, tautog and bluefish. Anglers who cast from the inlet rocks often step up to a longer, heavier rod to reach moving water, and a leader helps with bluefish teeth. These are typical choices, not requirements. A custom rod built for the water you fish most can make a real difference when you are working structure on a running tide.

Season and timing

Flounder are open all year, but the larger minimum size takes effect on June 1. Tautog, which sit around rock and pilings, are closed to harvest from May 16 through June 30. Black sea bass reopen May 1. Check DNR’s weekly report for the best current window rather than trusting a fixed calendar.

Eating the fish

Maryland has fish consumption advisories on some waters. We could not read the state’s advisory tables, so we are not publishing advisory figures. Check the Maryland Department of the Environment’s advisory list before you keep fish from any particular water.

If you are coming from Delaware

Delaware and Maryland share the Atlantic coast, and the rules differ across the line. A flounder that is legal in one state can be too small in the other, and the license rules are different. Compare the Delaware guides for surf fishing and Indian River Inlet with this one before you fish across the border.