Now until tomorrow 8 amSheepshead
The bite peaks at 100. Water is 60°, inside their 60–82° range, and a solunar period lands on the window.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now · best window
Sheepshead range 60–82°
From the northwest
Sunset 6:08 pm
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Maryland tidal regulations for these waters.
Sheepshead is showing up in this week's state fishing report for the area. Sheepshead prefers slack tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 5–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 12" minimum, 4 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: May–Oct. More on sheepshead
Right in striped bass's ideal range. Striped bass is showing up in this week's state fishing report for the area. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Holds 5–35 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Atlantic Ocean, coastal bays and their tributaries (Ocean City / Assateague): 28–31" slot, 1 fish/day, year-round — the ASMFC coastwide reg. Distinct from the Chesapeake Bay 19–24" reg.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. Likes an incoming tide. More on striped bass
Bluefish is showing up in this week's state fishing report for the area. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 5–50 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 8" minimum; 5 a day from shore or a private boat, 7 on a for-hire boat (up from 3 and 5 in 2025). Open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: May–Oct. Likes an incoming tide. More on bluefish
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside summer flounder's active range. Holds 10–100 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: May–Sep. Likes an outgoing tide. More on summer flounder
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside spotted seatrout's active range. Holds 3–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 14" minimum, 4 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: May–Oct. Likes an incoming tide. More on spotted seatrout
Red drum is showing up in this week's state fishing report for the area. Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 3–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 18–26" slot, 3 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland tidal
Season here: Jun–Nov. Likes an incoming tide. More on red drum
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays. The Ocean City area had to shake off another rainy and windy weekend, that is three in a row. The weather turned around yesterday, and sunny and warm temperatures are instore for the rest of the week. Surf anglers may see the tail end of the red drum catch and release fishery this week. Inside the inlet anglers are catching striped bass and a few bluefish by casting soft plastic jigs. There are still some sheepshead to be found near the jetties, bridge and dock piers. Tautog are also in the mix and pieces of green crab or live sand fleas are good baits for the sheepshead and tautog. The back bay waters are once again churned up, and water clarity is a real issue for flounder fishing.
Quoted from the Maryland DNR weekly fishing report. Reports are what anglers and biologists saw that week, not a forecast.
Licenses and rules: MD DNR · fish-consumption advisory
Ocean City Inlet at the north end of Assateague Island has a public fishing pier on the north jetty (Inlet Park) plus bank fishing along the inlet. Flounder in the inlet channel, stripers at the jetty tip, and sheepshead on the structure are the specialties. Access the south side via Assateague.
Inlet Park has a small fee for the pier. Parking fills on weekends in summer. Flounder gigging is popular at night in the inlet. Sheepshead are structure-specific — fish the jetty rocks with fiddler crabs.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty you need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay & Coastal Sport License issued by MD DNR. Anglers may instead qualify for the free Maryland Saltwater Angler Registration in some circumstances (e.g., guest on a boat carrying a Bay & Coastal Sport Boat Decal, or holder of a Virginia saltwater license). See the agency's current rules: https://dnr.maryland.gov/pages/service_fishing_license.aspx
Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty is listed on this site for 6 commonly-targeted species: Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Bluefish, Spotted Seatrout, and 2 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp. Inlet Park has a small fee for the pier. Parking fills on weekends in summer. Flounder gigging is popular at night in the inlet. Sheepshead are structure-specific — fish the jetty rocks with fiddler crabs.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tidal regulations apply at Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
Yes. Ocean City Inlet — North Jetty sits on tidal water with a NOAA tide station nearby. Today's high/low timing is in the tide chart on this page.
Inlet Park has a small fee for the pier. Parking fills on weekends in summer. Flounder gigging is popular at night in the inlet. Sheepshead are structure-specific — fish the jetty rocks with fiddler crabs.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
