Fishing opportunities are abundant along the coast this time of year now that fish have returned to their summertime hangouts, but conditions have not been ideal for most of the late spring and early summer. Northeast winds during this time have made fishing difficult, but it looks like that pattern may be starting to change. Unfortunately, the surf fishing hasn’t been all that great recently but kingfish, bluefish, and plenty of rays have been reeled in this week. One angler fishing Assateague on a trip this week reported finding a pretty good kingfish bite. He caught his fish on pieces of calm and bloodworm flavored Fishbites. He also mentioned catching clearnose skate on pieces of shrimp.

In Ocean City

In Ocean City, the route 50 Bridge has been productive for anglers lately. Rockfish and nice sized bluefish have been the main catches, but other species have been putting a bend in rods as well. Jigs with soft plastics and gotcha plugs are catching the most fish and the hotspots seem to be the south jetty, bridge pilings, and dock piers. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC got out to the 50 bridge this week and reported catching a nice bluefish, under slot rockfish, small flounder, and even a tautog. Live mullet caught most of their fish.

Offshore Grounds

The offshore grounds have been very productive, and many boats returned to dock with filled fish boxes this week. The OC Fishing Center let us know that boats are catching a mix of black sea bass and flounder at the nearshore wreck and reef sites. Farther offshore at the canyons, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, wahoo, and tilefish are making up most of the catches. Charter boat Reel Current did some offshore trolling this week and boxed some very nice wahoo and yellowfins. The Crew of the Fish On had a great late week trip and boxed eight yellowfin tuna while trolling deep. We did hear a report from the fishing center of a boat who fished around nine miles off the beach and found good fishing for sea bass, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and a few flounder. Whether you stay at the inshore grounds, or head offshore, there are good bites happening up and down the coast.

Please note that the information provided has been paraphrased from the original article found at FishTalk Magazine - Coastal Fishing Reports.

This is the summary of the fishing report from "Coastal Fisherman" (Vol 48 | Num 9 | Jun 28, 2023), written by the original author. The article can be found on the Coastal Fisherman Newspaper website.

Last Week's Conditions

• Last week in Maryland brought a good start followed by storms.
• Flounder fishing nearshore has been improving daily, with many limits being caught.
• The sea bass fishing, although slow with smaller fish on the wrecks, has been decent, with around 6-10 keepers per 8-hour trip.

Nearshore Reefs

• The nearshore reefs have been highly productive, with an abundance of smaller sea bass and flounder on all the wrecks.
• Sheepshead have started showing up, mainly on the southern reefs like the Marine Electric site.
• Reports of successful fishing trips include limits of sea bass caught on fresh clam and squid, as well as spearfishing for flounder on the tops of wrecks.
• "The Angler" headboat has had good trips early in the week with nice sea bass catches and many anglers reaching their flounder limits.
• "Bad Wind Charters" had successful flounder trips with clients catching their limits.
• "The Judith M" reported a strong sea bass bite and an increasing amount of triggerfish and flounder.
• "Double Trouble Charters" has been working hard to put together catches of flounder, with most anglers returning with coolers full of fish.
• Other charters and anglers have reported good catches of flounder, sea bass, and triggerfish.

Back Bay Areas

• In the back bay areas, anglers have caught flounder, Spanish mackerel, rockfish, and bluefish.
• Fishing with minnows in the East Channel resulted in a nice 18" flounder catch.
• Spanish mackerel were caught on Gotcha Plugs, while rockfish and blues were caught off the Route 50 Bridge.
• There have been reports of triggerfish, short stripers, and Spanish mackerel caught in both nearshore and back bay areas.
• "The Happy Hooker" has started their season and has caught nice flatfish in the inlet area and behind Assateague Island.
• The Oceanic Fishing Pier offers rod and reel rentals and is open 24 hours a day for fishing.
• Anglers have caught bluefish and rockfish inshore, with the biggest blue measuring 31" and a keeper rockfish at 29".
• The "Bay Bee" has had successful four-hour trips with anglers pulling in nice fluke.

For more information and updates, visit the Coastal Fisherman Newspaper website.

Tuna Fishing and Challenging Sea Bass Bite

The coastal areas are experiencing a return of windy conditions and occasional rain, which are less than ideal for fishing. However, anglers are resilient and always find a way to fish. Prior to the arrival of unfavorable weather, tuna fishing at the tuna grounds was excellent this week. Captain Alex Beane of the Boss Hogg had a successful trip, landing six bigeye tuna weighing up to 130 pounds, 13 yellowfin tuna, and two mahi. Other offshore boats also had quick success at the canyons, with abundant catches of yellowfin tuna and reports of bigeye tuna. Most of the reports are coming from the Wilmington and Poorman's Canyon.

Sea Bass Bite and Inconsistent Surf Action

Captain Monty of the Morning Star reported that sea bass fishing has been challenging lately, requiring anglers to move around frequently to locate fish. While many spots would mark fish, only a few bites were produced. However, there was one exceptional day at the sea bass grounds, although it appears to be an outlier.

Surf Fishing and Productive Inlet and Back Bay Areas

Coastal correspondent John Unkart mentioned a decline in surf action at Assateague last weekend, as small fish nibbled on bait, preventing larger fish from taking the opportunity. Similar reports of lackluster action came from the OSV areas, with one angler reporting no bites over two full days of fishing. Fortunately, the OC inlet and back bay areas are proving to be more productive. Angler David Moore from Shark Whisperers experienced nonstop action on tautog, under-slot stripers, and triggerfish that showed interest in sand fleas. He even spotted some Spanish mackerel jumping around. Fish In OC has received reports of good fishing for rockfish and bluefish near the Route 50 bridge. Anglers using soft plastics and Gotcha plugs have successfully landed blues weighing into the mid-30s.

Flounder Fishing in Coastal Bays

Coastal bay anglers are still catching a few flounder, but the main challenge lies in finding clean water and avoiding heavy boat traffic in Ocean City. Sea Hawk Sports Center hosted the first annual Mike Taylor Flounder Frenzy tournament, where the top three places recorded flounder weighing over four pounds, with the largest fish tipping the scales at over four and a half pounds. Successful methods have included using flounder rigs tipped with Gulp! baits, minnows, or silversides.