“I want to go surf fishing in Ocean City, Maryland. How do I know where to fish?
How do you “read” the beach?”

Many vacationers comment that they see more fishermen than
fish on the beach. This is probably true, because some
anglers fish the same spot with the same bait everyday of
their vacation. If no fish are caught, then it is blamed on
the “fishing.”

Surf fishing can be quite productive if you find a “hole.”
Holes can be seen best at low tide. Walk out on the beach
and look at the water and the wave action. White water
means shallow water while dark rolling water means deeper
water below. Even a small hole at low tide can mean a
fantastic fishing spot when the tide comes in. Watch
surfers and swimmers as they walk out into the water. Walk
into the water yourself and feel the bottom. Sometimes
there is a “drop-off” very close to the beach with a
shallower sandbar further out. This area between the
drop-off and the outer bar is what you call a “slough.”
This can be a very productive place to fish, especially if
there is a “cut” through the outer bar.

If you go to the drop-off and let your toes sink in the
loose sand there; you will feel shells, pebbles and the
little mole crabs (sand fleas) scurrying away. If you look
closely you will see tiny little clams no bigger than a
babies’ pinkie nail digging into the sand. You may see some
speckled crabs, worms, and even bait fish. This is why
finding a drop-off and fishing it at high tide can be very
productive. When the waves crash on the beach, this life is
disturbed and predator fish can come to this drop-off and
feed on this sea life.

Sometimes the angler tries to cast as far as he can,
bypassing this good fishing at the drop-off and bypassing
the slough. He often winds up fishing atop an outer bar that
is shallower than the water at his or her feet. This is why
it is important to learn to read the beach!

I have had several vacationers and workers find good holes
by looking from their balconies or windows from their hotels
or high rise condominiums. This is a great idea if you are
staying on the beach. Again, scan the water for dark
rolling spots that mean deeper water. White water means
shallow water. Get a tide table and scan the beach on a
calm day at low tide. (Looking at the water on a windy
stormy day can be very confusing.)

If you have this scenario of a drop-off close to shore,
then a slough, with an outer bar further out, do this. At
low tide, wade through the slough, go to the outer bar and
cast beyond it. At high tide, cast out to the outer bar,
then slowly reel in so the rig drops off the outer bar into
the slough. You can leave it there for a short period, but
if nothing happens, bring it very slowly in towards the
beach, working towards the drop-off close to shore. Working
close to the beach is especially productive in the hours
close to dusk. Fish tend to come in closer to feed during
those hours.

A beach like this is especially good for sea trout and
flounder. For these fish, a moving bait is important. Use
a basic top and bottom type surf rig and add strips of bait
such as mullet, mackerel, spot, or squid. You can combine
this strip of bait with a piece of bloodworm or bait shrimp
for even more appeal. Note: Always use a strip of bait
when fishing for trout or flounder. Chunks are OK for blues
or stripers, but trout and flounder like strips!

“What else can I look for on the beach?”

Look for changes in the beach itself. If you find areas on
the beach where the waves have come in and taken a chunk of
sand away, this means there is a hole nearby in the water.
Look for deep rivulets in the wet sand where the water has
come up and pulled sand back in. Lower spots in the wet
sand on the beach are usually where sand fleas or mole crabs
are more abundant. This attracts fish. (Changes in the
beach mean changes in the water nearby.) Look for areas on
the wet sand where the waves have come up the highest on the
beach and left their impression. This means there is a hole
nearby.

Rips or small tidal currents in the water are good places
to surf fish. Look for water swirling as the waves recede.
These currents disturb the sand, which in turn churns up the
crabs and worms that the fish feed on. If you see sand
churned up from the bottom out in the water a little ways,
cast in that direction.

On some beaches you will find a natural “point” of land
where you can walk out further towards the ocean. You will
see these places more on natural beaches such as Assateague
Island and the Delaware Seashore State Park where beach
replenishment does not occur. We do see this in Ocean City
in the area between 120th and 144th Street. The beach seems
to naturally turn and protrude out a little further here.
This area has always been a good area to surf fish.

Rock jetties always have holes near them. Usually one side
of the jetty has sand against it, and the other side has a
hole. Read the water and look for that dark rolling water.
Fish also feed and hide near the rocks. (There are more
rock jetties in the lower end of Ocean City than in the
upper end.) But there are many pieces of old jetties
scattered around the upper areas of Ocean City such as the
old piece of jetty in front of the Carousel Condominium that
always seems to present a good hole.

“Can we write down all the good streets and just go back to
them every year we come down?”

We wish it could be that easy, but the beach changes all
the time. A Northeaster can come along and make some nice
holes. Then another storm can come in and fill them back in
again. It is important to walk the beach and look for good
holes.

You see the importance of reading the beach when you are
fishing a surf-fishing tournament. A person can be at one
station pulling in fish after fish, while another angler can
be ½ block over and not have a bite. If you are not having
luck, keep moving, even if it is just a little bit more to
the right after each cast. You’ll be surprised.

I have been in this business for over 20 years now, and
some of the best surf fishermen I know are people that read
the water well. Surfers or body boarders that fish usually
make excellent surf fishermen because they are so good at
reading waves and beaches. They walk out into the water all
the time, so they know where the holes and drop-offs are.
Workers that spend a lot of time in high rises also make
good surf anglers because they see the holes, birds working,
and rips from above.

Sometimes when I go surf fishing, I drive to the end of a
street and just look at the ocean. If I don’t like what I
see, I drive down another street. If you are not having
luck, change your location. Do your best to read the beach
at low tide, and then go back there at high tide.

Good fishing…