“I just got to Ocean City and I saw a lot of people fishing from the inlet
rocks and sea wall. I also heard the Indian River Inlet had good fishing.
How do I fish these areas and what should I use for bait? What size hook
should I use?”


The inlets aren’t the easiest places to fish, but they do produce fish. For
bottom fishing, keep your rigs very simple. Use a hook, sinker, and some
bait. Don’t bother with fancy top and bottom rigs or spreader bars. To make
a quick, inexpensive rig, buy some three-way swivels and attach a duel lock
sinker to one eye of the three-way swivel. (Some tackle stores carry these
three-way swivels with the duel-lock snap already attached.) Buy a pack of
leadered hooks and slip the loop of the leadered hook through the eye of the
3-way swivel and you have a simple one-hook bottom rig. Carry a variety of
sinkers in the 2 to 4-ounce range.

“What can I catch at the inlet?”

You can catch a variety of fish, depending upon the bait you use. If you use
green crab, peeler, or sand crabs you dig up on the beach; you can catch
tautog, triggerfish, and sheepshead close to the rocks. When fishing for
these, keep your hook size in the smaller range. A size #1/0 or #2/0 Octopus
style hook is good. Some anglers buy salted clam and fish for black drum.
For these a #3/0 to #4/0 Octopus style hook is sufficient. Others bait up
with shiners and squid, cast out further into the water and fish for
flounder, bluefish, and trout. Now you need a wide gap style #1/0 or #2/0
hook.

Some people like to fish worms or shrimp in the inlet and try for any fish
that swims. And all fish do swim through the inlet to get into the bay.
Beside all the other fish we have mentioned, there can be little sea bass,
kingfish (whiting), and croaker in the inlet that especially like worms and
shrimp. When fishing with these baits for these smaller fish, use a size #4
or #6 Pacific Bass (long shank) type hook.

At night anglers bait up with live eels or if they can catch or buy them,
live spot. If you fish with live eels at night, you want to catch the tide
“slacking.” That’s means the tide is slowing down and actually stopping for
a short period of time before changing and going the other way. This is the
best time to “live bait” fish. Anglers use a larger #3/0 to #5/0 Octopus
style hook and hook the eel under the chin and out the eye socket. When the
tide is almost still, you need no weight at all. Cast the eel out and let it
swim. When the tide gets moving, you will need to add an egg sinker, one,
one and a half, or two ounces up on your line above a barrel swivel. Only
add weight, as you need it. As the tide starts to move, cast your eel
up-current and when you feel the eel hit the bottom, move your tip up to
keep it moving. (If you let an eel sit on the bottom too long, it will find
a rock to go under and get you snagged up.)

(Hint: When fishing with eels, give the striper time to inhale the bait. An
eel is large bait! If you jerk back on the rod too soon, you will only get
your eel back!)

Other anglers like to use lures. You can use a lure anytime at either of the
Ocean City or Indian River Inlets. Daybreak, change of tide, dusk, and after
dark are the best times to cast a lure. All kinds of lures are used at the
inlets including the ever popular bucktail jig with a plastic worm attached,
any of the several brands of soft bodied shad lures, spoons, plugs,
MirrOlures, and lead heads with plastic curltail grubs attached.

Since the rocks are going to snag some of your lures, most anglers stay away
from the $6 to $10 plugs and lures and stick with the $1 to $3 lures. That’s
why the new “swimming shad” lures are so popular. There are several brands
including Tsunami, Storm, and Calcutta. The head is already attached to the
body so there’s no guesswork as to “what body goes on which head?” They
look like a live fish and come in several colors and sizes. Since there are
4 or 5 lures in a pack for $4 or $5, the lures average out about a buck
each. (A whole lot less than most hard bodied lures!) Of course, if you run
into one bluefish, your lure is done. (Hint: If your soft bodied lure does
get a tear in it, most locals simply pull out the “krazy glue” and repair it
in a matter of seconds.) There’s some fancy higher dollar glue on the market
that will also do this, but when I asked the locals about it they said. “Why
buy that when Krazy Glue works just as well!”

Bucktails are also a no-brainer on the rocks. They are tough; bluefish can’t
tear them up, and not terribly expensive. (Between a buck and two bucks each
for most of them.) Anglers dress them up with a six-inch curltail grub or
plastic worm. Others fishing for trout dress them with a piece of fresh or
frozen peeler crab. One can also hook on a long strip of squid to the
bucktail.

“Do I use a weight with the bucktail?”

Sometimes the answer is “yes”, and sometimes the answer is “no”. If you are
using a larger one, one and a half, or two-ounce bucktail you may not need
additional weight. If you are using a 3/8, half, or three quarter-ounce
bucktail, you may need additional weight. A lot depends on the current and
the wind as well. Daytime fishing usually demands more weight, as the fish
are usually closer to the bottom. At night, if the fish are close to the
surface, you may not need the weight.

To add weight to a bucktail, anglers make up a “bucktail rig.” Simply tie a
length of 30 to 40 pound test leader to the bucktail jig approximately
20-inches long. Tie an inline sinker in the one to two-ounce range (torpedo
shaped with two brass eyes on each end) to the other end. Use a snap swivel
on the end of your line and attach the inline sinker to the swivel. (If you
don’t use the swivel, you are going to experience “line twist.”

The trick to using lures at either inlet is to cast out up-tide, let the
lure sink for a count of at least ten. Jig the lure as it passes by you with
the tide but do not start cranking yet. Then after it passes by you, you can
jig it back in. Unless you can visually see the fish breaking on the surface
you should let your lure sink before reeling. Many people make of the
mistake of casting out and immediately start reeling. Most of the time, the
fish actually hit the lure as it “falls.”

Some anglers at Indian River Inlet started setting up their bucktails on a
three-way swivel last season and had good success. They would make a long
leader and tie the bucktail to one eye of the swivel. They would then tie
another piece of leader material (usually lighter) on one of the other eyes
of the 3-way swivel and attach a 2 to 4-ounce bell sinker. The last eye of
the three-way swivel would be attached to your snap swivel. The bucktail,
when fished, would sway just off the bottom above the sinker. If the sinker
gets snagged the angler could break the lighter mono line and save the
bucktail.

I heard some of the guys were using this set-up with live spot or live eels
as well.

Be careful on the rocks. If you walk out on the slippery part of the rocks
at Indian River Inlet, you will need to buy “Korkers.” These pieces of
rubber have metal spikes that strap over your shoes to give you a grip.
Otherwise, stay on the dry rocks or the sea wall.
Inlet fishing can be productive. Plan to lose tackle, watch the locals, and
enjoy the fresh salt air and the scenery.

Good fishing…