Ocean City Fishing Regulations

Ocean City, Md., has been called a fisherman's delight.

Ocean City, Md., can be a fisherman's delight with 10 miles of coastal beaches and proximity to the Chesapeake Bay. Ocean City also boasts the world's largest billfish tournament, the White Marlin Open held annually around the first week of August. Learn the essentials to make your expedition trip to Ocean City as enjoyable as possible and keep your family safe.

Types

Many types of fish can be found in Ocean City, Md.

Some of the types of fish you could be expected to catch include black drum, bluefish, striped bass, spotted sea trout and summer flounder. The season for catching these fish is open year round, but many of these species have a one-per-day limit.

Seasonal

Black sea bass have a shorter fishing season and strict 25-per-person, per-day limit. The fish may be caught throughout the year except from Sept. 2 through 15 as well as the month of December each year.

Shark

Shark swimming in deep ocean.

Fishermen are prohibited from catching the following types of sharks: white, dusky, sand tiger, bigeye sand tiger, whale, basking bignose, galapagos, night, Caribbean reef, narrowtooth, Caribbean sharpnose, smalltail, Atlantic angel, longfin mako, bigeye thresher, sevengill, sixgill and bigeye sixgill. If you are unsure of which species of shark you have caught, it would be advisable to throw it back to avoid fines.

License

A fishing license is not needed to fish in the coastal bays near Ocean City, nor in the Atlantic Ocean. If you plan to fish the Chesapeake Bay or any of its many tributaries, you will need a special permit.

Amendments

Amendments are made to these regulations from time to time and may include emergency provisions when necessary. Check the Annotated Code of Maryland frequently for any updates, especially if you are planning a visit in the near future.

References

• Atlantic Breezes
• Ococean