Waters · Coast · MD · Thu, Aug 13

How's the bite at Ocean City today? Picky — get there by six.

Work for it.

5/10
Picky

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
12:31 AM–2:31 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
6:37 AM–7:37 AM
Moonrise
Major
12:56 PM–2:56 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:03 PM–9:03 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:13 AM · sunset 7:56 PM · tomorrow's first major 1:20 AM–3:20 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 4:36 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
75.2°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 4:30 AM
Tide level
1.427ft
-0.37 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 4:30 AM
Pressure
29.86inHg
steady · 0 hPa/12h
NOAA KOXB updated 4:25 AM
Wind
0mph N
NOAA KOXB updated 4:25 AM
Moon
1% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 4:36 AM

What this means

Striped bass
75°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.

Ocean City water level today

1.427 ft above MLLW down 0.37 ft in 24 hours

That sits 33% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 0.43 and 3.45 ft. Over the week it is down0.29ft.

08-04 0.43–3.45 ft 08-13
USGS 8570283 updated 4:30 AM

The week ahead

Fri 7 Biting
Sat 6 Biting
Sun 6 Biting
Mon 6 Biting
Tue 7 Biting
Wed 6 Biting
Thu 7 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A Maryland fishing license covers this water — $32 a year for residents. Maryland DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Ocean City

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Ocean City.

Is it worth fishing Ocean City today?
5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 12:31 AM–2:31 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Ocean City?
Today's major windows run 12:31 AM–2:31 AM and 12:56 PM–2:56 PM, with minor windows at 6:37 AM–7:37 AM and 8:03 PM–9:03 PM. Sunrise is 6:13 AM and sunset 7:56 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Ocean City?
75.2°F, read at 4:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8570283. That is 0.9 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Ocean City right now?
1.427 ft above MLLW, read at 4:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8570283. Over 24 hours it is down 0.37 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Ocean City?
That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. MD publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish Ocean City?
Yes. A Maryland fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. Maryland DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Maryland license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in MD?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: summer flounder (fluke), red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout (speckled trout), black drum. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

The station sits right at the Ocean City Inlet, the funnel between the back bays and the Atlantic — and it reports water temperature.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.