Water temp
65.1°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 9:18 AM
Waters · Coast · MD · Sun, Sep 27
Ocean City tide chart today next low 2:54 PM
Bite index 8/10 — On fire — get there by six.
Drop everything. Go.
8/10
On fire
Today's bite windows
12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
10Peak 9 8Strong 7 6Good 5 4Slow 3 2 1Dead
Major
12:09 AM–2:09 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
7:21 AM–8:21 AM
Moonset
Major
12:33 PM–2:33 PM
Moon underfoot
Minor
6:36 PM–7:36 PM
Moonrise
Sunrise 6:52 AM · sunset 6:49 PM · tomorrow's first major 12:58 AM–2:58 AM · windows on every water
Solunar · computed updated 9:28 AM
Conditions right now
Tide level
4.888ft
-0.31 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 9:18 AM
Pressure
29.6inHg
falling fast · -5.08 hPa/12h
NOAA KOXB updated 9:10 AM
Wind
10mph W
NOAA KOXB updated 9:10 AM
Moon
99% waning
Solunar · computed updated 9:28 AM
What this means
Striped bass
65°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.
Ocean City tide times
| Day | Tide | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Sep 27 | Low | 2:20 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High | 8:49 AM | 2.7 ft | |
| Low | 2:54 PM | 0.2 ft | |
| High | 9:08 PM | 2.6 ft | |
| Mon, Sep 28 | Low | 2:58 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High | 9:33 AM | 2.8 ft | |
| Low | 3:40 PM | 0.3 ft | |
| High | 9:50 PM | 2.5 ft | |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Low | 3:39 AM | 0.1 ft |
| High | 10:18 AM | 2.9 ft | |
| Low | 4:30 PM | 0.4 ft |
Predicted heights above MLLW. The bite windows above already fold these swings in.
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 9:28 AM
Ocean City water level today
4.888 ft above MLLW down 0.31 ft in 24 hours
That sits 91% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 1.44 and 5.23 ft. Over the week it is up3.24ft.
09-18 1.44–5.23 ft 09-27
NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 updated 9:18 AM
The week ahead
| Mon | 8 | On fire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | 7 | Biting | |
| Wed | 7 | Biting | |
| Thu | 7 | Biting | |
| Fri | 8 | On fire | |
| Sat | 8 | On fire | |
| Sun | 8 | On fire |
Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.
Ocean City boat ramps and public fishing access
Maryland Department of Natural Resources lists 10 public access points on the Ocean City coastal bays within 12 mi of our gauge. These are the 8 closest to our gauge — the farthest one the agency lists sits 9.6 mi away.
- Homer Gudelsky Park 0.3 miFee or permit: NoHours: 6am - sunset
- West Ocean City 0.8 miLaunch lanes: 6Ramp surface: ConcreteBoarding piers: 2Restrooms: YesAccessible ramp: YesFee or permit: NoHours: 24 Hours
- Gum Point Landing 4.2 miLaunch lanes: 1Ramp surface: ConcreteBoarding piers: 2Restrooms: YesFee or permit: NoHours: Dawn to Dusk
- Isle of Wight Park soft access 4.3 miRestrooms: YesFee or permit: NoHours: Sunrise to Sunset
- Caribbean Drive boat ramp 5.5 miLaunch lanes: 1Ramp surface: ConcreteFee or permit: YesHours: Varies by Season
- Assateague - State Park 6.5 miLaunch lanes: 2Ramp surface: ConcreteBoarding piers: 2Restrooms: YesAccessible ramp: YesFee or permit: YesHours: Day Light
- Northside Park 7.4 miBoarding piers: YesRestrooms: YesFee or permit: NoHours: 24 Hours
- Assateague - Bayside Drive/Kayak 9.2 miRestrooms: YesFee or permit: Yes
Access data from Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources · public access inventory
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
- 8 On fire Atlantic City NJ · 128 km
- 6 Biting Annapolis MD · 141 km
- 6 Biting Virginia Beach VA · 189 km
- 8 On fire Saginaw Bay MI · 942 km
- 6 Biting Pueblo Reservoir CO · 2574 km
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?
- 8 out of 10 — on fire. Drop everything. Go. The strongest stretch is 12:09 AM–2:09 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 12:09 AM–2:09 AM and 12:33 PM–2:33 PM, with minor windows at 7:21 AM–8:21 AM and 6:36 PM–7:36 PM. Sunrise is 6:52 AM and sunset 6:49 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?
- 65.1°F, read at 9:18 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8570283. That is 0.6 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
- What is the water level at Ocean City right now?
- 4.888 ft above MLLW, read at 9:18 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8570283. Over 24 hours it is down 0.31 ft.
- Are water levels rising or falling at Ocean City?
- Rising. The lake is down 0.31 ft in 24 hours and up 3.24 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 1.44 and 5.23 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
- 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 size fish can you keep in Maryland?
- It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: striped bass (rockfish), summer flounder (fluke), red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout (speckled trout). Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.
Striped bass (rockfish) limits · Summer flounder (fluke) limits · Red drum (redfish) limits · Spotted seatrout (speckled trout) limits · Check a length against the rules
Where these numbers come from
- Solunar computed 9:28 AM
- NOAA KOXB Ocean City, Ocean City Municipal Airport 9:10 AM
- NOAA AKQ gridded forecast 2:17 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8570283 Ocean City Inlet 9:18 AM
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.