Ocean Side Fishing Report

Despite some nasty weather fishing has been good in the Ocean City region. The large bluefish have moved on south for the most part and now fishermen can concentrate on the large striped bass that are still roaming off the beaches. Fishermen at the Ocean City Inlet have been catching some nice striped bass by casting swim shad lures and drifting live eels.

Surf casters have been catching striped bass on cut baits fished on bottom rigs. Dogfish are up to their old tricks of chewing up baits but most fishermen are not complaining too much. The current water temperature along the beaches is about 50-degrees.

The fishing for large striped bass within 3-miles of the beaches has been very good this week as fishermen troll large parachutes, bucktails and diving plugs down to where the fish are holding. At times feeding fish can be marked by diving birds and anglers have been jigging or dropping live eels down to the fish. Hopefully good weather will prevail and these large striped bass will stick around for a few more weeks.

Tautog season opens again on January 1st so it may be a great way to start off the New Year for fishermen if weather conditions are favorable. Fishermen, boat captains and just about everyone else will be waiting to see what the Federal Government decides about opening up the recreational sea bass fishery in 2010 in federal waters.