Ocean City Launching Areas

[sparky1423]

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the July Meet and Greet, but I will be vacationing in Ocean City the week prior. I am bringing the kayak and planning on fishing two days...any day between July 8th through July 12th. If anyone is in the area, you are more than welcome to join!

I have been reading numerous articles on Ocean City flounder locations and decided to concentrate in the Route 50 bridge area between 9th street and the Oceanic Pier per Susan Foster depending on the tides. Does anyone know of launching locations in this area? I have been scanning googlemaps, but it's hard to recognize public access points. Free areas would be great, but any will do.

Thanks in advance and feel free to PM if you are in the area!

[rob-kayak]

Old school days I could name a dozen...
You have probably researched current ones yourself...
There is a link to public boat launches on this webpage on the bottom...
Fishing Ocean City Maryland

A little sketchy... you might look at this place on the map of this webpage... it's a small park downtown..
Called Sunset Park...
It's about a 110yards or so to get in there...

Now you might also try to get into the Hooper's Crab House parking lot... there is I believe
Paradise Water Sports on the same location... it is just across the Route 50 bridge on your right
as you leave town. You'll have to figure out who controls the beach at the end of the Hooper's Crab
House parking lot for details... you might get lucky and not have to pay anything from Hooper's.

If you are not familiar with the area... there is a VERY strong current that rips though the area you
are looking into during tidal changes. Not to mention a zoo of boat traffic... especially this time of year. While you won't
experience the wake from boats as you do on the Severn.. it will probably be duck and cover paddling
under the 50 Bridge drawspan that you are looking for deep holes.

Best wishes and catch the fatty flatty for all of us !

(added)
Now there is a mellower "try" and that's the Isle of Wight launch area just over the Route 90 bridge.
Ilse of Wight .
Around the bridge and places south... you'll have to ask around if somebody can tell you the holes.
Unfortunately my brain is full of holes so I can't remember those places.

[Strummerfan]

Here's a working link from the previous post.

http://www.atlanticbreezes.com/ocmdfishing/

[sparky1423]

Thanks for the input. Public boat launch site took me to the DNR website...why didn't I think of that. Looks like Isle of Wright and West Ocean city are the two possibilities so far.

Maybe I will start studying the flounder activity around the Route 90 bridge also. West Ocean City launch looks close to the inlet which I was trying to avoid on my OC maiden voyage. I am sure the Hobie would do fine, I just keep picturing (when I was a kid) those waves crashing into the inlet jetty! I know my original plan puts me close to the inlet, but I was going to draw an imaginary line in the water not to cross

[M_Duong60]

If you buy the OC ADC visitors map from a tackle shop it will list the locations of where people catch a certain species and lists all the launch areas free/ charge

[jsquare]

Here is a cool time lapse video I found that shows a typical summer day in the bay-side channel you mentioned in the first post. Be careful in this area. The tide moves quick and lots of boat traffic.

[rob-kayak]

That video is too funny.... especially with the boats drifting and almost running into each other.

Don't forget the nautical map which will give you some perspective..
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12211.shtml

There is this chart also which gives better detail of the south end channels
See page four
http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/BookletC...okletChart.pdf

I had forgotten about this little fishing spot...
At the end of Talbert Street (downtown)... between Mr. Duck's and the Angler Restaurant there is
a pier with a fish cleaning shack on the end. The fish become familiar with this
"chumming" of discarded cleanings. So.. on the incoming tide... between Talbert Street
and the Route 50 bridge can be active. On a number of occasions I have watched people
pull up under the cleaning shack and toss out some chum and with the tide drift to the
bridge catch fish on every drift.

[rob-kayak]

Here is a good link to one of Sue Foster's articles 2001.. explains Isle of Wight fishing
and the other popular spots for flounder.
http://www.oysterbaytackle.com/index...ly-6-2001.html

[Slobber Bob]

To add to what Rob said... Just remember the current change is 2.5 - 3 hours after the tide change so plan accordingly if you are heading towards the inlet area. The current can be very strong. Also watch for rogue wave action over the shoals if there is a swell coming in the inlet. During the week will probably be better than the weekend, but still watch out for all the dumb@sses driving boats that shouldn't be and the kids on their wave runners.

That said, another spot not already mentioned to launch is Stinky Beach. You'll have to carry your kayak 100 yards or so over sand to the end of the rocks to launch but it puts you right in the west channel and next to the bridge. I've done it a few times to hit the bridge for tog in the fall. Sunset marina is another easy one but obviously you come out right at the inlet.

Selsey rd. is small, and I'm not 100% sure on whether you are allowed to or not, but I've put over there twice without problems and it puts you right on the north end of the Thorofare. The channel is narrow and sees a lot of traffic, but again very doable.

PaddleHouse Outfitters on the westbound side of Rt. 50 between just east of the Glen Riddle light might be another good source for information.

[RavensDfense]

Below is a website that shows the tidal coefficient for the inlet. I was out a few weeks ago when it was rated as a 67 and it was pretty swift, but nothing alarming. If it is anything over 75 I generally do not fish around the 50 bridge simply because it is so much work to hold position, get your lure to the desired depth, etc.

Although the current will still be swift in other areas, it decreases some the further you are away from the inlet because that water is dispersed across more area. It is also not as bad when you are not directly in the channels. It looks like the current around 7/8-7/12 will be somewhat high, around the low to mid 70's. As always, I recommend fishing with a partner if this is your first time out to this area. If you cannot do that, an incoming tide would be best, so if you do run into trouble, at least you are heading into the bay and away from the inlet. Also, as Slobber Bob said, add a solid two hours onto the end of the tide to determine slack. For example if high tide is at 5:00 PM, the current will not be slack until around 7:00-7:30 PM. I learned that lesson the hard way, so plan accordingly.

http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/mary...ean-city-inlet

[sparky1423]

This is my first year fishing salt excuse the ignorance, but doesn't the moving current improve the fishing? I always heard the slack tide is what you want to avoid if possible. Or, is this just a warning and try to catch the tail end of the tides coming in or out?...avoiding strong currents

Below is a website that shows the tidal coefficient for the inlet. I was out a few weeks ago when it was rated as a 67 and it was pretty swift, but nothing alarming. If it is anything over 75 I generally do not fish around the 50 bridge simply because it is so much work to hold position, get your lure to the desired depth, etc.

Although the current will still be swift in other areas, it decreases some the further you are away from the inlet because that water is dispersed across more area. It is also not as bad when you are not directly in the channels. It looks like the current around 7/8-7/12 will be somewhat high, around the low to mid 70's. As always, I recommend fishing with a partner if this is your first time out to this area. If you cannot do that, an incoming tide would be best, so if you do run into trouble, at least you are heading into the bay and away from the inlet. Also, as Slobber Bob said, add a solid two hours onto the end of the tide to determine slack. For example if high tide is at 5:00 PM, the current will not be slack until around 7:00-7:30 PM. I learned that lesson the hard way, so plan accordingly.

http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/mary...ean-city-inlet

[RavensDfense]

You are correct that increased current usually means better fishing. But the current around the 50 bridge can literally be unfishable at times (which doesnt appear to be the case when you are going). So I was giving you more of a heads up. I imagine you will be fine, but i would still recommend fishing the incoming your first time out. You will also get a feel for the current as you make your way to the bridge. I've had the best luck fishing the first couple hours of the tide change. Good luck

[Slobber Bob]

I gave it as a FYI. The difference between the tide cycle and current change is different in many places (seaside vs. upper bay vs. lower bay, etc...) so its good to know what the difference is. Especially if you drift fish an area with plans to ride the currents back to your start.

[sparky1423]

Thanks for the heads up fellas! I am definitely going to utilize the drift. The strongest current I fished so far was the Susquehanna in February for the yellow perch spawn. The Conowingo dam had a number of gates open...I had my Tarpon at the time, but I managed. I can't wait to drift with the Hobie! It will be nice to pick and choose the tide to fish since it's vacation. Usually you get what you get and hope for the best.