The Weekly Hook Archive ← Back to Archive
⚓

Weekly Fishing Report
Lewes, DE to Ocean City, MD

🎣
Week of May 14–20, 2026  |  Delmarva Coastal Waters
Stripers Crushing the Surf 🔥  |  Sea Bass Open Offshore  |  Blues Are HERE  |  Tautog Closed May 16
🌊 Conditions at a Glance
🌡️
Water Temp
53°F
Inlet & nearshore
🌬️
Wind
S 10–20
N 15–25 mid-week
🌊
Seas
1–3 ft
3–6 ft Thursday
👁️
Clarity
Fair–Good
Dirty after fronts
☀️
Outlook
63–76°F
Sunny weekend
🌙 Tide Schedule — Ocean City Inlet

New moon Saturday May 16 — spring tides peak Sat–Mon with strongest currents of the week. Best fishing windows: top of the outgoing at the inlet after dark for big stripers; last hour of incoming for back-bay flounder drifts (Sun–Mon mid-afternoon).

Day High AM Low AM/MID High PM Low PM
Thu 5/14 6:09 AM 12:05 PM 6:41 PM —
Fri 5/15 6:58 AM 12:53 PM 7:33 PM 1:03 AM
Sat 5/16 7:49 AM FISH 1:42 PM 8:27 PM FISH 1:55 AM
Sun 5/17 8:43 AM FISH 2:32 PM 9:23 PM FISH 2:48 AM
Mon 5/18 9:37 AM FISH 3:24 PM 10:20 PM 3:40 AM
Tue 5/19 10:32 AM 4:18 PM 11:17 PM 4:36 AM
Wed 5/20 11:28 AM 5:18 PM — 5:34 AM

Times approximate (EDT). Indian River Inlet tides run ~10–15 min earlier than OC. Verify with NOAA Tides & Currents before going out.

🐟 Species Activity Report
🐟 Striped Bass 🔥 HOT
📍Surf (Assateague, OC, Cape Henlopen), OC Inlet, Indian River Inlet, Rt 50/90/Verrazzano bridges
🪱Cut bunker at night, white bucktails, SP Minnows, paddletails
📊Most over 31" (release in MD Atlantic); slot 28–31"
📋 MD Atl: 28–31" slot, 1/day  |  DE: C&R thru May 31
🐠 Black Sea Bass 🔥 HOT
📍Offshore wrecks & reef sites (long run from OC)
🦑Squid, clam, Gulp grubs on high-low rigs with 6–10 oz sinkers
📊12.5" min, 15 fish/day — season open thru Dec 31
📋 12.5" min (state waters) | 15/angler/day
🐟 Hickory Shad 🔥 HOT
📍Ocean City area, inlet & nearshore
🎣Shad darts, small spoons, jigs
📊Great light-tackle fallback when bigger fish won't cooperate
🦈 Bluefish 🟡 Picking Up
📍OC & Assateague surf, OC Inlet on incoming tides
🎣Cut bait (mullet/bunker), flashy metals, poppers
📊Large but thin in surf; 3/day private, 5/day for-hire
🐡 Summer Flounder 🟡 Steady
📍OC Inlet, back bays, channels, Indian River Bay
🦐Gulp swimming mullets (white/pink), squid + minnow
📊16" min until June 1, then 17.5" — 4/day
📋 16" min thru May 31, then 17.5" | 4 fish/day
🪨 Tautog ⏰ LAST CALL
📍Inlet jetty rocks, bulkheads, bridge piers
🦀Sand fleas, green crabs
📊MD season CLOSED May 16 — reopens July 1
📋 16" min, 4/day | MD closed May 16 – July 1
🥁 Black Drum 🟡 Showing
📍OC/Assateague surf; lower Bay (Tangier, Target Ship)
🦐Sand fleas, clams, soft crab
📊Medium fish in surf; bull drum in lower Bay
🎣 Red Drum 🔵 Early
📍OC surf at night (first big red of season just hit)
🪱Cut bait, fresh bunker
📊Slot 18–27", 1/day — bigger fish must be released
📍 Hot Spots This Week
🏖️ Surf / Beach
Assateague Island
Prime striper surf. Cut bunker at night, plugs at dawn. Black drum mixed in.
OC Beaches (North End)
Consistent striper action. Blues picking up on incoming tides. First red drum of the season reported.
Cape Henlopen / Herring Point
Good striper surf fishing. Sand fleas producing black drum.
Fenwick Island SP
Solid striper and bluefish action in the surf.
🌉 Inlet / Bridge / Bay
OC Inlet (South Pocket)
Big stripers on drifted cut bunker at night. Flounder on Gulp in the channels. Tautog on sand fleas at the rocks (closed May 16).
Indian River Inlet N. Jetty
Stripers and blues on plugs and metal. Strong spring-tide currents make for excellent action.
Rt 50 / 90 / Verrazzano Bridges
Bucktails and paddletails for schoolie stripers around the pilings.
Isle of Wight / Sinepuxent / Indian River Bays
Flounder drifts improving. Gulp swimming mullet on jigheads through channels.
⚓ Nearshore
OC Reef Sites
Black sea bass limits on structure. Squid and Gulp grubs on high-low rigs.
African Queen / Twin Wrecks
Sea bass holding tight to the wrecks. Drop straight down with heavy sinkers.
DE Reef Sites 10 & 11
Good sea bass action. Fish tight to structure.
🚢 Offshore
Bass Grounds
Structure fishing for sea bass and bluefish. Worth the run when weather cooperates.
Canyon Season
Not yet in season for pelagics. Water temps still rising. Watch for late May / early June for first mahi and yellowfin.
🎣 What's Working This Week
🏖️ Surf Fishing
Stripers: Chunked bunker, clams, sand fleas, bloodworms on fish-finder w/ 6–8 oz pyramid.
Plugs: SP Minnows, Bombers, Rebel Jumpin' Minnows after dark. 7' fluoro leader.
Blues: Cut bait (mullet/bunker), flashy metals, poppers on incoming tide.
Note: Circle hooks required in DE for stripers w/ natural bait.
🌉 Bay & Bridge
Stripers: Drift cut bunker chunks at night; cast 1–2 oz white/chartreuse bucktails with Gulp trailer.
Schoolies: Soft plastic paddletails on jigheads around bridge pilings.
Tog: Sand fleas & green crabs tight to structure (season closed May 16).
🪸 Back Bay Flounder
Bait: Live minnows, squid strips.
Lure: 4–5" Gulp swimming mullet (white, pink, chartreuse, new penny) on 3/8–1 oz jighead.
Tip: Drift 0.5–1.0 mph — use a drift sock when it's blowing.
⚓ Offshore Wrecks
Sea Bass: High-low rig w/ 6–10 oz sinker; squid, clam, Gulp grubs on 4/0 circle hooks.
Approach: Drop straight down on the wreck — fish tight to structure.
Note: Water still ~53°F offshore — bite slower than midsummer.

📡 Sources: Maryland DNR Weekly Fishing Report • On The Water (May 14, 2026) • DNREC Delaware Fishing Report • Always Bent Fishing OC (Taylor Bakke) • Morning Star Fishing (Capt. Monty Hawkins) • Capt. Dave Nanticoke Outfitters • Old Inlet Bait & Tackle • Fish in OC • NOAA Tide Predictions (Station 8570283) • NOAA Marine Forecast

Report generated by Claude AI  |  May 14, 2026  |  Tight lines and fair winds 🎣