Ocean City, Maryland — July 7, 2026
Insiders, if you’ve got a full fuel tank and a weather window, point the bow east — because the canyons off Ocean City are lit up right now.
The headline is tuna. The latest reports out of OC have the offshore fleet trolling up good numbers of both yellowfin and bigeye in the canyons, and the bite shows no signs of slowing. Trolling has been the money move — a few yellowfin have come on jigs, but they’ve been deep and scattered from canyon to canyon, so pulling spreads is the fastest way to find the meat. Randy Buzilow put a hefty yellowfin on the deck out at the Wilmington recently, and he’s far from the only one bending rods out there. A few bluefin have shown in the mix too.
Don’t have the range for the canyons? There’s plenty of bent-rod action closer to the beach. Sheepshead are stacked on the Inlet jetties and eating well — bring sand fleas and a light touch. Red drum are prowling the Assateague surf for anglers soaking chunk baits. The summer flounder bite is holding steady from the back bays and Inlet all the way out to the reef sites, where black sea bass are mixed right in. After dark and around the low-light windows of dawn and dusk, bluefish and under-slot stripers are chewing plugs and soft plastics inside.
Deep-drop crews are cashing in too, boxing golden and blueline tilefish down deep — just remember tilefish catches have to be reported electronically, so square that away before you leave the dock.
One more for the calendar: tautog season reopened July 1 with a two-fish limit at 16 inches. Jetty crews chasing sheepshead have been releasing a pile of tog as bycatch, so keeper togs should start hitting coolers any day now.
Bottom line: from the jetty rocks to 70 miles out, Ocean City is firing on all cylinders. Dress for the heat, hydrate, and keep an eye on the sea state if you’re running offshore.
Got a hot bite in your home waters? Tag us and we’ll put it on the board. Wherever it’s popping, we’ll be on it.
See you on the water.
Conditions compiled from the latest Ocean City and Maryland DNR fishing reports, week of July 2, 2026. Always confirm current regulations and sea conditions before you run.