In the summer of 1933, while Ocean City was enjoying the splendor of being a quaint Maryland seaside resort, a great hurricane pounded the small town with strong winds, heavy rains and angry seas. The Atlantic Ocean poured over the streets and merged with the Sinepuxent Bay completely flooding the downtown area leaving destruction in its wake. The storm surge retreated and the water rushing out of the bay created a new inlet at the south end of town between Ocean City and what is now Assateague Island. Soon after, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fortified this new inlet making it permanent and Ocean City quickly became a destination for fisherman from far and wide. With this new ease of access to the Atlantic Ocean and bountiful fishing just miles from shore, Ocean City soon became known as The White Marlin Capital of the World.
Throughout the years, Ocean City has continued to be referred to as The White Marlin Capital of the World, but has evolved into one of the most prolific fishing industries in the entire world.
The offshore fishing accessible from Ocean City is some of the best, most exciting fishing on Earth. All sorts of pelagic species of fish including sharks, wahoo, dolphin, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, blue marlin and the ever popular white marlin are attainable from any number of charter boats docked at many of the most beautiful and accommodating marina facilities on the East Coast. But if offshore fishing is not in your taste, or perhaps your budget, than Ocean City also offers some of the finest inshore fishing available anywhere. Several Ocean head boats and inshore charter boats troll and bottom fish the nearshore Atlantic and back bays of Ocean City for inshore species such as flounder, rockfish, bluefish, croaker, trout, mackerel, sea bass and tautog….just to name a few. Or if you’d like to try your fishing luck on your own, rental boats and rental fishing equipment are available at local marinas and you can surf fish from Assateague Island or Ocean City’s beautiful beaches, or you can experience terrific fishing from any of the free, public piers found throughout the resort.
So you don’t fish, but you want to see them? Well Ocean City is home to some of the most highly regarded tournaments in the entire world including the largest tuna tournament in the U.S., The Ocean City Tuna Tournament and the world’s largest billfish tournament, The White Marlin Open. There are also many other tournaments for anglers of all ages and skill levels that target many different species from April through December. Whether you’re fishing or spectating, the anticipation at the marinas during the tournament season can be electrifying as fortunes hang in the balance of the scales.
No matter what your fishing thirst may be, Ocean City has something that can quench it. Whether it’s the excitement of catching your first white marlin in the deep of the Atlantic or relaxing on a pier anticipating your first bite, Ocean City, Maryland has all of the colors for you to paint the perfect fishing memory.
