Fly Fishing OC

[Goomah]

I'm heading down to OC this weekend with my wife's family for some car show. I have no interest in cars at all. I would like to spend some time perhaps on the bay side getting in some fly fishing. Any suggestions. I will not have a boat this time. Just me and a fly rod. Anywhere I can go where I'll have some room to drop a fly ?

[HJS]

I attended a 3-day family reunion at OC ~4 years ago about the same time you are going. I caught lots of blues at the OC Inlet at the S end of the boardwalk. Not much size to them, about 10"-14" plus a couple slightly longer, still fun though. Blues were breaking (with birds) in the channel within spin casting range of the jetty. They were also breaking on the N side of the jetty in the quiet water. So you could fish from both sides of the jetty. Keeping your backcast away from other jetty fishermen there might be a big problem. So take spinning gear too if you have it just in case its too crowded for a flyrod. As I remember, the start of the incoming was best. I also caught 2 schoolie stripers there, about 20"@. I think the two stripers were an aberration since they were the only two I saw caught there the entire 3 days.

[Salmo trutta]

The jetty on the north side of the inlet, right where the car show will be, is a good bet. The eastern tip and even the western tip of the inlet are good. Or anywhere in-between sometimes. Even the beach just north of the inlet can be good sometimes. Don't over look night time but it's not the only time. Pretty soon there should be a good showing of speckled trout caught in the surf, mostly on lures. You may hit it right, may not. It's not the best fishing in the world but it beats a sharp stick in the eye and every now and then the fishing around OC can surprise you.

If you can get under the route 50 bridge from the eastern side can be good. No sure if it's legal though.

The bridge for Assateague Bay can be good on your way to Assateague Island State Park and National Sea Shore. Or run up to DE and fish Indian River Inlet, cape henlopen or Roosevelt Inlet.

Last year or the year before for this same car show there was a major tidal surge and strong east winds with rain. The parking lot for the car show was covered in water about one foot deep. Everyone thought it was rain water. Wrong. It was salt water, ocean water. Every classic car that barely sees the floor of a sparkling clean, well kept garage got drenched in salt water that weekend. The fishing was decent though.

Fly/lure patterns should look like finermullet as that should be the most common baitfish around right now.

[Capt Frank]

I'm heading down to OC this weekend with my wife's family for some car show. I have no interest in cars at all. I would like to spend some time perhaps on the bay side getting in some fly fishing. Any suggestions. I will not have a boat this time. Just me and a fly rod. Anywhere I can go where I'll have some room to drop a fly ?
I use to run a charterboat out of OC for 20 yrs and later ran a light tackle/fly guiding business. To be honest, fly fishing is tough in the OC town area. We use to fly fish at night along the north jetty, esp during the tides, little folk around, catch stripers, blues, and trout, mainly smaller white fly patterns. There are shadowy areas where the fish hang along the jetty and that is your target. You'll need a sinker line during the tidal floods, ebbs due to the strength of flow thru the inlet. Your chances will vastly improve if you can find a boat for sure. Occassionally Id meet Mason from the Salisbury Fly Shop and he had it down pretty good. Id contact him for some up to date info, he'll prolly be your best source. If you talk to Mason tell him I said hello.
Capt Frank