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Assateague Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Maryland’s wild barrier island: Assateague’s surf holds stripers, bluefish and kingfish under the wild ponies.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 8:47 PM
Air / High
88 / 88 F
Wind
WNW 9 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8570283, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Assateague lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 88. Tides: high 1:22 AM and 2:25 PM, low 7:28 AM and 8:47 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 79 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8570283 (Indian River Inlet). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH1:22 AM2.1 ft
LOW7:28 AM0.3 ft
HIGH2:25 PM2.6 ft
LOW8:47 PM0.8 ft
Sat
HIGH2:29 AM2.1 ft
LOW8:31 AM0.4 ft
HIGH3:46 PM2.7 ft
LOW9:55 PM0.8 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp88 F
High / Low88 / 73 F
WindWNW 9-13 mph
Pressure1011.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 78%
Sunrise / Sunset06:33 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 88/73 F, wind 12 mph, rain 78%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Assateague: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

When to come: the Assateague calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Assateague today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Maryland requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Maryland fishing license or registration for surf fishing. Striped bass seasons and slot limits change annually: check current DNR rules. Over-sand vehicle permits required for driving.

Access

Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore beaches; over-sand vehicle zones with permit.

About this water

A 37-mile barrier island along the Maryland and Virginia coast, Worcester County, Maryland: surf fishing and wild horses.

Fishing Assateague: the full guide

Surf on a wild island

Assateague Island stretches 37 miles along the Maryland and Virginia coast, a barrier island best known for its wild horses and, among anglers, for some of the mid-Atlantic’s most accessible surf fishing. The Maryland end offers miles of undeveloped beach, an over-sand vehicle zone and a fishery that changes with the seasons: striped bass, bluefish, kingfish, croaker, flounder and, in fall, red drum.

Surf seasons

Spring brings bluefish and the first stripers, along with black drum on the outer bars. Summer is a bottom-fishing season: kingfish, croaker, spot and flounder on small baits, plus sharks at night. Fall is the main event: striped bass and bluefish follow bait south along the beach from October into December, taking metal, plugs and cut bait fished on the outer bar.

Reading the beach

Success in the surf comes from reading structure: cuts through the outer bar, sloughs running parallel to shore and the deeper holes where waves break differently. Fish the moving tide, especially the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing, and be prepared to move. Over-sand vehicle permits open miles of less-pressured beach at the south end of the Maryland district.

Island logistics

Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore both provide beach access, camping and over-sand vehicle zones with permits. Ocean City is minutes north with tackle shops and services. The wild horses are genuinely wild: keep distance, secure food and never feed them. Winter fishing continues for the dedicated when stripers linger.

Common questions

When is the striper run?

Fall, from October into December as fish move south along the beach following bait. Spring offers a shorter northbound window.

Do I need a vehicle permit?

Only for driving on the beach: over-sand permits open miles of less-pressured shoreline at the south end.

What about the horses?

They are wild and protected: keep your distance, secure food and never feed them. Bites and kicks happen every year.

Is fishing good at Assateague right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Ocean City6 miIndian River Inlet25 miRehoboth Bay30 miBroadkill River37 miNanticoke River41 miCape May50 mi
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