Welcome to Bayside Guide Service. Our specialty is fishing around the rt50 bridge for Rockfish (Striped Bass), Bluefish and Flounder. Due to increased costs, we have changed our program and will no longer be operating out of Bahia Marina. We are also changing to a more specialized guide service in which we will try to schedule you for the best tide, whether it's in the AM or PM. We'll be doing fewer trips, but they'll be during the more productive times. We will be offering a 4 1/2 and a 6 1/2 hour trip as well as bringing back our evening - into the night trips. If the weather is right during the summer months, we may also head off the beach to troll for Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish. For these reasons and still keeping insurance at a reasonable rate we will be having a minimum age of 18. And since we will be trailerable, we will be offering trips in the Nanticoke and Pocomoke sound later in the season.
We'll start fishing the first of April and will be launching from the 65nd street boat ramp in Ocean City as we will be fishing around the rt 90 bridge for catch and release Striped Bass or the thoroughfare for early season Flounder.
In May, we will shift our launching to the commercial harbor in West Ocean City as most of our fishing will be around the rt50 bridge where we will specialize in Striped Bass, Bluefish and Flounder.
In September we will be offering trips to the Nanticoke as well, where you can cast to Rockfish up in the creeks and channels that wind through the marsh. And, in Ocean City, the Flounder fishing will steadily improve to its October peak.
You will be fishing aboard a customized 22 ft C-Hawk center console with a 175 Yamaha mounted on a jack plate which puts the motor behind the boat opening up space inside. That, combined with the shallow draft, makes it perfect for these bays and creeks as it is stable and can cross over the shallowest of bars to reach deep holes and channels but it's V hull makes it capable of cutting the chop in the more open waters. It is also equipped with a bow mounted Minn Kota electric trolling motor, GPS, fishfinder, livewell and all required safety equipment.
Supplied is all of the tackle necessary for anything you may encounter. All required licenses are supplied as well as a cooler stocked with water and assorted sodas. We recommend bringing a light jacket, sunglasses, sunscreen and hat. Otherwise, all you have to do is arrive and be ready to go after a short briefing.
We try to have a mate on board who works for tips to help with everything so the captain can concentrate on keeping the boat positioned where it needs to be.
Even though the boat and Capt. are licensed for up to six people, for comfort we like to keep it at a maximum of 4.
Give us a call at 443-944-5484 or e-mail at baysideguideservice@yahoo.com if you have any questions or to set up a trip. You can also click on the "Book Now" link below. A 10% deposit is required and is fully refundable up to 3 days before the trip.
In Ocean City we will start running charters the first of April. The bluefish and flounder should start to appear in April. But we will mainly be targeting Striped Bass. Most of these will be throwbacks, under the 28" minimum necessary to keep.
By Mid-May, the larger Bluefish should have arrived (if the past few years are any indication) and we will start shifting to targeting the rt 50 bridge. The Striped Bass fishing should be good as well.
The flounder fishing will steadily improve as the summer comes on, though most in the summer are throwbacks. More keepers start showing up in September and peak in October. By mid-September the striped bass should start to pick up again with a few more keepers in the mix as well as some bigger bluefish again.
We will also be offering trips to the Nanticoke in September till the end of the Rockfish season in the beginning of December.
Tog fishing would be starting up when the waters cool in October until our Ocean City season ends in mid-November.
We will also be bringing back our evening/night trips in the beginning of June. These trips will put us on the water to take advantage of the evening bite and as it gets dark, our underwater lights should start attracting bait, which will bring the Bluefish and Rockfish. These trips are your best chance at getting a keeper Striped Bass, though most will be throwbacks.
What to expect from your charter
Thank you for taking interest in Bayside Guide Service.
So you've decided to charter an inshore fishing trip. You may be an experienced angler or this may be your first time. It doesn't matter as we cater to both. It can be a totally "hands on" experience for those who are experienced or you will be coached through and helped with the whole process if you have never done this before.
Try to arrive about 10 minutes before departure so Capt. Wayne can go over the safety equipment and where it is. He will also go over the type of fishing he recommends for the day as tide and weather conditions, as well as availability of live bait, can determine the recommended way of fishing. Now would be a good time as well to take care of any "business" you may need to do as there is no head (toilet) on the boat. But we are always only a few minutes from a public rest area if needed while out there and Wayne will accommodate you the best he can.
We do a lot of "live lining" under the bridge if live spot or bunker are available. One of the reasons we have that extra 1/2 hour on our trips is we may need to spend a few minutes catching some live spot or cast netting bunker. We do our best to supply live bait for our charters when available but sometimes wind and water conditions make it impossible to catch and sometimes the shops are out but artificials work just as well.
We will be rigged with plenty of quality tackle so we'll be ready for anything we may encounter, as well as having a cooler stocked with water and an assortment of sodas.
Our aim is to show you a good time and do our best to give you a successful trip. As far as keeping any, there are legal size limits as well as quantities which we must abide by, so I like to let it be known that most of our fishing is catch & release, though you are perfectly welcome to keep any that are legal sized.
As of March 1st, 2024 the current legal sizes are;
Bluefish; 8" and 5/day/angler (we may suggest fewer if they are as larger class)
Flounder; 16" Jan 1st - May 31st & 17 1/2" June 1st - Dec 31st, 4/day/angler
Striped Bass; Ocean City; 28" to 31", 1/day/angler
Striped Bass; Nanticoke/Chesapeake, will update when available
Again, it is recommended to get up with Capt. Wayne as the trip nears to go over any time adjustments to make sure we will be out there during what has been the best tide.
If you have any questions at all, give Capt. Wayne a call and we hope to see you this summer.
12806 Sunset Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland 21842, United States