Little Assawoman Bay Fishing Guides
The southernmost of Delaware's inland bays, a shallow grass-flat system behind Fenwick Island that fishes for flounder and stripers and crabs hard all summer.
Guides on the Little Assawoman Bay
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About the Little Assawoman Bay
Little Assawoman Bay is the smallest and southernmost of Delaware’s inland bays, lying behind Fenwick Island and running south to the Maryland line. The gauge at Fenwick Island reads tidal elevation. The bay has no direct ocean inlet of its own, exchanging water instead through the Assawoman Canal to the north and through Ocean City Inlet well to the south, which makes tidal range modest and water temperatures more stable than in the bays with direct ocean access.
That geography shapes the fishing. The bay is shallow, with extensive eelgrass and widgeon grass flats, sand sloughs and a dredged channel running its length. Water warms early in spring and stays warm into autumn, which brings fish in sooner and holds them later than in the colder bays. The grass beds are the productive structure, and the edges where grass meets sand are where most fish are found.
Summer flounder are the principal target, drifted along the channel edges and over the sloughs between the grass beds. Striped bass are present in spring and autumn and hold around the canal mouth and the deeper channel. Bluefish push in through summer and will run the flats on a rising tide. Black drum are taken in the deeper water in late spring, and blue crabs are abundant enough through summer that crabbing rivals fishing here.
The bay suits shallow-draft boats and kayaks well. Fenwick Island State Park frames the ocean side, there are public landings on the bay, and the short fetch means it is fishable on days that shut down the open water outside.
Because the bay is so shallow, wind moves water here more than tide does, and a sustained blow can push the flats nearly dry or flood them well above normal. That changes where fish sit from day to day. Shallow-draft boats, a push pole and a willingness to move are the right approach, and the grass beds should be navigated with the motor up.
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Access
Fenwick Island - the gauge site, with bay access near the state line.
Fenwick Island State Park - ocean and bay frontage with parking.
Assawoman Canal - the channel connecting north to Indian River Bay.
Miller Creek - a western tributary with quiet shallow water.
Dirickson Creek - the northwestern arm of the bay.
Strawberry Landing - public bay access on the western shore.
Assawoman Wildlife Area - protected marsh land on the bay's west side.
Seasons
Spring: black drum in the deeper water and the first flounder as the flats warm.
Summer: the main season, with flounder on the grass edges and heavy crabbing.
Fall: striped bass and bluefish through the channel as bait moves out of the bay.
Winter: the bay shuts down, with little worth targeting until spring.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Little Assawoman Bay?
Anglers target Black Drum, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder on the Little Assawoman Bay in Delaware.
Where can you access the Little Assawoman Bay?
Fenwick Island - the gauge site, with bay access near the state line. Fenwick Island State Park - ocean and bay frontage with parking. Assawoman Canal - the channel connecting north to Indian River Bay. Miller Creek - a western tributary with quiet shallow water. Dirickson Creek - the northwestern arm of the bay. Strawberry Landing - public bay access on the western shore. Assawoman Wildlife Area - protected marsh land on the bay's west side.
When is the best time to fish the Little Assawoman Bay?
Spring: black drum in the deeper water and the first flounder as the flats warm. Summer: the main season, with flounder on the grass edges and heavy crabbing. Fall: striped bass and bluefish through the channel as bait moves out of the bay. Winter: the bay shuts down, with little worth targeting until spring.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Little Assawoman Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Delaware agency site: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/fishing/regulations/