I just got offered a free week in Ocean city, MD this July. I'll have to take care of food and stuff, but the lodging is totally free, so I couldnt pass that up. While I'm down there, I'd like to do some fishing, but even at that, I'm kind of leery. I've tried ocean fishing several times, but have never caught any fish. Granted that was bait fishing. This time, I'd like to try flies. I have a 5 wt. but I think that's far too light, so I've been looking at 7 & 8 wt. setups for bass and steelhead...which would probably work just fine for light saltwater applications.

My questions are these:

What kind of stuff will I need? 0x leaders, special flyline, what? I really have no idea what I'm doing.

What species should I target and how should I fish for them? Also, any dangerous fish to watch out for? I mean, I know a shark when I see it, but theres some scary stuff in the saltwater.

What types of flies should I check into, and can any of them be tied from common materials I have from tying for trout and panfish?

Understand, this is just a week, I'm not looking to invest hundreds of dollars in specialized equipment that I'm going to use for 5 days then shelve until time immemorial. If thats what it takes...I may leave the fishing stuff at home and just go for the...um...scenery.

Finally, where can I fish? I'm not looking for anyone's 'secret spot', but I think fishing in the bays, coves, and inlets would be best, and I dont want to get in trouble for fishing where none's allowed.

If anyone has any helpful information, I'd be most appreciative!