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SheepsheadPeak seasonBay · Maryland
Cow Cove
38.24°N · 76.16°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 578 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-1 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cow Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
62Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
70Wind: 13 kt EPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
69Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Sheepshead is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.
Source: Maryland DNR · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Cow Cove
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSheepshead
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Cow Cove
Cow Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Maryland. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Sheepshead
- Sheepshead graze barnacles and crabs off pilings, jetty rocks, bridge supports, oyster bars and nearshore reefs, from a few feet deep out to about 50 feet. Drop a fiddler crab, sand flea or piece of shrimp on a small, strong hook straight down next to the structure with just enough weight to hold bottom. The bite is a light tap, so keep the line tight and set the hook fast.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Muddy Hook Cove69
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 66
- Spanish mackerel 63
13 kt EH 11:43 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ft
- Richland Cove68
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 68
- Spot 65
- Spanish mackerel 63
13 kt EH 11:43 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ft
- Richland Point65
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 63
- Spot 59
13 kt EH 11:43 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ft
- Dicks Point65
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 64
- Spot 60
13 kt EH 11:43 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.