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SheepsheadOff seasonBay · Maryland
West River
38.86°N · 76.50°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 3510 PM EST
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West River 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
Monday, Nov 9 · 3 PM
- —
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
- —
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
- —
Water temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
- —
Season & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Out of season for Sheepshead · it leaves next week
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
West River
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 West River
West River is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 14 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, striped bass, bluefish and tautog, and shoulder season for scup, spot, weakfish and red drum. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from October through November.
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
- Horseshoe Point75
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Bluefish 65
6 kt SEH 10:39 PM · 1.4 ftL 5:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Thomas Point75
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- Spotted seatrout 72
- Bluefish 63
5 kt SSEL 5:17 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:32 AM · 0.9 ft
- Curtis Point73
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 73
- Spotted seatrout 68
- Bluefish 64
6 kt SEH 10:39 PM · 1.4 ftL 5:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Saunders Point69
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 69
- Scup 62
- Spotted seatrout 62
5 kt SSEL 5:11 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:21 AM · 1.0 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.