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SheepsheadPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 619 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sands 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
58Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 10 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
82Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: 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 today
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
Sands Cove
- Depth
- 2-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- 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 Sands Cove
Sands Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sandy Point69
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 69
- Bluefish 63
10 kt ENEL 12:45 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:08 AM · 1.9 ft
- Buzzards Glory69
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Little tunny 62
10 kt ENEL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:59 AM · 2.3 ft
- Swan Creek Point69
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Little tunny 64
10 kt ENEL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:59 AM · 2.3 ft
- Cedar Point69
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Little tunny 64
10 kt ENEL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:59 AM · 2.3 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.