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SheepsheadPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 5510 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Muddy Creek 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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
Muddy Creek
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Muddy Creek
Muddy Creek is a bay in Chester River to Queenstown MD, Maryland. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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
- Jackson Creek66
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Scup 64
- Red drum 63
15 kt NEH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ftL 10:28 AM · 0.9 ft
- Cabin Creek66
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Scup 64
- Red drum 63
15 kt NEH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ftL 10:28 AM · 0.9 ft
- Long Point61
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spot 60
- Scup 58
15 kt NEH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ftL 10:28 AM · 0.9 ft
- Bluff Point61
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spot 60
- Scup 58
15 kt NEH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ftL 10:28 AM · 0.9 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.