Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Snake Point

38.54°N · 76.21°W · Cape · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Sheepshead

70/100Great
Now
477 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.9 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score69Great
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NE
Wind4 kn SWgusts 10 · steady
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast95% cloud
Water70°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sheepshead in Maryland

Spot profile

Snake Point

Depth
1-10 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Snake Point

Snake Point is a cape in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Bluefish peak in May and 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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
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

  • Johns Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 51
    • Bluefish 49

    14 kt ENEH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 8:54 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 51
    • Bluefish 49

    14 kt ENEH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 8:54 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Madison Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    56
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 54
    • Spot 54

    14 kt ENEH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 8:54 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Casson Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Scup 50
    • Bluefish 49

    14 kt ENEH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 8:54 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.