Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Turkey Neck Point

38.73°N · 76.30°W · Cape · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Sheepshead

71/100Great
Now
5910 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Turkey Neck Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score68Great
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward N
Wind4 kn SSEgusts 10 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear13% cloud
Water71°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

Turkey Neck Point

Depth
2-7 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Turkey Neck Point

Turkey Neck Point is a cape in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Muddy Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 66
    • Sheepshead 64

    15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft

  • River Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 67
    • Scup 66

    15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Balls Creek

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 66
    • Scup 66

    15 kt NEH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ftL 9:04 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Bald Eagle Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 61

    15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 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.