Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Bay · Maryland

Cox Creek

39.18°N · 76.52°W · Bay · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 1 AM · Sheepshead

73/100Great
Now
523 PM EDT
Best window
3-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score66Great
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NW
Wind5 kn NWgusts 9 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherClear6% cloud
Water69°FModel

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

Cox Creek

Depth
Up to 7 ftNearest water
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 Cox Creek

Cox Creek is a bay in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is up to 7 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 Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and bluefish. 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

  • Brewerton Angle

    Bend · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 63
    • Summer flounder 59

    13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Hawkins Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 58

    13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Goose Neck

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 58

    13 kt ENEH 4:26 PM · 1.3 ftL 10:15 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 58

    13 kt ENEH 4:26 PM · 1.3 ftL 10:15 PM · 0.6 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.