Waterlands

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SheepsheadOff season

Bend · Maryland

Fort McHenry Angle

39.26°N · 76.57°W · Bend · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Sheepshead

78/100Great
Now
351 AM EST
Best window
3-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 10 · 5 PM

Time5P
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward NW
Wind9 kn WSWgusts 20 · steady
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy66% cloud
Water62°FBias corrected

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Out of season for Sheepshead · it leaves next week

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Out of season for Sheepshead · it leaves next week.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sheepshead in Maryland →

Spot profile

Fort McHenry Angle

Depth
25-50 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Off 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 Fort McHenry Angle

Fort McHenry Angle is a bend in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 25-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 14 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, striped bass, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for scup, spot, weakfish and red drum. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • East Channel

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 68
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 65

    5 kt SWL 8:20 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:36 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Ferry Bar Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    66
    Top: ScupShoulder season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 65
    • Spotted seatrout 65

    5 kt SWL 8:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:38 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Lazaretto Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    62
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 62
    • Scup 61
    • Spotted seatrout 60

    5 kt SWL 8:20 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:36 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Whetstone Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    62
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 62
    • Scup 61
    • Spot 59

    5 kt SWL 8:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:38 PM · 1.3 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.