Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Thomas Point

38.33°N · 76.49°W · Cape · Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD

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Best score today · 3 AM · Sheepshead

71/100Great
Now
496 AM EDT
Best window
8-11 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.8 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score49Good
Tide0.8 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SE
Wind9 kn Egusts 19 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast79% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

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

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

Thomas Point

Depth
3-110 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
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 Thomas Point

Thomas Point is a cape in Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 3-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

  • Point Patience

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 55

    9 kt EH 11:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Myrtle Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    57
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 55
    • Red drum 51

    9 kt EH 11:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Town Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 55

    9 kt EH 11:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    57
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 55
    • Red drum 51

    9 kt EH 11:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 5:57 PM · 0.5 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.