Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Sheridan Point

38.71°N · 77.05°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass

75/100Great
Now
515 AM EDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.3 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Sheridan 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 · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score51Good
Tide2.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward N
Wind9 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherOvercast73% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maryland

Spot profile

Sheridan Point

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Sheridan Point

Sheridan Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Chapmans Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 62

    9 kt NEH 6:30 AM · 2.5 ftL 12:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Indian Queen Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 65

    9 kt NEH 6:38 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:00 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Stump Neck

    Cape · 15 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 63
    • Atlantic croaker 54

    10 kt NNEH 5:28 AM · 1.6 ftL 11:07 AM · 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.