UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Spot60
- King mackerel59
- Crevalle jack57
- Red drum57
- Gray snapper56
- Summer flounder51
- Black drum49
- Red snapper49
- Black sea bass46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Spanish mackerel45
- Weakfish45
- Sheepshead44
- Florida pompano43
- Little tunny42
- Cobia41
- Greater amberjack41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 4410 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Albemarle Sound scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
43Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
39Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.8 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Sheepshead is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Albemarle Sound
- Depth
- About 15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Sampson Point54
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 54
- Crevalle jack 52
- Gray snapper 52
15 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Pig Point54
Cape · 4.8 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 54
- Crevalle jack 52
- Gray snapper 52
15 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Shellbank Point53
Cape · 4.9 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 53
- Crevalle jack 51
- Gray snapper 51
15 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Long Point53
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 53
- Gray snapper 52
- Crevalle jack 51
15 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.