Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Boranges Point

35.92°N · 75.91°W · Cape · Alligator River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

79/100Great
Now
491 AM EST
Best window
6-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Boranges 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

Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score55Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn SEgusts 11 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear18% cloud
Water64°FPersisted

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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Boranges Point

Depth
1-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Boranges Point

Boranges Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, weakfish and little tunny. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny 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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Deer Creek

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    72
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Southern flounder 70
    • Red drum 69

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Broad Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Southern flounderPeak season
    • Southern flounder 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Red drum 68

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Deep Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Weakfish 68
    • Red drum 65

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Northeast Prong

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Weakfish 68
    • Red drum 65

    5 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 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.