UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot77
- Atlantic tarpon76
- Crevalle jack74
- Gray snapper71
- Southern flounder71
- Red drum70
- Summer flounder68
- King mackerel67
- Spotted seatrout67
- Florida pompano65
- Black drum64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Gray triggerfish60
- Sheepshead60
- Black sea bass59
- Cobia59
- Red snapper59
- Weakfish59
- Gag grouper58
- Red grouper58
- Little tunny57
- Greater amberjack53
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 605 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Grapevine Bay 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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
Grapevine Bay
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Grapevine Bay
Grapevine Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Rattlesnake Bay78
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bear Point73
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Spot 71
5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Orange Point72
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Crevalle jack 69
5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Newport News Point71
Cape · 3.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Spot 70
5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 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.