UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot71
- Crevalle jack66
- Spotted seatrout63
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel62
- Summer flounder62
- Red drum61
- Gray snapper60
- Black drum56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Weakfish55
- Black sea bass51
- Cobia51
- Little tunny51
- Sheepshead51
- Gag grouper50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red snapper50
- Red grouper49
- Greater amberjack45
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder35
Best score today · 12 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 517 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rattlesnake 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
56Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: 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 yesterday
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
Rattlesnake Bay
- Depth
- 2-5 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 Rattlesnake Bay
Rattlesnake Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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
- Grapevine Bay71
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 66
13 kt NEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Cypress Point67
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 67
- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
13 kt NEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bear Point65
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
- King mackerel 62
13 kt NEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Newport News Point65
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
- King mackerel 61
13 kt NEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 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.