Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

35.76°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

80/100Great
Now
604 AM EST
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score53Good
Tide0.1 ft ▲Flooding
Wind8 kn WSWgusts 21 · steady
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherPartly cloudy24% cloud
Water67°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 · 13 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
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 Stumpy Point

Stumpy Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
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.
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

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    73
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 73
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Weakfish 71
    • Atlantic croaker 68

    6 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    71
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Weakfish 68

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 65
    • Weakfish 64

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 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.