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
565 PM EST
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score54Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy58% 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.

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, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
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

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Bluefish 66
    • Spotted seatrout 66

    7 kt NEL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:18 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    7 kt NEL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:08 AM · 0.4 ft

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Weakfish 73

    7 kt NEL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:18 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Little tunny 69

    7 kt NEL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:18 AM · 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.