Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Baum Point

35.92°N · 75.66°W · Cape · Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

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Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead

83/100Great
Now
629 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 2 PM

Time2P
Score57Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind9 kn SSEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast57% chance of rain
Water66°FBias corrected

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

Baum Point

Depth
1-3 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 Baum Point

Baum Point is a cape in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-3 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, black sea bass and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for striped bass, spot, Atlantic croaker and sheepshead. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Weakfish 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.
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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Ballast Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Bluefish 68

    8 kt NEH 1:23 PM · 3.9 ftL 8:06 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Shallowbag Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    74
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 74
    • Little tunny 73
    • Black sea bass 71

    8 kt NEH 1:23 PM · 3.9 ftL 8:06 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Deep Wear Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Bluefish 63

    8 kt NEH 4:16 PM · 0.6 ftL 10:45 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Pork Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Black sea bass 65
    • Bluefish 64

    8 kt NEL 10:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 4:58 PM · 0.5 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.