Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cedar Point

35.16°N · 76.63°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

81/100Great
Now
5912 PM EST
Best window
4-9 PMFlood 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 · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score59Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy61% cloud
Water64°FObserved

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
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Sheepshead in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
1-6 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 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 spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, spotted seatrout and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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

  • Spencer Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    9 kt NEL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Cabin Creek

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Southern flounder 73
    • Spotted seatrout 73

    6 kt ENEL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Wise Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    6 kt ENEL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Bell Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    6 kt ENEL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:12 PM · 0.6 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.