Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cedar Point

35.09°N · 76.59°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead

78/100Great
Now
625 PM EST
Best window
5-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score62Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind5 kn SSEgusts 15 · building
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 7 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy23% cloud
Water66°FModel

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 · 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
1-7 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 1-7 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, spotted seatrout and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and 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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bulah Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Spotted seatrout 74
    • Black sea bass 72

    7 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Fork Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Spotted seatrout 74
    • Red drum 72

    7 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Skate Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Black sea bass 72

    10 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Gum Thicket Shoal

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Black sea bass 72

    10 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 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.