UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack76
- Red drum74
- King mackerel71
- Southern flounder71
- Summer flounder71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Gray snapper68
- Spotted seatrout67
- Florida pompano63
- Black sea bass61
- Cobia61
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red snapper61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Weakfish61
- Black drum60
- Gag grouper60
- Red grouper59
- Sheepshead57
- Greater amberjack56
- Little tunny55
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 574 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Core Creek scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Core Creek
- Depth
- 1-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Core Creek
Core Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, cobia and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- White Rock79
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 79
- Red drum 76
- Gray snapper 75
10 kt ENEH 6:20 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ft
- Bell Creek78
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 76
10 kt ENEH 6:20 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ft
- Ware Creek78
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 76
10 kt ENEH 6:20 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ft
- Oyster Creek78
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 76
10 kt ENEH 6:20 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:54 AM · 0.8 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.