Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Deep Point

35.15°N · 76.54°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 4 PM · Sheepshead

82/100Great
Now
549 AM EST
Best window
2-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Deep Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score54Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind10 kn NNEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water64°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.

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

Deep Point

Depth
1-2 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 Deep Point

Deep Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and little tunny. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, little tunny and southern flounder, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Red drum peak from August through November. Little tunny 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.
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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Maw Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Fisherman Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Spot 71
    • Spotted seatrout 69

    10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Maw Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Spot 69

    10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Maw Point Shoal

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 65

    10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 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.