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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Red drum65
- Crevalle jack61
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Southern flounder59
- Gray snapper57
- Spotted seatrout55
- Summer flounder55
- King mackerel53
- Florida pompano52
- Red snapper50
- Black drum49
- Weakfish49
- Black sea bass47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Gag grouper46
- Red grouper45
- Spanish mackerel45
- Cobia44
- Sheepshead43
- Greater amberjack41
- Little tunny39
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 471 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-5 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sheephead 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 82°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sheephead Creek
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Sheephead Creek
Sheephead Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black drum and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Bonner Bay71
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Davis Island Point66
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Atlantic tarpon 59
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Shoal66
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Florida pompano 59
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 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.