Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Spencer Point

35.18°N · 76.61°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead

79/100Great
Now
537 AM EST
Best window
2-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score62Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind4 kn ESEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy80% cloud
Water67°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

Spencer Point

Depth
1-5 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 Spencer Point

Spencer Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 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 red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Red drum peak from August 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

  • Harper Creek

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Weakfish 71

    9 kt NEH 8:05 AM · 0.5 ftL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sanders Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Red drum 65

    9 kt NEH 8:05 AM · 0.5 ftL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Wise Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Red drum 65
    • Spot 65

    6 kt NNEH 8:05 AM · 0.5 ftL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Garden Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Red drum 65

    9 kt NEH 8:05 AM · 0.5 ftL 12:48 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.