Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Swan Point

34.54°N · 77.36°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 4 PM · Sheepshead

74/100Great
Now
467 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.4 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score61Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water68°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

Swan Point

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Swan Point

Swan Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bumps Creek

    Gut · 0.6 mi

    63
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 63
    • Weakfish 62
    • Red drum 59

    8 kt NNEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Roses Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 61
    • Black sea bass 57

    8 kt NNEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Hatch Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Black sea bass 58
    • Bluefish 57

    8 kt NNEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Chadwick Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 60
    • Little tunny 60
    • Weakfish 58

    8 kt NNEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 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.