Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

White Point

34.70°N · 76.55°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

85/100Epic
Now
4611 AM EST
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 16 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score57Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward W
Wind10 kn NNWgusts 23 · steady
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy31% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

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

White Point

Depth
1-2 ftNearest water
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 White Point

White Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spotted seatrout and black sea bass, and shoulder season for summer flounder, black drum, spot and Atlantic croaker. Red drum peak from August through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Westmouth Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Weakfish 58
    • Spotted seatrout 57

    9 kt NEH 4:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 11:24 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Wading Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spotted seatrout 57

    9 kt NEH 4:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 11:24 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Spotted seatrout 57
    • Weakfish 57

    9 kt NEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    57
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 57
    • Little tunny 56
    • Red drum 56

    9 kt NEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 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.