Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Brooks Point

35.27°N · 75.60°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead

73/100Great
Now
5212 PM EST
Best window
2-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score52Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind12 kn SSEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy31% cloud
Water68°FObserved

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
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Sheepshead in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Brooks Point

Depth
1-6 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 Brooks Point

Brooks Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 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, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for red snapper, sheepshead, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. 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

  • Kings Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Weakfish 66
    • Florida pompano 65

    12 kt SSEH 4:21 PM · 3.2 ftL 10:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Kings Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Black sea bass 63
    • Bluefish 61

    12 kt SSEH 4:21 PM · 3.2 ftL 10:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Brooks Creek

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    63
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 63
    • Bluefish 61
    • Florida pompano 60

    12 kt SSEH 4:21 PM · 3.2 ftL 10:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Devil Shoals

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    59
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 59
    • Black sea bass 58
    • Little tunny 58

    12 kt SSEL 1:14 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:09 PM · 0.5 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.