UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum65
- Crevalle jack64
- King mackerel64
- Summer flounder64
- Black drum62
- Red snapper59
- Southern flounder58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Black sea bass56
- Gray triggerfish56
- Gag grouper55
- Red grouper55
- Little tunny53
- Sheepshead53
- Florida pompano52
- Weakfish52
- Greater amberjack50
- Cobia49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 5311 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Devil Shoals 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 10 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Devil Shoals
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Devil Shoals
Devil Shoals is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Cape Channel79
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
10 kt EL 3:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 7:52 AM · 0.3 ft
- Buxton Harbor Channel66
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
10 kt EH 4:48 AM · 2.6 ftL 10:45 AM · 0.8 ft
- Canadian Hole61
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Red drum 61
- Spot 60
10 kt EH 4:48 AM · 2.6 ftL 10:45 AM · 0.8 ft
- Brooks Point57
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 56
- Atlantic tarpon 55
10 kt EH 4:47 AM · 2.6 ftL 10:44 AM · 0.7 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.