Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Duncan Point

35.22°N · 75.67°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 4 PM · Sheepshead

80/100Great
Now
4510 PM EST
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score60Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward SSE
Wind8 kn ESEgusts 11 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water73°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.

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

Duncan Point

Depth
2-5 ftNearest water
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 Duncan Point

Duncan Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker and spot. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October 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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Egg Shoal

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    74
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 74
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Bluefish 68

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Old Rollinson Channel

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Weakfish 68

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Bluefish 64
    • Weakfish 61

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Durant Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 64
    • Little tunny 64
    • Striped bass 63

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 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.