Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Durant Point

35.23°N · 75.68°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead

82/100Great
Now
468 PM EST
Best window
8-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score59Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.6 kn · toward SSE
Wind5 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy46% 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

Durant Point

Depth
3-8 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 Durant Point

Durant Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-8 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, spot and Atlantic croaker. 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

  • Old Rollinson Channel

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    78
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 78
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 74

    8 kt ENEL 9:34 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:19 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Egg Shoal

    Bar · 2.5 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Bluefish 74

    8 kt ENEL 9:34 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:19 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    72
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 72
    • Weakfish 71
    • Red drum 70

    8 kt ENEL 9:34 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:19 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Duncan Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    61
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 61
    • Little tunny 61
    • Weakfish 56

    8 kt ENEH 2:03 AM · 3.0 ftL 8:07 AM · 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.