Waterlands

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SheepsheadShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Pingleton Point

35.58°N · 75.88°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

80/100Great
Now
628 AM EST
Best window
12-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score57Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind4 kn ESEgusts 11 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy56% 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

Pingleton 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 Pingleton Point

Pingleton 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, spotted seatrout and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October 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.
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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rawls Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Pains Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Juniper Swamp Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Otter Creek

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    77
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 77
    • Red drum 76
    • Southern flounder 76

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 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.