UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Red drum63
- Weakfish63
- Spotted seatrout61
- Black sea bass59
- Florida pompano59
- Black drum54
- Southern flounder54
- Striped bass53
- Summer flounder52
- Bluefish51
- Little tunny51
- Gag grouper49
- Sheepshead49
- Red snapper46
- King mackerel38
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Crevalle jack35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Greater amberjack35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel27
- Cobia20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 499 PM EST
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Wainwright Slue 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
Sunday, Nov 8 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 6 kt WSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
75Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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 · 12 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Wainwright Slue
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Wainwright Slue
Wainwright Slue is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for red drum, weakfish, spotted seatrout and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
- 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
- Hog Island Reef70
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Florida pompano 70
- Red drum 68
9 kt ENEL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- Camp Point69
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Spotted seatrout 65
- Florida pompano 63
9 kt ENEL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point69
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Spotted seatrout 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
9 kt ENEL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- Kingfish Shoal66
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 66
- Spot 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
9 kt ENEL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:28 AM · 0.3 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.