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SheepsheadPeak seasonBar · New Jersey
Arnold Point Shoal
39.36°N · 75.43°W · Bar · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 6710 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-2 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Arnold Point Shoal 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
69Wind: 11 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.
Source: NJFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Arnold Point Shoal
- Depth
- 15-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · slope
- Season
- Peak 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 Arnold Point Shoal
Arnold Point Shoal is a bar in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 15-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, weakfish and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October.
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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oyster Cove79
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 79
- Scup 78
- Little tunny 72
11 kt NNEL 3:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ft
- Liston Range73
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Scup 69
- Sheepshead 69
11 kt NNEL 2:19 PM · 0.8 ftH 8:29 PM · 6.3 ft
- Dunks Point71
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 68
- Scup 67
11 kt NNEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 ft
- Dunks Bar68
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spot 68
- Scup 67
11 kt NNEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.
