Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · New Jersey

Deepwater Point

39.70°N · 75.51°W · Cape · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Sheepshead

81/100Great
Now
608 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding3.9 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Deepwater Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score60Good
Tide3.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 20 · steady
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water73°FObserved

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 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

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sheepshead in New Jersey

Spot profile

Deepwater Point

Depth
1-50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
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 Deepwater Point

Deepwater Point is a cape in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth in the nearest water is 1-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, king mackerel, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Bluefish peak in May 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.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Kelly Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Bluefish 69
    • Red drum 69

    11 kt NNEH 9:57 AM · 5.2 ftL 4:24 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Marsh Point

    Cape · 7.8 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Bluefish 69
    • Spanish mackerel 69

    11 kt NNEH 9:32 AM · 5.2 ftL 4:03 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Baker Range

    Channel · 16 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Scup 73
    • Summer flounder 70

    11 kt NNEH 8:53 AM · 5.8 ftL 3:11 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Baker Shoal

    Bar · 15 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Spanish mackerel 72
    • Spot 71

    11 kt NNEH 8:53 AM · 5.8 ftL 3:11 PM · 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.