Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · New York

Barley Point

40.38°N · 73.99°W · Cape · New York Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead

80/100Great
Now
635 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score63Good
Tide3.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward S
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 5 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy56% cloud
Water72°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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.

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 York

Spot profile

Barley Point

Depth
3-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Barley Point

Barley Point is a cape in New York Harbor. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. 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.
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

  • Barley Point Reach

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Spot 78
    • Summer flounder 72

    7 kt ENEH 5:49 PM · 3.4 ftL 1:00 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Highlands Reach

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Spot 78
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    7 kt ENEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:30 AM · 3.8 ft

  • Haven Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Spot 78
    • Summer flounder 72

    7 kt ENEH 5:49 PM · 3.4 ftL 1:00 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Upper Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Spot 72
    • Little tunny 70

    7 kt ENEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:30 AM · 3.8 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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.