Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · New York

Vandeventers Point

40.60°N · 74.05°W · Cape · New York Harbor

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

76/100Great
Now
612 AM EDT
Best window
4-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score65Great
Tide4.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.4 kn · toward NNW
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 7 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear13% cloud
Water66°FBias corrected

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.

Source: NYSDEC · 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 York

Spot profile

Vandeventers Point

Depth
10-70 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Vandeventers Point

Vandeventers Point is a cape in New York Harbor. Depth is 10-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. 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

  • Hendricks Reef

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Red drum 72
    • Little tunny 69

    9 kt NEH 6:06 AM · 4.5 ftL 12:16 PM · 1.0 ft

  • The Narrows

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Weakfish 72
    • Summer flounder 71

    7 kt NNEH 6:09 AM · 4.3 ftL 12:21 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Gravesend Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 66
    • Sheepshead 63

    9 kt NEH 6:03 AM · 4.6 ftL 12:12 PM · 1.1 ft

  • West Bank

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    64
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 64
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 63

    9 kt NEH 6:06 AM · 4.5 ftL 12:16 PM · 1.0 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.