Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · New York

Cherry Hill Point

41.09°N · 72.14°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · Sheepshead

68/100Great
Now
595 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.7 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 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score59Good
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward W
Wind12 kn NEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°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.

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

Cherry Hill Point

Depth
6-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cherry Hill Point

Cherry Hill Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

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.
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

  • Gardiners Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 67
    • Sheepshead 64

    12 kt NEH 7:48 AM · 2.4 ftL 1:34 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Cherry Harbor

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 65
    • Sheepshead 64

    16 kt NEH 7:48 AM · 2.4 ftL 1:34 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Bostwick Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 67
    • Sheepshead 64

    12 kt NEH 7:45 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:47 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Crow Shoal

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Bluefish 62
    • Little tunny 62

    12 kt NEH 7:48 AM · 2.4 ftL 1:34 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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.