Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · New York

Crab Creek Point

41.05°N · 72.37°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

78/100Great
Now
554 AM EDT
Best window
6-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score55Good
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast91% 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

Crab Creek Point

Depth
2-70 ftNearest water
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 Crab Creek Point

Crab Creek Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 2-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Crab Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 62

    11 kt NEH 8:53 AM · 2.3 ftL 2:48 PM · 0.7 ft

  • West Neck Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 65
    • Red drum 61

    11 kt NEH 8:32 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ft

  • West Neck Harbor

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 65
    • Sheepshead 63

    11 kt NEH 9:15 AM · 2.3 ftL 2:59 PM · 0.7 ft

  • 65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 64
    • Red drum 61

    11 kt NEH 8:53 AM · 2.3 ftL 2:48 PM · 0.7 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.