UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 5011 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horseshoe Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Monday, Sep 28 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
34Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 66°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
76Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Horseshoe Cove
- Depth
- 3-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Horseshoe Cove
Horseshoe Cove is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Cutchogue Harbor62
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 59
- Sheepshead 55
19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 ft
- Hog Neck Bay62
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Sheepshead 57
- Bluefish 56
19 kt NEL 3:19 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ft
- Little Peconic Bay60
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 60
- Spot 60
- Bluefish 53
19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 ft
- North Race59
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 59
- Scup 57
- Sheepshead 51
19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 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.