Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Barge Point

37.52°N · 75.70°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

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Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead

62/100Good
Now
425 AM EDT
Best window
7-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.6 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
Score42Fair
Tide3.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind17 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateRough4.8 ft · 7 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast39% chance of rain
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 VMRC before you keep a fish.

Source: VMRC · 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 Virginia

Spot profile

Barge Point

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Barge Point

Barge Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, summer flounder and sheepshead, 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

  • White Perch Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    55
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 55
    • Bluefish 46
    • Summer flounder 45

    17 kt NEH 6:11 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Revel Island Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    55
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 55
    • Bluefish 46
    • Summer flounder 45

    17 kt NEH 6:11 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Major Hole Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    55
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 55
    • Bluefish 46
    • Summer flounder 45

    17 kt NEH 6:11 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Great Gap Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    55
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 55
    • Summer flounder 48
    • Sheepshead 47

    17 kt NEH 6:11 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:07 PM · 0.6 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.