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SheepsheadPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Buckhorn Point
37.38°N · 75.85°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 351 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Low0.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buckhorn Point 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
29Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 77°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.6 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
67Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · 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
Buckhorn Point
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Buckhorn Point
Buckhorn 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 semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and summer flounder. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, summer flounder and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September.
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
- The Outlet46
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Summer flounderPeak season- Summer flounder 46
- Scup 43
- Little tunny 40
18 kt NEH 7:13 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.9 ft
- Powells Channel46
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 46
- Summer flounder 46
- Little tunny 43
18 kt NEH 7:13 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.9 ft
- Holt Neck40
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 40
- Black sea bass 38
- King mackerel 35
20 kt NEH 7:04 PM · 5.3 ftL 12:58 AM · 0.8 ft
- Outlet Bay30
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
32 kt NEH 6:36 PM · 4.7 ftL 12:39 AM · 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.
