Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Marsh Point

37.17°N · 76.34°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

74/100Great
Now
466 PM EDT
Best window
6-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score46Good
Tide2.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward WNW
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% chance of rain
Water79°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.

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

Marsh Point

Depth
1-5 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 Marsh Point

Marsh Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
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

  • Ware Stick Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 60
    • Scup 58

    15 kt ENEL 1:18 AM · 0.7 ftH 7:16 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Little tunny 55
    • Spanish mackerel 54

    15 kt ENEL 1:18 AM · 0.7 ftH 7:16 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Drum Island Flats

    Flat · 1.5 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Red drum 57
    • Spanish mackerel 54

    15 kt ENEL 1:18 AM · 0.7 ftH 7:16 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Poquoson Flats

    Flat · 1.6 mi

    58
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 58
    • Spot 58
    • Spanish mackerel 54

    15 kt ENEH 7:01 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:19 AM · 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.