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SheepsheadPeak seasonBay · Virginia
Cod Harbor
37.81°N · 75.99°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 574 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cod Harbor 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
63Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt SSEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
98Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
84Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Cod Harbor
- Depth
- 1-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cod Harbor
Cod Harbor is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for spot, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead peak from July 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.
- 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
- Mailboat Harbor63
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Red drum 58
- Scup 57
11 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- Tangier North Channel60
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Scup 56
- Red drum 55
11 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- Whale Point55
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 55
- Spot 54
- Bluefish 51
11 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- West Point55
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 55
- Spot 54
- Bluefish 51
11 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 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.