Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Weir Point

37.80°N · 75.72°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

75/100Great
Now
581 PM EDT
Best window
1-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score61Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.4 kn · toward NNE
Wind3 kn SSEgusts 14 · building
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherClear16% cloud
Water71°FPersisted

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

Weir Point

Depth
2-8 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 Weir Point

Weir Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-8 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, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 61
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • The Thorofare

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Sheepshead 64
    • Summer flounder 64

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Dix Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Sheepshead 63

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Canoedas Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 58
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    16 kt ENEL 3:38 PM · 1.1 ftH 9:47 PM · 2.3 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.