Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Cedar Point

37.02°N · 76.34°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 5 PM · Sheepshead

81/100Great
Now
5911 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score59Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.1 kn · toward ENE
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast76% 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

Cedar Point

Depth
Up to 1 ftNearest water
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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Hampton Flats

    Flat · 2.1 mi

    75
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 75
    • Spot 69
    • Summer flounder 66

    11 kt ENEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Entrance Reach

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 70
    • Summer flounder 69

    11 kt ENEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Hampton Bar

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    69
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 69
    • Spot 68
    • Bluefish 66

    11 kt ENEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Old Point Comfort

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 67
    • Bluefish 65

    11 kt ENEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 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.