Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SheepsheadPeak season

Bend · Virginia

Lambert Bend

36.87°N · 76.33°W · Bend · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · Sheepshead

83/100Great
Now
567 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.9 ft

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

Notify me when Lambert Bend scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score56Good
Tide2.9 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast77% chance of rain
Water80°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

Lambert Bend

Depth
20-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · drop-off
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 Lambert Bend

Lambert Bend is a bend in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 20-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, king mackerel and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Scup 68

    10 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    77
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 77
    • Scup 70
    • Atlantic croaker 68

    10 kt ENEH 7:21 PM · 3.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 70
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    10 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Hatton Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 61
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    10 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 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.