Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Lawless Point

36.91°N · 76.32°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 AM · Sheepshead

70/100Great
Now
458 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.7 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score45Good
Tide2.7 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°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.

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

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

Lawless Point

Depth
2-8 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 Lawless Point

Lawless Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 63
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 53

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Craney Island Flats

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 59
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    12 kt NEL 1:26 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:40 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 57
    • Little tunny 53

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 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.