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SheepsheadPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Cherry Point
37.63°N · 76.40°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 439 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cherry Point 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 10 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
64Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 today
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
Cherry Point
- Depth
- 1-70 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cherry Point
Cherry Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 1-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, king mackerel and bluefish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Jack Cove65
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Scup 59
- Red drum 57
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Sams Cove65
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Scup 59
- Red drum 57
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Greys Point62
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 56
- Atlantic croaker 50
12 kt NEL 3:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:51 AM · 1.4 ft
- Rowes Point60
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Red drum 57
- Scup 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 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.