Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Ragged Point

38.15°N · 76.61°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead

72/100Great
Now
527 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score60Good
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood2.1 kn · toward W
Wind4 kn NNEgusts 13 · steady
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water72°FModel

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

Ragged Point

Depth
6-15 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 Ragged Point

Ragged Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 6-15 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 scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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

  • Coles Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 60
    • Scup 58

    14 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Stinking Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 58
    • Scup 56

    13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 13 mi

    58
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 58
    • Spot 58
    • Spanish mackerel 55

    13 kt NEH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spot 55
    • Scup 53

    17 kt ENEH 12:34 AM · 1.4 ftL 6:18 AM · 0.5 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.