UTERSheepshead fishing in Delaware Bay and Ocean City
In Delaware Bay and Ocean City, sheepshead are around June–September but never at the peak of their run, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. July: Sheepshead on the Ocean City inlet and Indian River Inlet rocks.
Not in Delaware Bay and Ocean City this month.
Sheepshead in Delaware Bay and Ocean City, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MayNot here
- JuneAround
- JulyAroundSheepshead on the Ocean City inlet and Indian River Inlet rocks.
- AugustAroundThe White Marlin Capital at its peak. August is the white marlin month off Ocean City — dredges and ballyhoo on the canyon edges; mahi under the pot floats; big fluke on the ocean wrecks; night stripers under the inlet bridges.
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberNot here
- NovemberNot here
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish sheepshead near Lewes, Indian River Inlet, Ocean City
Delaware Bay's big, shoaly estuary with the lumps and sloughs off Slaughter Beach and the Coral Beds; the Delaware, Maryland and Assateague surf; the inland bays and back bays behind them (Rehoboth, Indian River, Assawoman, Sinepuxent, Chincoteague); Virginia's wild seaside barrier islands; and the offshore lumps (Jackspot, Hambone) out to Baltimore, Poor Man's and Washington canyons.
Fish Scouter charts 150 wreck, 52 artificial reef spots in the Delmarva & Delaware Bay map area — the kinds sheepshead hold on.
What to use for sheepshead
- Fiddler crabsA #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait.
- Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
- Sand fleas (mole crabs)On a small circle hook or a pompano rig, digger-end first — the pompano and whiting bait.
- Grass shrimpTwo or three on a #6 hook under a small cork — the bream, crappie, sheepshead and mangrove snapper bait nobody sells.
- Leader20–30 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#2–1/0
- Jig head1/8–1/4 oz
- Braid10–20 lb
Feeds in 48–74°F water, best at 54–66°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch sheepshead in Delaware Bay and Ocean City?
Sheepshead are in Delaware Bay and Ocean City June–September, but the calendar never marks a peak here. July: Sheepshead on the Ocean City inlet and Indian River Inlet rocks.
Where do sheepshead hold in Delaware Bay and Ocean City?
Look on bridge, artificial reef, wreck — around Lewes, Indian River Inlet, Ocean City, Chincoteague, Wachapreague, Cape May.
What is the best bait for sheepshead in Delaware Bay and Ocean City?
Live bait: fiddler crabs, live shrimp, sand fleas (mole crabs), grass shrimp. Fiddler crabs: A #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait. Tackle: leader 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, hook #2–1/0, jig head 1/8–1/4 oz, braid 10–20 lb.
Fish it with the tide in your pocket
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All about sheepshead · Delmarva & Delaware Bay, the whole year