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SheepsheadRetention openBar · Florida
Eastern Dry Rocks
24.46°N · 81.84°W · Bar · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 282 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Eastern Dry Rocks 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
39Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
15Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
Sheepshead
Retention open- Daily limit
- 8 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- State rules extend into federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round. A 50-fish vessel limit applies in March and April.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Sheepshead, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (1 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Snook Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Eastern Dry Rocks
- Depth
- About 80 ft
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Off seasonSheepshead
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Eastern Dry Rocks
Eastern Dry Rocks is a bar in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is about 80 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are permit, red grouper and gray snapper. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for permit, red grouper, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon. Permit peak from March through June. Red grouper peak from April through June. Gray snapper peak from May 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.
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Main Ship Channel68
Channel · 4.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Common snook 66
5 kt WL 2:44 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:09 PM · 1.7 ft
- Sand Key Channel63
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Common snook 62
- Crevalle jack 59
6 kt WL 2:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:32 PM · 1.6 ft
- Middle Ground60
Bar · 4.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Crevalle jack 57
6 kt WL 2:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:32 PM · 1.6 ft
- Sand Key55
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 55
- Crevalle jack 54
- Common snook 52
6 kt WL 2:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:32 PM · 1.6 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 FWC before you keep a fish.