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SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Mooney Harbor
24.56°N · 82.14°W · Bay · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 353 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mooney Harbor 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
36Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
44Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In 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 (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Check regulations
- 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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 yesterday
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
Mooney Harbor
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Mooney Harbor
Mooney Harbor is a bay in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, permit and red drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Boca Grande Channel70
Channel · 4.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Crevalle jack 62
6 kt SEL 4:19 AM · 1.5 ftH 10:24 AM · 3.7 ft
- The Quicksands65
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Crevalle jack 56
5 kt SEL 4:19 AM · 1.5 ftH 10:24 AM · 3.7 ft
- New Ground65
Bar · 4.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Crevalle jack 56
5 kt SEL 4:19 AM · 1.5 ftH 10:24 AM · 3.7 ft
- Halfmoon Shoal65
Bar · 4.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Crevalle jack 56
5 kt SEL 4:19 AM · 1.5 ftH 10:24 AM · 3.7 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.