Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Channel · Florida

Biscayne Creek

25.93°N · 80.13°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

83/100Great
Now
352 AM EDT
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score35Fair
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.9 kn · toward E
Wind4 kn Egusts 15 · steady
Air temp84°Hot
WeatherOvercast73% chance of rain
Water86°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 7 weeks

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 7 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida

Spot profile

Biscayne Creek

Depth
6-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Biscayne Creek

Biscayne Creek is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, red drum and permit. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November.

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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bella Vista Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Crevalle jack 67

    4 kt EH 3:47 AM · 1.8 ftL 10:28 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Dumfoundling Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Crevalle jack 63

    4 kt EH 3:04 AM · 2.1 ftL 10:11 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Indian Creek

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Crevalle jack 62

    4 kt EH 3:00 AM · 2.2 ftL 9:50 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Tatum Waterway

    Channel · 4.5 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Crevalle jack 62

    7 kt ENEH 3:00 AM · 2.2 ftL 9:50 AM · 0.7 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.