Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Bar · Florida

Triumph Reef

25.49°N · 80.12°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 12 PM · Sheepshead

71/100Great
Now
392 PM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score51Good
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
Wind11 kn ESEgusts 19 · steady
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy28% cloud
Water83°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 (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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • 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

Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida →

Spot profile

Triumph Reef

Depth
20-25 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Triumph Reef

Triumph Reef is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for king mackerel, common snook, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red grouper, Spanish mackerel and gray snapper. Florida pompano peak from December through March. King mackerel peak from November through March. Common snook 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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sands Cut

    Channel · 4.1 mi

    73
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Common snook 72
    • Red drum 66

    9 kt EH 3:11 PM · 1.8 ftL 10:07 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Bowles Bank

    Bar · 3.0 mi

    67
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 67
    • King mackerel 66
    • Common snook 63

    9 kt EL 9:19 PM · 0.7 ftH 3:02 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Legare Anchorage

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    64
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Common snook 63
    • King mackerel 61

    9 kt EL 7:36 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Bache Shoal

    Bar · 2.4 mi

    63
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Common snook 61
    • Crevalle jack 59

    9 kt EL 7:36 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 2.8 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.