UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook68
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Red drum61
- Atlantic croaker60
- Gray snapper56
- Southern flounder56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Crevalle jack52
- Florida pompano49
- Black drum47
- Gag grouper47
- King mackerel47
- Cobia46
- Red snapper46
- Gray triggerfish44
- Permit44
- Red grouper44
- Spotted seatrout41
- Greater amberjack39
- Sheepshead34
Best score today · 11 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 346 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bocilla Inlet 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
57Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
27Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- 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 Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper 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 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bocilla Inlet
- Depth
- 3-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 Bocilla Inlet
Bocilla Inlet is a bay in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for common snook, red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak 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
- Little Gasparilla Pass (historical)70
Gut · 1.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Red drum 66
3 kt ESEH 11:05 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Blue Heron Cove69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 64
3 kt ESEH 11:05 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Rambler Hole69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 64
3 kt ESEH 11:05 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Stump Pass60
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Gray snapper 54
2 kt ENEH 12:12 PM · 1.6 ftL 7:17 PM · 0.5 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.