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SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Chicopit Bay
30.38°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Atlantic tarpon73
- Spot71
- Red drum69
- Crevalle jack67
- Florida pompano65
- Summer flounder64
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel63
- Southern flounder63
- Spanish mackerel58
- Weakfish57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Black drum51
- Cobia51
- Little tunny51
- Red snapper51
- Black sea bass50
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red grouper48
- Greater amberjack47
- Sheepshead45
- Mahi-mahi41
- Wahoo36
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 5 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 456 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chicopit Bay 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
75Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
16Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade 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 (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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chicopit Bay
- Depth
- 8-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- 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 Chicopit Bay
Chicopit Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 8-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Spot peak from September through October.
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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn79
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Spot 74
5 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ft
- Sherman Cut Range75
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 70
5 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft
- Mayport Cut Range75
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Red drum 69
5 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft
- Training Wall Reach74
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
5 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 0.8 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.