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SheepsheadRetention openGut · Florida
Kingsley Creek
30.62°N · 81.49°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack70
- Red drum68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Gray snapper65
- Southern flounder65
- Summer flounder65
- King mackerel63
- Spot62
- Spanish mackerel59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Black sea bass55
- Florida pompano55
- Weakfish55
- Black drum54
- Little tunny53
- Cobia50
- Gray triggerfish48
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead48
- Red grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Mahi-mahi42
- Wahoo38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 4812 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Kingsley Creek 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
29Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 today
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
Kingsley Creek
- Depth
- 3-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Kingsley Creek
Kingsley Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, Florida pompano and weakfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Red drum peak from August through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Seymour Point71
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Red drum 67
- King mackerel 66
10 kt NEL 1:44 PM · 0.4 ftH 7:36 PM · 4.8 ft
- Rayonier Reach68
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft
- City Front Reach68
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft
- Seaboard Reach68
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 66
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 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.