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SheepsheadRetention openCape · Florida
Cape San Blas
29.66°N · 85.36°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Atlantic croaker60
- Spanish mackerel57
- Gray snapper56
- Florida pompano54
- Crevalle jack52
- Black drum51
- Permit50
- King mackerel49
- Gag grouper48
- Southern flounder48
- Wahoo46
- Cobia45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper45
- Red snapper45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Greater amberjack41
- Spotted seatrout41
- Mahi-mahi38
- Sailfish38
- Sheepshead34
Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 349 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape San Blas 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 2 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
26Off 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 today
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
Cape San Blas
- Depth
- 4-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 Cape San Blas
Cape San Blas is a cape in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Lighthouse Bayou64
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
2 kt NNEH 8:30 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ft
- Pig Bayou64
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
2 kt NNEH 8:30 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ft
- Bay San Blas63
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
2 kt NNEH 4:42 AM · 1.5 ftL 11:38 AM · 1.2 ft
- Cape San Blas Shoals61
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Atlantic croaker 59
2 kt NNEH 4:42 AM · 1.5 ftL 11:38 AM · 1.2 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.