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SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Pig Bayou
29.70°N · 85.37°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum62
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Atlantic croaker58
- Gray snapper54
- Southern flounder54
- Florida pompano53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Crevalle jack51
- Gag grouper48
- King mackerel48
- Permit46
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Black drum44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Red grouper44
- Red snapper44
- Spotted seatrout44
- Cobia43
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi40
- Greater amberjack39
- Sailfish36
- Sheepshead34
Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 346 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pig Bayou 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
40Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 2 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 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 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
Pig Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Outer · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Pig Bayou
Pig Bayou is a bay in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, outer water and semi-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, southern flounder, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Cape San Blas Shoals72
Bar · 3.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
2 kt NWL 8:59 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:50 AM · 1.5 ft
- Bay San Blas72
Bay · 4.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
2 kt NWL 8:59 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:50 AM · 1.5 ft
- Lighthouse Bayou62
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
2 kt NWL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:00 AM · 1.2 ft
- Cape San Blas60
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
2 kt NWL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:00 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.