Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Bay · Florida

Shell Point Cove

29.68°N · 84.80°W · Bay · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

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Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

80/100Great
Now
401 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low1.8 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 83

24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 2 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score47Good
Tide2.2 ftHigh
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind10 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water73°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
  • 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida →

Spot profile

Shell Point Cove

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Shell Point Cove

Shell Point Cove is a bay in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, wahoo, red snapper and black drum. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. 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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Shell Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    59
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Spanish mackerel 52
    • Red drum 51

    11 kt ENEH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Rattlesnake Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    59
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Spanish mackerel 52
    • Red drum 51

    11 kt ENEH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.1 ft

  • East Cove

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    59
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Spanish mackerel 52
    • Red drum 51

    11 kt ENEH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.1 ft

  • East Pelican Reef

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    59
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 59
    • King mackerel 54
    • Red snapper 52

    11 kt ENEH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.1 ft

Open in the tide map

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.