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SheepsheadRetention openBend · Florida
Devils Elbow
29.74°N · 81.25°W · Bend · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano65
- Black sea bass64
- Bluefish62
- Little tunny59
- King mackerel56
- Sheepshead54
- Red snapper52
- Crevalle jack49
- Striped bass49
- Wahoo49
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Greater amberjack44
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Sailfish33
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
- Gag grouper20
- Southern flounder20
- Summer flounder20
Best score today · 4 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 5411 PM EST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Devils Elbow 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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 Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- 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 · 12 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Devils Elbow
- Depth
- 1-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Devils Elbow
Devils Elbow is a bend in Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, black sea bass, bluefish and little tunny, and shoulder season for king mackerel, sheepshead, red snapper and crevalle jack. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.
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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Augustine Inlet69
Channel · 12 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 69
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Black sea bass 67
8 kt EH 2:10 AM · 4.6 ftL 8:17 AM · 0.8 ft
- French Cape67
Cape · 12 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 67
- Red drum 66
- Bluefish 64
8 kt EH 2:10 AM · 4.6 ftL 8:17 AM · 0.8 ft
- Murat Point66
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 66
- Red drum 65
- Bluefish 63
8 kt ENEH 2:56 AM · 4.5 ftL 9:20 AM · 0.9 ft
- Matanzas Inlet65
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 65
- Black sea bass 64
- Bluefish 64
8 kt ENEH 1:54 AM · 3.7 ftL 8:14 AM · 0.7 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.