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SheepsheadRetention openChannel · Florida
Northern Pass
29.31°N · 83.16°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Florida pompano63
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Atlantic tarpon52
- Crevalle jack52
- Black drum50
- Southern flounder49
- Permit48
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Gag grouper45
- King mackerel44
- Sailfish44
- Cobia43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Red snapper42
- Mahi-mahi40
- Spotted seatrout40
- Wahoo39
- Greater amberjack36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 3512 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High3.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Northern Pass 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
31Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
42Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 (5 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
Northern Pass
- Depth
- Up to 6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · ProtectedPass · 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 Northern Pass
Northern Pass is a channel in Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wadley Pass73
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 57
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Boiler Gap73
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 57
7 kt NEL 7:28 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:14 AM · 3.1 ft
- Halfmoon Reef73
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 59
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Suwannee Reef72
Bar · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 58
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 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.