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SheepsheadRetention openChannel · Florida
South Bar Channel
29.13°N · 83.00°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker58
- Red drum55
- Gray snapper54
- Florida pompano50
- Atlantic tarpon49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Black drum48
- Crevalle jack48
- Gag grouper46
- King mackerel45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Permit43
- Red snapper42
- Southern flounder42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Spotted seatrout41
- Wahoo40
- Mahi-mahi39
- Sailfish38
- Cobia37
- Greater amberjack36
- Sheepshead34
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 347 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Bar Channel 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
34Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
65Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 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 next week
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Bar Channel
- Depth
- About 9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 South Bar Channel
South Bar Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cedar Point59
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 59
- Atlantic croaker 55
- Florida pompano 51
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Number Three Channel59
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Gray snapper 55
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Big Stake Gap58
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 55
- Gray snapper 54
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Corrigan Reef58
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 58
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Gray snapper 56
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 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.