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SheepsheadRetention openBar · Florida
Withlacoochee Reefs
29.02°N · 82.79°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum60
- Atlantic croaker56
- Gray snapper52
- Southern flounder52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Florida pompano51
- Crevalle jack49
- Permit49
- Black drum47
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Sailfish46
- Gag grouper45
- King mackerel45
- Spotted seatrout44
- Wahoo42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Mahi-mahi41
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Cobia40
- Greater amberjack36
- Sheepshead30
Best score today · 11 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 307 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low1.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Withlacoochee Reefs 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
22Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 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 (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
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
Withlacoochee Reefs
- Depth
- About 5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Withlacoochee Reefs
Withlacoochee Reefs is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and Florida pompano. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. 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.
- 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 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Lows Bay61
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Gray snapper 53
5 kt NNEH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ftL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ft
- Grassy Creek60
Gut · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 60
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Gray snapper 57
5 kt NNEH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ftL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ft
- Bushstake Gap59
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Gray snapper 57
- Red drum 57
5 kt NNEH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ftL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ft
- Withlacoochee Bay57
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Gray snapper 52
5 kt NNEH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ftL 7:59 PM · 0.8 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.