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SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Browns Bay
29.00°N · 80.89°W · Bay · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Wahoo53
- Yellowfin tuna42
- Sailfish37
- Mahi-mahi35
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Black sea bass30
- Bluefish30
- Cobia30
- Crevalle jack30
- Florida pompano30
- Gray snapper30
- Gray triggerfish30
- Greater amberjack30
- King mackerel30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Red grouper30
- Red snapper30
- Sheepshead30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Striped bass30
- Weakfish30
- Gag grouper20
- Southern flounder20
- Spotted seatrout20
- Summer flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 304 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-7 PMDusk
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Browns Bay 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
Saturday, Nov 14 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 77°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- 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 · 13 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Browns Bay
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Browns Bay
Browns Bay is a bay in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are wahoo, yellowfin tuna and sailfish. It is peak season now for wahoo, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for yellowfin tuna, sailfish, Atlantic croaker and black drum. Wahoo peak from April through May and from October through November. Yellowfin tuna peak from March through May. Sailfish peak from December through January.
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.
- Wahoo
- Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Snake Creek53
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: WahooPeak season- Wahoo 53
- Yellowfin tuna 42
- Sailfish 37
10 kt EL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ftH 2:25 AM · 2.3 ft
- Little Snapper Cut53
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: WahooPeak season- Wahoo 53
- Yellowfin tuna 42
- Sailfish 37
10 kt EL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ftH 2:25 AM · 2.3 ft
- Big Snapper Cut53
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: WahooPeak season- Wahoo 53
- Yellowfin tuna 42
- Sailfish 37
10 kt EL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ftH 2:25 AM · 2.3 ft
- Indian River North53
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: WahooPeak season- Wahoo 53
- Yellowfin tuna 41
- Sailfish 36
10 kt EL 9:57 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:40 AM · 0.9 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.