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SheepsheadRetention openChannel · Florida
Ponce de Leon Inlet
29.07°N · 80.92°W · Channel · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Florida pompano62
- Crevalle jack61
- Red drum61
- Southern flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder59
- Gray snapper58
- Spotted seatrout56
- Black drum55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Weakfish53
- Mahi-mahi51
- Cobia49
- Wahoo49
- Black sea bass48
- Little tunny45
- Sheepshead45
- Red snapper44
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 456 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ponce de Leon Inlet 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
31Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ponce de Leon Inlet
- Depth
- 7-15 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- 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 Ponce de Leon Inlet
Ponce de Leon Inlet is a channel in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Ponce de Leon Cut78
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 69
3 kt NWH 6:49 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ft
- Inlet Harbor76
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 62
3 kt NWH 6:49 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ft
- Blind Spruce Creek75
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Red drum 65
3 kt NWH 6:49 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bass Flats69
Flat · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Red drum 64
3 kt NWL 12:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:54 PM · 3.7 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.