Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Channel · Florida

Sheephead Cut

29.03°N · 80.91°W · Channel · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
726 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sat · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score72Great
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy56% chance of rain
Water82°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • 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 (2 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Sheephead Cut

Depth
7-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Sheephead Cut

Sheephead Cut is a channel in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 7-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black sea bass, black drum, mahi-mahi and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Snake Creek

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • King mackerel 70

    7 kt ENEL 9:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:21 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Big Snapper Cut

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • King mackerel 71
    • Crevalle jack 70

    7 kt ENEL 9:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:21 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Little Snapper Cut

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • King mackerel 71
    • Crevalle jack 70

    7 kt ENEL 9:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:21 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Browns Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • King mackerel 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    7 kt ENEL 9:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:21 AM · 1.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.