UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Atlantic croaker60
- Crevalle jack60
- Summer flounder60
- Southern flounder58
- Spot57
- King mackerel56
- Spotted seatrout55
- Gray snapper54
- Red drum53
- Weakfish53
- Little tunny52
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black drum49
- Florida pompano49
- Black sea bass48
- Cobia48
- Sheepshead46
- Gag grouper41
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red grouper39
- Red snapper39
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 463 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMDusk
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whiddens Pass 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
87Light: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Whiddens Pass
- Depth
- About 3 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSheepshead
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Whiddens Pass
Whiddens Pass is a channel in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is about 3 ft. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brice Fine Pass63
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 63
- Crevalle jack 60
- Bonefish 54
3 kt ESE
- Dynamite Pass61
Gut · 4.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 61
- Crevalle jack 58
- Bonefish 52
3 kt ESE
- Cochrans Pass61
Channel · 4.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 61
- Crevalle jack 58
- Bonefish 52
3 kt ESE
- Observation Shoal55
Bar · 3.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 55
- Crevalle jack 51
- Bonefish 47
3 kt ESE
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.