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SheepsheadRetention openChannel · Florida
Inner Harbor Channel
30.40°N · 87.21°W · Channel · Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 3512 AM CDT
- Best window
- 12 AM-7 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Inner Harbor Channel 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
92Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
36Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
42Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 (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
Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Inner Harbor Channel
- Depth
- 20-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Inner Harbor Channel
Inner Harbor Channel is a channel in Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound, Florida. Depth is 20-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, permit and crevalle jack. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- East Channel75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Red drum 73
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- West Channel75
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Red drum 73
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- Pensacola Bay74
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 74
- Red drum 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- Town Point69
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 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.