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SheepsheadRetention openCape · Florida
Dark Point
27.63°N · 80.36°W · Cape · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Common snook69
- Atlantic croaker66
- Gray snapper64
- Spot64
- Crevalle jack61
- Red drum61
- Southern flounder60
- King mackerel58
- Summer flounder57
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass53
- Little tunny53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout51
- Weakfish51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Sheepshead47
- Cobia46
- Greater amberjack44
- Wahoo41
- Florida pompano37
- Mahi-mahi37
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish28
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 471 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dark Point 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 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 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)
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
Dark Point
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Dark Point
Dark Point is a cape in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, common snook and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, little tunny and red snapper. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Crawford Creek72
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
2 kt SL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Hells Pocket71
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 69
- Spot 69
2 kt SL 3:57 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:23 AM · 0.7 ft
- Martin Cove69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
2 kt SL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove69
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
2 kt SL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 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.