UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Garfield Cut
27.52°N · 80.33°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Common snook74
- Crevalle jack74
- Atlantic croaker71
- Summer flounder71
- King mackerel68
- Spot68
- Gray snapper67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder65
- Florida pompano62
- Weakfish62
- Little tunny59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Spotted seatrout57
- Cobia54
- Greater amberjack51
- Black sea bass50
- Wahoo50
- Black drum48
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Sheepshead44
- Mahi-mahi43
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 447 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Garfield Cut 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
47Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: 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 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
Garfield Cut
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Garfield Cut
Garfield Cut is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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
- Old Inlet83
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 83
- Common snook 82
- Crevalle jack 77
4 kt ENEH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ftL 2:50 AM · 0.7 ft
- Garfield Point74
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Crevalle jack 69
4 kt ENEH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ftL 2:50 AM · 0.7 ft
- Fish House Cove74
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 74
- Atlantic tarpon 74
4 kt ENEH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ftL 2:50 AM · 0.7 ft
- Blue Hole Creek74
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Red drum 74
- Crevalle jack 73
4 kt ENEH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ftL 2:50 AM · 0.7 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.