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SheepsheadRetention openBay · Florida
Hells Pocket
27.62°N · 80.35°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Common snook63
- Spot62
- Crevalle jack58
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum56
- Southern flounder55
- Summer flounder55
- King mackerel50
- Weakfish50
- Black drum48
- Black sea bass46
- Little tunny46
- Red snapper46
- Spotted seatrout46
- Spanish mackerel44
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Wahoo41
- Sheepshead40
- Cobia39
- Florida pompano38
- Greater amberjack37
- Mahi-mahi37
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish30
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 403 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hells Pocket 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
36Water 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
Hells Pocket
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Hells Pocket
Hells Pocket is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, common snook and spot, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, black sea bass and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September 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 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.
- 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
- Little Starvation Cove69
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Red drum 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
3 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Martin Cove64
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 63
- Atlantic tarpon 63
3 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove64
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 63
- Atlantic tarpon 63
3 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Dark Point63
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Common snook 62
- Atlantic croaker 58
2 kt SSEL 3:57 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:23 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.