Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Bay · Florida

Kitching Cove

27.25°N · 80.32°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead

76/100Great
Now
435 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-3 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 78

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score43Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind4 kn SSEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy44% cloud
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida →

Spot profile

Kitching Cove

Depth
7-10 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 Kitching Cove

Kitching Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 7-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, spot and common snook, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, black sea bass and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Spot peak 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

View all on map →
  • Fork Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Common snook 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    4 kt SSEH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Greenridge Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Common snook 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    4 kt SSEH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pendarvis Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Common snook 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    4 kt SSEH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Bessey Creek Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Common snook 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    4 kt SSEH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

Open in the tide map

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.