Waterlands

Species guide · Florida

Sheepshead fishing in Florida

Archosargus probatocephalus, an inshore species also called convict fish, sheepie and bait stealer. Listed for the South Florida and the Keys, Eastern Gulf and South Atlantic regions. Shoulder season, about 13 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM at 62, one of 31 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Shoulder season
Where it's scoring nowAll Florida waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

South Florida and the Keys

Shoulder season, about 13 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Peak season
  3. Mar: Peak season
  4. Apr: Shoulder season
  5. May: Off season
  6. Jun: Off season
  7. Jul: Off season
  8. Aug: Off season
  9. Sep: Off season
  10. Oct: Off season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: Feb to Mar. In season (shoulder or peak): Nov to Apr.

Research notes, South Florida and the Keys region

Winter and early spring around Keys bridges, Biscayne Bay seawalls and Everglades creek mouths. Less of a target than farther north.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Eastern Gulf

Shoulder season, about 13 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Peak season
  3. Mar: Peak season
  4. Apr: Peak season
  5. May: Shoulder season
  6. Jun: Off season
  7. Jul: Off season
  8. Aug: Off season
  9. Sep: Off season
  10. Oct: Shoulder season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: Feb to Apr. In season (shoulder or peak): Oct to May.

Research notes, Eastern Gulf region

UF/IFAS lists late winter through spring as peak, when fish gather on nearshore reefs, jetties and bridges to spawn. Present around docks and oyster bars year-round.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

South Atlantic

Shoulder season, about 13 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Peak season
  3. Mar: Peak season
  4. Apr: Peak season
  5. May: Shoulder season
  6. Jun: Shoulder season
  7. Jul: Shoulder season
  8. Aug: Shoulder season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Shoulder season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: Feb to Apr. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.

Research notes, South Atlantic region

Non-migratory and present year-round in South Carolina. Florida and Georgia peak with the March and April spawn on nearshore reefs and jetties; North Carolina bridge and wreck fishing holds up into summer and fall.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 31

Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's sheepshead score this hour.

1
62Good
Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (69) · 24 named spots

2
62Good
Tampa Bay waters

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 PM (69) · 195 named spots

3
61Good
Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (70) · 22 named spots

4
61Good
St. Andrews Bay Waterways

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 5 PM (68) · 79 named spots

5
60Good
Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 PM (68) · 126 named spots

6
60Good
Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 AM (67) · 13 named spots

7
60Good
Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 7 AM (67) · 46 named spots

8
60Good
Western Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sat, Nov 7 at 4 PM (67) · 23 named spots

9
59Good
Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (69) · 39 named spots

10
57Good
Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Fri, Nov 6 at 8 AM (68) · 4 named spots

11
57Good
Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Wed, Nov 4 at 8 AM (71) · 131 named spots

12
56Good
Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (71) · 20 named spots

13
56Good
Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (64) · 92 named spots

14
54Good
Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (54) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 PM (68) · 49 named spots

15
52Good
Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (52) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 PM (67) · 81 named spots

16
48Good
Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Thu, Nov 5 at 7 AM (60) · 88 named spots

17
40Fair
Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (40) · Best day Sat, Nov 7 at 4 PM (65) · 21 named spots

18
39Fair
Lake Okeechobee

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (39) · Best day Fri, Nov 13 at 4 PM (50) · 11 named spots

19
35Fair
Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Nov 4 at 8 AM (62) · 199 named spots

20
35Fair
Biscayne Bay

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (63) · 82 named spots

21
35Fair
Caribbean Waters of Puerto Rico from 10 NM to 17N, including the Coastal Waters of Saint Croix

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Nov 7 at 6 AM (51)

22
35Fair
Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 4 PM (60) · 6 named spots

23
35Fair
Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (62) · 109 named spots

24
35Fair
Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Mon, Nov 2 at 6 AM (62) · 16 named spots

25
35Fair
Mona Passage Southward to 17N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 8 at 7 AM (53)

26
35Fair
Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 12 PM (54)

27
35Fair
Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Tue, Nov 3 at 7 AM (54)

28
32Fair
Coastal Waters from Cabo San Juan to the waters between Anegada Island and Virgin Gorda and North 10 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (32) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 8 AM (52)

29
29Fair
Atlantic Waters of Puerto Rico AND USVI from 10 NM to 19.5N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (31) · Best day Thu, Nov 5 at 8 AM (52)

30
29Fair
Coastal Waters east of Puerto Rico, around Vieques, and around and just north of Culebra and Saint John

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (29) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 6 AM (52)

31
25Fair
Anegada Passage east of Virgin Gorda and Saint Croix south to 17N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (25) · Best day Thu, Nov 5 at 8 AM (42)

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 50°F to 86°F, best between 56°F and 74°F.
Water depth
2 to 50 ft of water.
Structure
Jetty, pier, bridge, oyster, reef, wreck and channel, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers moving water, with light current.Sheepshead feed on any moving tide, but vertical fishing tight to pilings and jetty rocks is easiest with light current. Strong current drags baits away from the structure and hides the light bite. The last of a tide and early turn are often best.
Light
Little tied to dawn and dusk.
Pressure
Little response to pressure changes.
Wind and sea limits
18 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

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.

Methods
vertical bottom fishing, jig and bait, dock and piling fishing
Lures
small jighead tipped with bait, fiddler crab jig
Bait
fiddler crab, sand flea (mole crab), live or fresh shrimp, barnacles, hermit crab, oyster

Regulations

FWC saltwater regulations Buy a Florida fishing license License types

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Oct 31, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.

StatewideRetention open

8 per day · Minimum 12 in, total length

Season: No closed season on file

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.

FWC Recreational Regulations: Sheepshead · verified Sep 13, 2026

Other Florida species