Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Cape · Florida

Point Anchorage

30.20°N · 85.71°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

83/100Great
Now
644 PM CST
Best window
4 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score69Great
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward ESE
Wind7 kn SSEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast46% chance of rain
Water74°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Closed (No retention)
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida →

Spot profile

Point Anchorage

Depth
3-7 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 Point Anchorage

Point Anchorage is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and red drum, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, sheepshead and gray snapper. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.

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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Robinson Bayou

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Goose Bayou

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    6 kt ENEH 4:54 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:45 PM · 0.5 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.