Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Cape · Florida

Sulphur Point

30.19°N · 85.74°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

67/100Great
Now
3512 AM CDT
Best window
12 AM-5 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Sep 25 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score35Fair
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward ESE
Wind5 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water86°FModel

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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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

Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Out of season for Sheepshead · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida

Spot profile

Sulphur Point

Depth
7-40 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
Season
Off 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 Sulphur Point

Sulphur Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, red snapper, gag grouper and southern flounder. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September 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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Dyers Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 64

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Gray snapper 65
    • Red drum 63

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 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.