Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Cape · Florida

Sulphur Point

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · Sheepshead

77/100Great
Now
638 AM CST
Best window
8-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score62Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 9 · steady
Air temp47°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water73°FPersisted

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)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

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

Sulphur Point

Depth
7-40 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 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 Spanish mackerel, red drum and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, red drum, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray snapper and gray triggerfish. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout 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.
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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    82
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 82
    • Spotted seatrout 80
    • Spanish mackerel 75

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    80
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 80
    • Spotted seatrout 77
    • Spanish mackerel 75

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Dyers Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 75
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    72
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 72
    • Red drum 70
    • Spotted seatrout 69

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 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.