UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum56
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Common snook51
- Atlantic croaker49
- Southern flounder49
- Gray snapper48
- Black drum45
- Permit45
- Gag grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Spotted seatrout41
- Gray triggerfish38
- Red grouper38
- Spanish mackerel36
- Crevalle jack35
- Florida pompano34
- King mackerel33
- Greater amberjack32
- Cobia30
- Sheepshead28
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 285 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Low2.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cabbage Patch Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Friday, Oct 2 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
35Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cabbage Patch Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- 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 Cabbage Patch Point
Cabbage Patch Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, black drum and permit. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Common snook peak from April through May and 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.
- 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.
- 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
- South Gandy Channel65
Channel · 4.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
3 kt EL 6:18 AM · 1.6 ftH 12:06 PM · 2.6 ft
- Old Tampa Bay56
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 56
- Atlantic croaker 53
- Gray snapper 52
3 kt ENEL 6:32 AM · 2.0 ftH 12:32 PM · 2.7 ft
- Cedar Point55
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 55
- Common snook 50
- Atlantic tarpon 50
2 kt ENEL 7:07 AM · 2.2 ftH 12:34 PM · 3.0 ft
- Big Island Gap55
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Common snook 55
- Red drum 55
2 kt ENEL 7:07 AM · 2.2 ftH 12:34 PM · 3.0 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.