UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum65
- Permit62
- Atlantic croaker59
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Common snook59
- Gray snapper59
- Southern flounder59
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper54
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Crevalle jack51
- Red snapper51
- Spanish mackerel50
- Greater amberjack47
- Spotted seatrout47
- King mackerel46
- Cobia44
- Florida pompano44
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 353 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.5 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 9 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
26Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
37Season: 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 today
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, permit and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Gandy Channel70
Channel · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 69
- Gray snapper 66
1 kt WSWL 7:43 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:16 AM · 2.2 ft
- Big Island Gap67
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 63
- Red drum 63
0 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 ft
- Old Tampa Bay64
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 62
1 kt EL 8:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:51 AM · 2.2 ft
- Cedar Point63
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Permit 60
- Atlantic croaker 58
0 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 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.