UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum56
- Atlantic croaker51
- Common snook47
- Gray snapper47
- Permit45
- Crevalle jack44
- Atlantic tarpon41
- Black drum41
- Southern flounder40
- Gag grouper39
- Gray triggerfish38
- Red grouper38
- Red snapper37
- Cobia36
- Spanish mackerel36
- Spotted seatrout36
- Florida pompano35
- Greater amberjack33
- King mackerel33
- Sheepshead24
Best score today · 7 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 243 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hells Half Acre 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
31Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
30Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Hells Half Acre
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Hells Half Acre
Hells Half Acre is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. 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 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
- Southeast Head57
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Common snook 47
- Gray snapper 47
8 kt NEH 5:50 AM · 2.3 ftL 3:33 PM · 0.6 ft
- Clambar Bay57
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 51
- Common snook 47
8 kt NEH 5:50 AM · 2.3 ftL 3:33 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bishop Harbor53
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 53
- Gray snapper 53
- Common snook 52
8 kt NEH 5:50 AM · 2.3 ftL 3:33 PM · 0.6 ft
- Piney Point48
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 48
- Atlantic croaker 47
- Common snook 47
8 kt NEH 5:50 AM · 2.3 ftL 3:33 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.