UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openChannel · Florida
Hillsboro River Channel (historical)
27.94°N · 82.46°W · Channel · Tampa Bay waters
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook68
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Atlantic croaker64
- Red drum62
- Gray snapper61
- Black drum56
- Permit56
- Southern flounder55
- Crevalle jack53
- Gag grouper51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Gray triggerfish48
- Red grouper48
- Red snapper48
- King mackerel45
- Greater amberjack44
- Florida pompano40
- Cobia39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 357 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hillsboro River Channel (historical) 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
52Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
41Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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
Hillsboro River Channel (historical)
- Depth
- 7-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Hillsboro River Channel (historical)
Hillsboro River Channel (historical) is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 7-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, permit and southern flounder. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- Garrison Channel68
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
3 kt NEH 2:30 AM · 2.3 ftL 7:22 AM · 1.0 ft
- Seddon Channel61
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
3 kt NEH 1:32 AM · 2.5 ftL 6:43 AM · 1.3 ft
- Sparkman Channel61
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
3 kt NEH 1:33 AM · 2.5 ftL 6:51 AM · 1.2 ft
- Ybor Channel61
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
3 kt NEH 1:33 AM · 2.5 ftL 6:51 AM · 1.2 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.