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SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout73
- Florida pompano72
- Red drum72
- Spanish mackerel72
- Common snook69
- King mackerel68
- Black drum65
- Gray triggerfish64
- Red grouper64
- Red snapper64
- Gray snapper62
- Sheepshead62
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 626 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooker 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: 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 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 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 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sheepshead is best here
Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 13 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hooker Point
- Depth
- 3-10 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
- 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 Hooker Point
Hooker Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Florida pompano, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Snead Island Cutoff77
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 77
- Red drum 75
- Common snook 72
11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Champlain Bayou77
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Spotted seatrout 76
- Florida pompano 70
11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Clambar Bayou77
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Spotted seatrout 76
- Florida pompano 70
11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Bishop Point70
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 70
- Red drum 70
- Spanish mackerel 70
11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 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.