Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Cape · Florida

Snag Point

27.68°N · 82.51°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 7 PM · Sheepshead

77/100Great
Now
453 PM EST
Best window
5-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.1 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score64Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind5 kn ESEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy50% cloud
Water77°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sheepshead is best here

Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 12 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida →

Spot profile

Snag Point

Depth
1-4 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 Snag Point

Snag Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 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

  • South Stop

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    67
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Red drum 66
    • Florida pompano 57

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Jump Pass

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Florida pompano 64

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Hole in the Wall Pass

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Florida pompano 64

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Big Cockroach Pass

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Florida pompano 64

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 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.