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SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum70
- Atlantic croaker66
- Permit66
- Gray snapper63
- Common snook62
- Southern flounder61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Crevalle jack59
- Black drum56
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Cobia51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Greater amberjack49
- King mackerel47
- Florida pompano39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 AM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 352 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Stop 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
23Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
South Stop
- Depth
- Under 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 South Stop
South Stop is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is under 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 permit. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook, and shoulder season for permit, southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Permit peak from April through June.
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
- Beacon Pass71
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
1 kt EL 6:43 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- Big Cockroach Pass70
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 69
1 kt EL 6:43 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- Hole in the Wall Pass70
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 69
1 kt EL 6:43 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- Jump Pass70
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 69
1 kt EL 6:43 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:15 AM · 1.4 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.