Waterlands

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SheepsheadRetention open

Bay · Florida

Duckroost Cove

28.74°N · 80.77°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Sheepshead

77/100Great
Now
4410 AM EDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind3 kn Ngusts 9 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 8 s
Air temp82°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy48% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade 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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • 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 · 18 more weeks at shoulder

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sheepshead · 18 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sheepshead in Florida

Spot profile

Duckroost Cove

Depth
About 2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Duckroost Cove

Duckroost Cove is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is about 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon 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.
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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Granny Cove

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 66

    3 kt NL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Dummit Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 66

    3 kt NL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Bairs Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73
    • Crevalle jack 62

    3 kt NL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Georges Flats

    Flat · 2.5 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 66

    3 kt NL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 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.