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SheepsheadRetention openBar · Florida
Shortys Banks
28.29°N · 80.62°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot65
- Florida pompano60
- Common snook56
- Atlantic tarpon53
- King mackerel51
- Gray snapper50
- Red drum50
- Southern flounder50
- Summer flounder50
- Crevalle jack49
- Black drum47
- Spanish mackerel46
- Mahi-mahi45
- Spotted seatrout44
- Wahoo43
- Red snapper41
- Black sea bass40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Little tunny39
- Cobia38
- Red grouper38
- Weakfish38
- Sheepshead37
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Bluefish34
- Greater amberjack34
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 2 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 376 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shortys Banks 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
34Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade 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 (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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shortys Banks
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Shortys Banks
Shortys Banks is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, common snook and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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.
- 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
- Shortys Pocket73
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Common snook 56
1 kt WSWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Indian River Lagoon73
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Common snook 56
1 kt WSWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Sprig Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Red drum 59
1 kt WSWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Buck Point67
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Common snook 56
1 kt WSWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 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.