UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SheepsheadRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Sheepshead
- Now
- 3512 PM CDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Copano Bay 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
48Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Sheepshead
Species seasonality
39Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
Sheepshead
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- 10 in possession
- Size
- Minimum 15 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- The possession limit is double the daily bag and does not count fish stored at your residence. While fishing, you may not hold more than the daily bag.
From TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Sheepshead Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day)
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (20 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (3 per day)
- Red snapper Retention open (4 per day)
- Sailfish Retention open
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)
Source: TPWD · 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
Copano Bay
- Depth
- 3-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Copano Bay
Copano Bay is a bay in Copano, Aransas, and Redfish Bays, Texas. Depth is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, gray snapper and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from June 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Smith Channel72
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Red drum 59
9 kt EH 1:06 PM · 0.7 ftL 11:24 PM · 0.4 ft
- Copano Reef71
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 61
- Atlantic tarpon 57
9 kt EH 1:03 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:06 AM · 0.1 ft
- Snellbank Reef65
Bar · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 61
10 kt EH 4:50 PM · 0.3 ftL 1:24 AM · 0.1 ft
- Lap Reef Bank63
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Atlantic tarpon 57
- Red drum 53
9 kt EH 1:03 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:06 AM · 0.1 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 TPWD before you keep a fish.