Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus
48 of 65worth the trip today
Best right now at Pensacola Beach, Florida. Water is inside the 60–82° range sheepshead like at 57 of the 60 spots with a live reading.
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About sheepshead
Structure-oriented crustacean eater with famously human-like teeth, on piers, jetties, bridges, and oyster bars from the mid-Atlantic through the Gulf. Fiddler crabs, sand fleas, or small pieces of shrimp on a knocker rig right against the structure. Expect to lose tackle.
Around the Chesapeake. VA piers, jetties, and the rocks and pilings of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are the classic targets.
Archosargus probatocephalus, family Sparidae.
Sheepshead, spot by spot
All 65 spots with sheepshead in season, scored for sheepshead, best first.
71° water · 10 mph wind · high slack tide
71° water · 10 mph wind · high slack tide
82° water · 15 mph wind · low slack tide
75° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
75° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
75° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
74° water · 5 mph wind · incoming tide
74° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
70° water · 6 mph wind · outgoing tide
75° water · 14 mph wind · outgoing tide
76° water · 5 mph wind · incoming tide
78° water · 14 mph wind · incoming tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
80° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
77° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
76° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
78° water · 13 mph wind · incoming tide
71° water · 7 mph wind · outgoing tide
70° water · 7 mph wind · outgoing tide
70° water · 8 mph wind · outgoing tide
70° water · 9 mph wind · outgoing tide
80° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
82° water · 8 mph wind · outgoing tide
82° water · 8 mph wind · outgoing tide
78° water · 12 mph wind · incoming tide
80° water · 14 mph wind · incoming tide
80° water · 12 mph wind · incoming tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · low slack tide
75° water · 13 mph wind · outgoing tide
78° water · 17 mph wind · low slack tide
62° water · 16 mph wind · outgoing tide
63° water · 14 mph wind · outgoing tide
77° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
79° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
82° water · 7 mph wind · outgoing tide
78° water · 10 mph wind · outgoing tide
15 mph wind · outgoing tide
61° water · 20 mph wind · outgoing tide
63° water · 18 mph wind · outgoing tide
83° water · 12 mph wind · incoming tide
77° water · 20 mph wind · outgoing tide
63° water · 14 mph wind · outgoing tide
61° water · 20 mph wind · outgoing tide
The water they want
Sheepshead feed from about 60° to 82°F and best near 72°. Each pin is one spot’s water right now, from NOAA and USGS gauges; 57 of 60 are inside the range.
How they feed
- Water60–82°F, best near 72°
- TideSlack water
- MoonEither
- DepthUsually 5–40 ft
Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works
Season by state
- FloridaYear-round
- TexasFeb–Dec
- South CarolinaMar–Nov
- AlabamaYear-round
- LouisianaFeb–Dec
- MississippiFeb–Nov
- VirginiaMay–Oct
- DelawareMay–Oct
- GeorgiaMar–Nov
- MarylandMay–Oct
The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia months are the Chesapeake-region season. Everywhere else it is carried over by water temperature: a month counts at a spot when its usual water is in the range that marks the mid-Atlantic season (59°F and warmer), from the spot’s own gauge where it has one and an estimate from air temperature where it doesn’t. Each state lists the months that hold at half or more of its spots. Where the water temperatures come from.
Keep or release
- Alabama12" minimum · 8 a day12" minimum, 8/person/day.Gulf waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source · 17 days since checked
- Delaware tidalno daily limitDelaware sets no species-specific sheepshead size or possession limit — legally harvested year-round.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Florida12" minimum · 8 a day12" minimum, 8 per person a day; vessel limit 50 per trip in March and April.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Florida12" minimum · 8 a day12" minimum, 8 per person a day; vessel limit 50 per trip in March and April.Gulf waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Georgia10" minimum · 15 a day10" fork-length minimum, 15/person/day.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source · 17 days since checked
- Louisianano daily limitLouisiana sets no recreational size or bag limit for sheepshead; open year-round in state waters.Gulf waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Maryland tidal12" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 12" minimum, 4 a day, open all year.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Mississippi14" minimum · 15 a day14" minimum, 15/person/day.Gulf waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source · 17 days since checked
- South Carolina14" minimum · 10 a day14" minimum, 10/person/day (max 30 per boat).Atlantic waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source · 17 days since checked
- Texas15" minimum · 5 a day15" minimum, 5/person/day.Gulf waters · verified Oct 21, 2026 · source · 17 days since checked
- Virginia tidal (VMRC)4 a dayVirginia tidal waters: no size limit, 4 a day, open all year.Atlantic waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
- Virginia tidal (VMRC)4 a dayVirginia tidal waters: no size limit, 4 a day, open all year.Tidal bay waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source · 15 days since checked
Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Sheepshead are fished at spots in 10 states: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.
Fished in the same water
Species people target at the same spots as sheepshead, and how they’re doing today.
Spotted seatroutCynoscion nebulosus80 of 118 spots worth the trip
Best now at Calcasieu Lake, LA100
Bites in 60–85° water
Red drumSciaenops ocellatus58 of 103 spots worth the trip
Best now at Mexico Beach, FL100
Bites in 65–85° water
Southern flounderParalichthys lethostigma13 of 44 spots worth the trip
Best now at Myrtle Beach, SC100
Bites in 58–82° water
BluefishPomatomus saltatrix54 of 127 spots worth the trip
Best now at Elms Beach Park, MD100
Bites in 60–80° water