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BoatFlorida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle RegionSheepshead · Open

Bayou Chico

30.40°N · 87.26°W

Species

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14-Day Forecast

Data from: ECMWF + GFS + BlueCaster
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24-Hour Conditions

All times CDT

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Conditions
Time
12 PM
Now
Score
69
Fair
Tide
0.1 ft ▼
Ebbing
Current
—
Ebb
Wind
13 kn
ESE · steady
Sea state
Choppy
2 ft @ 5 s SE
Air temp
76°
Warm
Weather
Overcast
100% cloud
Hour 12 PM. Score 69 Fair. Tide 0.1ft Falling ▼. Current -1.2kn Ebb. Wind 13kn ESE G19. Sea 2 ft @ 5 s SE Choppy. Air 75.7°.

Why this score

Current
Slack
Prime

Current regulations

In effect now

What you can keep at this spot today

Sheepshead
Retention open
Daily limit
8 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 12"
Gear
Legal gear: hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. Illegal: multiple hooks used with live or dead natural bait; snatching prohibited.
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Minimum size 12 in total length. Vessel limit 50 per trip during March and April. State regulations extend into federal waters. Special regulations apply in Biscayne National Park (not applicable to this area).
Other species here
Gray Snapper Retention openSpanish Mackerel Retention openRed Drum Retention openSpotted Seatrout Retention openCommon Snook Retention open
Always check with FWC ↗

Source: FWC · Florida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle Region · synced today

Seasonality

52-week view · today highlighted

When Sheepshead is best at this spot

Shoulder seasonShoulder season for Sheepshead
~6 more weeks in shoulder
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak seasonShoulder seasonOff season

SPOT PROFILE

DEPTH
5-15 ft
Mud
STRUCTURE
Bay
Inner Protected

Nearby Spots

View all on map →

Other productive spots within easy run

Jones Point
Florida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle Region
77
Top: Red DrumPEAK SEASON
Red Drum 77 · Sheepshead 77 · Gray Snapper 77
0006121824
14 kt E
H 2:50 AM · 0.7 m
L 3:25 PM · -0.1 m
Redoubt Bayou
Florida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle Region
77
Top: Red DrumPEAK SEASON
Red Drum 77 · Sheepshead 77 · Gray Snapper 77
0006121824
14 kt E
H 2:50 AM · 0.7 m
L 3:25 PM · -0.1 m
Bayou Texar
Florida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle Region
77
Top: Red DrumPEAK SEASON
Red Drum 77 · Sheepshead 77 · Gray Snapper 77
0006121824
13 kt SE
H 2:50 AM · 0.7 m
L 3:25 PM · -0.1 m
Pensacola Bay
Florida Gulf State Waters: Panhandle Region
77
Top: Red DrumPEAK SEASON
Red Drum 77 · Sheepshead 77 · Gray Snapper 77
0006121824
14 kt E
H 2:50 AM · 0.7 m
L 3:25 PM · -0.1 m

About Bayou Chico

Bayou Chico is a protected inner bay in Pensacola, Florida, with soft mud bottom and depths running 5 to 15 feet. Red drum peak here in September and October, sheepshead from January through March, gray snapper from May through August, and Spanish mackerel from April through October, with common snook also among the target species. Inshore casting with soft plastic jerkbaits, jigheads with paddletails, and gold spoons works the mud flats for red drum, while popping cork fishing with live shrimp covers the shallower edges. Sheepshead respond to bottom fishing with fiddler crabs, live shrimp, and sand fleas, and gray snapper take live shrimp and live pinfish fished on the bottom in the deeper water. Spanish mackerel push into the bay during the warm months, where casting metal jigs, gotcha plugs, and small spoons intercepts feeding schools.

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Bayou Chico is one of the spots we track around Pensacola. More spots in Pensacola · All of Florida.

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