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Greater amberjackRetention openBay · Florida
Sand Cove
30.07°N · 84.17°W · Bay · Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum75
- Atlantic croaker71
- Gray snapper69
- Southern flounder67
- Florida pompano66
- Spanish mackerel66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Crevalle jack65
- Permit65
- Black drum61
- Gag grouper60
- King mackerel60
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Cobia55
- Greater amberjack53
- Sailfish48
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 5310 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sand Cove 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Greater amberjack
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 34 in, fork length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 13, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 14
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC set the 2026 Gulf season to September 1 through October 13 by executive order, matching the federal season.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Amberjack, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (5 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 Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sand Cove
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack
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 Sand Cove
Sand Cove is a bay in Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and Atlantic tarpon. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Greater amberjack
- Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Big Cove75
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt NEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Register Bayou72
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 67
6 kt NEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Apalachee Bay72
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt NEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Pelican Point71
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 70
- Gray snapper 67
6 kt NEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 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.