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Greater amberjackRetention openBend · Florida
Chatham Bend
25.69°N · 81.29°W · Bend · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 2812 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chatham Bend 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
23Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
20Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
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. In Monroe County, FWC applies these Gulf rules north and west of U.S. Highway 1 (Florida Bay and the bay side of the Keys).
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 Closed (No retention)
- 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 Check regulations
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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
Out of season for Greater amberjack · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chatham Bend
- Depth
- 4-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Chatham Bend
Chatham Bend is a bend in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 4-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and bonefish. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, bonefish, permit and red drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Bonefish peak from March through May and from October through November.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- Huston Cove65
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Bonefish 56
4 kt EL 6:43 AM · 1.1 ftH 11:52 AM · 4.6 ft
- Crab Key Bight65
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Bonefish 56
4 kt EL 6:43 AM · 1.1 ftH 11:52 AM · 4.6 ft
- Gun Rock Point60
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic tarpon 55
- Bonefish 51
4 kt EL 6:43 AM · 1.1 ftH 11:52 AM · 4.6 ft
- Clam Point60
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic tarpon 55
- Bonefish 51
4 kt EL 6:43 AM · 1.1 ftH 11:52 AM · 4.6 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.