Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Greater amberjackRetention open

Channel · Florida

Broad Creek

25.35°N · 80.25°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack

80/100Great
Now
3210 PM EDT
Best window
10-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Broad Creek scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score32Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward ESE
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy32% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

Greater amberjack

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Apr 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open January through March and May through December. Closed in April. In Monroe County, FWC applies these Atlantic rules south and east of U.S. Highway 1 (the ocean 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 (10 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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)

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

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Out of season for Greater amberjack · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in Florida

Spot profile

Broad Creek

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Broad Creek

Broad Creek is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, red drum, gray snapper and permit. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September 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

  • Angelfish Creek

    Gut · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 67
    • Crevalle jack 64

    5 kt NNEL 11:49 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:55 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Old Rhodes Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Crevalle jack 62

    5 kt NNEL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ftH 5:00 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Old Rhodes Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    62
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 62
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    5 kt NNEL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ftH 5:00 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Cutter Bank

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 62
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    5 kt NNEL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ftH 5:00 AM · 1.2 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.