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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 354 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Florida Anchorage 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
17Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open January through March and May through December. Closed in April.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Amberjack, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (2 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- 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 today
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
Cape Florida Anchorage
- Depth
- 15-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- 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 Cape Florida Anchorage
Cape Florida Anchorage is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, 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, gray snapper, red drum 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
- Cape Florida Channel73
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Crevalle jack 65
3 kt NEL 8:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:50 PM · 2.1 ft
- Biscayne Channel73
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Crevalle jack 65
3 kt NEL 8:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:50 PM · 2.1 ft
- Cape Florida70
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Crevalle jack 63
3 kt NEL 8:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:50 PM · 2.1 ft
- South Basin69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Crevalle jack 61
3 kt NEL 9:35 AM · 0.7 ftH 3:23 PM · 2.0 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.