Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Bar · Florida

Old Rhodes Bank

25.34°N · 80.23°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Greater amberjack

76/100Great
Now
333 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score33Fair
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind6 kn ESEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherOvercast91% chance of rain
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Greater amberjack is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.

Species rules 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))
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 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))
  • 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

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

Old Rhodes Bank

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bank · Outer · ExposedBank · 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 Old Rhodes Bank

Old Rhodes Bank is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bank, outer water and 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 grouper, gray snapper and red drum. 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

  • Broad Creek

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Crevalle jack 55

    6 kt ESEH 9:03 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:02 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Old Rhodes Channel

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Crevalle jack 55

    6 kt ESEH 9:03 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:02 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Angelfish Creek

    Gut · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Crevalle jack 55

    6 kt ESEH 9:32 AM · 1.1 ftL 4:05 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Old Rhodes Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    59
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 54
    • Crevalle jack 49

    6 kt ESEH 9:03 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:02 PM · 0.4 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.