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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook79
- Spanish mackerel74
- Florida pompano73
- Gray snapper73
- Red drum72
- Atlantic croaker66
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack66
- King mackerel64
- Southern flounder62
- Black drum61
- Permit60
- Gag grouper58
- Greater amberjack58
- Cobia57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 589 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Banks 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: 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 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
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Banks
- Depth
- 1-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 South Banks
South Banks is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Florida pompano 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pine Island Sound84
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 84
- Gray snapper 77
- Red drum 77
5 kt ESEH 11:34 AM · 2.3 ftL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ft
- Foster Bay83
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 83
- Gray snapper 76
- Red drum 76
5 kt ESEH 10:51 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:06 PM · 0.5 ft
- Chadwick Bayou79
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 79
- Red drum 79
- Gray snapper 73
5 kt ESEH 11:43 AM · 2.3 ftL 7:14 PM · 0.5 ft
- Foster Point78
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 71
5 kt ESEH 10:51 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:06 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.