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Greater amberjackClosedBay · Florida
Goodland Bay
25.93°N · 81.64°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano73
- Spanish mackerel68
- Common snook66
- Red drum66
- King mackerel64
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black drum53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red snapper52
- Red grouper51
- Gray snapper50
- Wahoo49
- Sheepshead48
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Permit35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 202 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Goodland Bay 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.9 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Greater amberjack
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Oct 14, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Executive Order 26-25 closes Gulf state waters from October 14, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The order itself says it expires November 1, 2026, so check with FWC for the status after that date.
From FWC Executive Order 26-25: Gulf greater amberjack closure, 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 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- 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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Goodland Bay
- Depth
- Up to 6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Goodland Bay
Goodland Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Coon Key Pass73
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 73
- Spanish mackerel 71
- Common snook 69
10 kt EH 7:52 PM · 3.1 ftL 1:29 AM · 2.1 ft
- Sugar Bay71
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 71
- Red drum 69
- Common snook 66
10 kt EH 7:52 PM · 3.1 ftL 1:29 AM · 2.1 ft
- Blue Hill Creek71
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 71
- Red drum 68
- Common snook 66
10 kt EH 7:52 PM · 3.1 ftL 1:29 AM · 2.1 ft
- Big Marco River65
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 65
- Spanish mackerel 60
- Common snook 59
10 kt EH 8:40 PM · 2.0 ftL 1:38 AM · 1.6 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.