Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Gut · Florida

Deep Creek

30.42°N · 81.45°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

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Best score today · 5 AM · Greater amberjack

81/100Great
Now
5610 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score56Good
Tide3.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy77% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

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. 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 (2 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in Florida

Spot profile

Deep Creek

Depth
4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Deep Creek

Deep Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, gray snapper, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, weakfish, black sea bass and little tunny. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August 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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Hannah Mills Creek

    Gut · 1.4 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Red drum 74

    8 kt NNEL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 2.1 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Gray snapper 74

    8 kt NNEL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ft

  • Horseshoe Creek

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    76
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Red drum 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73

    8 kt NNEL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:27 PM · 5.3 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.