Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Bay · Florida

Fort George Inlet

30.42°N · 81.41°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

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Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack

81/100Great
Now
512 PM EDT
Best window
2-6 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb1.2 kn · toward E
Wind10 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy100% 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)

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

Fort George Inlet

Depth
1-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · 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 Fort George Inlet

Fort George Inlet is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, summer flounder and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, summer flounder, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Summer flounder peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in 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.
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.
Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Saint Johns Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    69
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • King mackerel 67
    • Florida pompano 64

    10 kt NEH 6:52 PM · 5.5 ftL 1:00 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Summer flounder 62

    10 kt NEH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:13 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Deep Creek

    Gut · 2.1 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Summer flounder 58

    10 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 1.7 mi

    57
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Summer flounder 56

    10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 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.