Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Channel · Florida

Entrance Channel

26.77°N · 80.03°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · Greater amberjack

77/100Great
Now
356 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.3 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide3.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward W
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast94% chance of rain
Water87°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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

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

Entrance Channel

Depth
10-40 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
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 Entrance Channel

Entrance Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 10-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 21 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, gray snapper, red drum and permit. 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

View all on map →
  • Jupiter Sound

    Bay · 14 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Atlantic croaker 74

    3 kt ENEH 8:09 PM · 2.0 ftL 2:38 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Lake Worth Inlet

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    75
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 75
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic tarpon 71

    4 kt ENEH 6:50 PM · 3.4 ftL 12:57 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Jupiter Inlet

    Bay · 12 mi

    74
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 74
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 71

    3 kt ENEH 7:03 PM · 2.9 ftL 12:55 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Sherman Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    4 kt ENEH 6:50 PM · 3.4 ftL 12:57 AM · 1.0 ft

Open in the tide map

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.