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Greater amberjackRetention openBar · Florida
East Pelican Reef
29.71°N · 84.80°W · Bar · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Florida pompano63
- Gray snapper58
- Red drum56
- Gag grouper53
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Spanish mackerel50
- King mackerel49
- Crevalle jack48
- Atlantic tarpon47
- Greater amberjack47
- Black drum46
- Permit46
- Cobia43
- Sailfish43
- Yellowfin tuna42
- Southern flounder40
- Mahi-mahi38
- Wahoo37
- Sheepshead35
- Spotted seatrout31
Best score today · 12 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 471 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Pelican Reef 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
32Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
63Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 today
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
East Pelican Reef
- Depth
- 5-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · 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 East Pelican Reef
East Pelican Reef is a bar in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, gag grouper, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Gap Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 56
8 kt ENEL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:01 AM · 2.3 ft
- Rattlesnake Cove67
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 56
8 kt ENEL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:01 AM · 2.3 ft
- East Cove67
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 56
8 kt ENEL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:01 AM · 2.3 ft
- Shell Point Cove67
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 56
8 kt ENEL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:01 AM · 2.3 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.