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Greater amberjackRetention openChannel · Florida
Matanzas Inlet
29.71°N · 81.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker82
- Spot77
- Atlantic tarpon76
- Crevalle jack76
- Florida pompano70
- Red drum70
- Southern flounder70
- Gray snapper69
- Summer flounder69
- King mackerel68
- Spanish mackerel67
- Black drum65
- Spotted seatrout65
- Black sea bass62
- Little tunny61
- Weakfish60
- Sheepshead58
- Cobia57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red snapper56
- Red grouper55
- Wahoo54
- Mahi-mahi52
- Greater amberjack50
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 508 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Matanzas Inlet 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
60Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 4 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Matanzas Inlet
- Depth
- 1-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- 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 Matanzas Inlet
Matanzas Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Devils Elbow83
Bend · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 83
- Spot 78
- Florida pompano 71
4 kt NNWL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- Fox Cut83
Channel · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 83
- Spot 78
- Atlantic tarpon 78
4 kt NNWH 11:19 AM · 0.9 ftL 5:42 PM · 0.4 ft
- Murat Point79
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 77
- Florida pompano 70
4 kt NNWL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- French Cape78
Cape · 14 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 73
6 kt NL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:01 PM · 4.9 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.
