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Greater amberjackRetention openCape · Florida
Deer Point
30.34°N · 87.18°W · Cape · Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 515 AM CDT
- Best window
- 1-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deer Point 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
98Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 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
Deer Point
- Depth
- 6-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Deer Point
Deer Point is a cape in Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound, Florida. Depth is 6-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker 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.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- English Navy Cove73
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 73
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt NNEH 10:11 AM · 1.5 ftL 7:45 PM · 0.7 ft
- Old Navy Cove72
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 72
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt NNEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- Grassy Point68
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 68
- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 64
5 kt NNEH 10:11 AM · 1.5 ftL 7:45 PM · 0.7 ft
- Fair Point68
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 68
- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 63
5 kt NNEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 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.