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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker61
- Crevalle jack61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Common snook60
- Spot59
- Red drum56
- Summer flounder56
- Gray snapper54
- Southern flounder54
- King mackerel53
- Little tunny49
- Spanish mackerel48
- Wahoo48
- Weakfish47
- Black drum46
- Spotted seatrout46
- Black sea bass45
- Florida pompano43
- Mahi-mahi43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Red snapper42
- Cobia40
- Sheepshead40
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 387 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Slough 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
15Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 3 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 (2 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
Big Slough
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Big Slough
Big Slough is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and common snook, and shoulder season for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, wahoo and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Hole65
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Southern flounder 62
3 kt SSWH 8:16 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ft
- North Hole61
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Crevalle jack 61
- Common snook 60
3 kt SSWH 8:16 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ft
- News Cut61
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Crevalle jack 61
- Common snook 60
3 kt SSWH 8:16 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ft
- Black Point60
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Atlantic croaker 56
3 kt SSWH 8:16 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:17 PM · 0.3 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.