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Greater amberjackRetention openBay · Florida
Little Starvation Cove
27.60°N · 80.34°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Atlantic croaker72
- Crevalle jack72
- Red drum71
- Spot70
- Southern flounder69
- Common snook68
- Summer flounder68
- Gray snapper65
- King mackerel64
- Black drum60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Black sea bass58
- Weakfish58
- Little tunny57
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Sheepshead52
- Cobia51
- Greater amberjack49
- Wahoo48
- Florida pompano42
- Mahi-mahi42
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 491 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Starvation Cove 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
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 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 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
Little Starvation Cove
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Little Starvation Cove
Little Starvation Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, weakfish and little tunny. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Porpoise Bay77
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 77
- Common snook 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
3 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Point75
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Crevalle jack 72
3 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Starvation Point75
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Crevalle jack 72
3 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove72
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 70
3 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 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.