UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum71
- Atlantic croaker63
- Common snook59
- Gray snapper58
- Southern flounder55
- Crevalle jack53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Gag grouper50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black drum48
- Cobia48
- Red snapper48
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- Florida pompano46
- King mackerel46
- Permit45
- Greater amberjack43
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 436 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Bayou 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
32Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
42Season: 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Bayou
- Depth
- 5-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Bayou
Big Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, crevalle jack, spotted seatrout and Atlantic tarpon. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Little Bayou72
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 59
6 kt ENEH 6:38 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.4 ft
- Tampa Bay Channel67
Channel · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Red drum 67
- Common snook 66
7 kt ENEH 7:00 AM · 2.4 ftL 4:24 PM · 0.5 ft
- Tampa Bay66
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Common snook 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
7 kt ENEH 7:00 AM · 2.4 ftL 4:24 PM · 0.5 ft
- Point Pinellas65
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Common snook 59
6 kt ENEH 6:38 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.4 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.