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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Common snook73
- Gray snapper70
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Red drum66
- Permit62
- Black drum61
- Crevalle jack60
- Southern flounder59
- Gag grouper57
- Spanish mackerel56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Florida pompano52
- Spotted seatrout51
- Greater amberjack50
- King mackerel50
- Cobia45
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 502 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Bend Channel 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
75Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
46Season: 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 · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Bend Channel
- Depth
- 10-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Big Bend Channel
Big Bend Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 10-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, black drum and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Alafia River Channel73
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 69
2 kt SWL 7:57 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:50 AM · 2.1 ft
- Hillsborough Channel73
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 69
2 kt SWL 7:14 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:18 AM · 2.4 ft
- Big Bend72
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 69
2 kt SWL 7:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 1:50 AM · 2.0 ft
- The Kitchen70
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 68
2 kt SWL 7:57 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:50 AM · 2.1 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.