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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook71
- Gray snapper69
- Atlantic croaker66
- Crevalle jack62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Red drum61
- Southern flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Permit56
- Black drum55
- Cobia55
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Spotted seatrout52
- Greater amberjack51
- Florida pompano46
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 513 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buttonwood Harbor 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.1 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: 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
Buttonwood Harbor
- Depth
- 1-7 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 Buttonwood Harbor
Buttonwood Harbor is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Millar Bay71
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Gray snapper 67
- Red drum 66
1 kt WSWL 5:39 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:52 PM · 1.9 ft
- Sarasota Bay70
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 67
- Red drum 66
1 kt WSWL 5:33 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:11 AM · 1.8 ft
- Long Bar Point70
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
1 kt WSWL 5:33 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:11 AM · 1.8 ft
- Cranes Bayou68
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Common snook 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
1 kt WSWL 5:47 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:22 AM · 1.6 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.