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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Red drum67
- Common snook64
- Southern flounder63
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Gag grouper59
- Gray snapper59
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Black drum54
- Permit53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Cobia52
- Florida pompano52
- King mackerel52
- Greater amberjack49
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 497 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when McPherson 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 90°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 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
McPherson Bayou
- Depth
- 3-10 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 McPherson Bayou
McPherson Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mud Key Cutoff70
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Pass-a-Grille Channel69
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- Little McPherson Bayou68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 65
3 kt NEH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- Wake Porter Fish Havens64
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 64
- Atlantic croaker 60
- Red drum 60
3 kt NEH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 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.