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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook80
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Atlantic croaker73
- Red drum73
- Spanish mackerel71
- Crevalle jack70
- Gray snapper70
- Southern flounder67
- Florida pompano64
- Gag grouper62
- King mackerel62
- Permit61
- Cobia60
- Red snapper59
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red grouper58
- Black drum57
- Greater amberjack55
- Spotted seatrout52
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 558 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Passage Key Inlet 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
43Season: 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
Passage Key Inlet
- Depth
- 15-20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Passage Key Inlet
Passage Key Inlet is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack and southern flounder. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Bimini Bay77
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 77
- Gray snapper 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
4 kt EH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ftL 4:06 AM · 1.4 ft
- Southwest Channel74
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Common snook 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
4 kt EH 11:58 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:05 AM · 1.0 ft
- Key ROyale Bar70
Bar · 1.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
4 kt EH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ftL 4:06 AM · 1.4 ft
- The Bulkhead70
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
4 kt EH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ftL 4:06 AM · 1.4 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.