Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Cape · Florida

Pendola Point

27.90°N · 82.43°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 10 AM · Greater amberjack

72/100Great
Now
482 AM EDT
Best window
4 AM-3 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.2 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score48Good
Tide2.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in Florida

Spot profile

Pendola Point

Depth
4-50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
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 Pendola Point

Pendola Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for gray snapper, common snook, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for red snapper, gag grouper, Atlantic tarpon and red grouper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Red drum peak from September through November.

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.
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.
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

  • Sparkman Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Red drum 68
    • Common snook 67

    4 kt ENEH 6:29 AM · 2.8 ftL 4:33 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Seaplane Basin

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Common snook 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    4 kt ENEH 7:03 AM · 2.7 ftL 4:56 PM · 0.6 ft

  • East Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Gray snapper 64

    4 kt ENEH 6:32 AM · 2.7 ftL 4:36 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Black Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    62
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 62
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    4 kt ENEH 6:34 AM · 2.8 ftL 4:30 PM · 0.6 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.