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Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum71
- Permit68
- Common snook66
- Atlantic croaker65
- Gray snapper65
- Southern flounder64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Crevalle jack62
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black drum55
- Cobia53
- Gag grouper53
- Gray triggerfish51
- Greater amberjack51
- Spotted seatrout51
- King mackerel50
- Red grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Florida pompano43
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 512 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sutherland 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: 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
Sutherland Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 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 Sutherland Bayou
Sutherland Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, permit and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. 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.
- 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.
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Seaside Point66
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Gray snapper 65
- Red drum 62
1 kt EL 4:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:11 PM · 2.7 ft
- Burghstream Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Gray snapper 65
- Red drum 62
1 kt EL 4:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:11 PM · 2.7 ft
- Avery Bayou65
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 64
- Common snook 61
1 kt EL 5:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.7 ft
- Greens Bayou65
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 64
- Common snook 61
1 kt EL 5:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.7 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.