Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Bar · Florida

Middle Banks

28.68°N · 80.67°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack

78/100Great
Now
355 AM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide3.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind1 kn NWgusts 1 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 7 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherOvercast85% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Greater amberjack

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 28 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Apr 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open January through March and May through December. Closed in April.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Amberjack, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in Florida

Spot profile

Middle Banks

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Banks

Middle Banks is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon 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.
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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Gallinipper Basin

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    1 kt NWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Eddy Creek

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    1 kt NWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Gallinipper Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Spot 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    1 kt NWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Eddy Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Spot 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    1 kt NWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 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.