Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Cape · Florida

Buccaroo Point

30.46°N · 86.50°W · Cape · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 5 PM · Greater amberjack

68/100Great
Now
369 PM CDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score36Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind1 kn Wgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherClear5% cloud
Water87°FModel

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

Buccaroo Point

Depth
2-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Buccaroo Point

Buccaroo Point is a cape in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, red snapper and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shirk Bayou

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Gray snapper 55

    1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:39 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Boggy Bayou

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Gray snapper 55

    1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:39 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Boggy Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic croaker 55
    • Gray snapper 55

    1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:39 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shirk Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 54
    • Gray snapper 54

    1 kt WH 8:09 AM · 0.9 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 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.