Waterlands

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Greater amberjackClosed

Cape · Florida

Buccaroo Point

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

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Best score today · 7 AM · Greater amberjack

71/100Great
Now
201 AM CST
Best window
6-10 AMHigh slack
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 · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind10 kn SEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateRough4.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
Water75°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Greater amberjack

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Oct 14, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Executive Order 26-25 closes Gulf state waters from October 14, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The order itself says it expires November 1, 2026, so check with FWC for the status after that date.

From FWC Executive Order 26-25: Gulf greater amberjack closure, 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 Closed (No retention)
  • 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • 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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 3 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 Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, gray triggerfish, red grouper and gray snapper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and in 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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Boggy Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    54
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Spanish mackerel 50
    • King mackerel 48

    10 kt SEH 8:07 AM · 0.6 ftL 5:24 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shirk Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    54
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Spanish mackerel 49
    • King mackerel 48

    10 kt SEH 7:09 AM · 0.5 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shirk Bayou

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    54
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Spanish mackerel 50
    • King mackerel 48

    10 kt SEH 8:07 AM · 0.6 ftL 5:24 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Boggy Bayou

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    54
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Spanish mackerel 50
    • King mackerel 48

    10 kt SEH 8:07 AM · 0.6 ftL 5:24 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.