UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Greater amberjackRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 492 PM CDT
- Best window
- 2-6 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Destin Harbor 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
42Season: 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
Destin Harbor
- Depth
- 6-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Destin Harbor
Destin Harbor is a bay in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Crevalle jack peak from May through July.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Pass73
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
2 kt SEL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft
- Marler Bayou69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 65
2 kt SEL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft
- Joes Bayou69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
- Gray snapper 63
2 kt SEL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft
- Cobbs Point64
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 63
- Red drum 61
2 kt SEL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 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.