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Greater amberjackClosedSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 203 PM CST
- Best window
- 3-6 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Stake Point 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 9 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Stake Point
- Depth
- 2-4 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 Stake Point
Stake Point is a cape in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 2-4 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, Spanish mackerel and king mackerel. It is peak season now for red drum, Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, gray triggerfish, red grouper and gray snapper. Red drum peak from September 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Rocky Bayou72
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Spanish mackerel 65
- King mackerel 61
9 kt SEL 8:36 PM · 0.4 ftH 7:09 AM · 0.5 ft
- Choctawhatchee Bay69
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 69
- King mackerel 60
- Florida pompano 59
4 kt EL 10:29 PM · 0.4 ftH 7:52 AM · 0.6 ft
- Ward Cove69
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Spanish mackerel 69
- Florida pompano 62
9 kt SEL 8:36 PM · 0.4 ftH 7:09 AM · 0.5 ft
- Jones Bayou56
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 56
- Spanish mackerel 52
- King mackerel 49
9 kt SEH 6:18 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:46 PM · 0.2 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.