Waterlands

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Greater amberjackRetention open

Bay · Texas

Sievers Cove

29.43°N · 94.71°W · Bay · Galveston Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Greater amberjack

80/100Great
Now
379 AM CDT
Best window
6-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.4 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score37Fair
Tide1.4 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind5 kn NEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp84°Hot
WeatherClear14% cloud
Water89°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)

IN EFFECT NOW

Greater amberjack

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
2 in possession
Size
Minimum 38 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Have a descending device or venting tool ready for reef fish showing signs of barotrauma. TPWD lists no season for state waters. Federal-waters rules, including the federal season, are separate. The possession limit is double the daily bag and does not count fish stored at your residence. While fishing, you may not hold more than the daily bag.

From TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Amberjack Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day)
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (20 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (3 per day)
  • Red snapper Retention open (4 per day)
  • Sailfish Retention open
  • Sheepshead Retention open (5 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)

Source: TPWD · 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 Texas

Spot profile

Sievers Cove

Depth
1-10 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Sievers Cove

Sievers Cove is a bay in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for southern flounder, black drum, gray snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack 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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hanna Reef

    Bar · 4.4 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Red drum 58
    • Atlantic tarpon 55

    5 kt NEL 3:04 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:06 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Baffle Point

    Cape · 4.4 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Red drum 65
    • Southern flounder 58

    5 kt NEL 10:27 AM · 1.7 ftH 1:35 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Stingaree Point

    Cape · 4.8 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Atlantic tarpon 61

    5 kt NEL 10:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:21 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Pepper Grove Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    59
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 58
    • Red drum 57

    5 kt NEL 10:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:21 PM · 1.5 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 TPWD before you keep a fish.