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Greater amberjackRetention openChannel · Texas
The Hole
27.06°N · 97.41°W · Channel · Laguna Madre From 5 nm North Of Port Mansfield To Baffin Bay TX
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 342 PM CDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMNight bite
Data from: NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Hole 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
Open-Meteo Marine
42Current: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
68Wind: 15 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 92°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
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 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
The Hole
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 The Hole
The Hole is a channel in Laguna Madre From 5 nm North Of Port Mansfield To Baffin Bay TX, Texas. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, red snapper, black drum and gray snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Crevalle jack peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Boggy Slough61
Gut · 15 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Crevalle jack 58
14 kt EL 7:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:19 AM · 1.8 ft
- Land Cut50
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Crevalle jack 50
- Red drum 44
15 kt E
- Rocky Slough47
Gut · 7.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 47
- Crevalle jack 45
- Red drum 43
15 kt E
- Middle Ground42
Bar · 5.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 42
- Crevalle jack 39
- Gray triggerfish 39
15 kt E
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.