Amberjacks are back! How to make the most of the remaining Gulf season

There’s still time to put lures down for a popular fish that experienced an early season closure in 2019.

After closing early in May, the greater amberjack season in Gulf waters has been open since Aug. 1 and is scheduled to stay that way until Oct. 31.

Amberjack regulations in Gulf waters include minimum size limit of 34 inches fork length and a one-per-person daily bag limit.

Even with this year’s early closure, the amberjack bite has been somewhat hit-and-miss for anglers.

“It’s not that they’re not there, they just haven’t been biting that great,” local fishing correspondent Griffin Wilson said. “Sometimes when it gets this time of year, the bite gets a little tough. Between the heat and the pressure, it gets tough. I think it’s probably the heat more than anything.”

Fishing for greater amberjack is a hunt for relief, though not by the conventional definition.

Greater amberjack can best be fished off bigger structures like ship wrecks, barges and deeper rock. The greater depth, or relief, of these areas is utilized by amberjack, which swim in the middle of the water column.

Wilson likes to use big live baits when targeting amberjack, such as ruby red lips or hard tails. That comes with a longer leader and 80-100-pound braid. Don’t expect instant relief either once the fish is on the line.

“Once we hook one we usually like to pull it off the wreck because they fight pretty hard,” Wilson said. “They’re not like a snapper. You can hook a snapper and pull it up pretty easy, but if you hook a big AJ you better get going.”

When targeting amberjack, remember that while some structures closer to shore may have the fish around, they often may not reach the minimum legal length in shallower waters.  

The Gulf has produced a record amberjack this month in neighboring waters.

According to Yellowhammer News, a 38-year-old Alabama record recently fell when Brian Andrews of Citronelle, Alabama hauled in a 132-pound, 12.8-ounce fish earlier this month. The record-certification process is still underway.

In Florida, the greater Amberjack record is 142 pounds and dates to a 1979 catch in Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

On the table, amberjack is a white-meat fish that is often grilled.

Other offshore targets include gag grouper and mingo snapper. Among inshore, red fish bite has been good this August and Wilson said he only expects it to improve with falling temperatures.

Flounder will also going to be coming into the picture and will soon be an easy target over at Pensacola Pass.

Eric J. Wallace can be reached at ejwallace@pnj.com or 850-525-5087.