Fishermen who charter trips to the southeast United States are attracted to the amberjack. These fish are a challenge for anglers who love to catch them. They also make great smoked or grilled meats.
What can you do next time you go fishing in Pensacola? These are some tips to help you catch amberjack.
Where and when to catch them
Fishing in Florida has the advantage of amberjack being available all year. It’s important to understand how they behave during certain seasons. Some amberjacks will remain put throughout the year, while others migrate for spawning reasons. Amberjacks that are found in the more northern regions of North Carolina and Georgia will migrate to Florida in April and May to spawn. This makes them particularly attractive for fishermen. You can find them in Florida waters at any time of year.
It’s worth looking into the Florida habits of amberjacks to help you decide where to go. Amberjacks love living in structures such as shipwrecks and rock piles, deep ledges, artificial reefs, shipwrecks, rock stacks, and other underwater structures. Amberjacks spend most of their time between 60-240 feet below the surface. If you want to catch the largest fish, you will need to venture into deep water with structures.
Tackle
It is not difficult to get amberjacks to bite. The hard part of getting amberjack to bite is actually loading them onto the boat. This will require some heavy-duty gear. You won’t be able to tire them out so you will likely need to fight them for a few hundred feet to get them to your boat.
Traditional tackle is the best option, as amberjack can pull down structures. However, heavy spinning tackle may be an option. A heavy reel with an 80-100-pound test line and a strong rod with a strong backbone are essential, especially when you plan to use a spinning tackle. If you’re going to be able to chum fish away from structures, you should use spinning gear.
Conventional tackle will give you more leverage, and you can use live bait or deep vertical jigs closer to the structure. Amberjack aren’t picky, which is the good news. Amberjack will take on almost any task.
Are you looking for tips and tricks to make your next fishing charter in St. Petersburg, FL a success? Salty Knots Fishing Charters is a great place to start. We are happy to answer all your questions!
The article was written by a professional charter captain at Salty Knots Fishing Charters with 15+ years of experience in the Gulf of Mexico. Salty Knots Fishing Charters is a local fishing charter service based out of St. Pete Beach, Florida. “We know what it takes to catch a giant trophy fish!” Salty Knots Is the best when it comes to St Petersburg Fishing Charters.
