Fishing for Amberjack in Orange Beach during  August and possibly later

Fishing  amberjack in Orange Beach is always a challenge that many anglers enjoy taking on. The amberjack is a fish that will give you a battle from the beginning to the end. Fish in water depths of 100 feet to near 300 feet with high structure for your best success. Amberjack spend most of their time in schools high in the water column. Fishing a live bait is the best option for hooking one of these hard fighting fish. We provide strong tackle for your battle with these big boys. Amberjack will usually range from about 16 pounds to over 100 pounds. We have boated several in the range from 60 pounds to 95 pounds. A 20 to 30 pound amberjack is a common size. To catch a keeper size amberjack I always recommend a 10 or 12 hour trip. You may occasionally catch an amberjack on a shorter length fishing charter.

The following information is provided from the NOAA Fisheries. For more information go to their website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/greater-amberjack

Appearance

• Greater amberjack have a dark amber strip on their head, extending from their nose to their first dorsal (back) fin, which becomes more defined when the fish is excited or feeding.
• They have a brownish or bluish-grey back, a silvery-white belly, and an amber horizontal strip along the middle of their body.
• Juveniles have a yellow color and five or six dark vertical bars along the sides.

Biology

• Greater amberjack can grow up to 6 feet long and live to be 17 years old.
• Adults can weigh up to 200 pounds with a more common size of 40 pounds.
• Females grow larger in size and live longer than males.
• Greater amberjack mature at about 3 to 4 years of age and spawn primarily from March to June on reefs and shipwrecks. A female can release between 18 and 59 million eggs during a single spawning season.
• Adults eat mostly crab, squid, and other fishes found on reefs.
• Juveniles feed on plankton, including crustacean larvae and other small invertebrates.
• Predators include seabirds and larger fishes, such as yellowfin tuna.

Where They Live

• Greater amberjack are found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• In the western Atlantic, they are found from Nova Scotia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.