Greater Amberjack & Almaco Jack
What:
If you've ever heard someone on a dive boat call a fish a "reef donkey," they're talking about the greater amberjack. These fish are absolute bruisers — they're one of the hardest fighting fish on any reef or wreck, pound for pound. The greater amberjack is the big dog of the Seriola family, commonly reaching 40 to 80 pounds with some pushing well past 100. They have a torpedo-shaped body built for power, a distinctive dark amber stripe that runs from the nose through the eye toward the dorsal fin, and a brownish-green back that fades to silver on the sides. Their cousin the almaco jack is basically a smaller, stubbier version — more football-shaped with a darker overall coloring and higher, more sickle-shaped dorsal and anal fins. Almacos typically run 5 to 20 pounds in Florida waters, though the spearfishing world record almaco was taken off La Paz, Mexico at a ridiculous 117 pounds. Both species are members of the jack family and both will absolutely wreck your day if you're not ready for the fight. They eat fish, squid, crabs, and pretty much anything that moves near structure. Greater amberjack are also excellent eating with firm white meat, and almacos are considered by many to be the best tasting of the entire amberjack family — often used in high-end sushi as "kampachi." Photo of Cameron from Tag Spearguns putting them to good use.
Where:
Greater amberjack are found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. In the US, the best spots are the Gulf Coast — particularly offshore from Florida's Panhandle, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas — and the South Atlantic from the Carolinas down through the Keys. They live around reefs, wrecks, oil platforms, and any significant structure in depths from 60 to over 200 feet. They tend to hover in the water column above structure rather than sitting on the bottom, which is important to understand when you're hunting them. Almaco jack share much of the same range but tend to prefer deeper, more oceanic waters. They hang around the same types of structure — wrecks, reefs, rocks, offshore platforms — but are more commonly encountered at greater depths. In the Pacific, almaco jack are abundant around Baja California and the Sea of Cortez, where they grow significantly larger than their Atlantic counterparts. The famous El Bajo seamount off La Paz is legendary for monster almacos. Both species can also be found throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, and the Canary Islands.
When:
Greater amberjack are available year-round in tropical and subtropical waters, but regulations heavily dictate when you can harvest them. In the Gulf of Mexico, amberjack season has been significantly restricted due to overfishing concerns — check current regulations carefully because seasons and size limits differ between the Gulf and Atlantic sides of Florida. As of recent years, Gulf amberjack have had split seasons (typically May and August through October) with a 34-inch fork length minimum. Atlantic regulations are generally more open with a 28-inch minimum and year-round harvest. Almacos have fewer restrictions and are often legal year-round. For diving conditions, summer and early fall offer the best visibility and warmest water in the Gulf and South Atlantic. Amberjack tend to be most active when there's current moving across structure, and they respond well to incoming tide changes that push bait around wrecks and reefs. In Baja, winter through spring is prime time for big almaco jack around seamounts.
Tips:
Amberjack are one of those fish that look easy until you pull the trigger — and then all hell breaks loose. The number one thing you need to know about shooting an amberjack is that the fight happens in the first ten seconds. The instant that shaft hits, they are heading straight down into the structure to cut you off. If you don't get them turned immediately, you're going to lose your gear. This means you need a stout speargun — a 110 to 130cm gun with double bands and a heavy shaft is the minimum for greater amberjack. A breakaway float line rig is almost mandatory for fish over 30 pounds because they will pull you into the wreck if you're tethered directly.
Shot placement on amberjack is everything. You want the shot right behind the gill plate through the spine — a stone shot that kills or stuns them instantly is the only way to avoid a prolonged fight into structure. A body shot on an AJ is a recipe for a lost shaft. These fish are built like linebackers and they know exactly where every piece of structure is below them.
The best approach for amberjack is to work the water column above wrecks and reef structure. AJs are curious and will often come up to investigate a diver, especially if you're hanging at mid-depth above a wreck. Use that curiosity to your advantage — stay calm, act like you belong there, and let them circle in close. Flashers work well to draw them in, and some divers use a smaller dead fish or flasher attached to a downline to pull amberjack off deep structure and into shooting range.
For almaco jack, the game is similar but often deeper. In Baja, divers regularly hunt almacos on seamounts in 60 to 100+ foot depths, so breath-hold fitness is critical. Almacos tend to school tighter than greater amberjack and will circle structure in groups — if you see one, there are usually more.
One important note on amberjack — larger fish, particularly those over 30 pounds caught near oil platforms or certain wrecks, can carry parasitic worms. This doesn't make them unsafe to eat if properly cleaned and cooked, but it's something to be aware of. Most divers find that amberjack in the 20 to 40 pound range are the sweet spot for both fight and table quality. Fresh amberjack on the grill is hard to beat, and almaco sashimi is world class.