Bonefish

Season in Southeast Florida

FWC Where to Saltwater Fish: bonefish early summer (Broward, Miami-Dade), spring to mid summer (Palm Beach). Florida Museum: most plentiful in south Florida; mainly Biscayne Bay flats on this stretch of coast. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Biscayne Bay flats (FWC lists bonefish for Miami-Dade and Broward); a flats fish found by sight, not a beach or pier fish.

Roots prey out of the bottom on shallow flats; schools up to about 100 fish spread out to feed and regroup when frightened (Florida Museum).

What to look for

Tailing fish and nervous water on shallow flats.

Bait

Live shrimp. .

Leader

Common mistakes

• Fishing the flats on a falling tide when fish have dropped back to deeper water

Landing

Let it run; release it in the water.

Handling

Keep it in the water and release it quickly; Florida Museum says most human-caused deaths come from landing injuries such as gut hooking, or from sharks after release.

Keep or release

Florida requires recreational bonefish to be released and bans commercial sale (Florida Museum, citing FWC rules). The flesh is bony and not prized as food.

Recipes for bonefish

Typical: 4 to 6 lb in Florida (Florida Museum). Large: Over 8 lb is large; maximum about 31 in and 13 to 14 lb.

Limits

FishOS has not checked the FL limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

• Florida FWC: Where to Saltwater Fish (species and seasons by county, Nassau to Monroe) (Official source)
• Florida Museum, Discover Fishes: bonefish (Official source)
• Florida Keys Weekly (Richard Hastings, Dec 2025): cold fronts bring hungry bonefish (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Southeast Florida