Waterlands

Species guide · Florida

Bonefish fishing in Florida

Albula vulpes, an inshore species also called gray ghost, o'io and oio. Listed for the South Florida and the Keys region. Peak season, about 3 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM at 67, one of 14 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Peak season
Where it's scoring nowAll Florida waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

South Florida and the Keys

Peak season, about 3 more weeks
  1. Jan: Off season
  2. Feb: Shoulder season
  3. Mar: Peak season
  4. Apr: Peak season
  5. May: Peak season
  6. Jun: Shoulder season
  7. Jul: Shoulder season
  8. Aug: Shoulder season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Peak season
  11. Nov: Peak season
  12. Dec: Off season

Peak: Mar to May, Oct to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Feb to Nov.

Research notes, South Florida and the Keys region

FWC lists peak season March through October with fish present year-round in the Keys and Biscayne Bay. Guides rate spring and fall best; midsummer flats get too hot at midday and cold fronts in December and January push fish off the flats. Catch and release only in Florida since Sept 1, 2013. The January 2010 cold event killed a large share of Keys bonefish.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 14

Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's bonefish score this hour.

1
67Great
Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (72) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 8 AM (84) · 6 named spots

2
66Great
Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (66) · Best day Wed, Nov 4 at 8 AM (84) · 199 named spots

3
64Good
Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (64) · Best day Wed, Nov 4 at 8 AM (85) · 109 named spots

4
56Good
Lake Okeechobee

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Wed, Nov 4 at 8 AM (66) · 11 named spots

5
34Fair
Biscayne Bay

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (34) · Best day Sun, Nov 8 at 6 PM (84) · 82 named spots

6
30Fair
Anegada Passage east of Virgin Gorda and Saint Croix south to 17N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 6 AM (61)

7
30Fair
Atlantic Waters of Puerto Rico AND USVI from 10 NM to 19.5N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Wed, Nov 11 at 7 AM (72)

8
30Fair
Caribbean Waters of Puerto Rico from 10 NM to 17N, including the Coastal Waters of Saint Croix

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 6 AM (67)

9
30Fair
Coastal Waters east of Puerto Rico, around Vieques, and around and just north of Culebra and Saint John

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 6 AM (66)

10
30Fair
Coastal Waters from Cabo San Juan to the waters between Anegada Island and Virgin Gorda and North 10 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 6 AM (68)

11
30Fair
Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sat, Nov 7 at 6 PM (76) · 16 named spots

12
30Fair
Mona Passage Southward to 17N

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Nov 10 at 1 PM (71)

13
30Fair
Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Thu, Nov 5 at 6 PM (76)

14
30Fair
Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM

Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Mon, Nov 9 at 8 AM (76)

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 68°F to 90°F, best between 72°F and 84°F.
Water depth
1 to 12 ft of water.
Structure
Flat, grass, channel, reef and mangrove, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers incoming tide and high tide, with moderate current.Bonefish move onto shallow flats and into tidal creeks to feed on the rising and high tide and fall back to deeper water as it drops. The first of the flood along flat edges and the ends of a falling tide at channel mouths are the classic windows. Slack low water on a flat usually holds no fish.
Light
Little tied to dawn and dusk.
Pressure
Prefers steady pressure.
Wind and sea limits
15 kt of wind and 1 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Bonefish push onto shallow sand and grass flats with the rising tide to root for shrimp, crabs and clams, often in water under 2 feet deep, and fall back to channel edges and deeper flats as the tide drops. Most fish are sight cast to with a small shrimp or crab fly, a light jig or a live shrimp, which takes bright sun, light wind and a quiet approach. They are catch and release only in Florida, and in Hawaii many anglers also fish bait from shore along sand channels and reef edges.

Methods
sight casting, fly fishing, wading, poling skiff, bait soaking from shore
Lures
small skimmer or bucktail jig, shrimp fly (Crazy Charlie, Gotcha), crab fly
Bait
live shrimp, shrimp tail, crab, clam

Regulations

FWC saltwater regulations Buy a Florida fishing license License types

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Oct 31, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.

StatewideCatch & release

No retention

Season: No closed season on file

No multiple hooks with natural bait.

FWC Recreational Regulations: Bonefish · verified Sep 13, 2026

Other Florida species