Bonefish
Albula vulpes · Albulidae
Also known as: Grey ghost, Banana fish
The grey ghost of the flats, and one of the few US saltwater fish you may not keep at all. FWC has managed bonefish as a catch-and-release fishery since 1 September 2013.
- Typical size
- Most fish are 3-5 lb
- Max size
- FWC records them to 18 lb but rarely more than 10 lb. The Florida state record is 16 lb 3 oz, caught near Islamorada in the Keys.
- Water
- Saltwater
- Best season
- Warm months, on calm days when the flats can be read.
Identification
Silvery with a bluish or greenish back, a long snout and an overhanging lower jaw. Dark streaks run along the upper half of the body with faint cross-bands reaching down to the lateral line, and the dorsal and caudal fin tips are shaded black. The subterminal mouth, set under the snout, separates it from ladyfish.
Habitat & Range
Shallow water often less than a foot deep, usually over lush seagrass flats and occasionally over white sand.
South Florida and the Florida Keys, and warm shallow flats through the Caribbean.
Diet & Feeding
Travels in small schools prowling grass beds and sand flats for shrimp, crabs and other invertebrates.
Spawning & Reproduction
No FWC spawning window or temperature was found for Florida bonefish, so none is published here.
How to Catch
It is catch and release only in Florida — FWC made bonefish a catch-and-release fishery on 1 September 2013, and on the same date prohibited using a multiple hook with live or dead natural bait to take or attempt to take them. Fish it as a sight fishery: the fish are in water so shallow that your shadow, your footfall and a badly placed cast all matter more than your tackle.
Best techniques
- Sight-casting on foot
- Poled skiff on the flats
- Fly fishing
Lures & baits
- Small crab and shrimp flies
- Live shrimp
- Small jigs
Best season: Warm months, on calm days when the flats can be read.