4.94 / 5 Average Review Score
Team of Experts Available 24/7
100% Weather Guarantee
Licensed and Insured Guides
Top 39 bonefish trips
Everything to Know About Booking a bonefish fishing charter
What are the best bonefish fishing charters?
Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 39 bonefish trips, and the most popular trips are Tavernier Backcountry Fishing guided by Ben, Flats and Back Country guided by Eric, and Jupiter Fly Fishing with Dingo guided by Jarad.
Our guides are rated a 5 out of 5 based on 683 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.
All guides on Captain Experiences are licensed, insured, and vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.
What types of bonefish fishing charters are common?
Inshore fishing is the most popular for bonefish as well as flats fishing, nearshore fishing, and offshore fishing.
The most common fishing techniques are light tackle fishing, fly fishing, and live bait fishing but artificial lure fishing and drift fishing are popular as well.
How much do bonefish fishing charters cost?
for bonefish prices can range anywhere from $180 to $3,000 and up, but the average price for a half day for bonefish is $571. The average price for a full day for bonefish is $1,110.
When is the best time to go bonefish fishing?
The most popular season for bonefish fishing is winter, and most anglers book their trips 25 days in advance.
Where can I get a fishing license for bonefish and what are the bag limits for bonefish?
See here for more information on bonefish fishing licenses, bonefish bag limits, and fishing season regulations for bonefish. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right bonefish rules and regulations.
What is a Bonefish?
Bonefish (Albula vulpes), sometimes called just “bones” or “gray ghosts,” are an elusive fish that are highly regarded by anglers in their difficulty to catch. They have silver sides with slightly darker to olive green backs, stripes down their side, and have a very streamlined body.
This body shape helps them to reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, helping them to evade predators and to run out your line in a matter of seconds. They also have lung-like air bladders, which help them to tolerate shallower water with less oxygen, and are very sensitive to noise.
How big do Bonefish get?
Bonefish vary in size depending on what area they are in. In Florida and the Bahamas, they will typically grow to four to six pounds. In the West Indies, they are known to get up to twice that size. There are rumors that waters near South Africa and Hawaii grow to over 20 pounds.
Regardless of where you find them, bonefish reach sexual maturity between three and four years, but can live up to 19 years.
What's the biggest Bonefish ever caught?
Despite the rumors of 20 pound gray ghosts being caught, the IGFA lists the all-tackle world record at 16 pounds. It was caught off a rod and reel by Jerry Lavenstein out of Bimini, Bahamas on February 25th, 1971.
There was a 16 pound, 3 ounce bonefish caught, weighed, and released by Bob Schroeder out of the Florida Keys on March 19th, 2007, however it was never certified by the IGFA, leaving Jerry Lavenstein’s monster in the lead.
Where is the best place to catch Bonefish?
Bonefish live in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Some of the best places to catch them are the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and near Belize, though they can be found up and down both coasts of the United States, as well as Mexico, Central and South America, South Africa, and Hawaii.
When it is low tide, bonefish will head to deeper waters, up to around 300 feet. When the tide comes back in, they will follow it to search shallow waters for food, swimming in mudflats as little as four inches deep.
When should I catch Bonefish?
Bonefish can be fished for all year, however larger fish typically move to deeper waters the during hotter months. This makes the peak season ranging from March to May, and then October when they return.
As mentioned before, they move inshore during high tide to hunt and feed. This is the perfect time to target them, so be sure to check out your local reports of high and low tide.
How do you catch Bonefish?
Bonefishing, or fishing for bonefish, can be done by fly fishing or with light tackle, by either drift or still fishing. No matter what method you use, be sure to be very wary of the fish, as they are easily startled, especially when schooling. Casting from six to ten feet away will lessen your chances of spooking them.
Chumming the water with shrimp, crab, or cut conch to distract them is also another great option. From there you can use natural bait such as live shrimp or small crabs, brought rapidly across the surface, or artificial baits such as flatheaded skimmer jigs, plugs, or flies, used to create sand puffs in the water.
Sight-casting for schools, or stalking individual bones cruising or tailing will lead you in the right direction. Tailing is a term used for the action of a bonefish digging in the ocean bottom of shallow water to look for food. They use their tails for leverage to dig, by slapping the water for balance.
Once they are found, and you have your prepared bait and possibly chum, you should aim that bait a few feet away from the fish, and give it a delicate and precise cast. The more confident you are in your aim, and your ability to lay it down gracefully, the closer you can aim to the fish.
Are Bonefish good to eat?
Bonefish, like their name suggests, are fully of many, many tiny and large bones making them nearly impossible to clean. Also, bonefish over six inches long are poisonous to humans when consumed, as they contain high levels of clupeotoxin. For both these reasons, bonefish are better off being caught and released.
What's biting?
Bonefish Fishing Reports from Our Damn Good Guides.
Other Species
- African Pompano
- Albacore Tuna
- Alligator
- Alligator Gar
- Almaco Jack
- Amberjack
- Arctic Char
- Atlantic Mackerel
- Atlantic Salmon
- Barracuda
- Bigeye Tuna
- Black Drum
- Black Duck
- Black Grouper
- Black Marlin
- Black Seabass
- Black-Bellied Whistling Duck
- Blackbelly Rosefish
- Blackfin Tuna
- Blacktip Shark
- Blue Catfish
- Blue Marlin
- Blue Shark
- Blue-Winged Teal
- Bluefin Tuna
- Bluefish
- Bluegill
- Bonito
- Bonnethead Shark
- Bowfin
- Bream
- Brook Trout
- Broomtail Grouper
- Brown Trout
- Bufflehead
- Bull Shark
- Burbot
- Calico Bass
- California Corbina
- California Sheephead
- Canada Goose
- Canvasback
- Carp
- Cero Mackerel
- Channel Catfish
- Chinook Salmon
- Chum Salmon
- Cichlid
- Cinnamon Teal
- Clown Knifefish
- Cobia
- Cod
- Coho Salmon
- Common Goldeneye
- Common Merganser
- Crab
- Crappie
- Cubera Snapper
- Cutthroat Trout
- Dolly Varden
- Dove
- Flathead Catfish
- Florida Pompano
- Flounder
- Fluke
- Freshwater Drum
- Gadwall
- Gag Grouper
- Garfish
- Giant Trevally
- Golden Dorado
- Golden Trout
- Goliath Grouper
- Great White Shark
- Greater Scaup / Bluebill
- Green-Winged Teal
- Grunt
- Guadalupe Bass
- Haddock
- Halibut
- Hammerhead Shark
- Hardhead Catfish
- Hog
- Hogfish
- Hooded Merganser
- Horse-eye Jack
- Hybrid Striped Bass
- Jack Crevalle
- King Mackerel / Kingfish
- Ladyfish
- Lake Trout
- Lane Snapper
- Largemouth Bass
- Lemon Shark
- Leopard Shark
- Lesser Scaup / Bluebill
- Lingcod
- Lionfish
- Little Tunny / False Albacore
- Lobster
- Mahi Mahi / Dorado
- Mako Shark
- Mallard
- Mangrove Snapper
- Mexican Duck
- Mottled Duck
- Mullet Snapper
- Muskie
- Mutton Snapper
- Needlefish
- Northern Pike
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Shoveler
- Nurse Shark
- Peacock Bass
- Perch
- Permit
- Pink Salmon
- Pink Snapper
- Pollock
- Porbeagle Shark
- Queen Snapper
- Rainbow Runner
- Rainbow Trout
- Ray
- Red Grouper
- Red Snapper
- Red-Breasted Merganser
- Redfish
- Redhead
- Ring-Necked Duck
- Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
- Rockfish
- Roosterfish
- Sailfish
- Sauger
- Scallop
- Scamp Grouper
- Sculpin
- Scup / Porgy
- Shad
- Sheepshead
- Shrimp
- Skate
- Skipjack Tuna
- Smallmouth Bass
- Smallmouth Buffalo
- Snook
- Snow Goose
- Snowy Grouper
- Sockeye Salmon
- Spadefish
- Spanish Mackerel
- Spearfish
- Specklebelly Goose
- Speckled Trout / Spotted Seatrout
- Spotted Bass
- Steelhead
- Stingray
- Strawberry Grouper
- Striped Bass
- Striped Marlin
- Sturgeon
- Sunfish
- Swordfish
- Tarpon
- Tautog
- Thresher Shark
- Tiger Shark
- Tigerfish
- Tilapia
- Tilefish
- Triggerfish
- Tripletail
- Vermillion Snapper
- Wahoo
- Walleye
- Warsaw Grouper
- Weakfish
- White Bass
- White Marlin
- White Seabass
- Whiting
- Wigeon
- Wood Duck
- Yellowfin Tuna
- Yellowtail Amberjack
- Yellowtail Snapper
States
Cities
- Big Pine Key, Florida
- Cancún, Mexico
- Caracas, Venezuela
- Cudjoe Key, Florida
- Islamorada, Florida
- Jupiter, Florida
- Key Largo, Florida
- Key West, Florida
- Layton, Florida
- Marathon, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Miami Beach, Florida
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Savannah Sound, The Bahamas
- Spanish Wells, The Bahamas
- Summerland Key, Florida
- Tavernier, Florida
- Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
Countries
Other Featured Cities
- Anchorage, AK
- Aransas Pass, TX
- Austin, TX
- Biloxi, MS
- Bozeman, MT
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Charleston, SC
- Clearwater, FL
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Dauphin Island, AL
- Delray Beach, FL
- Destin, FL
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Fort Myers. FL
- Freeport, TX
- Galveston, TX
- Gulf Shores, AL
- Hilton Head Island, SC
- Islamorada, FL
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jupiter, FL
- Key Largo, FL
- Key West, FL
- Kona, HI
- Marathon, FL
- Matagorda, TX
- Miami, FL
- Naples, FL
- New Orleans, LA
- Orange Beach, AL
- Panama City Beach, FL
- Pensacola, FL
- Port Aransas, TX
- Port O'Connor, TX
- Quepos, Costa Rica
- Rockport, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- South Padre Island, TX
- St. Augustine, FL
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Tulum, Mexico
- Venice, LA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Wilmington, NC