When to fish for Bonefish: Bonefish move onto flats on the run-up tide and feed actively in 1–3 ft of water.
Also known as Ghost, Macabi (Sp.), Grey Ghost. Bait, technique, tide windows, and where the bite is on right now.
Bonefish — Saltwater flats fly-fishing classic — Florida Keys / Bahamas. Also called Ghost, Macabi (Sp.), Grey Ghost.
Bonefish in clear flats can detect a fly landing 20 m away through pressure-sensitive lateral lines and will refuse a presentation if the fly lands too close, too hard, or in their forward visual cone. The successful presentation drops the fly 1.5 m ahead of the fish on a 30-degree intercept course, not directly in front of it.
Bonefish is also known as: Ghost, Macabi (Sp.), Grey Ghost. Saltwater flats fly-fishing classic — Florida Keys / Bahamas.
Regional names can confuse anglers and cause misidentification. The table of common names below covers the most-used alternatives across Australia, New Zealand and the US:
Key to correct identification: check the regulations-authority species sheet for your state or territory before keeping any fish — minimum legal sizes, bag limits and identification guides are published by each fisheries department and are the authoritative source.
Hero spots in our coverage where Bonefish is in season for August. Click through for the live forecast.
Out of season across our covered spots in August. Check back in May.
Pole the boat or wade-fish onto sand and turtle-grass flats in 1–3 ft of water. Spot tailing or cruising fish, lead them by 3–6 ft, strip strike on the eat. Use fluorocarbon leader (10–15 lb) and the lightest fly you can present without spooking — bonefish are notoriously skittish. The Florida Keys backcountry (Islamorada south through Key West) is the textbook ground; trophy 10 lb+ fish exist but average is 4–7 lb.
Bonefish move onto flats on the run-up tide and feed actively in 1–3 ft of water. Run-up tides on the first three hours of incoming are prime; high water and the first two hours of outgoing also fish. The fish leave the flats as water drops below their comfort depth. Wind direction matters — leeward flats with calm water are easiest to sight-fish.
Bonefish are weakly moon-dependent. The biggest practical impact of moon is tide height — spring tides push fish much further up onto previously-inaccessible flats. Cloud cover and water clarity matter more than moon phase for sight-fishing success.
Florida: catch-and-release only (since 2013). 1 fish per person bag exists but is functionally unused; the entire serious bonefish community is 100% release. Use barbless hooks, keep fish in the water, support belly with both hands. Verify FWC rules — bonefish populations in the Keys are stressed from habitat degradation.
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.
Fishare tracks your home spots and pings you when the next 3-hour peak window opens. Log catches and blanks to teach the model your local patterns. The forecast, saved spots and catch log stay free, forever.
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