# Where are the closest bonefish to South Texas?



## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

I’ve been wondering this question lately. Kinda two parts though. Where they are actually located and what trip to catch them would be the most economical? I’ve not done it with a fly rod so I’d like to do that.


----------



## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

The Yucatan is truly unique and offers almost a guarantee on bonefish and good shots at permit, tarpon and snook. I've fished with Pesca Maya and it's a good operation. Short flight from Brownsville or Houston to Cancun and a cool drive down.


----------



## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

Belize


----------



## cjp (Aug 18, 2020)

Zika said:


> The Yucatan is truly unique and offers almost a guarantee on bonefish and good shots at permit, tarpon and snook. I've fished with Pesca Maya and it's a good operation. Short flight from Brownsville or Houston to Cancun and a cool drive down.


Second this. You could try Florida since the flight time difference is marginal, but I caught more bonefish on a three day trip to Ascension Bay then in my entire life in Florida. Plus so many shots at permit. 

If cost is a concern, stay in Tulum town, not the beach. The beach is kinda a tourist yoga place anyway. You can get a cab to the pick up point for Pesca Maya as long as the road isn’t in bad shape. I was on a shoe string budget and actually rented a beach cruiser to DIY Boca Paila. It was a long ride but an experience. Of course if cost isn’t a concern then do not do any of that that. Stay in the biosphere or Punta Allen. “Fly fishing the Yucatán” is a decent short book on the topic.


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Punta Allen or Belize. Fished both, but Belize many more times. You don't get a lot of monsters, they are there, but fewer. North Belize is much better for bones than mid or south - those are more permit and tarpon territory.


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Zika said:


> The Yucatan is truly unique and offers almost a guarantee on bonefish and good shots at permit, tarpon and snook. I've fished with Pesca Maya and it's a good operation. Short flight from Brownsville or Houston to Cancun and a cool drive down.


I second Yucatan


----------



## Capt Will Robins (Mar 31, 2020)

Mexico is your best bet. I would venture a little further south of Tulum (2 hours) to Mahahual or Xcalak. The DIY fishing is fantastic, with little angling pressure (much less this year....). There are also some great guides in the area. 

Chetumal is also a growing area for great fishing in locations that have never before seen a fly angler. This would be a purely guided option.

I own Fly Fish Costa Maya. We are a fly shop and outfitters service, based in Chetumal, and the only of its kind in Mexico. We do a lot of bookings for anglers looking to do DIY + guiding, and also offer DIY advice. I guide down here as well, both wade trips and skiff trips.

The Bonefish down here average 3lbs, with many on the beaches pushing 5-6lbs and a few bigger. The perfect sizes to get you numbers, but also a true idea of Bonefish on fly. I was guiding a client a few days back who primarily wanted to target Bonefish. We stuck a few on the beach in the morning, then chased trailers on turtle grass flats in the afternoon.

It also is worth mentioning that we have a great Tarpon and Permit fishery here, along with other interesting species like Triggerfish.

Feel free to drop me a message here or an email to [email protected]. You can also shoot me a call at the shop WhatsApp number +447463 808035 for up to date fishing reports and DIY or guiding info.

All the best,

Will


----------



## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

Bahamas is way more expensive if you do an official lodge but some very good DIY options and bonefish are much bigger. Some very economic lodge options in Mexico and Belize and will have a better shot at Permit there as well.


----------



## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

DIY is much more feasible in Bahamas. I don't think I'd ever go to MX or Belize to strictly target bonefish. The bonefish I saw and caught in MX were tiny by comparison to the ones I saw and caught in the Bahamas. Our Bahamas trip was much less expensive than the MX trip FWIW.


----------



## AggieFlyGuy (Jun 12, 2018)

cjp said:


> Second this. You could try Florida since the flight time difference is marginal, but I caught more bonefish on a three day trip to Ascension Bay then in my entire life in Florida. Plus so many shots at permit.
> 
> If cost is a concern, stay in Tulum town, not the beach. The beach is kinda a tourist yoga place anyway. You can get a cab to the pick up point for Pesca Maya as long as the road isn’t in bad shape. I was on a shoe string budget and actually rented a beach cruiser to DIY Boca Paila. It was a long ride but an experience. Of course if cost isn’t a concern then do not do any of that that. Stay in the biosphere or Punta Allen. “Fly fishing the Yucatán” is a decent short book on the topic.


 There are bonefish at Scorpion Atoll, which is about thirty miles offshore from Veracruz in the Gulf. That is the closest, but certainly not the least expensive to access.


----------



## AggieFlyGuy (Jun 12, 2018)

As a side note, bonefish frye have been caught by Parks and Wildlife while sein netting in the Upper Laguna Madre (and in the Rockport area as well). There is actually a Texas state record bonefish that was, if I recall, caught off the Port Aransas jetties back in the 70s. So, there are actually bonefish in Texas, albeit no legitimate fishery. 



There is a bonefish record in Texas, 1977 | Bonefish on the Brain



Here is a link to one such article.


----------



## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

AggieFlyGuy said:


> As a side note, bonefish frye have been caught by Parks and Wildlife while sein netting in the Upper Laguna Madre (and in the Rockport area as well). There is actually a Texas state record bonefish that was, if I recall, caught off the Port Aransas jetties back in the 70s. So, there are actually bonefish in Texas, albeit no legitimate fishery.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I figured there had to be a few that made their way to south Texas. Every few years we hear about a couple being caught in the power plant outflows or on the beach in summer here in Tampa.


----------

