Fly Fishing the Flats — Bonefish, Permit and Tarpon, and the Laws That Protect Them
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Checked against the Bahamas, Belize, Mexico and Seychelles authorities, 8 October 2026
A flat is a stretch of sea a foot or two deep, over white sand, turtle grass or marl, where fish come up with the tide to feed and you can see them before they see you. Fishing one is closer to stalking than to casting: you wade or stand on the bow of a skiff, a guide on the platform behind you calls the fish — “eleven o’clock, sixty feet, moving left” — and you have one or two casts to put the fly in front of it.
Three fish make the sport. The bonefish, silver and nearly invisible, which runs further and faster on the first hook-up than anything its size. The permit, the hardest of the three to fool, which some anglers chase for years. And the tarpon, which jumps. This page covers four places to find them — the Bahamas, Belize, Mexico’s Yucatán coast and the Seychelles outer islands — with every licence, fee and rule read from the government’s own pages and dated. Where we could not confirm something, we say so.
Book it. Then Hook it. (Catch & Release)
Destinations Guild is a travel reservation site as well as a fishing library. Most flats lodges are all-inclusive and collect you from the airstrip, but nearly every trip needs a night either side — in Nassau, Belize City, Cancún or Mahé — and many anglers fish the flats from a hotel with a day guide. Every town below is pinned to the right place on Trip.com, so “Punta Gorda” lands in Belize and not in Florida.
Rooms are booked through our partner Trip.com. Destinations Guild earns a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Vacation-home buttons for these towns are coming.
The Bahamas — where most people catch their first bonefish
Short flights from Florida, hard white flats, and the most clearly written flats law of the four countries.
Andros — the biggest flats in the Bahamas
Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and, for a bonefisher, the obvious first choice. Its west side is a vast wilderness of shallow creeks and marl flats reached only by boat, and the island is split by channels into North, Central (around Fresh Creek and Cargill Creek), Mangrove Cay and South Andros, each with its own airstrip and its own lodges. Big schools of smaller fish and singles of real size are both here; the guides will tell you which you are looking at.
Season and what to expect: the lodges fish from autumn into early summer. Deneki, which runs Andros South, calls autumn and winter “some of the best bonefishing of the season”, with average highs around 80°F from October to December; cold fronts in mid-winter can push fish off the flats for a day or two. May and June are hotter, calmer and quieter.
Confirmed with the Bahamas National Trust, 8 October 2026 — the West Side National Park, established in 2002, covers the western flats and is “only accessible by boat”; the Trust describes its flats as nursery habitat for bonefish and tarpon. The Trust’s page states no angling rules for the park. Ask your lodge, which fishes it every day.
Grand Bahama and Abaco
Grand Bahama’s East End is the easy one to reach: Freeport has an international airport, and the flats around McLean’s Town are about forty-five minutes’ drive away. Abaco’s Marls, west of Marsh Harbour, are a maze of mangrove and shallow water with a reputation for larger, warier fish. Both islands were hit hard by Hurricane Dorian in 2019; some well-known lodges have not reopened, so we list only those whose own websites show them operating today.
Confirmed with the Government of the Bahamas, 8 October 2026 — the flats licence, the guide rules and catch and release apply on every island. See Licences and the law below. Best months for these two islands come from the lodges, not the government.
Belize — the Grand Slam country
Bonefish, permit and tarpon on the same reef system, and a law that protects all three.
Turneffe Atoll, Ambergris Caye and the north
Belize sits behind the longest barrier reef in the Americas, and inside it are mangrove cayes, turtle-grass flats and channels where all three flats species live within one boat ride — which is why the “Grand Slam”, one of each in a day, is talked about here more than anywhere. Turneffe Atoll, about an hour and a half by boat from Belize City and a marine reserve since 2012, is the classic destination. Ambergris Caye, with the town of San Pedro, puts the flats on the doorstep of an ordinary beach holiday, which suits a party where not everyone fishes.
Season and what to expect: Turneffe Flats says large migratory tarpon are in its creeks, channels and flats between April and October, with resident tarpon all year, and daily chances at tailing bonefish and permit. El Pescador on Ambergris Caye says the bigger migratory tarpon arrive in late summer. No source we read gave best months for permit, and we will not make them up.
Confirmed with the Belize Fisheries Department, 8 October 2026 — Hol Chan Marine Reserve, off Ambergris Caye, is zoned: in the Bajos zone “There is a user fee for sports fishing of $20 Bze per person, per day”; at Cayo Frances “Only catch and release allowed”; and in the Hol Chan Channel “Fishing of any kind is prohibited.” The department’s Turneffe page names no angling fees; Turneffe is co-managed by the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association — check with them.
Placencia and Punta Gorda — the permit south
The south of Belize is quieter, wetter and greener, and it is where permit specialists go. From Placencia and Punta Gorda the guides run out to the cayes and flats of the Port Honduras and Sapodilla Cayes marine reserves. It is a longer trip — a domestic flight or a long drive from Belize City — and the reward is fewer boats.
Confirmed with the Belize Fisheries Department, 8 October 2026 — in Port Honduras Marine Reserve’s Replenishment Zone “Only non-extractive recreational activities are permitted”; in the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve’s Preservation Zone “No fishing, sport fishing, diving, or any other water activity is permitted”, while in Conservation Zone 2 “Catch and release fishing is allowed”. Zones have boundaries on the water you cannot see. Your guide must know them; ask.
Mexico’s Yucatán coast — permit, and tarpon from a town
The Caribbean side for permit and bonefish, the Gulf side for tarpon.
Ascension Bay, Espíritu Santo Bay and Sian Ka’an
South of Tulum the road turns to sand and runs down a narrow spit into the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, ending at the fishing village of Punta Allen on Ascension Bay. The bay and its neighbour, Espíritu Santo Bay, are shallow, enormous and full of permit, and they are among the most famous permit water anywhere. Bonefish are plentiful, and there are baby tarpon and snook in the mangrove lagoons.
Season and what to expect: Casa Blanca, which has fished the bay since 1988, describes winter, December to February, as its lowest humidity and lightest breezes, with cold fronts that pass in a day or two; spring as stable weather with wind the main challenge; and summer as the hottest and rainiest months, closing in the first week of July. Palometa Club publishes its 2026 season as 16 January to 26 June and 10 July to 11 December.
Not yet confirmed with CONANP, 8 October 2026 — Sian Ka’an is a federal biosphere reserve with its own entry rules. We could not open CONANP’s pages to confirm the entry fee or any fishing rules inside the reserve. Check with CONANP, or let your lodge, which handles it for its guests.
Xcalak, and tarpon at Campeche
Xcalak, at the very bottom of Mexico’s Caribbean coast against the Belize border, is a small village with flats on both sides — the reef in front, Chetumal Bay behind. It is the do-it-yourself end of Mexico: guides by the day from a small hotel. On the Gulf coast, the old walled city of Campeche has resident baby tarpon in its mangroves all year, which makes it one of the few places you can fish for tarpon from a city hotel.
Confirmed with the Government of Quintana Roo, 8 October 2026 — the state’s biodiversity institute reported a catch-and-release tournament in Xcalak Reefs National Park at which “fueron capturados y liberados vivos” — were caught and released alive — 143 fish, among them 36 tarpon, 43 permit and 41 bonefish. That is a record of practice, not a rule. Xcalak Reefs is a national park; check its rules with CONANP.
The Seychelles outer islands — the far end of the sport
Coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, a few anglers at a time, and giant trevally on the flats.
Alphonse, Farquhar, Cosmoledo, Astove, Providence
These are coral atolls hundreds of miles south-west of Mahé, reached by charter plane, with a handful of anglers on each at any one time. The bonefish are numerous and large; the Indo-Pacific permit is a different and even more difficult fish than its Caribbean cousin; and the fish that has made these islands famous is the giant trevally, which hunts on the flats and will take a fly meant for something else and leave with your line. Milkfish and triggerfish complete the list. This is the most expensive fishing on the page by a long way, and the most remote.
Season and what to expect: the operator, Blue Safari Fly Fishing (formerly Alphonse Fishing Co.), publishes seasons by atoll: Farquhar “from September until early May”, Providence from January to March, and Alphonse year-round. The south-easterly trade winds blow hardest from June to August. Checked baggage on the charter flights is limited to 15 kg a person, which is the first thing to plan around.
Confirmed with the Seychelles Islands Foundation, 8 October 2026 — Aldabra’s regulations state: “Fishing is not permitted within the Aldabra Special Reserve.” Cosmoledo and Astove, and the Alphonse Group, were each designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by order of 26 March 2020. Those orders contain no fishing rules; the limits on numbers of anglers are set by the islands’ owner, the Islands Development Company, and its operator.
Rods and flies — what the lodges will expect you to bring
The flats have no hatch calendar. They have tides, light and wind, and the fly imitates what lives on the bottom.
One rod for each fish
Bonefish: an 8-weight is the usual rod, with a floating tropical line and small, lightly weighted shrimp and crab patterns in sand and tan — the Crazy Charlie and the Gotcha are the old standards. Weight the fly to the depth: heavier for deeper water, lighter for skinny water where a heavy fly lands like a stone.
Permit: a 9- or 10-weight and crab patterns, cast ahead of the fish and allowed to sink. Most casts at permit are refused. That is the fish, not you.
Tarpon: a 10-weight for the small resident fish in the mangroves, 11- or 12-weight for big migratory fish, with a heavy shock tippet. Giant trevally in the Seychelles want a 12-weight and the strongest leader the lodge will let you tie.
What matters more than the fly: polarised sunglasses, a long-billed hat, sun gloves and flats boots. And practise casting sixty feet into a wind before you go — every guide on every flat on this page will tell you the same thing. Every lodge sends a tackle list; follow it.
A note on sources — this tackle advice is ours, written from general practice on the flats, not from any agency. It is a starting point; each lodge’s own list is the one to follow.
Licences and the law, country by country
Four countries, four different systems. One rule is shared: the fish go back.
The Bahamas — a personal licence for everyone twelve and over
Every angler on the flats needs a personal angler licence, children under twelve excepted. A boat with two or more anglers must carry a licensed Bahamian flats guide — one guide to every two anglers — and bonefish, permit and tarpon are catch and release by law. The licence is cheap; the fine for fishing without one is not.
Confirmed with the Government of the Bahamas, 8 October 2026 — the government’s service page lists the non-resident licence at $15 a day (“valid for the day of issuance only”), $20 a week, $30 a month and $60 a year, and the official fee schedule shows each “plus 12% VAT”. Apply online through Go Outdoors Bahamas, which the government names as its online channel, or in cash at the Department of Marine Resources, East Bay Street, Nassau, or any Administrator’s office on the Family Islands. The Flats Fishing Regulations, 2017, say: “No person shall engage in flats fishing unless such person — (a) is the holder of a personal angler licence … or (b) is under the age of twelve years”, and require catch and release for bonefish, permit, snook, cobia and tarpon, with fines of up to $5,000. The 2017 text describes the fees as inclusive of VAT while the current schedule says “plus” — check the final price at checkout. A foreign-owned boat also needs a sportsfishing permit: check with the Department of Marine Resources, +1 242 393 1777.
Belize — a sport fishing licence, and three protected fish
Every angler needs a sport fishing licence, catch and release or not, and it is sold by the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute rather than the Fisheries Department. Bonefish, permit and tarpon may not be kept, bought or sold at all.
Confirmed with Belize’s Attorney General’s Ministry, Fisheries Department and Coastal Zone Management Authority, 8 October 2026 — the Fisheries (Species Designation and Protection) Regulations: “No person shall have in his possession any bonefish, permit fish or tarpon or any of its product forms … save and except in the act of catch and release.” The Fisheries Department: “These species are protected and are for CATCH-and-RELEASE only (sport fishing).” The Authority sells licences online at apps.coastalzonebelize.org; its brochure lists one day at BZ$20, one week at BZ$50 and one year at BZ$100, and its current page says “To qualify for a one-year Sportfishing license customers must be permanent residents of Belize”. That price list dates from 2019 and fee changes have been under consultation. Check the current price with the Authority, +501 223 5739, before you rely on it.
Mexico — a permit from a boat, none from the shore
Federal law requires a sport-fishing permit for fishing from a boat, but not from land. Bag limits are set by the federal standard, and tarpon are limited to two a day. On the Quintana Roo coast the permits are now administered by the state, and the lodges usually arrange them for their guests.
Confirmed from Mexico’s federal fisheries law and NOM-017-PESC-1994, 8 October 2026 — the Ley General de Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables requires a permit for “Pesca deportivo-recreativa, excepto la que se realice desde tierra” — sport fishing, except from land. NOM-017-PESC-1994: “La práctica de esta actividad desde tierra no requerirá de permiso” (fishing from land needs no permit) but must respect size limits, closed seasons and catch limits; the daily limit is ten fish, no more than five of one species, and for tarpon (sábalo) two. Fish beyond the limit may be caught if they are returned alive (“captura y liberación”). We could not open CONAPESCA’s or the state’s permit pages to confirm today’s price or where to buy. Check with CONAPESCA or your lodge. Whether wading a flat you reached by boat counts as fishing “from land” is not defined on any page we read — assume you need the permit.
Seychelles — the boat holds the permit, and you need a travel authorisation
There is no personal fishing licence for visiting fly anglers. The sport fishing permit belongs to the vessel, which means the operator. What you do need is the Seychelles Travel Authorisation, applied for online before you fly, on the government’s own site.
Confirmed with the Seychelles Fisheries Act, 2014, and the Seychelles tourism ministry, 8 October 2026 — the Act: “A vessel shall not be used for sport fishing in Seychelles waters except under and in accordance with a sport fishing permit granted by the Authority.” The tourism ministry names seychelles.govtas.com as the official site for the Travel Authorisation, says “a standard application fee of €10 is charged per application”, and warns that “applications made by a third-party may not be accepted”. The operator’s pre-trip notes also list a conservation donation for some atolls and require evacuation insurance. Check both with the operator when you book.
Lodges and guides we have checked
Sixteen, across four countries. We opened each one’s own website on 8 October 2026 and describe them from what they say about themselves. We have not fished with them and copy no ratings from anyone.
The Bahamas
Bair’s Lodge, South Andros — a bonefishing lodge that has been operating on South Andros since 1989.
Andros South, South Andros — a self-described “comfortable but casual” bonefish lodge run by Deneki Outdoors, with transfers from Congo Town airport.
Mangrove Cay Club, Mangrove Cay, Andros — a saltwater fly-fishing lodge in the middle of the Andros fishery.
Andros Island Bonefish Club, Cargill Creek, Central Andros — a guided fly-fishing lodge near the West Side National Park, with more than thirty-five years of guiding.
East End Lodge, Grand Bahama — an all-inclusive bonefishing lodge about forty-five minutes from Freeport airport, with guiding, meals and transfers.
Abaco Lodge, Great Abaco — a fly-fishing lodge with direct access to the Marls of Abaco.
Belize
Turneffe Flats, Turneffe Atoll — a saltwater fly-fishing and diving resort, established in 1981.
El Pescador, Ambergris Caye — a beachfront all-inclusive lodge north of San Pedro offering fly, reef and offshore fishing.
Belize River Lodge, near Belize City — a fishing lodge on the Belize Old River that runs flats trips for permit, bonefish, tarpon and snook.
Copal Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda — a rainforest lodge in the far south with guided fly fishing on the southern flats.
Mexico
Palometa Club, Punta Allen, Ascension Bay — a fly-fishing lodge on the north shore of the bay that puts one guide with each angler.
Casa Blanca Fishing Lodge, Punta Pájaros, Ascension Bay — fly-fishing lodges on a private island between Ascension and Espíritu Santo bays, operating since 1988.
Pesca Maya, Punta Allen — a fishing lodge on Ascension Bay, open since 1996.
Costa de Cocos, Xcalak — a small resort offering fly fishing on the reef flats and Chetumal Bay, by the day or all-inclusive.
Tarpon Town Anglers, Campeche — locally owned and guided tarpon fishing out of Campeche city since 1999.
Seychelles
Blue Safari Fly Fishing, outer islands — formerly Alphonse Fishing Co., the operator for Alphonse, Farquhar, Cosmoledo, Astove and Providence, catch and release throughout. Its island resort is Alphonse Island.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island, Amirantes — a resort that runs guided fly-fishing days to nearby Poivre for bonefish and Indo-Pacific permit.
Not listed, because their own websites would not open for us on 8 October 2026 or showed them closed: Deep Water Cay (Grand Bahama), the Delphi Club and Swains Cay (Bahamas), Tarpon Caye Lodge (Belize), the Ascension Bay Bonefish Club and Tarpon Cay Lodge (Mexico), and the Holbox tarpon guides. We will look again.
Where to base yourself
Most flats trips are a lodge week with a night either side. These are the towns that matter.
The towns that serve each flat
For the Bahamas: Nassau is the gateway and where the licence office is; from there small planes go to Andros (Congo Town for the south, Mangrove Cay, Andros Town for the centre). Freeport for Grand Bahama, Marsh Harbour for Abaco. Our Bahamas guide and Nassau hotels guide cover the rest of the trip.
For Belize: Belize City for Turneffe and the Belize River; San Pedro on Ambergris Caye for the northern flats; Placencia and Punta Gorda for the permit south.
For Mexico: Cancún airport, then Tulum for the road to Punta Allen and Sian Ka’an; Chetumal for Xcalak and Chetumal Bay; Campeche city for Gulf tarpon. Our Cancún guide covers arrival.
For the Seychelles: Mahé, the main island, where the international airport and the charter hangar are. Plan a night there on the way out and the way back; flights do not always line up.
Travelling as a group? Several of these towns — San Pedro, Placencia, Tulum, Marsh Harbour — have plenty of houses and condos to rent, and a party fishing with day guides often does better in one house than four hotel rooms. Our vacation-home guide covers what to ask before you pay.
Questions anglers ask us
Do I need a fishing licence to fish the flats in the Bahamas?
Yes, from the age of twelve. The Bahamas Flats Fishing Regulations of 2017 say no person shall engage in flats fishing unless they hold a personal angler licence or are under twelve. The Government of the Bahamas lists the visitor licence at 15 dollars for a day, 20 for a week, 30 for a month and 60 for a year, and its fee schedule adds VAT. You can buy it online through Go Outdoors Bahamas, which the government names as its online channel, or at the Department of Marine Resources in Nassau and the Administrator's offices on the Family Islands. Carry it, because a fisheries inspector can ask to see it.
Can I keep a bonefish, permit or tarpon?
In the Bahamas and Belize, no. The Bahamas regulations require catch and release for bonefish, permit, snook, cobia and tarpon. Belize law says no person shall have in his possession any bonefish, permit or tarpon except in the act of catch and release, and the Belize Fisheries Department calls all three protected and catch-and-release only. In Mexico the federal sport-fishing standard, NOM-017-PESC-1994, limits tarpon to two a day and encourages catch and release; on the flats the lodges release everything. In the Seychelles the operators fish catch and release. Put every fish back, quickly and wet.
Do I need a licence in Belize?
Yes. The Belize Tourism Board says all anglers fishing for leisure or competition must have a valid sport fishing licence, whether catch and release or not. The licence is sold by the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, not the Fisheries Department, online at apps.coastalzonebelize.org or at its office. Its brochure gives one day at 20 Belize dollars, one week at 50 and one year at 100, but that brochure is from 2019 and the one-year licence is now for permanent residents only, so check the current price with the Authority when you buy. Some marine reserves charge a separate fee: Hol Chan charges 20 Belize dollars per person per day for sport fishing in its Bajos zone.
Do I need a permit to fish the flats in Mexico?
From a boat, yes. Mexico's federal fisheries law requires a permit for sport-recreational fishing except fishing done from land, and the federal standard NOM-017-PESC-1994 says fishing from land needs no permit but must still respect size limits, closed seasons and catch limits. In Quintana Roo the permits are now administered by the state. We could not open the official permit pages to confirm the current price, so ask your lodge to arrange it, or check with CONAPESCA before you travel. Sian Ka'an and Xcalak are protected areas with their own entry rules; check with CONANP.
How do you fish the Seychelles outer islands?
Through the lodge that holds the right to fish them. Seychelles law requires a sport fishing permit for the vessel rather than a personal licence for the angler, and the outer islands are owned and managed by the Islands Development Company, which limits the number of anglers on each atoll. In practice you book a week with the operator, fly to Mahe, overnight there, and take the charter flight from the Islands Development Company hangar. Aldabra is closed to fishing altogether. You also need the Seychelles Travel Authorisation before you fly; the tourism ministry gives the fee as 10 euros.
When is the best time to go?
It depends on the fish and the place, and we will not pretend there is one answer. The Bahamas lodges fish from autumn through early summer, and several call October to December some of the best bonefishing of the year. In Belize, Turneffe Flats says large migratory tarpon are in its creeks and channels between April and October, with resident tarpon all year. Casa Blanca on Ascension Bay calls winter its calmest weather and closes in early July. The Seychelles operators publish seasons by atoll: Farquhar from September to early May, Providence from January to March. Ask the lodge for its own calendar before you book flights.
What we have not checked, and will not pretend to have
The part of a fishing page most sites leave out.
Five honest gaps
Mexico’s permit price. The CONAPESCA and CONANP pages would not open for us, so we give the law but not today’s fee, and not the Sian Ka’an entry fee. Your lodge will know both.
Belize’s current licence price. The price list we could read is from 2019. Check it when you buy.
Best months for permit. No source we read would commit to them, so neither do we.
Holbox and the Florida Keys. Holbox’s summer tarpon and the Keys are famous flats fisheries; we could not verify a Holbox guide this time, and the Keys belong in a United States page of their own. Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina, the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands are also not covered yet.
Photographs. We could not reach Wikimedia Commons to choose and check freely licensed pictures, so this page has none rather than borrowed ones. They will be added with full credits.
Photographs: none yet — see above. Every photograph we add will be freely licensed and credited here with its author and licence.