Fishing guides › Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao
FISHING GUIDE · ARUBA, BONAIRE & CURAÇAO
Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao Fishing Guide
All three islands have deep blue water close by, with wahoo, tuna, mahi, sailfish and marlin offshore. Bonaire is famous for guided catch-and-release bonefishing, and Aruba also has bonefish, tarpon and permit for light tackle. Bonaire's whole coast is a marine park with no spearfishing and no-fishing zones, and Aruba and Curaçao both have newer marine parks.
📍 The ABC islands lie off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. Aruba's charter boats dock at the Renaissance Marina pier in Oranjestad. Bonaire National Marine Park surrounds Bonaire and Klein Bonaire, with Lac Bay on the east (windward) side. Curaçao Marine Park runs along the southeast coast from Jan Thiel to Oostpunt.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao map →
Quick facts
- Bonaire National Marine Park was set up in 1979 and runs from the high-water mark down to 60 m (200 ft) all around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.
- In Bonaire, spearfishing is strictly prohibited, and all bonefishing is catch-and-release with local guides.
- Aruba's Marine Park, set up in December 2018, has four marine reserves covering 60.2 km2 and is managed by the Aruba National Park Foundation (FPNA).
- Curaçao Marine Park covers 21.7 km of coastline out to 100 m offshore, from Jan Thiel to Oostpunt, managed by CARMABI.
- The Curaçao Yacht Club's Blue Marlin Release Tournament held its 49th edition in March 2015; since 1994 blue marlin under 500 pounds must be released.
What you can catch
- Blue marlin
Catch-and-release in Aruba; Curaçao tournament releases fish under 500 lb. - White marlin
Strictly catch-and-release in Aruba. - Sailfish
Common offshore catch off Bonaire and Aruba. - Wahoo
Common offshore; in Aruba often caught in June. - Yellowfin tuna
Offshore; common in Aruba in June. - Mahi-mahi (dorado)
Common offshore catch. - Bonefish
Bonaire's flats are catch-and-release with local guides; also fly fished in Aruba. - Tarpon, snook and permit
Light-tackle and fly targets in Aruba.
Month by month
| January | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster season open (east coast, from land only). |
|---|---|
| February | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster open. |
| March | Curaçao Yacht Club Blue Marlin Release Tournament (held in March in 2015). Bonaire lobster open. |
| April | Bonaire lobster season closes Apr 30. |
| May | Bonaire lobster closed (May 1 - Oct 31). |
| June | Yellowfin tuna and wahoo common off Aruba. |
| July | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster closed. |
| August | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster closed. |
| September | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster closed. |
| October | Offshore trolling; Bonaire lobster closed through Oct 31. |
| November | Bonaire lobster season opens Nov 1. |
| December | Kingfish and barracuda more likely off Aruba. |
Tips
- In Bonaire, pay the STINAPA nature fee before any water activity (valid for the calendar year).
- Book Bonaire bonefishing with a local guide; the flats are on private land and trespassing can bring a fine.
- In Bonaire's Lac Bay, fishing is allowed but not in the seagrass beds.
- No license is needed for non-commercial fishing in Aruba or Bonaire; in Bonaire, non-residents may not sell their catch.
- In Curaçao Marine Park, do not anchor; tie up only to the park mooring buoys.
Rules and license
STINAPA Bonaire (Bonaire National Marine Park); Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (Aruba Marine Park); CARMABI (Curaçao Marine Park) · Official rules page ↗
- Bonaire: only traditional fishing methods; spearfishing and hand spearing are strictly prohibited.
- Bonaire no-fishing zones: Chachacha pier to the Plaza Marina entrance, Harbor Village Marina entrance to the Hato gate, the Pekelmeer Ramsar site, and the closed Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander reserves.
- Bonaire: conch may not be taken in the Marine Park; lobster only Nov 1 - Apr 30, east coast, from land, not while diving.
- Bonaire: lionfish hunting only with an ELF from STINAPA; nets only with a STINAPA contract.
- Bonaire: STINAPA nature fee required for all Marine Park users (US$40 listed by InfoBonaire; check current fee).
- Aruba: no fishing licence needed; blue and white marlin are catch-and-release. Spearfishing: Aruba tourism says it is not allowed, while a 2021 report says a permit-based tolerance policy exists with a banned red zone; check current rules.
- Aruba Marine Park fishing rules inside its four reserves: not confirmed; check with FPNA.
- Curaçao Marine Park: anchoring banned, moor only at buoys; as of 2021 fishing was not banned by location but fish reproduction zones were planned; check current rules with CARMABI.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 10 boat ramps and 10 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Aruba Nautical Club
- Asiento Marina
- Boat ramp near Caracasbaai
- Boat ramp near Lac Bay
- Boat ramp near Santa Marthabaai
- Boat ramp near Spaanse Water
- Canao Harbour
- Curacao Marina
- Curaçao Yacht Club
- Harbour Village Marina
- Renaissance Marina
- Santa Barbara Marina
- Seru Boca Marina
- Slipway Catalina Diaz Leonora
- Yacht Club Aruba
Sources
- https://stinapabonaire.org/rules-and-regulations/fishing/
- https://www.infobonaire.com/bonaire-national-marine-park/
- https://www.infobonaire.com/fishing
- https://infobonaire.com/bonefishing-on-bonaire/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Park_Aruba
- https://car-spaw-rac.org/IMG/pdf/33_-_factsheet_parke_marino_aruba.pdf
- https://aruba.com/us/blog/arubas-best-fishing-charters
- https://www.curacaochronicle.com/post/local/coastguard-carries-out-extra-checks-on-illegal-spearfishing
- https://www.carmabi.org/marinepark
- https://www.carmabi.org/presskit-marinepark
- https://www.curacaochronicle.com/post/local/new-national-marine-park-in-curacao-still-has-a-few-hurdles-to-overcome
- https://www.marlinmag.com/?p=38677
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.