Bimini & the Berry Islands Fishing Guide

Bimini is a historic big-game island with the Gulf Stream right off the beach and bonefish flats between the islands. The Berry Islands, near the Tongue of the Ocean, are known for billfish off Chub Cay and bonefish flats at Great Harbour Cay. Foreign boats need a Bahamas sportfishing permit, and all billfish must be released.

📍 Bimini (Alice Town, North Bimini; Bimini Big Game Club) on the Gulf Stream; the Berry Islands (Chub Cay, Great Harbour Cay) north of Nassau on the edge of the Tongue of the Ocean.

📅 The Bahamas Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Bahamas, Turks & Caicos map →

Quick facts

Bimini is about 57 miles from Miami, the closest Bahamian island to the U.S.; the Gulf Stream runs just over a mile off its beaches.
Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey and Michael Lerner fished Bimini's waters in the 1930s.
The Berry Islands are close to 100 cays; Chub Cay, the southernmost, is called the 'Billfish Capital of the Bahamas.'
The Tongue of the Ocean, next to the Berries, is a deep basin reaching about 6,000 feet.
Chub Cay International Airport has customs and immigration on site.

What you can catch

Blue and white marlin
Bimini bluewater peak March to early July; Berries best February to April. Release required.
Sailfish
Migrates through seasonally; release required.
Wahoo
Bimini wahoo run November through March.
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
Seasonal bluewater catch; counts toward the 18-pelagic limit.
Yellowfin, blackfin and bluefin tuna
Migrate past Bimini seasonally.
Bonefish
Year-round on the flats; Berries peak in October.
Permit and barracuda
Flats around Great Harbour Cay.
Snapper and grouper
Reef fish limit 60 lb or 20 fish; Nassau grouper closed Dec-Feb.

Month by month

January	Wahoo run at Bimini. Nassau grouper closed.
February	Wahoo; Berry Islands billfish season starts. Nassau grouper closed through Feb 28.
March	Bimini bluewater season starts; Berries billfish good; wahoo winding down.
April	Bluewater fishing strong; Berries billfish. Lobster season closed from Apr 1.
May	Peak bluewater at Bimini; lobster closed.
June	Bluewater still good; lobster closed.
July	Bluewater peak ends early July; lobster closed through Jul 31.
August	Lobster season reopens Aug 1; bonefish on the flats.
September	Bonefish on the flats.
October	Peak bonefish in the Berry Islands.
November	Wahoo run starts at Bimini.
December	Wahoo. Nassau grouper closed from Dec 1.

Tips

Clear Bahamas Customs and Immigration at a port of entry before you fish; you can pre-register online but the sportfishing permit is issued at the port.
You don't need a permit to fish from shore or from a Bahamian-owned charter boat, but catch limits still apply.
Use a hand sling or pole spear only: spear guns and scuba for fishing are banned, and spearfishing needs written permission on your permit.
Release every billfish and every shark unharmed.
Visitors may not sell or trade their catch.

Rules and license

Bahamas Department of Marine Resources / Bahamas Customs (permits) · Official rules page ↗

Non-Bahamians fishing from a non-Bahamian-owned boat need a sportfishing permit, issued at the port of entry after customs clearance; not needed for shore fishing or Bahamian-owned charters.
Limits aboard at any time: 18 pelagics (dolphin, wahoo, kingfish, tuna combined); 60 lb or 20 reef fish, whichever is less; 10 lobsters in season; 6 conch with a well-formed flared lip.
All billfish must be released unharmed unless in an approved tournament; all sharks must be released.
Spearfishing only with Hawaiian sling or pole spear and only if endorsed on the permit; no spear guns, no scuba; banned within 200 yards of any Out Island coast.
Closed seasons: spiny lobster Apr 1 - Jul 31; Nassau grouper Dec 1 - Feb 28.
Flats fishing licenses are issued by the Department of Marine Resources or Out Island Administrators; bonefish catch and release strongly encouraged.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 1 boat ramps and 6 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina
Bimini Sands Marina
Browns Marina
Chub Cay Marina
Resorts World Bimini Mega Marina
Sea Crest Marina

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.