Biscayne Bay and Miami Fishing Guide

Biscayne Bay offers shallow-water sight fishing for bonefish and permit just minutes from downtown Miami, while the Gulf Stream runs close to shore for sailfish, kingfish and mahi-mahi. Biscayne National Park covers the southern bay and reefs, and it has its own stricter size and bag limits. The city is busy, so weekday trips are often calmer on the flats.

📍 Miami-Dade County, Florida: Government Cut, Key Biscayne, Cape Florida, Stiltsville, Fowey Rocks, Elliott Key, Card Sound and Biscayne National Park (near Homestead).

📅 Florida 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 South Florida & the Keys map →

Quick facts

Biscayne National Park is about 95% water and includes the northernmost Florida Keys (NPS).
Stiltsville sits on the shallow flats south of Key Biscayne; 27 stilt houses stood at its peak in 1960, and only seven were left after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (NPS).
Since July 1, 2020, Biscayne National Park has larger size limits for several snappers, red grouper, grunts and gray triggerfish, plus a 10-fish combined bag limit for many species (FWC).
Starting March 1, 2026, a 1.74-square-mile area of the park closes to all fishing from March 1 to May 31 to protect a bonefish pre-spawning gathering (FWC).
Off Miami, anglers kite-fish for sailfish in winter in about 160 to 200 feet of water near Fowey Rocks Lighthouse (Sport Fishing magazine).

What you can catch

Bonefish
Big bonefish on the flats, best Sep to Nov and Mar to May; catch-and-release only.
Permit
Oceanside flats, peak September and October.
Tarpon
Migrating fish on oceanside flats from late spring into summer; catch-and-release only.
Sailfish
Winter kite fishing off Miami.
Snook
Inlets, bridges and mangroves; Atlantic snook rules apply.
Kingfish (king mackerel)
Offshore in late winter.
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
Gulf Stream, mostly spring and summer.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper
Park reefs; park size limits are larger than state limits.

Month by month

January	Sailfish on the kites; snook closed until Jan 31; shallow-water grouper closed.
February	Sailfish; smoker kingfish late in the month; snook opens Feb 1.
March	Bonefish season picks up; park bonefish closed area shut Mar 1 to May 31.
April	Bonefish and permit on the flats; big blackfin tuna offshore; shallow-water grouper closed through Apr 30.
May	Tarpon arriving on oceanside flats; mahi offshore.
June	Tarpon; snook closed Jun 1 to Aug 31; fish the flats early and late as water heats up.
July	Tarpon and mahi; lobster sport season late July (6 per day in the park).
August	Lobster season opens Aug 6; permit numbers rise late in the month.
September	Snook reopens Sep 1; permit and bonefish prime time begins.
October	Peak permit and strong bonefish on the flats.
November	Bonefish still good; sailfish start offshore.
December	Sailfish offshore; snook closes Dec 15.

Tips

Check the FWC Biscayne National Park page before you keep fish; park size limits are bigger than state limits for several snappers and red grouper.
No lobster harvest in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary or the park's five Coral Reef Protection Areas (including Fowey Rocks).
Avoid busy weekend days on the flats; boat traffic makes bonefish and permit spooky.
Live bait for sailfish is often caught with sabiki rigs around the Government Cut turning basin and nearby markers.
Some park harbors and the Convoy Point area are closed to fishing; check the park's no-fishing list.

Rules and license

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) / Biscayne National Park (NPS) · Official rules page ↗

A Florida fishing license is required in Biscayne National Park (children under 16 do not need one). Snook, spiny lobster and tarpon need extra permits or tags, and private-boat reef fishing needs the State Reef Fish Survey.
Snook (Atlantic rules, Miami-Dade): closed Dec 15 to Jan 31 and Jun 1 to Aug 31; slot 28 to 32 inches total length; 1 per person per day; snook permit required.
Tarpon and bonefish are catch-and-release only; tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water.
Biscayne National Park minimum sizes (since July 1, 2020): gray snapper 12 in, lane snapper 10 in, mutton snapper 19 in, schoolmaster 12 in, yellowtail snapper 14 in, red grouper 24 in, white grunt 8 in, bluestriped grunt 10 in, gray triggerfish 14 in fork length.
Biscayne National Park 10-fish combined daily bag limit per person covers many species, including snappers, groupers, jacks, porgies, grunts, hogfish, snook, redfish, seatrout and barracuda.
A 1.74-square-mile bonefish spawning area in the park is closed to all fishing and fish possession March 1 to May 31 (boats may pass through with gear stowed).
Shallow-water grouper are closed Jan 1 to Apr 30 in Atlantic waters; Goliath and Nassau grouper cannot be kept.
Lobster: no harvest in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary or the five Coral Reef Protection Areas (Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, Alina's Reef, Marker 3 Reef, Lob120 Reef, Ball Buoy); sport season limit is 6 per person per day in the park.
Collecting tropical fish, sponges or other marine life for aquariums is prohibited in the park.

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

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 18 boat ramps and 16 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

1938 Concrete Ramp
Black Point Marina
Cocoplum Yacht Club
Coral Reef Yacht Club
Crandon Marina
Dinner Key Marina
Grove Harbour Marina
Key Biscayne Yacht Club
Lagoon Marina
Loggerhead Marina South Miami
Miamarina
Miami Beach Marina
Ocean Reef Club Marina
Port of Miami Cruise Terminals
Public boat ramp
Rickenbacker Marina
Sea Isle Marina
Sunset Harbour Yacht Club

Sources

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