great exuma — george town and elizabeth harbour
The main town of Exuma, facing Elizabeth Harbour. Bonefish and permit flats surround it, and a national park is closed to extractive fishing.
George Town, Great Exuma's main town, faces Elizabeth Harbour, a sheltered channel between the island and Stocking Island and a busy anchorage for sailboats. Around it are sand and seagrass flats, mangrove creeks and shallow beaches, with bonefish all year, permit at the edges and barracuda. East and southeast of town, from the tip of Stocking Island to Forbes Hill on Little Exuma, lies Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, created in 2002 and expanded in 2015, with flats, mangroves, blue holes and reefs. When the park was set up, traditional uses such as bonefish fishing were agreed to be kept; since 2024, however, park rules ban all extractive fishing until zoning is ready. Exuma's guides also work the flats outside the park.
best season
Bonefish all year. On the Ministry of Tourism season chart, March and April are excellent for bonefish, and April to July for permit. June to November is hurricane season.
Local rules: Personal flats license (2017 Regulations) for anyone 12 or older; bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia are catch and release only, on hook and line. At Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, run by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), rules in force since February 13, 2024 ban all extractive fishing, including hook and line, until zoning is complete; the flats and creeks of Moriah Harbour Cay and Man O War Cay are 3-knot maximum zones. Ask the BNT whether guided catch and release is accepted before fishing there. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Exuma International Airport, north of George Town, receives flights from Nassau and US cities. From town, car or boat to the flats.
- facilities
- Hotels, marinas, a market and bonefish guides in George Town and nearby. The BNT maintains mooring buoys and trails in the park.
- country
- Exuma, Bahamas
tip
Inside the park, keep the motor slow on the flats and creeks: those zones have a 3-knot maximum. Outside it, look for bonefish on shallow beaches on the rising tide.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in the Bahamas
A boat not owned by a Bahamian needs a sport fishing permit, obtained at Customs at the port of entry on arrival, before any fishing. Those fishing from the beach, the pier or aboard a Bahamian boat, such as local charters, don't need it. To fish the flats (bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia), every person aged 12 or older needs a personal angler licence; for non-citizens and non-residents, the 2017 regulations set B$15 per day, B$20 per week, B$30 per month and B$60 per year (the Bahamian dollar is worth the same as the US dollar). The Fisheries Act, 2020 was published to replace the 1977 law on which these regulations are based: confirm amounts and rules with the Department of Marine Resources.
- Marlin, sailfish and swordfish must be released alive, except in authorized tournaments. Sharks have been protected since 2011: every shark hooked must be released.
- Onboard limit for foreign sport fishing boats, per boat and not per person: 18 pelagic fish in total (mahi-mahi, wahoo, mackerel and tuna), 60 pounds or up to 20 bottom fish, such as red snapper and grouper (whichever is less), 10 lobsters during the season and 6 queen conchs. Visitors may not sell the catch.
- In the flats, bonefish, permit, snook, cobia and tarpon may only be caught and released, with hook and/or bait; except for fish kept for food, no one may have more than one specimen in possession at the same time (Flats Fishing Regulations, 2017, reg. 9). Commercial fishing in the flats is prohibited.
- Fishing with scuba gear and speargun is prohibited. Hand spears only with written authorization on the permit, never within 1 nautical mile of the coast of New Providence and southern Grand Bahama, nor within 200 yards of the coast of the other islands.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official Bahamas National Trust — Moriah Harbour Cay National Park Rules (13 de fevereiro de 2024)No extractive fishing, including hook and line, until zoning is complete; 3-knot maximum zones on the flats and creeks; park boundaries
- official Bahamas National Trust — Moriah Harbour Cay National ParkCreated in 2002 and expanded in 2015; 22,833 acres; bonefish fishing cited as a traditional use when the park was created; mooring buoys
- official Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) (Flats Fishing) Regulations, 2017 — texto publicado no bahamas.com (Ministério do Turismo)Personal license from age 12; catch and release for bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia
- official Bahamas.com — Fishing (folheto do Ministério do Turismo, com quadro de temporadas por espécie)Season chart: bonefish excellent in March and April; permit excellent April to July