Bonefish—revered by saltwater anglers as some of the fastest, most elusive fighters in the ocean—are often associated with the tropical flats of Florida, Belize, and The Bahamas. But did you know these legendary fish occasionally turn up in Texas?
While Texas isn’t known as a bonefish hotspot, a few intriguing encounters suggest they do roam the state’s coastal waters—just rarely and very discreetly.
The Texas state record for bonefish dates back to 1977, when angler C.W. Morris landed a 3.77-pound specimen. The official record lists the catch as occurring in the “Gulf of Mexico,” likely in the surf, though the exact location remains uncertain.
More recently, Capt. Brian Barerra reported a client catching a small bonefish in the South Padre Island area, and Capt. Joey Farrah shared a similar account from the lower Middle Coast.
To get a clearer picture of their presence, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) provided some compelling data. Since 1994, their coastal fisheries division has documented 16 bonefish in scientific net surveys. All were juveniles under four inches long and were found in areas such as the Aransas Channel, Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and both the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre.
While these numbers confirm bonefish are far from common in Texas, they are indeed part of the state’s marine biodiversity. Each rare sighting fuels curiosity among anglers and biologists alike—offering a glimpse into the hidden movements of a fish more often dreamed about than seen in Lone Star waters.
Have you ever caught a bonefish or think you might have seen one in Texas waters?
If so, email cmoore@fishgame.com. We would love to hear your story.
Chester Moore