bonefish

noun

bone·​fish ˈbōn-ˌfish 

1

: a slender silvery small-scaled fish (Albula vulpes) that is a notable sport and food fish of warm seas

2

: ladyfish sense 2

bonefishing

ˈbōn-ˌfi-shiŋ 

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the pinnacles of fly fishing is watching a tailing bonefish slurp down your fly and the chaos that ensues. —Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 17 Jan. 2023

An angler with good eyesight and a little luck can snag a bonefish, which, when hooked, goes on a breakneck run 200 yards into the distance. —David Coggins, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2022

The brothers also have exclusive access to Lime Caye, a shallow flat 40 miles east of Punta Gorda known for its bonefish, permit, and diving sites. —The Editors, Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2020

Thousands of acres of mangroves—key to supporting bonefish and myriad other species—were killed when the storm stalled over the region. —Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 24 June 2021

For fly-fishermen the world over, hooking a bonefish becomes habit forming, a kind of narcotic that keeps bringing anglers back to places like Swain’s. —Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 24 June 2021

Ajemian and his doctoral student, Steve Lombardo, have been attempting to track the Caribbean bonefish, Albula vulpes, for years off the northern Bahamas, including the Abaco Islands. —Douglas Main, Animals, 18 Dec. 2020

Research has shown that a significant source of postrelease mortality in tarpon and bonefish is shark predation. —Popular Science, 11 Feb. 2020

For bonefish, the troubles come when there’s too much water arriving at the wrong time. —T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 6 Dec. 2019

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Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined at sense 1