Bonito are a “tribe” of small Tuna belonging to the same family as regular Tuna, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, and Butterfly Kingfish. Despite their relation to so many good eating fish, people will tell you they aren’t great table fare—but that’s a topic of much debate! What is for sure is that fish love them, so plenty of anglers turn to Bonito as bait.
Don’t let that fool you, though—Bonito fishing is still a great sport in its own right. These are feisty, hard-fighting fish that can swim up to 40 miles per hour. They often swim in large schools and you may see them blitzing right out of the water as they feed. Once hooked, they make fast, deep runs that will put your skills to the test.
Not bad for a bait fish, right?
How to Identify Bonito
You probably didn’t know that there are five different kinds of Bonito out there. All are similar in size and typically reach about 10 pounds. Their torpedo-shaped bodies are chrome in color with a noticeable green or blue sheen, and they have horizontal stripes running down their backs.
Given the wide ranges they inhabit and their similar characteristics, you won’t likely need to know the difference between various Bonitos—hey, when you’re having the time of your life trolling offshore, a Bonito is a Bonito, and that’s all you care about! But here’s a quick rundown all the same:
- Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda). As the name suggests, this species cruises the Atlantic as well as the Mediterranean and Black Seas. They usually grow to about 40 inches and reach 10–12 pounds.
- Pacific Bonito (Sarda lineolata). On the other side of the world, Pacific Bonito swim as far north as Alaska and down into Baja California, where Eastern Pacific Bonito eventually replace them. Pacific Bonito grow larger than their Atlantic counterparts, occasionally reaching almost double their size at 20 pounds.
- Eastern Pacific Bonito (Sarda chiliensis). Anglers fishing the western coast of South America, from Chile to Ecuador, hook into this subspecies of Pacific Bonito.
- Indo-Pacific Bonito (Sarda orientalis). Another resident of the Pacific, these Bonito swim much further afield, from the Gulf of California to Asia, Australia, and into the Indo-Pacific. They’re sometimes referred to as “Mackerel Bonito” or “Striped Bonito.”
- Australian Bonito (Sarda australis). This subspecies also inhabits the East Pacific but is confined to the waters around Australia and New Zealand. Other names are “Horse Mackerel” and “Little Bonito.” Another species in these waters which gets confused with Australian Bonito is “Leaping Bonito” (Cybiosarda elegans) but this fish looks slightly different and is not part of the Sarda genus.
Lookalikes: False Albacore vs. Bonito
False Albacore—aka Little Tunny—look a lot like Bonito and they swim in many of the same waters, meaning you could catch both on the same trip. These fish are sometimes referred to as Bonita (which anglers commonly misspell as “Bonito”) or Blue Bonita (sometimes pronounced Bon-EE-tah), which makes it all the more confusing!
However, False Albacore and Bonito are not the same thing. Both hail from the Scombridae family, but Bonito are more closely related to Mackerels while False Albacore share more in common with Tunas. Using just a couple of clues, you can train your eye to tell them apart quite easily…
The first thing to look at are the stripes along the back of the fish. Are they relatively straight, horizontal lines? Or, are they more like squiggles?
Pacific and Atlantic Bonito boast straight lines, whereas False Albacore wear a wormlike pattern on their backs. Be sure to take a peek beneath the side fin as well: If you see several, faded spots, you’re probably looking at a False Albacore.
Bonito are sometimes confused with Skipjack Tuna, as well. In this case, both are distinguished from other species by their horizontal lines, except on a Skipjack these appear along the bottom half of the fish.
Top Bonito Fishing Spots
While Bonito have earned the respect of light tackle anglers everywhere, they’re still relatively underrated as game fish. As such, you don’t really hear about any “go-to” Bonito spots. These fish are just sort of… around. That being said, if you’re in the market for one, you can expect good fishing in the following places:
Florida
With access to both the open Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, Florida is literally surrounded by Bonito. You might catch these blitzing bullets while you troll nearshore for other game fish or while casting from the coast. The season for Bonito fishing in Florida stays open year-round and you can expect the hottest action from around April through August, which tapers off by the end of fall.
Massachusetts
Anglers in New England enjoy fantastic Atlantic Bonito fishing from July through September (and sometimes later). Head to Martha’s Vineyard or nearby Nantucket, where the waters around Smith Point and Madaket have some of the best Bonito fishing around.
California
Pacific Bonito are common catches while jetty or pier fishing in Southern California. They’re biting here year-round, with a peak season in summer. Just a handful of places where you might cast your line for these fish include Oceanside, Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, and Catalina Island. Pacific Bonito are also a common catch just south of the border in Mexico.
New South Wales, Australia
Aussies get to hook into several species of Bonito from their shores. Some of the hottest is in New South Wales, specifically out of Sydney. But you can also find them further up the coast in areas like Trial Bay and South West Rocks. Australian Bonito is the main target here, but you may also hook into Indo-Pacific Bonito and Leaping Bonito while you’re at it. The best months for Bonito fishing in New South Wales run from December through April.
Barcelona, Spain
In general, the Mediterranean is a great place to fish for Bonito. But, if we have to be picky, then you can’t go wrong booking a charter out of Spain. Specifically, Barcelona—but don’t overlook Mallorca just across the Balearic Sea. Here, Bonito are a common catch while trolling nearshore, with a peak season from July through November.
How to Fish for Bonito
If you’re planning to catch Bonito from a boat, you’ll find schools of these fish feeding near or offshore. They often create a raucous as they leap out of the water and seabirds swoop in to peck at the same bait fish. At times like these, they’re ravenous and will bite just about any bait or lures you throw their way.
While simply trolling through the school of fish is the easiest way to catch them, you can also anchor up and try jigging for them. Chumming is another surefire way to lure some Bonito toward your boat.
Either way, you’ll want to use some really flashy lures in the process. You can troll minnow plugs or cast spoons and follow up with an erratic retrieve.
When targeting Bonito from shore, you can use bait or artificials (more on this below). Here, the fish will be swimming no deeper than 15 feet, so retrieve your bait or lure relatively close to the surface. Many anglers opt for a quick retrieve but you may have to experiment depending on the conditions. For your best chance at catching a Bonito from shore, cast your line in the early morning on a day when the water has a bit of chop.
Bonito Fishing Gear
A 7–9′ rod rated for ½ to 1 oz lures will be appropriate when shore fishing for Bonito. When you’re trolling nearshore, you’re likely to catch these fish on whatever trolling rods are in use for other game fish.
Whether fishing light tackle or trolling with gear that’s more robust, you want to pair your rod with a sizable spinning reel. This means going no smaller than a 2500 series, even when targeting juvenile fish in the shallows. A larger reel like this will withstand those fast runs and allows for a quick retrieve, which many anglers insist is the only way to land Bonito.
For shore fishing, a 10 lb test line should be sufficient, whereas a 15–30 lb braided line is suited for bigger Bonito from a boat. Of course, you’ll hook them on much heavier gear as well, since these fish are an incidental catch when fishing for bigger game.
Be sure to use a relatively long leader when targeting these fish. We’re talking 25 inches or so of 10–20 lb fluorocarbon or 12–25 lb nylon to absorb shock and prevent the fish from shaking your hooks.
Bonito Fishing Baits and Lures
With Bonito spanning much of the globe, your bait selection will depend heavily on where you cast a line and what tiny fish these torpedoes are used to gulping down. Common Bonito baits, depending on the area, include:
- Anchovies
- Sardines
- Silversides
- Peanut bunker
- Sand eels
- Juvenile squid
- Menhaden
- Alewives
- Tinker mackerel
- Smaller Bonito
Plenty of fish will take natural bait more readily than artificials, but Bonito aren’t so particular. In the midst of a feeding frenzy, they’ll chomp down on anything in sight. If you plan on packing lures, reach for the flashiest of them.
When shore fishing, it’s hard to go wrong with a hard metal jig. These are deceptively simple in appearance but anglers swear by them. You can grab them in pure silver or opt for a hint of color. Alternatively, you can cast a soft stickbait and have great success.
There are several lures anglers stand by when trolling for Bonito. These include spoons, deep-diving minnow plugs, and, most conventional of all, trolling feathers. Feathers have been the go-to lure for many years, often attached to a “splasher” such as a golf ball or styrofoam float.
When to Go Bonito Fishing
Peak season for Bonito fishing varies throughout the world, but you can generally count on catching them in warmer months, such as late spring, summer, and early fall. Regulations also vary by country, so get familiar with the rules in your area if you plan on targeting this fish.
Atlantic Bonito fishing in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico is best from April through September. This species is not federally regulated, so the rules are fairly lenient. There’s no minimum size limit in Florida and anglers can keep two fish per day.
Pacific Bonito season in California reaches its peak from June to November. There’s a bag limit of 10 fish per day. The minimum size limit is 24 inches or 5 pounds, but anglers can keep as many as five fish which are smaller than this.
Meanwhile, anglers in Australia will be catching local varieties between December and April. In New South Wales, there’s a bag limit of 10 fish per person, with no minimum size restrictions.
Bonito season in the Mediterranean peaks from July through November.
Bonito: A Catch You Won’t Forget
Fast, hard-fighting, and striking to behold, Bonito are potentially one of saltwater’s most underrated game fish. With a variety of species spanning the globe and schools of these fish cruising the coast, they’re accessible to anglers virtually everywhere.
Though Bonito may be easy to overlook, they’re not so easy to catch, and this makes them a great target for honing your skills. Who knows, you may even decide you’re one of those anglers who enjoys eating this fish… After all, the secret is knowing how to prepare it!
Ever been surprised to find a Bonito on the end of your line? How many have you caught in a day? And did you ever try eating one? Let us know in the comments below!
The post How to Fish for Bonito: The Complete Guide for 2024 appeared first on FishingBooker Blog.
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