Bonito are the appetizer to the entrée that’s albie season. Fishermen in search of that first style of inshore pelagics can discover it, most years, by the center of July. By August, it’s a certain factor that the bonito have settled in.
Most years, bonito transfer inshore earlier than the smorgasbord of fall baitfish leaves the backwaters, which makes sand eels their main summer time meals supply. The bonito beeline for shoals, humps, and rips the place sand eels are plentiful. At these areas, bonito typically feed under the floor, giving no indication of their presence. In consequence, high-speed trolling is the best method.
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Rods, Reels and Line for Bonito Trolling
Trolling for bonito seems like a scaled-down model of tuna trolling with out the long term offshore. Most fishermen use a two- to three-rod unfold with a mixture of small trolling feathers, drail-and-spoon rigs, and small, deep-diving minnow plugs.
Bonito are quick—some fishermen imagine they’re even sooner than albies—however most weigh lower than 6 kilos, so to totally benefit from the struggle, most fishermen use the lightest sort out they’ve that may deal with high-speed trolling.
Typically, the rods ought to be capable to deal with 30-pound-test braided line and weights as much as 4 ounces. Reels with a level-wind are effectively fitted to much less skilled anglers because the level-wind means that you can struggle fish with out worrying about laying the road evenly. For extra skilled anglers, typical reels with a lever drag are greatest, as they let you simply modify the drag from a looser trolling setting to the tighter fish-fighting setting.
For line, 20-pound-test monofilament is an effective alternative as its inherent stretch cushions the strike of a turning-and-burning bonito. For chief, he bumps 30- to 40-pound-test fluorocarbon, offers a little bit insurance coverage when leadering a fish subsequent to the boat.
Whereas outriggers can be overkill for such gentle sort out trolling, anglers can unfold out their spreads with the assistance of out-rodders, which additionally maintain the rods angled decrease to the water, bettering the lure presentation.
Finest Lures for Bonito Trolling
Minnow plugs are the most well-liked alternative for bonito trolling, with deep-diving fashions within the 5- to 6-inch vary being the best. For years, bonito trollers relied on the inexperienced mackerel coloured Insurgent Fas-Trac, a jointed deep-diver designed for Pacific salmon that caught the heck out of Atlantic bonito. Fashionable minnow plugs catch even higher, deal with sooner trolling speeds, and are available a wider vary of colours. Selections embody the Rapala X-Rap Magnum 10 and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver (4 3/8″ or 5″).
Anglers seeking to combine issues up, or who love proving that the old-school ways nonetheless work, can catch with an Authentic Clark Spoon fished behind a small planer or drail weight, and with small Trolling Feathers.
For colours, inexperienced and chartreuse are all the time productive, and the basic purple head/white physique is a detailed second. Sizzling pink, blue, and all white work as effectively, as do the varied mackerel patterns accessible within the Rapala X-Rap Magnum 10.
Trolling Pace
The most effective trolling velocity for bonito varies by the day, and the presence of bluefish. Lots of the well-liked minnow plugs swim greatest between 4 and 5 knots, in order that’s a superb place to start out. If bluefish frequently cowl up your unfold, push the speeds previous 5 knots. Coping with small bluefish is a part of the sport, however they could be so ravenous, that getting by means of to the bonito usually seems like an impossibility. This prompts many captains to attempt to “outrun” the blues by pushing the throttle previous 6 knots. These speeds will cut back (however not get rid of) bites from bluefish, and can go away your lures open lengthy sufficient to draw a bonito.
