SD bay Bonita Mayhem!! - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Aaron&Julie · 11-30-2015, 02:19 PM

Yeah, the DFG will care a lot about them and any fish with regulations. Break the rules, that's revenue for them just like the CHP.

BTW, I used to also kill bonito (easily over 50/day) in the bay (back in the day, early 1970s), but it was in Redondo harbor. Then there was no limit of any kind.

In the last few years bonito have been much more scarce until this year, not great numbers but decent ones. Besides the DFG caring about bonito, there are many of us sportfishermen/women who do. Especially those of us "in the know" that if bonito are bled (cut gills) and chilled right away, they are one of the best eating fish in SoCal, and can be eaten in the biggest variety of ways. If I catch bonito, and I have plenty of mackerel for bug bait, the bonito are going to be eaten by humans not bugs. Smoked it's as good as it gets up there with albacore. Raw same thing, up there with tuna, and I even prefer it over hamachi (yellowtail), which I love. Cooked any other way it's damn good too. Marinade and grill on the outside BBQ, awesome.

Just food for thought when you catch your next batch of boneheads, just remember, bleed and chill. If you're on a kayak, where chilling can be tricky, bring along a LARGE fishing towel, keep it wet and cover the fish that are on the deck, this works great for all fish. Otherwise if you don't mind storing inside your hatch, keep them next to the hull, the cool ocean water should keep them cool enough.

Back in the 60s and 70s, some may have put bonito down, like some may do to mackerel nowadays, almost classifying them as a trash fish. That's before bleeding became popular and because on sport boats, they'd go into a gunny sack, in the sun, and end up very mushy like 'cuda do. Now they are considered a good catch on the sport boats, rightfully so.

So make the most of this prize, enjoy the fight (best lb for lb in the world), the lighter tackle the better, and Bon appétit!

11-30-2015, 02:19 PM	#1
Aaron&Julie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Valley Posts: 1,400	Yeah, the DFG will care a lot about them and any fish with regulations. Break the rules, that's revenue for them just like the CHP. BTW, I used to also kill bonito (easily over 50/day) in the bay (back in the day, early 1970s), but it was in Redondo harbor. Then there was no limit of any kind. In the last few years bonito have been much more scarce until this year, not great numbers but decent ones. Besides the DFG caring about bonito, there are many of us sportfishermen/women who do. Especially those of us "in the know" that if bonito are bled (cut gills) and chilled right away, they are one of the best eating fish in SoCal, and can be eaten in the biggest variety of ways. If I catch bonito, and I have plenty of mackerel for bug bait, the bonito are going to be eaten by humans not bugs. Smoked it's as good as it gets up there with albacore. Raw same thing, up there with tuna, and I even prefer it over hamachi (yellowtail), which I love. Cooked any other way it's damn good too. Marinade and grill on the outside BBQ, awesome. Just food for thought when you catch your next batch of boneheads, just remember, bleed and chill. If you're on a kayak, where chilling can be tricky, bring along a LARGE fishing towel, keep it wet and cover the fish that are on the deck, this works great for all fish. Otherwise if you don't mind storing inside your hatch, keep them next to the hull, the cool ocean water should keep them cool enough. Back in the 60s and 70s, some may have put bonito down, like some may do to mackerel nowadays, almost classifying them as a trash fish. That's before bleeding became popular and because on sport boats, they'd go into a gunny sack, in the sun, and end up very mushy like 'cuda do. Now they are considered a good catch on the sport boats, rightfully so. So make the most of this prize, enjoy the fight (best lb for lb in the world), the lighter tackle the better, and Bon appétit! __________________ "Never say die"