When the sou’westers of spring start to blow along the coast there are many sure signs that the weather is changing for the better. Blossoms appear on trees, bees come out to take advantage of those blossoms and “young boys thoughts turn to love”. However if you want to know what the best and surest sign of spring is along the coast, I say it is the arrival of the bonito schools. These fish begin to show up in massive numbers along our southern coastline during the first two weeks of April and provide fast action and exciting fishing well into May. The best place to get in on this action is off of Atlantic Beach, NC. It is no rare occurrence to get out to the reef and see schools of bonito breaking the surface from the time the sun comes up until 8 am. This, of course, leads to bent rods among the anglers in just about every boat that you may see out there. It really is a great way to break in a new fishing season.
There is often much confusion in identifying the small tunas that frequent our inshore waters. Basically there are two species: the little tunny (or more popularly known as false albacore) can be distinguished by its high dorsal fin, squiggly lines on its back (or dorsal vermiculations) and black spots near it pectoral fin. The bonito has a long low dorsal fin, horizontal racing stripes along its side and very prominent teeth. By looking at the two fish you can see a fundamental difference in how they pursue their prey. The albie has a large mouth with its teeth recessed, and is a gulping feeder. The bonito has a small mouth with prominent teeth and is a grasper. For albacore fishing you can use flies or lures that have a longer body. Bonito fishing demands long shank hooks on your streamers or you will be getting short strikes all the time and not hooking up. Even though the bonito has nice dental work there is not much call for bite leaders of any kind as they do not bite down the way a mackerel or a bluefish does. In fact the bonito is known to be leader shy and heavy line or wire will greatly reduce the number of strikes you get.
There are many ways to pursue Sarda Sarda, the Atlantic bonito. A real easy way is to troll for them as you would for Spanish mackerel. They will hit all the same spoons and the same rigs will work just fine. I find however that the most fun and exciting way is to actively pursue schools of breaking fish. This is classic surface action. You can cast to them with spinning rods or with the more and more popular fly tackle. A small to medium sized boat of up to 24 feet is ideal for this kind of fishing. You need something that is easy to maneuver and get around in, and can accelerate and slow down quickly. Combine this with the moderate southwest breezes we receive at this time of year and it is a great opportunity for small boat anglers to get in on some action usually reserved for the big boat boys. Having said that however let me say that this is not the realm of a Jon boat. If you have a fiberglass, flat bottomed skiff of 18 feet or more you are going to be okay. Something with a “V” bottom is going to serve you better because there is often a nice chop running. Actually if the weather is nice and there is a bit of breeze the fishing is often better. This is because the fish cannot see or hear the boat as well and you will be able to get closer to them.
The inshore water temperatures reach the mid 60’s around Atlantic Beach sometime during April and that is the time to find bonito over nearshore reefs and wrecks. They seem to like structure with which to break up current. When there is bait and water in their preferred temperature range, then the bones (as they are often referred to) will be over the reefs. Prime time for this fishery seems to be from mid-April to mid-May with the best bites usually occurring around first light.
For the average spin fisherman, a 6 or 7 foot, light action rod is about as good as it gets for these fish. Get a reel that can hold 200 yards of 8 or 10 pound test line and you are set. I like to use the 1 1/8 oz Stinsilver spoons and YoZuri Crystal Minnows and Mirrolure Top Dawgs. Position your boat upcurrent of the school. DO NOT run full blast into them or cut off another boat that is getting into position. That is bad form and you will not make any friends by “bum rushing” other boats. There are other schools and if you miss the first one there is sure to be a second close behind. Often you cna simply set up a drift over the wreck and start to cast with the topwater and when you get strikes on that (the first ones will miss) follow up with a plug or spoon
Saltwater flyfishing enthusiasts (like me) will find a fast action eight weight rod to be perfect. Combine this with a 250 grain sinking line and you will be able to cover everything from the surface on down. A sinking line will enable you to cast further with fewer false casts and get your fly down a couple of feet, where most of the fish are, when retrieving through a busting school. An intermediate line will also work but I find that I get more strikes with the sinking line. Make sure your reel can hold about 200 yards of backing and has a drag surface that is up to the task of handling a fish that can swim upwards of 30 miles per hour. 3 to 4 inch Clouser minnows, and other slim bodied streamers like the Bulletproof Baitfish (http://www.flyfish-nc.com/bulletproofbaitfish.html) are quite effective. But don’t get hung up on fly patterns. They will hit just about anything. Good colors include, but are not limited to; chartreuse, blue and olive. Don’t be afraid to try something else that makes you happy. It’s all good! A leader of about 8 feet long with a 10 pound tippet is what I normally use. However there are record size fish here and a big fish on a light tippet could put you in the books. If you go light I would recommend a shock tippet of 20 lb flourocarbon. Remember for IGFA consideration it can be no more than 12 inches long.
When you first hook a bonito your first reaction may be, “What’s the big deal?” Don’t be fooled. They tend to hesitate for a second before they do anything. That is when they bust loose! Bonito can swim very fast. If you are using light line you had better have your drag set correctly or you will get snapped off in a hurry! The first run may be up to 100 yards or more. It will attempt to keep up with it’s buddies in the school. When the fish realizes it cannot do this it will then sound and begin a back and forth, see-saw type of battle. Begrudging you every inch of line you gain back. When it sees the boat the whole thing will start all over again. The second run will not be as far as the first but just about as fast. When the fish is finally ready to be landed you can grab it right by the tail. Now is the tough part. Deciding whether to keep it or put it back. You see, unlike the false albacore (Euthynnus Alliteratus), the Atlantic bonito is quite good to eat. If you decide to release it, get the hook out quickly and drop it head first into the water. If you want to keep the fish however you must get it on ice and bled out quickly. If the fish is taken care of properly on the boat you will be pleased with the results later on.
The Atlantic bonito is usually the first flyrod ocean fish I catch each year in North Carolina. It is about as good a way that I know of to start spring fishing. If you get the word that, “The bonito are in!” Then drop everything and make arrangements to get to the beach and get after them. What better way to spend an April morning than out on a boat. Through the inlet at first light. Seeing fast swimming fish, fresh from the deep ocean, blasting baitfish right out of the water in the dim light of dawn. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.
Capt Gordon Churchill is a light tackle and flyfishing guide. You can contact him at 252-241-1379. Through e-mail at captgordon@ec.rr.com.
Bonito are excellent eating when prepared for sushi. Simply use for favorite method for preparing the rice and roll away. If you are not a fan of sushi I also grill them over an open grill with lemon butter, great way to start out the spring.
