First bonito

[sam_chamoun93]

Scored my first landbased bonito today

Was fishing with live yakkas in the harbour today when I hooked a large port Jackson cut the line because I was too scared of him. I noticed that the large school of whitebait congregating under the wharf had begun to ball up as predators darted in and out. Saw 3 bonnies speeding around hitting the bait ball from all sides. Threw on a 20g halco slug, first cast and there's my first bonito.

Perservered with the metal and a 30mm killer tomato squidgie with plenty of follows but no Hookups. Bled, gilled and gutted, the fish was about 45 cm. I know some people probably put a snell in them and use them as bait, but I was rather happy with him for dinner.

[A.dawg]

Nice work buddy but unfortunately not a bonito

It's called frigate mackerel and they are gun livies off the rocks for game fishos (kings marlin tuna)

And they are harder to catch in my opinion than bonito

Very picky

Alan

[jonno86]

which wharf is this?

[sam_chamoun93]

Oh haha thanks a. Dawg

[sam_chamoun93]

There were like 4 fishos there saying it was bonnies swimming around. Oh well, next time.

This was at parsley bay.

[PRED-ATOR]

Nice fish mate! its always good to tick a new species of the list.

[lostproperty]

Bonnie's go harder that a frigate in my opinion, by still a nice fish he's pretty fat, make good snapper bait wasn't too flash on the table though unfortunately.

Well done all the same though mate and good quick thinking with getting the lure on and having a cast at them

[sam_chamoun93]

wasn't too flash on the table though unfortunately.

Yeah haha tasted like a can of tuna that had been sitting out in the sun.

[sootopia]

haha the trick is to bleed and ice straight away....if you dont send them out straight away as bait !

30-60 secs each side on a very hot pan (deps how thick u cut it) you should not over cook it though.....

leave to stand for a bit on a plate and let it cook in the residual heat.....should be slightly pink still!

i find most pelagics turn out tough and crap if u over cook them....unless you are making fish curry....

[sam_chamoun93]

Thanks for that advice. A question about bleeding fish; do you cut the throat of the fish or cut down the gills of the fish parallel to the body and cutting towards the tail. I have seen it done both ways with similar results. Also do you bleed all fish, even the little ones?

[lostproperty]

I cut the gills both sides and bottom on the throat clean through the put the fish in a bucket head first and let I bleed, generally I won't spike them because as they flap around the usually get more blood out

[sootopia]

yea pretty much as downtofish said..... your trying to hit the aorta/ vessels connecting gills to the aorta. Cut straight down behind the gills down to the spine .....u can kinda see it in the pic i posted....

if you do it right you should see blood squirting out from the cut.

Brain spiking is "humane" and meant to stop the fish from feeling the stress of dying or something like that.....but the fish die quickly enough from bleeding/ice imo

Fish for the table get bled immediately then into ice...improves the taste heaps!

[FISHARK]

Yeah looks like a mac to me anyways well done