Bonitos Everywhere on Balboa Pier

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Snookie

Member
#1
#1
Yesterday the bonitos decided to be with us from early morning until 4p.m. It was just before noon when they broke everywhere on the pier. We had a tremendous amount of bait all around and they were after it. The bonitos were about 16 inches which is much better than they have been.They wanted lures, smelt and sardines. One rod is all that you could handle they were so fast at taking when you were offering. We fished the surf area for most of ours. We used sardines that were readily available straight down. We made sure that the people near us earlier on the end knew the regulations of 5 bonitos. Some of the older people had never caught bonitos, and were having a blast. That was fun to watch.

Snookie
 
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Angler67

Member
#5
#5
It was exciting! wide spread boils 100-300 yds out. Tonnage of fish, while the
Massive boils outside they were all over the sabikis by the pier on the end, not much else but 3-4 per sabiki hookup adds up. Finally started hitting stick baits aggressive! Today was much quieter but still plenty to be had, bit better on surface feather today THU
 
S

Snookie

Member
#6
#6
Yesterday wasn't quieter down in the surf area. We had lots of sardines and that is what the bonitos wanted. Kept two bonitos and threw the rest back. Also had a keeper halibut but lost her while netting her. A friend caught a big leopard shark in the very surf area. Although he lost it he got some great pictures. By the way the bonitos don't seem to want single lures. Mostly sardines were on their menus.

Snookie
 
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Angler67

Member
#7
#7
That makes sense, it stayed overcast But I could see the red tide plumes thick off the end, but the water was more clear on the inside, but all that smelt (grunion?) that filled the water for sq miles around the pier Tues was gone, a bit hugging the pier and the balls of dines, but I drew no strikes or passes working the sardine balls on the sides of the pier, but consistent blind strikes within 50yds out off the end, odd but I ran with it on decent consistent bite between 11-2. Thurs I found no action on the inside (sink to Halibut row), though Tues was consistent action on surface just outside the boils

OH the sea lions started working the pier on Thurs, lost 1 to them ... kind of ... hook ripped out when sea lion grabbed and ran with it, but another got hooked immediately LOL
 
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