Been seeing many posts of Bonito biting at Belmont, not my preferred location so headed out to Balboa to check out the conditions before heading over to Belmont.
BALBOA
10a - Balboa water was crazy clear with A lot of smelt massing N side of pier from surf to end. Out at end periodic schools of Bonito breezing through the bait with some small boils, few anglers but Nobody getting any Bonito on sabiki, spoon or splasher, I finally got one good boil on surface feather but didn't stay hooked. 12"-16" fish.
BELMONT
1p - After a few hours of nothing I gave up and headed to Belmont for the 1st time in over a decade. Water was murky-green as usual and wind was howling. Walking out Mid-pier a guy bounced a Bonito on a jig, kept on to the end which was WINDY and mostly empty. The smelt were THICK hugging the pier on all sides. Nothing attacking bait on shore-facing edge (where poster has been catching) then the guy jigging a few feet away on end hooked a nice 12-13 incher. The masses of smelt at end and bay-facing (facing) edge were getting strafed by small Bonito schools. jig-guy hooked up again looked like a 16" before it came off, while I was plugging away with surface feather on all sides for NOTHING, not a boil not a pass. Eventually around 2:30p I started using Kroc at the magic end where the other guy had been fishing. No visible chasers on kroc then Finally deep-strike! Then a couple casts later another. Nothing for about 30 min then another triple strike in quick succession, lost 1 of the 3, was hoping to get that elusive 5th fish but gave up with 4 in the ice chest, finally get to eat fresh Bonito! 11" - 13"
BALBOA
10a - Balboa water was crazy clear with A lot of smelt massing N side of pier from surf to end. Out at end periodic schools of Bonito breezing through the bait with some small boils, few anglers but Nobody getting any Bonito on sabiki, spoon or splasher, I finally got one good boil on surface feather but didn't stay hooked. 12"-16" fish.
BELMONT
1p - After a few hours of nothing I gave up and headed to Belmont for the 1st time in over a decade. Water was murky-green as usual and wind was howling. Walking out Mid-pier a guy bounced a Bonito on a jig, kept on to the end which was WINDY and mostly empty. The smelt were THICK hugging the pier on all sides. Nothing attacking bait on shore-facing edge (where poster has been catching) then the guy jigging a few feet away on end hooked a nice 12-13 incher. The masses of smelt at end and bay-facing (facing) edge were getting strafed by small Bonito schools. jig-guy hooked up again looked like a 16" before it came off, while I was plugging away with surface feather on all sides for NOTHING, not a boil not a pass. Eventually around 2:30p I started using Kroc at the magic end where the other guy had been fishing. No visible chasers on kroc then Finally deep-strike! Then a couple casts later another. Nothing for about 30 min then another triple strike in quick succession, lost 1 of the 3, was hoping to get that elusive 5th fish but gave up with 4 in the ice chest, finally get to eat fresh Bonito! 11" - 13"
