Although most anglers use spinning or baitcasting tackle for bonito, fly-rod fishing has become popular in recent years — probably because false albacore will hit the same flies as bonito.
“A lot of people are fly fishing in saltwater now,” said guide Wayne Crisco.
A 6-weight fly rod rigged with intermediate sinking line is a good, all-round choice for bonito. A quick retrieve after allowing a fly to sink to the level of the bonito usually will elicit a strike.
Although they’re ravenous eaters and generally not too picky about what types of lures they’ll attack, sometimes bonito often focus on one particular baitfish, such as cigar minnows, finger mullet or glass minnows.
“If you find yourself in the middle of a school of fishing boiling on the surface, the choice is fairly simple — and it’ll work at other times too when the fish aren’t that active — cast a Clouser fly with silver-flake and white feathers,” Crisco said.
“They’ll hit just about anything with silver in it. I’ve wrapped a piece of tinfoil around a jig, and they still killed it.”
Some of the more popular flies include the Jiggy, Mushmouth, small Clouser minnows (sometimes called “albie Clousers”) and Lefty’s Deceivers.
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