Damn Good Bonito Fishing Charters

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Bonito Fishing Charters

Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Inshore, Nearshore Fishing in Shalimar

Bay Side Inshore Trip

100% (17) Guided by Robert
24 ft 1 - 6 People From $800
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in Miami

Deep Sea Trip

100% (3) Guided by Sig
43 ft 1 - 6 People From $1,000
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Nearshore Fishing in Chatham

Early Season Striper - 26’

100% (4) Managed by Drew
26 ft 1 - 6 People From $800
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea Fishing in Montauk

Overnight Canyon Trip

100% (1) Guided by James
33 ft 1 - 5 People From $5,000
Damn Good
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in Panama City Beach

4-Hour Offshore Fishing

100% (27) Guided by Max
28 ft 1 - 12 People From $800
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea Fishing in St. Augustine

Extended Day Adventure

100% (3) Guided by Robby
30 ft 1 - 6 People From $2,118
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Everything to Know About Booking a bonito fishing charter

What are the best bonito fishing charters?

The best bonito fishing charters are:

What is a Bonito?

The bonito (Sardini) is actually a tribe of fish that contains eight different species across four different genera. These species include the Australian, Eastern Pacific, Pacific, striped, Atlantic, leaping, and plain bonito, as well as the dogtooth tuna. All bonito are members of the Scombridae family, which is shared with the mackerel, tuna, and spanish mackerel tribes.

Their tops range from green, to blue, to violet with silver and whitish bellies. All species have some form of stripes on their back, varying in color, direction, and amount, as well as some have spots. They also have torpedo-shaped bodies and are very muscular, with two dorsal fins and a deeply forked tail fin. This makes them fast swimmers and ferocious fighters when caught.

How big do Bonito get?

The size of bonito depends greatly on the specific species. The smallest type of bonito is the leaping bonito, which will weigh about a pound. The largest is the dogtooth tuna, which will weigh around 40 pounds and grow to about 45 inches.

The most common bonito is the Atlantic bonito, which grows to around 12 pounds and 20 inches long.

What's the biggest Bonito ever caught?

The largest bonito ever caught was a dogtooth tuna. Caught off the coast of Tanzania in 2015, the behemoth weighed in at 236 pounds and 15 ounces.

There are several other world record bonito species recognized by the IGFA. These include an Atlantic bonito weighing in at 18 pounds, 4 ounces, caught on July 8th, 1953 near Falal Island, Azores, Portugal by D. Higgs. Also, the Australian bonito record, weighing in at 20 pounds, 11 ounces, caught on April 1st, 1978 out of Montague Island, Australia by Bruce Conley. The largest Pacific Bonito was 21 pounds, 5 ounces caught by Kim Larson on October 19th, 2003 out of California. The largest striped bonito was 23 pounds, 8 ounces caught by Anne Cochain on February 19th, 1975 out of Seychelles.

Finally, the cutest bonito of them all, the record leaping bonito weighs in at a whopping 2 pounds, 2 ounces caught by Wayne Colling on May 7th, 1995 in the Macleay River, Australia.

Where is the best place to catch Bonito?

The Australian, Eastern Pacific, Pacific, and Atlantic bonitos can be found in the tropical and temperate waters of the regions they’re named after. Striped bonitos can be found in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Leaping bonitos are found near Australia and New Guinea. Dogtooth tuna are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Within these oceans, gulfs, and seas, they can all be found in temperate to tropical waters.. They are all pelagic, meaning they tend to inhabit the upper layers of the open sea, not too close to the seafloor or the shore.

When should I catch Bonito?

Bonito can be fished for year round. Due to their semi migratory nature, and the different oceans that they reside, though, there are some seasons that are better than others. With all of the bonito species it seems that the consensus of the best time to fish are the summer months, though fishing begins to get good as early as May and stays good as long as September.

How do you catch Bonito?

Bonito are schooling fish who chase prey like menhaden, alewives, silversides, sand lances, squid, and sardines to the surface to feed. Look for surface activity or sea birds to find a school.

Then either use either natural bait that would be the same as their local prey choice, or soft plastic lures or metal jigs. Then start trolling, when they are on a feeding frenzy, it will be a quick bite, so be ready for the fight!

Are Bonito good to eat? What are the best Bonito recipes?

Bonito are oily fish that have a moderate fat content, and are eaten, but are considered of lesser quality than many other table fish such as tuna. Bonito is usually either canned, or eaten as steaks, which can either be grilled, or baked and served cold. They are most popular in areas like the Mediterranean and Spain.

Recent Reviews

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Steve and Jake were awesome. Our party of four two local and two from Missouri six hour trip extremely enjoyable. Steve and Jake were professional, skilled and extremely supportive. Bottom and trolling, just killed it.

    Mark C. | March 10, 2026

    Trip: Clearwater Fishing Thriller!

  • ★★★★★
    Had a great morning out on the water with Captain Richard and crew. Weather was great, water was a tad choppy but we still caught 2 Bonita, a couple tuna and a barracuda! Mate Dave said it was perfect eating at that size. Took him at his word and made a ceviche. Excellent! Who knew? And our small catch tuna made great poke bowls! We let the 5 ft shark go on his way! Cap Richard piloted us through the chop, excellent views, a decent catch. Plans to go again soon! Want to be on the ocean catching some dinner, book it with Capt Richard!

    Lisa C. | March 3, 2026

    Trip: 1/2 Day Fishing Trip

  • ★★★★★
    Awesome time, weather was perfect, Lucas and Damien hunted the fish, great team. It did happen to be a slow day, but we tried trolling, dropping down etc. Put a medium king in the boat for the smoker and released a few trigger fish and a sand tile fish.

    Robert P. | February 21, 2026

    Trip: Sunrise Saltwater Slam

  • ★★★★★
    Manny and his crew are the best! Very knowledgeable and also fun to be on a boat with. We went out in January when conditions were not the best for fishing, but the crew made it their mission to get us some fish, and even kept the boat out a little longer for us. We ended up with two blackfin tuna which they fileted for us and we had a great dinner. Highly recommend this charter!

    Bud B. | January 20, 2026

    Trip: Bachelor Party Fishing Fun!

  • ★★★★★
    Our captain was Steve. Knew the area, put us on fish and helped everyone to have a good time. Helped us clean the catch. An occasional smile wouldn't hurt, but that's beside the point.

    Artsiom S. | January 13, 2026

    Trip: 5,7,9 Hour Offshore

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