Damn Good Bonito Fishing Charters

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Bonito Fishing Charters

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Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
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Everything to Know About Booking a bonito fishing charter

What are the best bonito fishing charters?

Why should I book a bonito fishing charter with Captain Experiences?

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 288 bonito trips, and the most popular trips are Fort Lauderdale Fishing Adventure guided by , Key West Offshore - '27 CC guided by , and Spring & Summer Fishing Trips guided by .

Our guides are rated a 4.82 out of 5 based on 4404 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.

All guides on Captain Experiences are vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

Looking for kid friendly bonito guides / fishing lessons? Check out our beginner and family friendly bonito guides.

What types of bonito fishing charters are common?

Deep Sea fishing is the most popular type of fishing for bonito as well as nearshore fishing, inshore fishing, and jetty fishing.

The most common fishing techniques are trolling, bottom fishing, and heavy tackle fishing but live bait fishing and light tackle fishing are popular as well.

How much do bonito fishing charters cost?

Prices for bonito can range anywhere from about $750 to $4,584, but the average price for a half day trip for bonito is $1,470. The average price for a full day trip for bonito is $2,776.

Is booking a fishing guide worth the money?

Hiring a guide provides a number of benefits and many choose to book a fishing guide for a combination of experience, local knowledge, convenience, and cost-effectiveness.

Working with experienced fishing guides who know the best local spots and techniques can dramatically increase your odds of a great day. Having someone who is on the water every day and knows the area like the back of their hand is going to give you the best chances of success.

Booking a guide is also more cost effective, especially if you only get out a handful of times per year. When you consider all of the costs you would incur on your own such as the price of a boat, maintenance, insurance, gas, high-quality gear and tackle, repairs, and more, you’ll find that DIY is sometimes not worth the expense.

Even if you’ve got a great setup already in your home waters, booking a guide also provides a great opportunity to experience new techniques, new locations, or even a chance at a new target species to knock off the bucket list.

What month is best for bonito fishing?

The most popular season for bonito fishing is summer, and most anglers book their trips 15 days in advance.

Do I need a fishing license for bonito and what are the bag limits for bonito?

See here for more information on bonito fishing licenses, bonito bag limits, and fishing season regulations for bonito. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right bonito rules and regulations.

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

  • ★★★★★
    Had an excellent morning catching multi-species of fish. First time ocean fishing with my four sons during spring break. 4 hour trip start to finish yielded a total of 40ish fish. Highly recommended. Capt Cory cleaned our catches right at the dock.

    Matthew S. | March 26, 2025

    Trip: FWB Quick Run

  • ★★★★★
    Seth and Austin were awesome! They were extremely accommodating when we needed to switch timing last minute due to a canceled flight. We had a great time on the boat and everyone in our 10 person group had at least one catch. Highly recommend!

    Trent B. | March 24, 2025

    Trip: Bottom Fishing and Trolling Fun 45'

  • ★★★★★
    Top notch trip. Very clear and precise communication and the fishing was great. Very knowledgeable guide. My son and I will for sure return.

    Joe C. | March 24, 2025

    Trip: 4 - 8 Hour Trips with Capt. Logan

  • ★★★★★
    Great trip! Lots of excitement and caught a sailfish!

    Bill B. | March 23, 2025

    Trip: Unforgettable Day Offshore

  • ★★★★★
    Great trip, I finally caught a shark and my daughter and I caught an abundance of eating fish.

    Michael S. | March 23, 2025

    Trip: Offshore Trip - 27' Cape Horn

  • ★★★★★
    The trip was great. The crew was very nice and although our first time made us feel very comfortable.

    Scott S. | March 21, 2025

    Trip: Tiara Boat 35Ft Sportfishing

  • ★★★★★
    The trip was exceptional. The weather was colder but Corey kept us on the fish and we caught a lot of fish. We would definitely book with Corey again.

    James D. | March 20, 2025

    Trip: Orange Beach Mixed Bag

  • ★★★★★
    We really enjoyed our trip brad was very knowledgeable and helpful as was his deckhand very easygoing and professional I will be back soon to book with him again

    John D. | March 15, 2025

    Trip: Key West Mixed Bag Trip

  • ★★★★★
    We had a great day with Adam, thoroughly knowledgeable about the area and how to catch em!!! He gave us several options to choose from and he did not disappoint!!! We will be chartering with him again in the near future.

    William B. | March 2, 2025

    Trip: Offshore Trip - 27' Cape Horn

  • ★★★★★
    This was the best deep sea trip I’ve been on. And I’ve been on a lot. These guides knew their stuff and legitimately wanted us to catch fish. Such a hard working knowledgeable crew and it paid off. We came home with every fish I could imagine.

    Josh K. | February 20, 2025

    Trip: Epic 32ft Sportfishing

  • ★★★★★
    Steve & crew were great! They kept our lines in the water, and attended to us quickly. The boat was clean and spacious, lots of space to get out of the sun, but maintain a breeze without getting down into the cabin. 100% would recommend you give Reel Deal a shot!

    Tim T. | February 12, 2025

    Trip: Crushing Clearwater Offshore

  • ★★★★★
    Juan Carlos was awesome! 28 years of experience definitely shows through. He knows the fish, area and his equipment. Superior customer service start to finish. Definitely marking another trip on our next visit to the island.

    Clay P. | January 10, 2025

    Trip: Extreme Reef Trip - 26' Twin Vee

  • ★★★★★
    Had a great trip with Brad. He was prompt and polite, but most importantly, a very attentive and experienced captain. He gave us many options for our outing and let us determine the course of our day. Highly recommend!

    Curtis C. | January 10, 2025

    Trip: Key West Mixed Bag Trip

  • ★★★★★
    Great Crew and Captain was a bit thorny out and several guests got seasick great overall trip

    Dean B. | December 29, 2024

    Trip: Daily Reef Fishing (Shared Trip)

  • ★★★★★
    Will definitely book another charted fishing trip with Doug!!!!

    Brian W. | December 27, 2024

    Trip: Pompano Beach Classic

  • ★★★★★
    Brad and his first mate were first class. Helped us fish for all different kinds of fish. We even caught a 6 foot sailfish! Our family had a very nice time and highly recommend Captain Brad!

    Michael V. | December 25, 2024

    Trip: Key West Mixed Bag Trip

  • ★★★★★
    We had an awesome time out there with Drew and Dawson! We were looking for bluefin tuna on artificial lures and fished hard off the Cape. The tuna were going crazy under birds. We got tight but unfortunately it wasn't to be. The Bluefin gotta win some days and can't wait to get back out there with these guys. Tackle was perfect and these guys know the area lick the back of their hand! – Jonathan with Captain Experiences

    Jonathan N. | December 9, 2024

    Trip: Fall Striper - 33’ Grady White

  • ★★★★★
    My family and I had an epic day with Taco! Taco and his mate were super welcoming as we jumped on board, and it was clear he runs a super clean and well maintained sportfish. We were on fish in no time with my brother-in-law fighting the fish of his life, a giant Amberjack! From there, we spread the kites and caught mahi, bonita, and a beautiful sailfish. Whole fam had a blast and Taco stole the show, we'll be back! – Jonathan with Captain Experiences

    Jonathan N. | December 9, 2024

    Trip: Florida Fishing Spectacular

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Brad and Eddie were fantastic. Very knowledgeable and was a great day.

    Brian C. | December 1, 2024

    Trip: #1 Offshore Charter

  • ★★★★★
    We had a group of 10 for a bachelor party and the experience was great. Everything was as imagined and the staff were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We would highly recommend this trip for either a small or big group.

    Jason Y. | November 25, 2024

    Trip: Daily Reef Fishing (Shared Trip)

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