Damn Good Bonito Fishing Charters

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Bonito Fishing Charters

Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in Fort Lauderdale

Ft. Lauderdale Quick Trips

NEW Guided by Vinnie
43 ft 1 - 6 People From $550
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 Fishing in Miami Beach

Offshore Deep Sea Fishing

NEW Managed by Matt
70 ft 1 - 20 People From $3,000
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in Clearwater

Crushing Clearwater Offshore

100% (10) Guided by Steve
34 ft 1 - 12 People From $880
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in St. Petersburg

Offshore Trip - 27' Cape Horn

100% (4) Guided by Adam
27 ft 1 - 4 People From $550
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 Key West

Key West Mixed Bag Trip

100% (9) Guided by Brad
43 ft 1 - 6 People From $950
Veteran Operated
This trip is managed by a veteran of the US armed forces.
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing in Miami

Big Game Expedition - 60' Hatteras

100% (3) Guided by Nelson
60 ft 1 - 12 People From $1,300
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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:

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

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 247 bonito trips, and the most popular trips are #1 Offshore Charter guided by Brad, Key West Offshore or Inshore guided by Antonio, and 4 hours Fishing trip guided by Vasiliy.

Our guides are rated a 4.84 out of 5 based on 3883 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 $800 to $5,110, but the average price for a half day trip for bonito is $1,487. The average price for a full day trip for bonito is $3,196.

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

  • ★★★★★
    Great time on the water yesterday. Had some friends with me from England who never fished. They had an amazing time. Nick our mate was awesome. Caught a few barracuda and we missed 2 big fish.

    Joby W. | December 31, 2024

    Trip: Miami Offshore Trolling Fun!

  • ★★★★★
    Great trip! Will be booking again soon

    Damion G. | December 30, 2024

    Trip: Big Game Expedition - 60' Hatteras

  • ★★★★★
    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

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Tony was a fantastic guide who knew the right places to fish. His knowledge of the local waters and species was incredible and we caught 30 fish including a prized huge Mutton! So much fun and we will definitely go with Captain Tony with screaming lines again!!

    Stephen B. | December 24, 2024

    Trip: Key West Offshore or Inshore

  • ★★★★★
    Our trip with Tony was amazing! Our family had such a good time catching all sorts of different species. After catching fish pretty consistently for about four hours, Tony was nice enough to clean our fish for us. We were able to take our filets to the restaurant next to where he picked us up where they cooked them for us. Overall it was a great day and we highly recommend Tony and his services!

    Tyler L. | December 22, 2024

    Trip: Key West Offshore or Inshore

  • ★★★★★
    We had a great time. We caught around 40 fish. Gray snapper, Redfish, Porgy, and Sheep Head. Caught some group or two, but they’re out of season so I’d throw them back. The fish we did keep we took back and cooked them up. They were delicious.

    Griffin P. | December 13, 2024

    Trip: 6 Hours Fishing 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)

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Walt and Keith were fantastic! Extremely welcoming, knowledgeable, and helpful, plus great to crack a joke and share a laugh with. The waves were choppy when we went out and Walt & Keith guided us through it and took us around the area when we eventually got too sick haha. Highly recommend! I’ll be coming to them again in the future.

    Roberto O. | November 10, 2024

    Trip: Red Snapper Round Up

  • ★★★★★
    Fun day on the water, captain worked hard and was very knowledgeable. Would go again.

    John G. | November 2, 2024

    Trip: Sea Monster Catch Adventure

  • ★★★★★
    Had a great time on the water today, would highly recommend for fun and fishing.

    John R. | October 29, 2024

    Trip: Offshore Discovery: Fishing Intro

  • ★★★★★
    We had a blast with Joe and Captain Chuck. Will definitely return!

    Yohannes H. | October 28, 2024

    Trip: Legendary Fishing in Key West

  • ★★★★★
    We had a fantastic time. Caught lots of fish and enjoyed talking to Jason. He put us on fish immediately and moved to another location if the fish stopped biting. Never had time to eat the snacks we brought. Will book with Jason the next time we go fishing

    Gregory W. | October 4, 2024

    Trip: Bottomfishing/Trolling Combo

  • ★★★★★
    What a great experience! JoJo was a terrific guide and a pleasure to be around. He was knowledgeable and patient with everyone. He took four of us out and we all highly recommend him.

    Jennifer F. | September 22, 2024

    Trip: Deep Sea Fishing with Capt. Jojo

  • ★★★★★
    Hey Captain Experiences! Captain Eddie and Fisher are a great crew. Captain Eddie did his best to get us on fish and he did, we just had trouble with the dolphins stealing our bait. As much as the dolphins are cute and cool to see, they can be annoying to say the least. Fisher was very informative, not only about fish and dolphins, but also about how weather and moon cycles play out into catching fish as well. The boat is a very nice 55 for boat. Very clean and in top notch condition for the year! We recommend Captain Eddie and Fisher very highly. When we come back to Gulf shores, we will be calling on Captain Experiences, Captain Eddie and Fisher. We feel we have made two new friends. Thanks for the great and fun time guys. Bill

    William H. | September 18, 2024

    Trip: 6-Hour Bottom/Trolling - 55' Gillman

  • ★★★★★
    5 Stars! Capt Katie and her deck hand Nick (amazing young man) gave us a wonderful day of fishing on the Gulf. Her hospitality, knowledge of fishing in the Gulf and patient instruction made for a very enjoyable and interesting trip. We trolled for mackerel and did some bottom fishing for shark, which unexpectedly got us a red snapper plus a good size shark. For me it was a welcome return to nearshore fishing and for my son, a new experience. I highly recommend a trip with Capt Katie. She is keeping the spirit of Destin, the luckiest fishing village in the world, alive and well. You will not be disappointed.

    Stephen J. | September 16, 2024

    Trip: Captain’s Choice: Troll + Shark

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