Fun Wed Am - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

10-23-2008, 10:27 AM

I fished LJ with some friends on Wed
morning. After exchanging some intel
on the beach--what squid?--we launched
into the foggy, glassy, four-foot vertical
swells, soaking us to the bone. Unlike Matt
and Mike, we were after these:

Caught Last Father's Day

Went to the pier for bait. Ended up with candy
bar greenies. The bait wasn't hard to find, but
it wasn't everywhere either. And neither were
the birds. The near shore current by the pier
was slow, heading north. Water temp 65F.

The fog finally broke by mid morning. That's when
we started getting bit.

Fall morning light

We lost two T's at the leaders. But fought
4-6lbs Bonies with lite tackle. The bite lasted
an hour. Way too much fun.

Lobster bait? You mean, give My Bonito to a lobster?

Gills and tail are cut for more blood drainage.
Ceviche is on its way.

esdees · 10-23-2008, 12:36 PM

The first time I kept a bonito to try eating was a couple weeks ago. I was amazed at how well it turned out, especially after hearing (and seeing first hand) that the flesh turns mushy by the time you go to fillet it.

As long as you take good care of the fish, you'll have some nice meat. Sashimi was the best option, but it turned out fine when cooked. I guess I'm one of those people now that likes bonito. Weirdos...

dos ballenas · 10-23-2008, 12:46 PM

I've had some really good bonito recently, kept one the other day... the water off the pier is really clear today, looks perfect out there. Thanks for tyhe repo Yani!

Dan W. · 10-24-2008, 07:45 PM

On the subject of eating bonies, I somewhat recently ate one that was bled and iced right away. It was really good, almost like a lower grade tuna. THEN, I ate one that was not iced right away because I stayed to fish a couple hours longer. I could barely fillet it! After BBQing what was left of it, I ate a couple bites and tossed it. Mush. If you act fast they are delicious!

Glad you got some action Yani!

pchen911 · 10-24-2008, 11:11 PM

In additional to bleeding it right away....

I kill it immediately to the point where it stops flopping... (after bleeding it out for a few minutes, I gut it, and sever its spinal cord, or I cut the head off completely).... I hear that as it exercises its muscle, the flesh heats up or builds up lactic acid or something.... but whatever it is, it degrades the meat much faster.

If I cut off the head, the same fish would maintain its firmness for a little longer.

Give it a try next time... get 2 macs or 2 bonitas.... bleed one, and cut the head off another. The one with the head cut off ends up with a better flesh consistency at the end of the day.

Grego · 10-25-2008, 02:05 PM

Well......after many years of entertainment watching people discuss whether or not eating bonitos is any good, I'll finally share that one way you can eat them is by making fish patties. The meat gets mushy real easy right? so prepare it that way, don't fight it. Just bleed it..

When I was a kid my mom would make patties from bonito and all kinds of tuna type fish (only the scraps though, never mashed up a nice yellowfin or bluefin fillet for that reason). A real good easy recipe is to buy a tofu patty seasoning mix and mix the mashed bonito meat with the mashed up tofu...and if you don't got any fresh fish add a can of tuna. There's my .02 on eating fish for the next decade....

bajadog · 10-25-2008, 03:07 PM

Bonito smoked jerky is #1.

10-23-2008, 12:46 PM	#3
dos ballenas Vampyroteuthis infernalis Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 585	I've had some really good bonito recently, kept one the other day... the water off the pier is really clear today, looks perfect out there. Thanks for tyhe repo Yani! __________________ ____________________________________________

10-25-2008, 03:07 PM	#7
bajadog I eats what I kills Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 393	Bonito smoked jerky is #1. __________________ Please release bill-fish.

10-23-2008, 10:27 AM	#1
yani Guest Posts: n/a	Fun Wed Am I fished LJ with some friends on Wed morning. After exchanging some intel on the beach--what squid?--we launched into the foggy, glassy, four-foot vertical swells, soaking us to the bone. Unlike Matt and Mike, we were after these: Caught Last Father's Day Went to the pier for bait. Ended up with candy bar greenies. The bait wasn't hard to find, but it wasn't everywhere either. And neither were the birds. The near shore current by the pier was slow, heading north. Water temp 65F. The fog finally broke by mid morning. That's when we started getting bit. Fall morning light We lost two T's at the leaders. But fought 4-6lbs Bonies with lite tackle. The bite lasted an hour. Way too much fun. Lobster bait? You mean, give My Bonito to a lobster? Gills and tail are cut for more blood drainage. Ceviche is on its way.

10-23-2008, 12:36 PM	#2
esdees The Good Clone Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Clairemont Posts: 520	The first time I kept a bonito to try eating was a couple weeks ago. I was amazed at how well it turned out, especially after hearing (and seeing first hand) that the flesh turns mushy by the time you go to fillet it. As long as you take good care of the fish, you'll have some nice meat. Sashimi was the best option, but it turned out fine when cooked. I guess I'm one of those people now that likes bonito. Weirdos...

10-24-2008, 07:45 PM	#4
Dan W. Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South Park, San Diego Posts: 49	On the subject of eating bonies, I somewhat recently ate one that was bled and iced right away. It was really good, almost like a lower grade tuna. THEN, I ate one that was not iced right away because I stayed to fish a couple hours longer. I could barely fillet it! After BBQing what was left of it, I ate a couple bites and tossed it. Mush. If you act fast they are delicious! Glad you got some action Yani!

10-24-2008, 11:11 PM	#5
pchen911 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 218	In additional to bleeding it right away.... I kill it immediately to the point where it stops flopping... (after bleeding it out for a few minutes, I gut it, and sever its spinal cord, or I cut the head off completely).... I hear that as it exercises its muscle, the flesh heats up or builds up lactic acid or something.... but whatever it is, it degrades the meat much faster. If I cut off the head, the same fish would maintain its firmness for a little longer. Give it a try next time... get 2 macs or 2 bonitas.... bleed one, and cut the head off another. The one with the head cut off ends up with a better flesh consistency at the end of the day.

10-25-2008, 02:05 PM	#6
Grego Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 445	Well......after many years of entertainment watching people discuss whether or not eating bonitos is any good, I'll finally share that one way you can eat them is by making fish patties. The meat gets mushy real easy right? so prepare it that way, don't fight it. Just bleed it.. When I was a kid my mom would make patties from bonito and all kinds of tuna type fish (only the scraps though, never mashed up a nice yellowfin or bluefin fillet for that reason). A real good easy recipe is to buy a tofu patty seasoning mix and mix the mashed bonito meat with the mashed up tofu...and if you don't got any fresh fish add a can of tuna. There's my .02 on eating fish for the next decade....