trolling rig for bonito

[catshark]

well i thinks it time to learn the art of trolling for bonito, never done any salt water lure trolling , always been a bait man bottom bouncer reef picker river seeker. you see i used to catch plenty of bonnies 20 year ago of the rocks and wharfs but been dry ever since i left the rocks to the chase the boating scene. did try it once while i cruised out to a reef spot but it ruined all my line into curls...
can someone share a simple idiot proof setup that would be awesome in its own right.

[gazza2006au]

Cat just chuck a Rapala out hot colours work best reds, oranges, pinks, dont be scared to chuck a 6 inch 7 inch soft plastic on one rod but bonnies will devour it in a split second, with the rapalas the bonnies him them so hard the bibs can tweek out of position and you'll be wondering all day why the lure is popping up

Up here bonnies, leeping watson bonito, tailor, mack tuna are all fun tuna looking species that u can troll for

Middle or end of summer you'll come home with 30 bonnies tho they are in plauges

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[gazza2006au]

Few years back down Port Kembla caught these around the islands fuel is pr r tty prescious when your running a 2 stroke tho so can be expensive chassing them

Fun tho especially if u have a friend on board who gets seasick they seem to be ok when your making way

Just dont drop them in the boat when u have thongs on
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[Dignity]

Catshark, I don't troll much but usually i attach a short length of single strand wire to the lure with a loop that doesn't restrict it's movement but not too big and use the best quality swivel at the other end. It only needs to be about 150mm long, just enough to stop those toothy predators when the shake their heads around.

[deancantfish]

Mate, I used to catch Bonnie's off port Kembla when I lived down that way... I use the same technique up here...a trolled Christmas tree lure at anywhere between 5 and 15 knots, just on mono.
Lures are cheap and last a while.
Dean

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[catshark]

okay didnt think about the wire tip thanks Dig.... think when i tried once i probably used wrong swivel or maybe none (gulp) .....i didnt know the bonito was so thick off kembla thats my problem . living in the wrong place

[catshark]

thats the go , i want to catch some- bleed them and preserve them in jars of olive oil....the tuna i see in the shops are in the same tins as the fancy feast catfood ...just saying

[gazza2006au]

Dont use a silver or gold swivel unless u wanna swear alot lol

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[catshark]

okay now i know what the xmas tree lure is . i'll order some and give em a go cheers that jet head design must cause some attraction ..

[catshark]

hey gazza how far behind the boat should i drag the lures .. those rapalas are costly . i must admit im a scrooge when it comes to buying tackle

[gazza2006au]

We usually run them about 20-30meters back u want the lure to work in the outboards propeller wash it appears to the bonnito the lures are feeding on smaller bait fish

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[gazza2006au]

Keep an eye out for birds diving than go troll around them they may move around fast because the pelagics are fast moving fish chasing bait schools that are fleeing them so always rely on the birds you'll even get kingys and salmon out there

But a day without the birds still produces all those pelagics just u have to troll troll about 100 meters out from the cliffs

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