Pepper Park-Did I see Bonita???
 

I was fishing Pepper Park in the AM today (5/26)...Sometime around 1300 I got tired of being pounded by the wind and hit the Marina. While I was there, I saw what looked like Bonita boiling on the surface; they all looked like 2ft, 10 lbs, silver footballs, lol...Never caught a Bonita, and I'm new to salt water, could these fish have been anything else?

I threw a swimbait into the boil, but couldn't get them to take the bait. I ended the day with a metric ass ton of Spotties, but I guess I can't complain considering how bad the wind was.

They could have been bonita but the silver part makes it sound more like shortfin corvina. A metric ass ton of spotties sounds like a fun day.

I don't know...They were pretty thick. I wish I got a better look at their profile...and wish I knew a little more. I was surprised to see such big fish in the Marina.

X2 on the corvina... It's about that time. I'll take mine butterflied over mesquite with a little olive oil, butter, salt and pepper and a bit of lime.... Or ceviche, too.

Your location says Southbay, are we talking about San Diego Bay? If so, it might have been bonefish, although they're not known for boiling like bonito do.

Almost 100% sure it was a corvina. Lots of them in that marnia chasing smelt.

Pepperpark it is, then.... I've been hitting the bay a lot. But, I've been hitting up shelter island and a cool little launch I spotted the other day that puts me in right in front of seaport village. Spottie city.... I think ill change it up and hit up pepperpark this week. Where does one fish around there? Never launched there before....

Launch from the boat ramp and head west. You can fish the channel or wait till you get to the other side. Once to the other side you can follow the channel north or south or keep going west and fish the flats.

Bonito have been scarce the last few years but they do get all the way down in to the J St. boat basin. I saw a few spots of small ones boiling in the channel a few months ago and I have caught decent bonito, 5lbs or so, in the basin over the years. I've seen the bones go so crazy in there that they were pushing bait right up on to the launch ramp. Last week I did see a few spots of mackeral working bait in the basin between the fishing pier and the first line of boats. Vina are in the basin but when they boil it is kinda slow with just a swirl or deep boil. Macks show little flurries with small spashes. Bones on the other hand really boil, especially the larger ones. If you saw any thing that resembled a tuna foamer with tight areas of working fish, lots of splashing, and even fish coming clear out of the water it was bonito. There are swarms of small, 1-2inch, smelt in the basin right now so the fish you saw might have been targeting them. I don't know if any one fishes the ball and feather but that might be about the only way to match the hatch. Mike

Yeah..they were coming clear out of the water, and they were going ape shit.They would boil for a good minute, dissapear, I'd see them pass under my fishfinder (they were huge), then boil again further down 5 minutes later, Wish I could tell you guys what they were or describe them a little better.

look something like this? caught this couple weekends ago at the cays
http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad353/xroadx/3.jpg

Ball and feather? Wow Mike, didn't know you were that old. :D Don't think many guys know about the ole ball and feather. Cept us old farts.:rolleyes:

No..They didn't look like that.

Hey Kobra, thanks for pointing out the age thing out. Yep the ol' ball and feather has been around a long time. I've seen it work in a bunch of places but haven't seen it used for a while. But then I am an Old Fart. The bonies in the bay are some times tough to catch. They are on small baits and for some reason they won't hit small spoons or plastics as well as bones in the ocean will. Trolling small plugs like yo-zuris will get them some times, but the best is, or at least has been, the ball and feather. I've seen the B&F so ghetto I never thought it would work but the guy was slaying em off the Oside pier. He had a gulf ball with an eye bolt drilled through it, maybe 5 feet of leader down to a single hook with about an inch of white drink straw over the hook. Mike

Roger that on the small baits. When the fish get on the small baits it can get tough. Seen it happen way too many times.
Now those fish that yakman saw could have been bonita. They have been in the Pepper Park Marina chasing bait many, many times in the past. They are usually 1 to 4 pounders and fun to catch.
Lol, would have loved to have seen that ghetto B&F setup. Some creative stuff.

Thanks guys for the "make me feel old" notes. Ball & feather, wood & feather, it was all good back in the early 70s off the Long Beach and Redondo jetties.