Jigging Tips for Bonito and Barracuda

There are two basic directions to work a jig – vertically and horizontally. This article is all about the horizontal plane of action, because we are studying surface action on the coastal pelagic terrors of our waters known as bonito and barracuda, or “boneheads” and “slime sticks” to borrow from the graphic vocabulary of our sport.

Now that we’ve decided to explore horizontal action, there are two basic methods for working a jig horizontally – casting or trolling. Happily, both methods work well on these targets.

The line you spool your reel with is an important factor in your success. The mouths of these fish are fairly delicate, so braided line is not a good choice because it won’t stretch to take up some of the shock of a hookset. Flourocarbon line, such as Berkley Vanish, is perfect because it is nearly invisible and it has a certain amount of shock-absorbing stretch.

A frenzied surface-feeding scene is awe-inspiring. Terrified baitfish skitter across the top of the water, while bonito or barracuda crash wildly on the frothing surface and seabirds wheel and dive on the hapless baitfish. The sights and sounds are unnerving but appealing to the natural predator in us.

There are tried and true methods to get in on the action. One popular way is to slide a boat up to the feeding activity and cast jigs or lures of most any kind. Hook-ups can come fast and certainly furious. Chumming live baitfish helps to keep a school of bonito or barracuda near the boat where anglers can keep casting and hooking up until their arms fall off.

When casting for these pelagic predators, jigs or spoons with some kick to them work exceptionally well. Some good choices include Luhr Jensen, Braid, Tady, Fish Trap, Kicker, Straggler, Salas and several others. Perhaps my favorite is the venerable Krocodile spoon. The important thing is that they show some action when retrieved through the water. Not all jigs perform best at the same speed. To determine the right action test the retrieve speed boatside, then when retrieving after a cast, match the speed that imparts the best action for that particular jig.

Cast into your chummed area or cast toward surface-feeding activity. When casting toward visible surface action, begin retrieving as soon as your jig hits the water because the fish are up on top. Otherwise, wait for five seconds after the jig hits the water before beginning the retrieve. The productive depth varies according to where the predators are finding food, so vary the number of seconds you allow the jig to sink down before beginning the retrieve. It may be as long as 15 seconds.

Another way to get into the action is to troll feathers, spoons or jigs through the surface action. I have never liked to troll right through the middle of the action, for fear of disrupting the feeding frenzy. Instead, I troll past on one side and turn across the area so the lures go right through the action. You can almost foretell a hook-up (like calling the eight ball in the corner pocket) as lures troll through the action.

Bonito and barracuda do not always crash the surface chasing bait. Often they forage widely, several feet below the surface. Signs of their presence can include scattered upwellings of baitballs and birds spread out actively searching for spots of activity where a baitball is driven to the surface by hungry predators. Such a scattered scene is a classic trolling scenario because of the need to cover some water to encounter a marauding band of feeding fish.

Keep a supply of “bonito feathers” aboard your boat. They are simple little trolling feathers: just a shiny metal head/hook, with a small feather and available in a variety of colors. They aren’t fancy, but then a hungry bonito or barracuda does not require fancy. If it moves and can be caught, it looks like dinner. Bonito feathers work well for either trolling or casting and can be trolled at nearly any speed, which is important when it’s necessary to chase nearby surface action. It’s possible to speed up without waiting to reel in the troll lines. Other great lures for this scenario – and for the same reasons – are Deep Stinger, Crippled Herring and Slammer jigs.

Whether casting or trolling, if you don’t plan to take fish home for dinner, crimp down the barbs to prevent damaging the somewhat delicate mouths of your fish. Bonito and barracuda both provide good table fare if cared for properly. Both species should be gutted and gilled within minutes of being caught and then stored in a cool place in water or on ice. Never put a bonito or barracuda in a gunnysack hung on a hook in the sun. The meat suffers quickly from such mistreatment.

Capt. David Bacon operates a private charter 6-pack service out of Santa Barbara. Join him for an adventure aboard WaveWalker to the Channel Islands and along the mainland coast of the Santa Barbara Channel.
Visit his Web site at www.wavewalker.com