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Squaring the terrain
At the start of the session, I had planned to band a few emissoles for the APECS program. But I also had another idea in mind... A few publications on the various networks had reported a few catches of Sarda Sarda bonito, so I had taken a second rod with suitable lures in case of an encounter with these fish.
I also equipped my kayak with the motor I've mentioned in previous articles. The STG ultra EVO motor for stepper wells. Bonito are fast fish and this little motor will enable me to cover a lot of ground and, above all, to cut them off more easily.
After a few unsuccessful drifts in search of emissoles, I start to work on the various hunts I can see on the water. Bass, horse mackerel and big mackerel are all present, but still no bonito. As the activity calms down, I take the opportunity to have a snack and pick up a few handfuls of salicornia, while waiting for the tidal current to really reverse, with the small tidal current that goes with it.
The fish are there
Having had my lunch break, I set off on the hunt again. Some distance away, I spot quite a few working birds. That's when the engine kicks in. Potentiometer to the right and the kayak speeds off at 10 km/h. It doesn't take me long to get to this first activity. Judging by the noise the fish are making to catch their prey, and the speed of the backs as they skim across the surface, there's no doubt that these are the zebra arrows, the torpedoes, the striped bonito.
I start with a fairly long jig, with a triple tail, which allows me to fish very quickly. These fish move very fast and don't stay in one place for long. I get my first hit but the fish doesn't bite. A few minutes later, the hunt is over. It picks up again a few moments later a little further on. I tell myself I did the right thing by rigging my kayak as a motor. A little throttle and I'm on the zone, but it's stopped again very quickly.
I'll make several small moves as I spot fish on the surface. Until the first fish is hooked. This time I cast a pearly white Yo Zuri Deep Diver. Very fast retrieve. The fish went for it as soon as it hit the water and I was a bit surprised, I didn't have time to hook it. The bonito immediately took about twenty metres of braid and unhooked. Of course, I used my most refined vocabulary to describe the situation...
I bring back my lure and check the leader, I have to redo my leader at the clip, the last few centimeters are filed off. New activity nearby, I cast the same lure again, close the pick-up before the drop in the water and bring it back quickly. I'm barely 5 meters out, and a big cartridge. This time, the fish is well bitten and I'm treated to a nice fight, all power and speed. The drag on my Penn Battle 4 2500 plays a superb melody with each rush. Until she starts probing and circling under the float. All I have to do is pull it into the landing net. That's it, I've hooked my first bonito 2025, let's hope they stick around for a few weeks. Ay, Ay Bonitas!!!
