(Sarda chilensis)
To the angler who is not looking for the largest of game, the
bonito--known as skipjack to the Catalina anglers--is possibly the
most interesting of the ocean game fishes. Its beautiful metallic
colors, its rapid movements, and pleasing habit of always fighting on
the surface, and rarely, if ever sulking, makes it a most attractive
game to the discriminating angler.
The bonito also belongs to the =Scrombidae= family, and ranges from
Point Conception to Mexico and south through the tropics.
Body, rounded, tapering rapidly to the tail, which is strongly forked,
but not so much as the albacore; pectoral fins, short and placed
opposite the eye; dorsal fin, double, with saw-like ridges from the
second dorsal and the anal fins to the tail, the same as in all of
this family. Color, dark blue on the back, with a metallic luster;
sides, silvery white, with dark longitudinal lines. Weight, from six
to twelve pounds.
=Tackle and Lure=--The light tackle specifications of the Tuna Club,
given for albacore cannot be improved upon for these fish.
[Illustration: SPANISH MACKEREL (Scomberomorus concolor)]