Thread: Lures for Bonita?

Heard they are/were catching a lot of them on Pensacola and Navarre pier. What lures do you guys recommend for targeting them? I got gotchas, looneys, and other typical jigs. Any particular sized leader? Just want to make sure I have a few “secret weapons”..thanks in advance.

Bob and I have been to Navarre a couple of times recently and I caught all my bonita on a gotcha with 7 strand leader. It appeared to me that they were hitting just about anything thrown at them. Turns into a bit of a circus at times, depending on the number of people at the rail. A little like when the bull reds come thru.

Used chugger and straw rigs when we go snapper fishing to catch quite a few used for bait. Also caught a bunch off the pier on the Cotton Cordell 3/4 oz. spoons.

Deadly Dicks, Marias, epoxy jigs; that is, long skinny minnow-like jigs that cast well and reel fast. Imagine if spanish were athletic chasing bait.

However, on any give day they can want something totally different. I once had them attacking an 8" minnow plug (only thing I had that day which could reach them) which was far slower and massively larger (Panama City St Andrews pier, early 1980s).

Thanks all, hope to have a good report from Navarre for you all here soon!

Last week we had a few Bonita hanging around the four seasons pier but no one caught any of them. Past history indicates anything colorful and retrieved at a high speed.