Black Skipjack 

Bait

This is what we catch most all the fish with

It’s eye is looking down, it’s still alive.

It got squeezed in half by a Black Marlin

Black Skipjack, we call Bonito

You will very likely catch dozens of Bonitos.

You’ll fish them live while slow trolling or drifting.

Dead ones we render into strip baits and chunks.

Black Skipjack are super effective bait

Black Skipjack in Panama: The Ultimate Panama Bait for Big Game

Black Skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus), aka “bonitos” locally, are speedy, schooling tunas reaching 3 feet and 25 lbs. With dark wavy lines on silver sides, they’re not just prey—they’re the secret weapon for Panama anglers targeting monsters like marlin around Isla Coiba and beyond.

Migration, Territory, and Habits

• Pelagic Migration: Highly migratory, following warm currents in schools of thousands; they surge into Panama waters year-round but peak in massive aggregations during dry season (December-April), traveling 50-200 miles along the continental shelf.
• Territory: Not territorial; they form loose, nomadic schools over open water or structure. In Panama, they ball up in huge wads near subsea rocks—when you spot that, black marlin are often lurking.
• Breeding: Spawn year-round in surface waters, peaking in warmer months (March-August); eggs hatch into larvae that drift with currents. Maturity at 1-2 feet and 5-10 lbs, around age 1-2.
• Water Temp and Depths: Thrive in 70-85°F (optimal 75-82°F); from surface to 300 feet, often 50-150 feet in bait balls.

Biology and Fun Facts

These high-energy predators chase small fish like anchovies and sardines, plus squid and crustaceans, fueling bursts up to 40 mph. In Coiba’s coastal zones, they aggregate massively over Hannibal Bank, near Isla Jicaron and Isla Montuosa—edging continental shelf drop-offs where upwellings concentrate food. Surface action (boiling water) often signals deep bait balls below, drawing in big game. Fun fact: Their oily flesh makes them prime bait—recognized as “Panama Bait” for hooking everything from marlin to  roosters, wahoo and sailfish.

it Tips for Panama Anglers

• Techniques: Troll small feathers, rubber squids  at 6-8 knots—they strike fast and fight with blistering runs and schooling bursts, lasting 5-10 minutes on light tackle.
• Hotspots: Hannibal Bank or near Jicaron/Montuosa in dry season for those epic schools; target 50-150 foot depths.
• Why Chase Them?: Mostly used as bait—live or dead, whole or in chunks (belly pieces excel for trolling big fish like marlin). Skin fillets cut into strips hook smaller game. In 30+ years here, most marlins fall to Black Skipjack—when balled up near rocks, it’s black marlin time! Catch with sabiki-like rigs.

Black Skipjack fuel Panama’s trophy hunts—book a charter and load up on bonitos!

Contact Coiba Adventure marlinpanama.com for guided trips. 800-800-0907