Side by Side

Bonito Sarda lineolata

Typical: 16–26 in, 2–8 lb

Quickest tell: Bonito's slanting dark stripes run along the BACK (not the belly) and it has finlets, separating it from the stripeless, finlet-less Yellowtail.

• Steel-blue back marked with dark oblique stripes that slant up onto the BACK
• Silvery sides and belly without stripes
• Row of small separate finlets behind both the dorsal and anal fins
• Slender torpedo body, deeply forked tail with keels at the base
• Mouth with small but distinct conical teeth

Full Bonito guide — season, gear and rules →

Yellowtail Seriola dorsalis

Typical: 20–32 in, 4–15 lb

Quickest tell: Yellowtail (an amberjack, not a tuna) has a single solid yellow forked tail and a yellow side-stripe but NO finlets, unlike the tuna-like Bonito which has a row of small finlets.

• Iron-blue to green back, silver sides, solid yellow tail
• Brassy-yellow horizontal stripe running along the side from eye to tail
• Streamlined torpedo body with a deeply forked yellow tail
• NO separate finlets between the dorsal/anal fins and the tail
• Pointed snout; small, terminal mouth

Full Yellowtail guide — season, gear and rules →

When Each Is Running July — current month highlighted

Where Bonito and Yellowtail Overlap

Both run in Southern California — that is where telling them apart actually matters.

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