Summer Fishing Producing Bluefin, Yellowfin, Yellowtail, Dorado, Marlin and More!

The summer season has brought Southern California ocean anglers a lot of choices in what to target when planning their next fishing trip. In offshore waters there are currently bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, dorado and striped marlin on the menu and at the local islands and along the coast there are yellowtail, white seabass, calico bass, bonito, barracuda, sand bass, halibut and a variety of assorted bottom fish species to target during a day of fishing.

Bluefin tuna to 260 pounds continue to be the stars of the show but the fishing for the bluefin can be hit or miss. Part of the hit or miss nature of the fishing can be because the best bites are often found while fishing at night with the fishing often not being as good during daylight hours. There are certainly bluefin biting during daylight hours but the best bites tend to be found during the dark.

The bluefin have been running from 15 to 260 pounds and they have been biting on a variety of baits and jigs with sardines, frozen flying fish, California Flyers, knife jigs, Colt Snipers and trolled Nomad Madmac jigs being the top baits and lures. Anglers have been encouraged to include within the tackle that they bring a 25 pound test outfit and a 40 pound test outfit for flylining live baits and a rail rod outfit spooled with at least 100 pound test line for fishing the sinker rigged sardines, the sinker rigged frozen flying fish, the kite fished baits and the knife jigs.

The best bluefin area has been out to the southwest of the West End of San Clemente Island in the area that is to the south of the 711 Spot. This is the zone where most of the 100 pound and larger bluefin are being caught with the better days and nights of fishing bringing near limit to limit catches of bluefin.

The other zone where bluefin have been biting has been around some of the local offshore banks below and outside of Los Coronado Islands such as the 43 Fathom Spot, the San Salvador Knoll, 224 Spot, 302 Spot, 230 Spot, 371 Bank, 425 Bank and 475 Knuckle. The bluefin fishing in these areas has been hit or miss on fish that have mostly been in the 20 to 40 pound range.

What has also been biting around some of the offshore banks mentioned in the paragraph above have been some pretty good to sometimes good numbers of kelp-paddy yellowtail that have for the most part been in the 8 to 20 pound class. This area of yellowtail activity continues down the Mexican coast to the offshore waters below and outside of Ensenada with a few dorado in the mix once you get down by Ensenada and below. Some of the better kelp-paddy yellowtail areas have been in the region of the 302 Spot, 371 Bank, 425 Bank, 101 Spot, the Finger Bank, the 475 Knuckle, the 385 Spot, the 238 Spot, the 415 Knuckle, the Peanut Bank and the Lower 500 Bank.

There have been a few 30 to 50 pound yellowfin tuna biting in the Orange County and north San Diego County areas with small spots of breaking fish and meter marks that are found with porpoise producing an occasional yellowfin on sardines or trolled Rapalas. The productive zones have been in the region of the 312 Spot, 209 Spot and 267 Spot as well as 3 to 7 miles off the coast between San Onofre and Newport Beach.

There have also been a few striped marlin in the offshore picture with reports of a few marlin sightings and an occasional bite coming from areas such as the 14 Mile Bank, 3 to 7 miles off the coast between Newport Beach and South Laguna Beach, the 267 Spot, the area to the northwest of North Island and the 425 Bank.

The surface fishing at Los Coronado Islands has been very good with a mix of yellowtail, calico bass, white seabass and barracuda biting. In addition, the bottom fishing for a variety of rockfish species remains excellent and there has also been a chance at a halibut. As an example of the recent fishing, the most recent sportboat fish count was on Mission Belle out of Point Loma Sportfishing which had 29 anglers on a full day trip catch 63 yellowtail, 43 calico

bass, 5 whitefish, 2 sculpin and 1 barracuda.

The best areas for surface fishing around Los Coronado Islands have been the weather side of North Island, Pukey Point, the Middle Grounds, the area inside of the north end of South Island, the lighthouse at the south tip of South Island and the South Kelp area located below South Island. If you want to try for a halibut, a productive zone has been drifting the sandy bottom areas along the lee side of South Island.

Try surface iron, yo-yo iron or flylined and dropper loop fished sardines for the yellowtail with surface iron and flylined sardines also being good choices for barracuda. A private boater might also want to try slow trolling nose hooked sardines for yellowtail, barracuda and white seabass. Anchovies have been great baits for the calico bass but sardines are also effective. Good choices for surface iron for barracuda, yellowtail or white seabass include Salas 7X lights and Tady 45’s in blue and white, sardine or mint colors.

Private boater John Carroll of Huachinango reported fishing a recent trip to Los Coronado Islands and finding very good yellowtail fishing on big fish that were mostly in the 20 to 30-plus pound range. He said that he and a friend fished the weather side of North Island with slow trolled sardines and caught 7 yellowtail in 2.5 hours of fishing time. Carroll caught yellowtail of 30 pounds, 26 pounds and 24 pounds and said his friend caught 4 yellows that included the biggest fish of the trip which was up over 30 pounds.

The bottom fishing remains very good around Los Coronado Islands and the best areas for the mixed bag bottom fishing have been to the northwest, north and northeast of North Island in 25 to 60 fathoms. Also productive has been the rockfish fishing on the Mexico side of the border at the lower end of the 9 Mile Bank.

 As an ongoing reminder, Southern California anglers need to take note that between July 1 and September 30 that the take of “Nearshore” rockfish species, “Shelf” rockfish species, “Slope” rockfish species and lingcod may not be taken seaward of the 50 Fathom Rockfish Conservation Area Boundary Line. The 50 Fathom Rockfish Conservation Area Boundary Line is a series of connected waypoints as defined in Federal regulations (50 CFR Part 660, Subpart C).  You can view the specifics of the regulations regarding this seasonal closure in detail at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website at wildlife.ca.gov.

The fishing along the San Diego County coast has been very good for a mix calico bass and an assortment of bottom fish species and has also been producing a few legal sized barracuda, an occasional flurry of sand bass and an occasional yellowtail, halibut or white seabass. Looking for kelp bed areas where you find your warmest and cleanest water with a downhill current flow is usually helpful in getting a good bite going on the surface fishing species.

The surface fishing at the Point Loma Kelp beds has been highlighted by very good fishing for calico bass, a few barracuda and an occasional yellowtail or white seabass. A few of the better kelp bed areas at Point Loma have been at the Lab, the Green Tank and Point Loma College. Most of the yellowtail and white seabass activity has been found incidental to fishing kelp bed areas for calico bass.

La Jolla remains the best bet for a chance at a coastal yellowtail and has also been very good for calico bass along with a few barracuda and an occasional white seabass. The early morning and late afternoon hours have been best for yellowtail. The best baits for yellowtail have been flylined or slow trolled greenback mackerel, Spanish mackerel and sardines with mackerel working the best.

In addition to the live baits mentioned above, yellowtail and barracuda have also been biting on surface iron with good choices for surface iron including Tady 45 and Salas 7X light jigs in blue and white, mint and sardine colors. To add to the bright picture, the La Jolla area has also been producing an occasional white seabass with sardines and surface iron getting an occasional seabass bite.

The kelp at the upper end of La Jolla has been best zone for yellowtail with other productive surface fishing areas being the kelp areas along the upper-middle part of La Jolla and at the Variety Kelp that is located below the MLPA closure zone at the lower end of La Jolla.

Going further up the San Diego County coast, there has been good to very good fishing for calico bass, sand bass, sheephead, an assortment of bottom fish species and an occasional bonus halibut while fishing kelp bed and hard bottom areas off Del Mar, Solana Beach, Leucadia, South Carlsbad and the Barn.

Captain Joe Cacciola of Sea Star with Sea Star Sportfishing and the Oceanside Sea Center reports that water conditions have improved dramatically at kelp bed areas both above and below Oceanside Harbor and that they have been fishing in clean water that has been as warm as 74 degrees. Cacciola reports that the calico bass fishing has improved with the improved water conditions and has been very good. Private boater John Everett got to fish with Cacciola on a recent trip aboard Sea Star and reported catching a limit of calico bass while using flylined sardines and Cotee plastics.

When available, anchovies have been great baits for the calico bass and the calicos have also been biting well on sardines. Sardines and surface iron jigs would also be good choices for barracuda and a chance at a white seabass.

There have been fair numbers of halibut biting along the San Diego County coast. Productive halibut areas include San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, the sandy bottom next to the structure of the Imperial Beach Pipeline, the sandy bottom areas adjacent to hard bottom spots outside of the Imperial Beach Pier, the sandy bottom adjacent to the Yukon Shipwreck and adjacent to the sunken NEL Tower off Mission Beach, South Ponto Beach, the sandy bottom next to the Buccaneer Pipeline and the sandy bottom next to the artificial reefs outside of Oceanside.

The Southern California summer fishing season usually has a lot to offer and this summer season is proving to be providing anglers an opportunity to get out on the water and target numerous fun species. I hope you take advantage of the summer season and take the time to enjoy all the summer has to offer by getting out on the water and doing as much fishing as possible! Keep on fishing and I hope to see you out on the water sometime soon!

Bob Vanian is the voice, writer and researcher of the San Diego-based internet fish report service called 976-Bite which can be found at www.976bite.com. Vanian also provides anglers with a personal fish report service over the telephone at (619) 226-8218. He always welcomes your fish reports at that same phone number or at bob976bite@aol.com.