SAN DIEGO–The commencing from 2021 brought with it an opportunity for anglers to catch a wide variety of categories, with bluefin tuna and yellowtail being spotlights. Anglers had to travel a long way to get to bluefin tuna but the potential payoff was a chance at getting to do battle with 150 to 250 -plus pound bluefin tuna.
Some of the San Diego-based long-range boats were get into the large-hearted bluefin tuna while fishing an sphere to the southwest of San Quintin at about 165 miles 155 degrees from Point Loma. The High Spot area off Punta Colnett was another hotspot area accommodate very good fishing to start off the New Year with good numbers of vast yellowtail burning to go with lots of scarlets, rockfish and lingcod. Pacific Queen out of Fisherman’s Landing fished a 1.5 -day trip to the Punta Colnett area on Jan. 2 and met excellent fish with 34 anglers catching 90 yellowtail, 22 lingcod, 112 colours and 110 rockfish.
Fisherman’s Landing reports that the yellowtail aboard Pacific Queen were quality sized fish that were in the 15 -to-2 5-pound assortment. Yo-yo iron and dropper loop-the-loop fished sardines work well for the Punta Colnett yellowtail when stopped down to meter tags and sonar commemorates found in the region of the High Spot.
A reminder to anglers is that the annual two-month rockfish/ groundfish ending on the United Nation area of the Mexico border went into effect on Jan. 1. Those wishing to fish for the rockfish/ groundfish species covered by the closure need to travel into Mexican waters if they want to fish for these categories in the next two months. The closure in Southern California waters will come to an end on March 1.
With the closure, skippers fishing along the San Diego County coast have been focusing their efforts on calico bass, sand bass, sculpin, halibut and yellowtail. There has been some pretty good fishing for the calico bass, sand bass and sculpin and there have also been some tumults of yellowtail task to go with an periodic halibut.
The yellowtail stinging along the San Diego County coast has drawn a lot of attention but the yellowtail fishing has been hit or miss from day to day. Yellowtail have been find spread out between the Green Tank area at Point Loma and the upper outcome of La Jolla. Hot blots within that zone have been off the Green Tank at Point Loma, Sunset Cliffs, the Jetty Kelp off Mission Bay, the Yukon Shipwreck outside of Mission Beach, the expanse outside of the Crystal Pier while fishing below and outside of the MLPA closure zone and while fishing outside of the upper objective of La Jolla.
Most of the yellowtail undertaking has been discovered while fish in 18 to 40 sees of irrigate and most of the morsels is just coming up stopping on meter traces, sonar differentiates or places of fish attain up on the surface labor bait. Surface iron works best when cast to fish that are up on the surface and yo-yo iron works best when plummeting down to meter marks or sonar markers. Sardines and mackerel can also be effective while sluggish trolled, flylined or fished deep with a dropper curve rigging. Good options for face cast-iron include Salas 7X flames and Tady 45 ’s in blue-blooded and lily-white, slew and sardine emblazons. Good selects for yo-yo iron include Salas 6X and Salas 6X Jr. jigs in off-color and lily-white, scrambled egg and off-color and chrome.
The morning hours ought to have the best for an opportunity at a yellowtail. The yellowtail received along the coast have been quality sized fish with the majority up in the 15 -to-2 5-pound class.
The remainder of the San Diego County coastal fish has been focused on sand bass, calico bass and sculpin with hard bottom and design spots causing most of the fish. A beneficial neighbourhood has been outside of the Imperial Beach Pier in 7 to 12 sees of liquid. Other fertile areas include the Imperial Beach Pipeline, hard foot areas outside of the Pipeline, the hard posterior to the northwest of Buoy# 3 at Point Loma, the Jetty Kelp outside of Mission Bay, the upper discontinue of La Jolla, the Anderson and Buccaneer Pipelines, the artificial ridges outside of Oceanside Harbor and Box Canyon.
The halibut fishing along the San Diego County coast has been scratchy but there have been a few halibut biting. Try blots where you can fish sandy bottom next to structure and sandy underside contiguou to hard bottom. Productive halibut recognizes ought to have outside of the Imperial Beach Pier, the sandy fanny next to the Yukon Shipwreck, the sandy posterior next to the sunken NEL Tower and outside of South Ponto Beach at South Carlsbad.
Keep on fishing and I hope to see you out on the water sometime soon!
Bob Vanian is the voice, scribe and researcher of the San Diego-based internet fish report service announced 976 -Bite which can be found at www. 976 bite.com. Vanian also provides anglers with a personal fish report service over the telephone at( 619) 226 -8 218. He always welcomes your fish reports at that same telephone number or at bob9 76 bite @aol. com.
https://www.fishrapnews.com/fishreports/2021-fishing-season-off-to-a-fast-start-with-bluefin-tuna-and-yellowtail-biting/