SAN DIEGO–We are well into the 2020 Southern California summer fish season and the offshore fishing remains good for a mix of bluefin, yellowfin, yellowtail and Dorado. Things are getting even better on the offshore fishing front with striped marlin entering the picture in a significant way over the past weekend. With yellowtail, calico bass and bonito chewing well around some of the offshore Islands and with lots of rockfish biting along the San Diego County coast, there are plenty of genus for anglers to choose from in scheming their day of fishing.
Bluefin continue to get much of “members attention” with jumbo sized fish to 250 -plus pounds a alternative. Yellowfin have been running from 18 to 60 pounds with the majority in the 20 – to 35 -pound range. Most of the yellowtail have been in the 8- to 20 -pound range with the Dorado running from 5 to 15 pounds.
The best field for a chance at the jumbo sized 80 – to 250 -plus pound bluefin has been while angling smudges off the back side of San Clemente Island with the field of the 381 Spot and the 59 Fathom Spot producing some action as well as smudges further up toward the western part of the Island while fishing outside of Seal Cove and West Cove. The jumbo sized bluefin have been moving westerly and northwesterly and there are now additional reports of large-hearted bluefin being obtained off San Nicolas Island, the Osborn Bank and outside of the back side of Catalina.
Closer to San Diego there has been good to very good fishing for a mixture of 20 – to 50 -pound bluefin, yellowfin, yellowtail and an occasional Dorado for crafts fishing some of the local offshore banks outside of Los Coronado Islands. Productive areas include the 182 Spot, the 224 Spot, the Corner, the 302 Spot, the 371 Bank and the 425 Bank. Additional areas that have been make more sporadic catches of tuna, yellowtail and an occasional dorado have been the 9 Mile Bank, 43 Fathom Spot, 181 Spot and 289 Spot. One of the best orbits over the past weekend was for crafts fishing the area of the 224 Spot while working from 18 to 25 miles 230 to 245 degrees from Point Loma. Some near restraint to restraint catches of bluefin tuna came from the region of the 224 Spot over the weekend.
The large sized bluefin ought to have pinpointed by obtain smudges of breaking, breath or suds fish, meter marks, sonar crisscross and occasional trolling strikes. The big-hearted bluefin have part well on kite fished drifted frozen flying fish and live mackerel. Additional action has been coming on kite trolled Yummy Flyers, strayed sardines, skin-deep cast-iron and Flat Fall jigs.
The 25 – to 50 -pound bluefin and the yellowfin have been found by locating blots of ending fish, rhythm markers, sonar stigmatizes, porpoise schools and trolling strikes. Once situated, they have been biting on sardines, mackerel, face cast-iron, poppers, Colt Snipers and Flat Fall jigs. When targeting any size tuna, fishing live baits deep with a rubber band attached torpedo sinker will sometimes create act when flylined enticements are not producing.
Capt. Scott Meisel of the six-pack charter yacht Intrigue out of Fisherman’s Landing also owns and operates the sportboat Condor out of Fisherman’s Landing. Meisel reported about fishing a recent full day trip aboard Intrigue. His report was of finding wide open bluefin tuna fishing and said that his 6 anglers caught their limits of bluefin tuna before noon. He said that all the bluefin came from one long enticement stop while fishing the region of the Kidney Bank where the 302 Spot and the 224 Spot are located. He was indicated that after limiting on bluefin that they left biting fish so they are unable to do some looking around for yellowtail, yellowfin and marlin. Meisel says they offer contracts and some open gathering 6 battalion jaunts on Intrigue and you can get more information at their web site at: https :// www.intrigueluxurycharters.com.
Private boater Robert Serdoz of Lucky Charm fished a recent solo jaunt to the area inside of the 224 Spot and reported catching four members of the 25 – to 40 -pound yellowfin tuna out of 8 hookups. Serdoz said all the fish bit on sardines and that they came from one long stop that started from drifting alongside of some puddling fish that he found under labor fowls. This action was concluded while fishing inside of the 224 Spot at 19 miles 235 grades from Point Loma.
Marlin fishing has picked up in a significant way in different regions of the Eastern end of Catalina with what I calculate to be five striped marlins caught and exhausted over the past weekend and with one boat catching and releasing two marlins on Aug. 2. Most of the action came from blind jig strikes but there were some feeders and tailers seen as well. The two best provinces were the 152 Spot off the Eastern end of Catalina and the area around the 50 see swerve outside of Church Rock. There was an additional report of several marlin being realized off the Salta Verde area of Catalina over the weekend as well.
In the San Diego area, there were pair of tailing marlin reported to have been seen outside of the lower end of the 9 Mile Bank on Sunday but as far as I know, there were no marlin exhausts from the San Diego area over the weekend.
The fishing around Los Coronado Islands has not been receiving much attention lately because of the good tuna fishing in local offshore irrigates. There has been very little in the way of reports available about the fishing around the Islands but a recent report was of good net for yellowtail for a boat angling the Pukey Point area of North Island. The same Skipper likewise reported having grab a few yellowtail while fishing around South Island. In recent weeks, the best yellowtail method for private boaters has been slow trolling with sardines.
A Los Coronado Islands report from the week prior came from Capt. Scott Meisel of the six-pack charter yacht Intrigue out of Fisherman’s Landing. Meisel was out on a full day trip and reported ascertaining excellent calico bass fishing with the 6 anglers aboard catching their limits of calico bass. The red-hot calico bass bite was felt while net the kelp beds below South Island.
The fishing along the San Diego County coast got hit by another flow of cold water which has once again slackened the surface fishing at the kelp berths. A just a few weeks ago, the water temperature unexpectedly fell from the low-spirited 70 ’s down to the low-grade 60 ’s but it warmed back up into the high 60 ’s exactly to have it once again fall back down into the low-grade 60 ’s and high-pitched 50 ’s. There has been some recent warming of the water back into the low-grade to middle 60 ’s but the surface fishing in the kelp bunks has yet to rebound.
Most boats fishing San Diego area coastal region have been focused on net for rockfish until the liquid status stabilize and the surface fishing in the kelp berths improves. The net for an assortment of rockfish at various hard bottom localities has been very successful. Captain Joe Cacciola of Sea Star with Sea Star Sportfishing and the Oceanside Sea Center reports that they have been finding a lot of colours in the mix within their catches of rockfish while trawl hard-bitten bottom neighbourhoods between Carlsbad and Solana Beach.
Productive hard-bitten bottom rockfish countries along the San Diego County coast include the Point Loma Pipeline, the Green Tank at Point Loma, Point Loma College, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Leucadia, Carlsbad and Box Canyon.
The summer fishing season has a lot to offer and Southern California anglers have many good options be it fishing offshore, at the local islands or along the coast. Keep on fishing and I hope to see you out on the spray sometime soon!
Bob Vanian is the voice, novelist 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 -2 26 -8 218. He always welcomes your fish reports at that same telephone number or at bob9 76 bite @aol. com.
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