The most popular targeted fish year-round for San Diego anglers is the California Yellowtai also known as jack. This article contains Yellowtail fishing tips and how-to’s for this incredible fish species I have put together from my decades of fishing all over San Diego, Baja, Mexico and Hawaii. My goal is to help anglers of all experience levels and ages land more Yellowtail.
Yellowtail are a favorite target game fish to catch and eat for many anglers. Larger, local variety Yellowtail fish called “mossback’s” are caught year-round reaching 30-40#’s while school-size fish more common during the warmer water summer months reach about 12-20#’s you may hear a local call a “firecracker”. I highly suggest consider releasing these smaller fish to grow and breed. Yellowtail species of fish are explosive fighters making them a favorite target for local skippers so populations are always at risk of being over-fished. Yellowtail are hands down my favorite fish when eaten fresh (best within the first three days of being caught) otherwise the fish can taste “gamey”. They are also excellent when served fresh as Hamachi (Sashimi with a cocktail sauce).
Contrary to popular belief the California Yellowtail is a Jack NOT a Tuna. A common mistake is confusing Yellowtail with Yellowfin Tuna.
Yellowtail caught further South in Mexico and South of Coronado Island’s at popular spots where tuna crab and clam beds reside are more plentiful and they are not as elusive as yellow’s caught off San Diego and the rest of So Cal. They are bigger, easier to catch and you can use chunk bait (strips of bait) for bait or heavy iron jigs (local name “iron”) and yo-yo deep. Baja, Mex. fishing is done in about 80 to 300 feet of water with heavy as 14-ounce sinkers on the bottom and heavy tackle rigged with about 80-pound line using a Reverse Dropper Loop. Mossback yellow’s hang around structure and the heavier tackle makes it easier to “turn” the fish and keep it away from structure thus less chance of breaking an angler off. This applies to fishing Coronado Island’s, popular even during Winter an Spring months as water temp nears about 64.5’F drifting over or near Clam Beds and small Red “Tuna” crabs using bait or heavy iron “yo-yo” fishing.
Southern California’s smaller, seasonal fish require more skill and can be very elusive and finicky or line-shy to get to bite.
The most common way of fishing for “Yellow’s” when live bait is available is fly lining live Anchovy, Sardine or even small Mackerel with little or no sinker Carolina rigged or similar using small hooks and light line or a couple feet of flurocarbon leader tied to braid or common monofilament line. Another popular local technique is throwing (casting) light surface iron jigs. Deeper fish are caught using heavy iron jigs “yo-yo’d” (dropped deep and retrieved ultra fast stopping every so often and letting the iron fall repeating this technique like a yo-yo). This is such a popular and effective skill I wrote and entire article on fishing iron (jigs).
Shared via Sportfish San Diego… continue reading here.
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