Grande Sportfishing, H&M Landing

Two tunas not commonly caught together, yellowfin and bluefin, caught on a full-day run aboard the Grande out of H&M Landing.

Dock Totals 7/2– 7/8: 4852 anglers aboard 190 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 150 barracuda, 2737 bluefin tuna (up to 240 pounds), 85 bocaccio, 29 bonito, 526 calico bass, 1 halibut, 7 lingcod, 1 mako shark, 4938 rockfish, 2 rock sole, 274 sand bass, 87 sanddab, 12 sculpin, 70 sheephead, 1 thresher shark, 2 white croaker, 77 whitefish, 607 yellowfin tuna, and 216 yellowtail.

Saltwater: Bluefin counts are edging down while yellowfin are starting to show more for the fleet as summer progresses. This has been the pattern for a few years now, as the bluefin move north toward San Clemente Island and the Tanner/Cortez banks and yellowfin move up with warmer water. Still, there are plenty of bluefin to be caught off northern Baja and the banks west of Ensenada up to the Corner and 181 area, giving the not-so-common chance at both a yellowfin tuna and a bluefin tuna within 1-Day trip range of San Diego. Boats out of San Diego landings are beginning to head toward San Clemente, targeting the larger bluefin while those working offshore and south are getting a good mix of both species.

Yellowtail have been hit and miss so far this season, showing one week as though coming on strong then thinning out the next. Still, the average size of the yellowtail caught this season has been a little larger than the schools that normally move in, with quite a few fish in the 20 to 30-pound range. Since the depth increase to 600-feet, rockfish fishing has been excellent for boats venturing out toward the deeper edges of offshore banks from the 9-Mile Bank and south from there.

As the sportfishing operations have also been affected by post-Covid inflation, higher fuel and other costs have caused average ticket prices to rise. In an effort to to ease the pain, some of the operations have been tailoring their pricing to be more affordable, and as a result angler counts have been on the rise. One example: Captain Rick Slavkin of the Oceanside 95 out of Point Loma landing has set special pricing for the boat’s Overnight and 1.5-Day July trips at $300 and $400, respectively, including Mexican permits.

The main four landings operating out of San Diego, Fisherman’s, Seaforth, H&M, and Point Loma, have comparative pricing and trip lengths. Here is a basic breakdown of the 2023 pricing: Half-Day runs are about 5.5-hour AM and PM trips and average $70. Full-Day trips are about 12 hours, depart in the morning and return in the afternoon and cost around $240. Overnight trips leave at night and return the following evening, allowing more range and time at the rail, and cost about $340. 1.5-Day trips depart in the evening, fish the next day, and return the following morning, again extending range and time at the rail. Those trips cost between $440 and $550, depending on load size. 2-Day trips run around $600 and allow for two full days of fishing time. Multi-day trips from 3 to 8 days run about $450 per day.

One can save a little money by driving or flying down to Mexico and hiring a local panga or cruiser, but generally —given the travel cost, FMM for legal entry to Mexico, hotel, and boat price — unless well-planned, that too can be a bit pricey for the average working-class angler. Sportboats out of San Diego are very accommodating, usually with a kitchen and chef, bunks, bait, and high-end electronics to get one on the fish. A trip south allows for some “landlubber” time and generally a shorter run to fishing grounds, with local operators very knowledgeable of their fishery.

Species targeted can also make a difference in the cost of fishing. If targeting wahoo and dorado, for instance, one needs to ride a multi-day trip out of San Diego or fly into Baja Sur and hire a boat there where those species are most commonly found. Yes, we had a dorado invasion last year, with more dorado caught close to San Diego and in U.S. waters than I can remember, but much of that was young fish in the 32-inch to 40-inch and 8- to 15-pound size range. I expect we might see such an invasion by the end of this summer as well, but if you want to catch some big bull dorado, a trip south will put you on 30-to-50-pounders right now, as big dorado are being caught in good numbers within a short panga ride out of Ensenada de Los Muertos near La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. Wahoo are biting well Off Bahia Magdalena on the Pacific side, along with some bruiser yellowfin tuna to 300 pounds.

Speaking of going south, a popular yellowtail, white seabass, and lingcod tournament that ran out of Don Eddie’s Hotel in San Quintin has been re-established under the new owners. Situated next to El Molino Viejo, Don Eddie’s offers newly-revamped pet and family-friendly accommodations, with amenities including bayfront rooms, bar and restaurant, various tours — including motorcycle, kayak, and oyster farm outings — and more. Given the 4- to 5-hour drive south of the border, this can be a great option for a family getaway. There is also a landing strip adjacent to Don Eddie’s at Campo Lorenzo Sky Park for those with access to small planes for a quick fly-in.

The tournament will be held on August 5th, with registration and captain’s meeting on August 4th. With several panga and cruiser options on “panga row” on the road in, you don’t need your own boat to enter this Baja tournament. Pangas run around $280 and can carry up to 4 entrants each; entry fee is $125. For information and a full list of participating pangas, see: bajahookup.com

As they say, “fishing is called fishing and not catching because there are no guarantees,” but there will be no catching if you don’t go fishing. And right now, whether from the beach, in the bays, just off the coast, or down to the semi-tropics of Baja Sur, the catching has been very good. They’re out there, so get out and get ‘em!