(left): A tired but happy angler with a solid bluefin over 100-pounds caught at night while fishing aboard the Independence.
(right): A good quality kelp paddy yellowtail caught during the Tribute 1.5-day trip off the Baja coast this past week.

Dock Totals 4/28 – 5/4: 1364 anglers aboard 58 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 37 barracuda, 295 bluefin tuna (up to 188 pounds), 262 calico bass, 18 lingcod, 4476 rockfish, 5 sanddab, 51 sand bass, 128 sculpin, 21 sheephead, 282 whitefish, and 139 yellowtail.

Saltwater: Those pesky bluefin showed up hungry for a few of the boats that got out this past week, with several two-fish limits caught. As I was putting last week’s report together, word began trickling in of willing biters. Most of the action was predictably during the hours between sunset and sunrise. That said, predictability with bluefin tuna is not really a thing, given the way their endothermic system allows them to feed throughout the water column without being stymied by the colder water down deep. So, if a bluefin is keyed in on squid a thousand feet deep or deeper, it is not likely it will come up to feed on finfish within reach of most anglers’ gear. 

As a result, some boats are finding willing biters and solid action, while others are looking hard for any takers with spotty results. This quote from the captain of the Independence sums it up, “After looking all day, we came up short. The bluefin disappeared again. As we keep fishing for these bluefin, It amazes all of us why they show at night and disappear during the day hours or vise versa. Maybe one day we will figure out the patterns of these fish. Until then we will keep trying to catch these creatures of interest.” And so it goes with the far-travelled hard-pulling bluefin tuna.

About that hard pulling: bluefin do their deep dives to feed, but they may also dive when hooked as they fight for freedom from what to them must seem like some sort of unseen assault. For every fish brought to gaff, at least one pulls hard enough to earn its freedom. There have been reports of dozens of hook-ups with only a few landed. It doesn’t help that the fish are ranging from 30 pounds to over 300 pounds in the area. 

For those planning on going out after bluefin, captains advise bringing three outfits from 40-pound to 100-pound test capability and two-speed reels for the best chance of getting fish on the boat. Even so, if you're fishing a school of 30-pound fish that are biting only the lighter line and you suddenly get hooked up to a fish over 100 pounds, well, you’re probably not going to land that fish. The captain will have a general idea of the size of the fish by the meter marks, so always pay attention to the captain and use the appropriate setup to increase your odds.

With the bluefin turning back on enough to garner the attention of the 1.5- to 3-day fleet, lingcod counts dropped quite a bit from the week previous. As boats spent more time looking and fishing for tuna there were fewer stops on the area's high spots for rockfish. Still, the rockfish numbers were pretty good, as many of the shorter runs from ½-day to full-day trips fished the depths when conditions allowed. Too much wind or current can make deep fishing very tough, as it is too deep for the anchor, and wind and current can push a boat off a spot quicker than an angler can get a jig or bait down to the fish. I’ve been on trips, especially on smaller boats and pangas, where the captain had to keep the boat running and in gear just so we could have a shot. Ideally, a nice slow drift across structure is what you want when fishing deep. 

For any private boaters heading out to the grounds off the northern Baja coast, be sure to keep a sharp eye out for debris. The Tribute reported several large driftwood logs, some holding yellowtail, amid the kelp paddies they have been looking for. There is so much driftwood out there boats have been running with their spotlights on full time so as not to hit any when travelling at cruising speed. These are tree trunk-sized logs, hard to see in the dark and big enough to cause major damage to even a large sportfishing vessel. 

When it has been tough outside, shorter run boats have been inshore fishing for barracuda, bonito, yellowtail, and especially calico bass. The "checker bass" have been feeding well as the water warms along the kelp edges off Point Loma and La Jolla, which is why the count jumped from a few fish to a few hundred this past week. Sand bass and halibut, much targeted earlier this year, are getting a break as the boats look more to kelp edges than sand flats. All in all, it’s been a good week of fishing for the time of year.

Freshwater: Lake Jennings will be holding a New Moon Night Fishing event this Saturday, May 11, giving anglers a chance to fish until 10 pm. Their last trout plant of the season was April 15th, and their catfish opener will be on May 24-27, with their first stock of catfish on May 20. Even so, there is a healthy population of catfish in the lake for night fishing, and trout tend to feed at night, especially near or under lights. A lantern at the water’s edge might just draw a few in close. Glow in the dark mini jigs, scented bait, and cut mackerel would be a good selection for fishing at night for either trout or catfish. Full-sized lanterns are required, and the entry gate closes at 8 pm, so be sure to get there early to pick your spot for the evening. They’re out there, so go get ‘em!