Anglers are sensitive folks

Inshore: Some of the half-day boats are passing up the kelp and are running extended trips out to hunt for the school-sized yellowfin tuna just off the 9 Mile and 182 banks. For those staying inshore, calico bass, occasional yellowtail and sheephead are the main catch. ¾-day boats have been split between the Coronados and offshore for either yellowfin tuna or bluefin tuna, so either way, check before you commit as the local boats are making hay while the sun shines and you may end up on a long boat ride when all you wanted to do was lean on the rail with a beer and fish calicos. Sculpin are cnow losed as of Sept. 1, 2016, until next spring — make sure and release them if caught.

Outside: It’s either down the line or outside for the overnight and longer trips, depending on which tuna they are targeting. Big bluefin from 60 to over 100 pounds are still in range and schools of 12- to 25-pound yellowfin have been popping up on the local banks and eating flylined bait well. The bluefin have been a little trickier to get to bite, but poppers, flatfalls and even plastics have worked when presented in the right place and time. A good number of the yellowtail (300) and 150 of the calicos came with some yellowfin and the three wahoo on one 5.5-day trip aboard the Top Gun 80 from midway down the Baja Peninsula near Cedros Island.

9/4 – 9/10 Dock Totals: 5096 anglers aboard 217 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 173 dorado, 1,444 bluefin tuna, 2,607 yellowfin tuna, 721 yellowtail, 546 calico bass, 33 sand bass, 4,187 rockfish, 25 lingcod, 364 bonito, 8 barracuda, 98 sheephead, 2 halibut, 30 sanddab, 44 whitefish, 5 rubberlip seaperch, 36 bocaccio, 3 wahoo, 2 mako shark and 1 striped marlin.

Notable: We are now into our third year of El Niño-type conditions in the San Diego area fishery and it seems to be changing, in spite of the good tuna bite within 30 miles of Point Loma. The fish counts and water temps are still a bit above normal and the operators are enjoying high angler counts, though if the predicted La Niña takes over this fall, 2017 might be a better year for the depression experts and Zoloft manufacturers. Anglers are sensitive folks and an abrupt slow down and no pending tropical conditions in the water column next year might just be too much for some after three amazing seasons.

Fish Plants: 9/16 Santee Lakes, catfish (1,000)