<a href="https://bit.ly/2r7zusL">Liberty Sportfishing</a>

The Liberty has been finding bluefin on their full-day trips.

Dock Totals Apr 22 – Apr 28: 1,887 anglers aboard 60 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 130 bluefin tuna, 555 yellowtail, 2 calico bass, 14 sand bass, 3,324 rockfish, 291 whitefish, 12 lingcod, 531 bonito, 341 sculpin, 545 sanddab, 13 sheephead, 29 bocaccio, 3 halibut, and 1 mako shark.

Saltwater: The bluefin tuna that took the month of March off and returned as if on cue around April first are still biting and moving up the line. The hot area has been near the 1010 trench about 65 miles south/southwest of Point Loma for the overnight and 1.5-day boats, though this past week the Liberty has been finding them on their full-day trips departing at 4:30 in the morning and returning the same afternoon at 5PM. This would indicate the fish are closer than the 1010.

As there is no passport required for their extended three-quarter day run, I would guess they may be getting them along the lower 9 Mile Bank, or maybe outside of that towards the 182. Either way, the fish are ranging from 25 pounds to just under 200 pounds. If going on a full-day or 1.5 -day trip, the captain’s recommendation is to bring rods and reels capable of 25 to 30 lb. test for fly-line live bait, 40 lb. to 60 lb. test for surface jigs and poppers, and 50 to 80 lb. test for up and down jigging, specifically flat-falls in the 190 – 220 gram size.

Closer inside and on the days where wind and swell is absent, yellowtail have been biting near the Coronado Islands and off the La Jolla kelp beds. Daily reports have been filtering in on social media sites of some kayakers catching one or two, while the half-day boats have reported a few through the week, while further out, the overnight and 1.5-day runs have been getting good numbers of yellows while looking for bluefin. Bonito have been biting as they often do at the beginning of the season. Though early yet, bonito tend to have barracuda hanging with them, but not so thus far this year. Few of the toothy snakes have been reported. The expectation is that the near-shore fishing will get better. The drawback for inshore so far are periods of springtime winds that keep smaller boats and kayaks out of the water.

Fish Plants: May 4, Santee Lakes, catfish (1,000)