Conditions Point to Great Fall Fishing in the San Diego Area

Dock Totals 8/8 – 8/14: 5,585 anglers aboard 256 trips out of San Diego landings this past week caught 78 barracuda, 4,133 bluefin tuna (up to 80 pounds), 13 bocaccio, 517 bonito, 2,134 calico bass (1,393 released), 372 dorado, 6 halibut, 4 lingcod, 2,001 rockfish, 621 sand bass, 51 sculpin, 254 sheephead, 1 striped marlin (released), 385 whitefish, 2 white seabass, 806 yellowfin tuna, and 2,658 yellowtail.

Saltwater: The bulk of bluefin tuna are moving north toward San Clemente Island and further offshore and up the coast, while yellowfin, dorado, and yellowtail fill in behind them in the warmer water pushing up from the tropics with the early season storms that spawn off the Mexican mainland. Though most of these early systems have dumped a bit of rain in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, they have been degrading, peeling off to the west and away from the coast after brushing by the tip of the Baja peninsula. Even so, this seasonal pattern is sending south swells north, and along with them more warmer water pelagic species including dorado, marlin, and wahoo. The change along the mid-peninsula Pacific Transition Zone has been rapid.

Most years, the last area of coastal water to warm up is along the southwestern shore of the Vizcaino peninsula that begins five-hundred miles south of Point Loma, and this season's temps have gone from the low 60s to the mid-to-high 70s in the past ten days in that area. Local near-coast pangero reports from Bahia Asunción to Punta Eugenia (the mid-peninsula point that aims directly at Isla Cedros) have gone from a few yellowtail, calico bass, and sheephead caught to limits of yellowtail and dorado with some yellowfin tuna filling in. This early hurricane season change is a good indication of continued great fishing for those species in the San Diego region for some time to come as long as the frequent storms keep forming and pushing water north. Though it may seem odd as it is so far south of the border, the cool water trend in the transition zone is the last marine biosphere to turn over to summer-warm sea conditions, with temperatures rising about two months after they do in Southern California waters.

This change, however, has left the full-day to 2.5-day fleet with three basic options: A long run west/northwest fifty miles or so for bluefin, or south along the coast or offshore for yellowtail, dorado, and yellowfin tuna. 1.5-day and longer trips have more time to chase bluefin tuna than the overnight and full day trips, though some of the latter are splitting their time between all three options on a day-to-day basis. Anglers with a preference of species targeted should check destination areas when booking a trip. If booked weeks or even a few days in advance based on the outstanding bluefin fishing relatively close to port as has been the case for the past couple months, upgrading to a longer trip may be necessary. Though some are doing so, San Clemente Island is a long boat ride for a full day or overnight trip with a greatly reduced fishing time, while 1.5 to 3-day trips might allow time to target all species, especially if the 2 fish per angler limit on bluefin is met.

Closer to home, there have been notable catches for half day boats, land-based anglers, and the burgeoning kayak angling community. Surf fishing has been ‘off the hook’ for barred perch, corbina and yellowfin croaker from the beach and piers, with a few decent halibut in the mix. Yellowtail have been biting well for the paddlers launching out of La Jolla Shores, and this past week as the bluefin moved north, a kayaker launching from Dana Point caught a fifty pounder just three miles out. Though those bluefin have mostly moved up the line, half day boats and even kayakers should get a shot at dorado and possibly yellowfin tuna within paddling distance of the La Jolla launch over the next couple months, as long as the pattern follows suit of other years where the conditions were similarly aligned. 2021 is not an ‘official’ El Niño year, and as recent studies still favor neutral to light La Niña conditions into September, the fish are so far seemingly oblivious to our often-futile predictions. That said, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ quote that “change is the only constant in life” certainly applies to fishing.

Fish Plants: 8/20, Santee Lakes, catfish (1,000), 8/23, Lake Jennings (1,000)