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Fish Report: Mako my day
Plus: Bluefin still coming in larger at night
Captain Cristian Catian of K&M Sportfishing running out of San Quintin with a solid surface iron-caught yellowtail.
Dock Totals 7/13 – 7/19: 4596 anglers aboard 187 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 30 barracuda, 2696 bluefin tuna (to 220 pounds), 31 bonito, 3 cabezon, 804 calico bass, 4 halibut, 2 lingcod, 4 mako shark, 2066 rockfish, 2863 sand bass, 54 sanddab, 275 sculpin, 72 sheephead, 173 whitefish, 2 white seabass, 6 yellowfin tuna, and 1346 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Bluefin numbers rose again this past week, with most of the fish concentrated out west near San Clemente Island. The daytime bite picked up quite a bit, with most of those fish caught after sunup ranging from 25 to 70 pounds. But the larger bluefin are still being caught at night on deep-drop jigs and tuna bomb style lures, with many caught over the 200-pound mark. A few more yellowfin made it into the counts, though those were mostly down south. With the fleet concentrating on the bluefin bite out west, I am getting little news on how that yellowfin northern migration is going. As it is still early in the season for the warmer water pelagic species, we have plenty of time for that to develop.
Super beefy 200-pound-plus class bluefin tuna caught during the Searcher's 3-day run to the tuna grounds.
Yellowtail action has been very good down the coast of Baja, with good numbers coming from nearshore high spots and floating kelps. These fish are not shy, and are eating surface irons like candy; some anglers are limiting out in a couple hours. Local operators from Ensenada to Cedros Island have been posting up really good catches for their clients while enjoying very calm seas and pleasant weather. Cristian Catian of K&M Sportfishing in San Quintin has been steadily posting limit-style yellowtail fishing primarily on surface irons near San Martin Island and the banks just to the south.
The amazingly high sand bass count from the week previous dropped by 75%, but there is still excellent fishing to be found on the flats off Point Loma and Imperial Beach. The nearly 3000 caught this past week is still standout fishing for the short run half- and full-day boats targeting them. Calico bass numbers went up over the same period, indicating that boats are working the kelp edge more than the flats. There has been some decent yellowtail action in close, as well as a few white seabass in the mix, so fewer boats targeted that sand bass bite.
There were also five shortfin mako sharks reported caught this past week, with one released and four kept. One of the only endothermic shark species, makos tend to inhabit water above 62 degrees and are one of the fastest species of fish in the ocean, reaching speeds close to 50 mph. Though they prefer offshore haunts, makos are often caught nearshore during the summer and early fall, as they often move with schools of gamefish. Like bluefin tuna, mako sharks can cover large distances in relatively short periods. One tagged mako swam 1322 miles in 37 days, averaging 36 miles per day. Another interesting note is that a shortfin mako shark had the strongest measured shark bite at 3000 pounds per square inch, or 13,000 Newtons.
The largest shortfin mako shark recorded caught was off Southern California, weighed 1323.5-pounds and was 11 feet long. The massive shark was caught aboard Breakaway Charters’ 37-foot Topaz in June of 2013. Though it was the largest mako recorded caught on rod and reel, the fish did not qualify for a world record due to multiple anglers handling the rod during the fight. Makos were listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN red list until they were moved to ‘endangered’ in 2019. Even so, they are not protected and there is a legal take of two per day with no minimum size limit in Southern California waters.
Given their super sharp teeth and powerful bite, makos being kept or should be handled with extraordinary care whether they are being kept or released. There have been only ten recorded shortfin mako attacks with three fatalities between 1984 and 2024, but many anglers have been injured by them when trying to handle one after a catch. If any fish screams "handle with care," it is a mako shark. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Fish Report: Mako my day
Plus: Bluefin still coming in larger at night
Fish Report: Mako my day
Plus: Bluefin still coming in larger at night
Captain Cristian Catian of K&M Sportfishing running out of San Quintin with a solid surface iron-caught yellowtail.
Dock Totals 7/13 – 7/19: 4596 anglers aboard 187 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 30 barracuda, 2696 bluefin tuna (to 220 pounds), 31 bonito, 3 cabezon, 804 calico bass, 4 halibut, 2 lingcod, 4 mako shark, 2066 rockfish, 2863 sand bass, 54 sanddab, 275 sculpin, 72 sheephead, 173 whitefish, 2 white seabass, 6 yellowfin tuna, and 1346 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Bluefin numbers rose again this past week, with most of the fish concentrated out west near San Clemente Island. The daytime bite picked up quite a bit, with most of those fish caught after sunup ranging from 25 to 70 pounds. But the larger bluefin are still being caught at night on deep-drop jigs and tuna bomb style lures, with many caught over the 200-pound mark. A few more yellowfin made it into the counts, though those were mostly down south. With the fleet concentrating on the bluefin bite out west, I am getting little news on how that yellowfin northern migration is going. As it is still early in the season for the warmer water pelagic species, we have plenty of time for that to develop.
Super beefy 200-pound-plus class bluefin tuna caught during the Searcher's 3-day run to the tuna grounds.
Yellowtail action has been very good down the coast of Baja, with good numbers coming from nearshore high spots and floating kelps. These fish are not shy, and are eating surface irons like candy; some anglers are limiting out in a couple hours. Local operators from Ensenada to Cedros Island have been posting up really good catches for their clients while enjoying very calm seas and pleasant weather. Cristian Catian of K&M Sportfishing in San Quintin has been steadily posting limit-style yellowtail fishing primarily on surface irons near San Martin Island and the banks just to the south.
The amazingly high sand bass count from the week previous dropped by 75%, but there is still excellent fishing to be found on the flats off Point Loma and Imperial Beach. The nearly 3000 caught this past week is still standout fishing for the short run half- and full-day boats targeting them. Calico bass numbers went up over the same period, indicating that boats are working the kelp edge more than the flats. There has been some decent yellowtail action in close, as well as a few white seabass in the mix, so fewer boats targeted that sand bass bite.
There were also five shortfin mako sharks reported caught this past week, with one released and four kept. One of the only endothermic shark species, makos tend to inhabit water above 62 degrees and are one of the fastest species of fish in the ocean, reaching speeds close to 50 mph. Though they prefer offshore haunts, makos are often caught nearshore during the summer and early fall, as they often move with schools of gamefish. Like bluefin tuna, mako sharks can cover large distances in relatively short periods. One tagged mako swam 1322 miles in 37 days, averaging 36 miles per day. Another interesting note is that a shortfin mako shark had the strongest measured shark bite at 3000 pounds per square inch, or 13,000 Newtons.
The largest shortfin mako shark recorded caught was off Southern California, weighed 1323.5-pounds and was 11 feet long. The massive shark was caught aboard Breakaway Charters’ 37-foot Topaz in June of 2013. Though it was the largest mako recorded caught on rod and reel, the fish did not qualify for a world record due to multiple anglers handling the rod during the fight. Makos were listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN red list until they were moved to ‘endangered’ in 2019. Even so, they are not protected and there is a legal take of two per day with no minimum size limit in Southern California waters.
Given their super sharp teeth and powerful bite, makos being kept or should be handled with extraordinary care whether they are being kept or released. There have been only ten recorded shortfin mako attacks with three fatalities between 1984 and 2024, but many anglers have been injured by them when trying to handle one after a catch. If any fish screams "handle with care," it is a mako shark. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
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