San Diego does tuna like nowhere else in the country. Bluefin, yellowfin, dorado and yellowtail can all bite within sight of Point Loma, and the long-range fleet pushes deep into Mexican waters, as far as Guadalupe Island, for more. Summer here is not a season. It is a stampede.
The Run
You do not always have to run far. The 9 Mile Bank is the closest serious tuna water, and reports have put bluefin, yellowfin, dorado and yellowtail on kelp paddies around the bank at about 14 miles from Point Loma. In hot years, dorado and tuna have bitten 4 to 6 miles off the point.
The Coronado Islands sit about 15 miles out, just across the border. They are yellowtail country, with current breaks, kelp and structure stacked around four rocky islands.
Push farther for the offshore banks. The 425 Bank, about 29 miles from Point Loma, has produced yellowtail, dorado and yellowfin. In big seasons, the tuna zone stretches 200 miles, from Santa Barbara Island to the waters below Ensenada. Albacore have been caught 600 to 800 miles west of San Diego.
What Bites, When
March brings the first bluefin.
April brings trophy yellowtail back, and the yellowtail bite runs strong through October.
June through August is the glamour window. Bluefin and yellowfin peak. Dorado show in June and run through September. Striped marlin start showing in June.
September and October keep the tuna going, with marlin feeding hard in September.
Winter is not dead. Bluefin have stayed within reach of the fleet into December, with kelp paddy yellowtail on overnight trips.
How to Fish It
San Diego is a live-bait town. Fly-lined sardines and sinker rigs with live sardines have produced bluefin, especially at dawn and dusk. When yellowfin are thick under the boat, the same chum-and-drift principles in our chunking bluewater yellowfin guide apply: keep the fish fed, keep them close.
Big bluefin punish light gear. When a fish over 100 pounds eats, standup technique and crew coordination matter. Read the bump-and-wind rig guide before you hook one.
Yellowtail at the islands respond to iron. Surface and yo-yo jigs are the classic play. Kelp paddies hold dorado all summer.
Pack for This Port
Most anglers fish the sportboat fleet. Bring the charter day kit: glasses, gloves, sun hoodie, dry bag, seasickness bands. Overnight trips are long and the ride home is longer.
Bringing your own tackle? A quality lever-drag reel loaded with heavy braid and fluorocarbon leader is the standard bluefin setup. Pack a few speed jigs for yellowtail.
Before You Go
Check CDFW ocean sport fishing regulations for state rules. The Atlantic HMS permit does not apply on the Pacific. Pacific tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks are managed federally by NOAA Fisheries West Coast, and bluefin rules deserve a check every season.
The Coronados, the 425 and the long-range grounds are in Mexican waters. Mexico requires a sport-fishing permit to fish from a vessel there: see CONAPESCA and ask your landing. This is not legal advice.
Watch the weather, respect the border, and know your fuel. The fish don’t negotiate.
