Bluefin tuna in Southern California, a season guide

Pacific bluefin are the fish that made Southern California offshore fishing what it is. They’re strong, they’re smart, and they show up within a day’s run of every landing from Santa Barbara to San Diego. They’re also the most frustrating tuna in the ocean when they don’t want to eat.

When they’re here

Bluefin usually start showing in late spring, often by May, and stay through fall. The summer months are the heart of the season. In recent years there have been fish around well into winter too, so it’s worth watching the reports even when most boats are put away.

They don’t stay in one place. A school can be on a bank one day and 20 miles away the next, following bait and the warm, clean water they like. That’s why fresh information beats a favorite spot.

Where people find them

The well-known areas are the offshore banks and island waters south of Los Angeles and off San Diego: the 9 Mile Bank, the 43 Fathom Spot, the 182 and 289 Spots, Tanner and Cortes Banks, and the waters around San Clemente Island. Some of the best bluefin fishing in many seasons is south of the border, around the Coronado Islands and beyond, so check which side of the US-Mexico line you’re on and carry the right licenses.

What they look like

Bluefin give themselves away in a few ways:

• Foamers. Fish blowing up bait on the surface, white water you can see from a long way off. The most exciting bite, and often the hardest to get.
• Puddlers and breezers. Fish swimming just under the surface, leaving slick spots or a ruffled patch of water on a calm day.
• Birds. Working terns and shearwaters over feeding fish.
• Marks. Schools on your sonar, sometimes deep, often at first light and at night.

Sizes

SoCal sees everything from 15 lb fish to giants over 200 lb, often in the same season and sometimes in the same area. Match your gear to what’s being caught. A 30 lb rod is a lot of fun on school fish and a lost cause on a 150.

Getting them to bite

Bluefin have good eyesight and are famously line-shy. The usual fixes:

1. Go lighter. Fluorocarbon leader as light as you dare for the size of fish, and a small hook that hides in the bait.
2. Make the bait look free. A sardine or anchovy that swims naturally gets bit. One dragging a heavy leader doesn’t.
3. Fish the low light. Dawn, dusk and night are often better than the middle of the day. Many of the big fish are caught at night on jigs.
4. Change it up. If fly-lined bait isn’t working, try a sinker rig, a flat-fall jig on the marks, or a surface iron or popper on foamers.

The rigs we’d carry on every trip →

Taking care of the fish

Bleed the fish right away and get it into an ice slurry, not just ice. A bluefin that’s cooled fast is a completely different meal from one that’s left on the deck.

Rules

Bluefin limits and rules change. Check the current CDFW ocean sport fishing regulations before every trip, and Mexico’s rules if you’ll cross the line.