Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, September 24, 2026
This San Diego fishing report covers mid-September, prime time for the fleet. Bluefin tuna are the lead target on the offshore banks, feeding at night and early morning along the temperature breaks, while the Coronados give up yellowtail and the warm water loads the kelp paddies with dorado and yellowfin. Plan around the dark hours on the bluefin grounds; the overnight and 1.5-day boats are the best way to be on the fish when the window opens.
What’s Hitting
Bluefin tuna are the headline. Expect fish from 30 to over 100 pounds on the offshore banks and along the temperature breaks 40 to 80 miles out, feeding on anchovies and sardines at night and in the early morning.
Yellowtail are steady at the Coronado Islands and along the La Jolla and Point Loma kelp, with mixed sizes and some 25-pound-plus fish. Dorado and yellowfin tuna sit on the kelp paddies in the warm water inside the bluefin grounds, with skipjack mixed in. Calico bass are steady on the kelp, and the half-day boats work rockfish, sculpin and sand bass on the local structure.
Where to Find Them
For bluefin, the fleet works the warm-water breaks from the Tanner and Cortes banks south to the 60-mile bank and the waters off northern Baja. Temperature breaks gather bait, which is why tuna line up along them. Target yellowtail at the Coronado Islands, along the kelp lines at La Jolla and Point Loma, and on the offshore paddies. Check any kelp paddy in 68-degree-plus water, generally 20 to 50 miles out, for dorado. Calico bass sit on the kelp edges from Point Loma to La Jolla.
Tides & Conditions
Expect water in the high 60s to low 70s offshore, which keeps the warm-water species in range. Mornings are light, with a moderate afternoon westerly and a mixed swell of 2 to 4 feet, so the offshore runs are comfortable. Morning gray typically burns off by mid-morning.
Tackle & Tactics
- Bluefin: fly-lined live sardines on 40 to 60-pound fluorocarbon, sinker rigs at night, and 200 to 300-gram flat-fall jigs for the bigger fish, on a two-speed lever-drag reel with 80 to 100-pound braid.
- Yellowtail: a fly-lined sardine or mackerel, a surface iron cast to breaking fish, or a yo-yo jig dropped to the meter marks.
- Paddies: a fly-lined sardine on 25 to 30-pound line for dorado and yellowfin.
- Calicos: a swimbait or plastic worked along the kelp edge.
Local Intel This Week
The Shelter Island public ramp is the main launch for San Diego Bay and the offshore grounds, with the Dana Landing ramp in Mission Bay and the Chula Vista ramp in the south bay as alternatives. Without your own boat, book through the sportfishing landings at Point Loma, H&M, Fisherman’s Landing and Seaforth, which run overnight and multi-day trips to the bluefin and the paddies. Confirm Mexican permit requirements before fishing the Coronados or Baja waters. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the bluefin grounds, the bite often turns on in the dark and shuts down at sunrise. Fish the sinker rig and the flat-fall from the moment the boat sets up, and do not wait for the crew to call it. The angler who is ready at 4 a.m. usually goes home with the fish.
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