Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 20, 2026
This San Diego fishing report covers mid-August, the city’s headline month. Bluefin tuna are the lead target on the offshore banks and the ridge, the story of the summer for anyone able to make the run. Warm water pushes well up the coast and the kelp paddies hold dorado. Closer to home, the kelp and the bay offer steady calico bass and halibut for anglers who would rather not spend a night at sea. Plan around shifting warm-water breaks and the dark nights of the new moon.
What’s Hitting
Bluefin tuna are the primary offshore target, spread across the banks and the ridge to the west and south. Dorado sit under the kelp paddies and are the most reliable fish for the day-and-a-half boats. Yellowtail are on the ridge and the high spots, and yellowfin mix into the tuna schools on some days.
Inshore, calico bass are along the kelp lines off Point Loma and La Jolla, halibut lie on the sand flats in Mission Bay and San Diego Bay, and barracuda and bonito work the bait along the coast.
Where to Find Them
The offshore banks and the ridge are the tuna water. Most of the fleet runs well outside, so plan the trip length accordingly. Kelp paddies anywhere in 30 to 80 miles are worth stopping on for dorado and yellowtail; a paddy offers shade in open ocean, so bait gathers beneath it.
The Point Loma kelp and the La Jolla kelp hold calicos and barracuda. Fish the sand flats and channel edges in Mission Bay and around the Coronado Islands area for halibut.
Tides & Conditions
Expect offshore water of 70 to 74 degrees and high 60s inshore, with seas of 2 to 4 feet and an afternoon westerly. The new moon at the end of the week means dark nights, which tends to help the flyline bite at grey light and hurt the midday sonar game.
Warm water breaks shift daily, so check the latest sea surface temperature charts before committing to a course.
Tackle & Tactics
- Bluefin: flyline sardine on 25- to 40-pound fluorocarbon for the grey-light bite, with heavy sinker rigs and knife jigs for the deeper daytime fish.
- Dorado: a light flyline sardine on 20-pound fluorocarbon is all it takes on the paddies.
- Yellowtail: a live mackerel or a surface iron.
- Calico bass: swimbaits and plastics worked along the kelp edge.
- Halibut: a live smelt drifted along the sand on a Carolina rig, which keeps the bait just above bottom where halibut lie buried.
Local Intel This Week
Shelter Island and Dana Landing are the practical public ramps, with South Shores Boat Launch another Mission Bay option. The Point Loma and Fisherman’s Landing sportfishing docks run the offshore trips if you would rather not take your own boat. Shore anglers target bass and bonito from the Shelter Island Pier and the Ocean Beach Pier.
Fish concentrate on the paddies and the offshore banks rather than the open water between. Bluefin, yellowtail and calico bass all carry size and bag restrictions, and Mexican waters require a separate permit. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On a paddy, do not run right up to it. Come off plane a hundred yards out, drift in with the wind, and get a few sardines swimming before the boat gets close. Half the dorado under a good paddy leave before the first cast is made, and it is almost always because the approach is too aggressive.
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