Updated: Thursday, August 27, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, September 3, 2026
This San Diego fishing report covers late August, prime time in Southern California. Bluefin tuna lead the offshore list, kelp paddies hold dorado and yellowtail, and the inshore kelp beds give up calico bass to anglers who never leave sight of land. The condition to plan around is the temperature break offshore, along with the marine layer and building afternoon westerlies. Expect warm, generally cooperative late-summer weather.
What’s Hitting
Bluefin tuna are the primary offshore target, ranging widely from the outer banks in toward the 43 and the 302. Sizes run mixed, from footballs to genuinely large fish that test your gear and your patience.
Yellowtail hang at the Coronado Islands and around offshore paddies and structure. Dorado sit on kelp paddies in the warmer water; a good paddy holding bait can be loaded. Yellowfin tuna show in the mix. Inshore, calico bass and sand bass use kelp beds and hard structure, halibut lie on the sand flats, and barracuda and bonito roam the bay mouth.
Where to Find Them
The offshore banks and the water south and west of Point Loma hold the bluefin. Look for meter marks, foamers and working birds, and be prepared to run.
The Coronado Islands are the yellowtail zone; fish hard structure and current edges. Kelp paddies anywhere in warm water can hold dorado and yellowtail, so check every one you pass. Inshore, the La Jolla and Point Loma kelp beds hold calicos, and the flats inside San Diego Bay and Mission Bay hold halibut and spotted bay bass.
Tides & Conditions
Expect offshore water in the upper 60s to low 70s, with the warmer breaks holding dorado and yellowfin. Inshore water runs cooler.
Mornings tend to start light, with afternoon westerlies building. A persistent marine layer on some mornings hides the visual signs offshore, so meter marks and sonar matter more than birds on those days. Plan long-range trips around weather windows and check the latest temperature break charts before choosing a direction.
Tackle & Tactics
For bluefin, fish heavy spinning or conventional gear with 60- to 100-pound fluorocarbon and a live sardine on a matched circle hook, or work a flat-fall jig on the meter marks. Leader size often decides between a bite and a long stare, so go lighter than feels comfortable.
Yellowtail take a live mackerel or sardine, or a surface iron worked fast at the islands. Fired-up paddy dorado eat almost anything, from a live bait on a light outfit to a small jig. Calicos want a swimbait on a leadhead thrown tight to kelp stringers, and halibut come to a live smelt or swimbait dragged on the sand.
Local Intel This Week
The Shelter Island Boat Launch and the Dana Landing ramp in Mission Bay are the two main public ramps, with the Pepper Park ramp in National City on the south bay. The Ocean Beach Pier, Shelter Island Pier and Crystal Pier put shore anglers on bay-mouth and kelp-edge fish, and the Point Loma sportfishing landings, including H&M Landing and Fisherman’s Landing, run half-day to multi-day trips.
Fishing the Coronado Islands means fishing Mexican waters and requires a valid Mexican fishing license. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
When you find a kelp paddy, do not pull up on top of it. Stop a long cast up-current, shut down, and throw a few live baits toward it before you commit. A paddy that looks empty often lights up thirty seconds after the first chum bait lands; idle right up and the school sounds before anyone gets a bait wet.
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