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Species · Tuna
Bluefin tuna fishing in Southern California
Thunnus orientalis
The freight train of the blue water, a warm-blooded rocket that lives on the temperature break.
TYPE
Bluefin tuna
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Thunnus orientalis
TYPICAL SIZE
20–100 lb (cows 200 lb+)
LIKES WATER
62–68°F, deep & blue
TOP SPEED
Bursts near 40 mph
BEST MONTHS
Jun – Nov
bluefin tuna regulations
DAILY BAG
2, on top of the general limit
OPEN SEASON
Year round
The two fish are allowed in addition to the twenty-fish general finfish limit. Federal rules read it as two per trip rather than two per day, and a multi-day boat can only carry more where it holds CDFW's multi-day permit, so on a long-range trip read both before you count.
14 CCR 28.38(b), as read on October 9, 2026. Limits, seasons and marine protected area boundaries change, so the CDFW ocean sport fishing regulations are the authority, not this page. Check them before you keep anything.
Meet the bluefin
Bluefin are the muscle cars of the tuna world: thick, fast, and built to swim forever. They're one of the only fish that are warm-blooded, so they can keep their body hotter than the ocean around them. That's their superpower: they cruise cold, deep water and then blitz a bait faster than almost anything that swims.
Where bluefin tuna hang out
Out in the deep blue, away from the beach. Bluefin love a temperature break: the invisible line where warm water meets cool, and they'll stack under floating kelp paddies, bird schools, and even hang around whales. Find the clean blue water and the life, and you've found the tuna.
How big bluefin tuna get
This is why people lose sleep. A “schoolie” might be 20–40 pounds. A good one is triple digits. And in warm years, giant “cows” over 200 pounds show up and absolutely smoke tackle. Hooking one is a workout you'll remember.
How to catch bluefin tuna
Sneaky and picky. Anglers fly-line live sardines, drop sinker rigs deep, fly kites, and throw big poppers and stickbaits when the fish are “foaming” on the surface. Bring heavy gear, bluefin pull like a truck and don't quit.
Where to catch bluefin tuna
The grounds that hold bluefin tuna within reach of each home port, south to north. Follow a port through for its season, the rest of the water it reaches, and the rules that apply there.
- Point Loma
- 9 MILE BANK
- THE OFFSHORE BANKS
Seasons, depth limits, size and bag limits and marine protected area boundaries are set by CDFW and change from year to year. Check the current rules for the ground you are running to before you keep anything.
🐟 FUN FACT
Bluefin can dive over 1,500 feet and cross the entire Pacific Ocean. The fish you catch off San Diego may have hatched near Japan.
More species
Yellowfin TunaYellowtailDoradoCalico BassRockfishMarlinWhite SeabassBarred Sand BassCalifornia HalibutCalifornia BarracudaPacific BonitoLingcodCalifornia SheepheadSculpinOcean WhitefishSpotted Bay BassPacific MackerelAlbacoreShortfin MakoCommon ThresherGiant Sea BassOpahSwordfishSkipjack TunaCabezonPacific Sanddab
From the logbook
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Is it a bluefin tuna day?
Load bluefin tuna into the live Bite Score and see where the water’s worth the run right now.