MINIMUM SIZE
None
Species · Tuna
Yellowfin tuna fishing in Southern California
Thunnus albacares
Warm-water speedsters that run with the porpoise, the classic late-summer tuna of the SoCal blue.
TYPE
Yellowfin tuna
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Thunnus albacares
TYPICAL SIZE
15–40 lb (some 60 lb+)
LIKES WATER
Warm blue, 70°F+
TRAVELS WITH
Porpoise & bird schools
BEST MONTHS
Aug – Nov
yellowfin tuna regulations
DAILY BAG
10, inside the general limit
OPEN SEASON
Year round
Unlike bluefin and albacore, yellowfin count toward the twenty-fish general finfish limit rather than sitting on top of it.
14 CCR 27.60(a), 28.38(d), 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 yellowfin
Yellowfin are the golden-finned cousins of the bluefin: a little leaner, a little flashier, and every bit as fast. They light up bright yellow along the back and fins, and when a school gets fired up they'll boil on the surface chasing bait. They show up when the ocean warms in late summer.
Where yellowfin tuna hang out
In the warm blue water, usually well offshore. Yellowfin famously run with pods of porpoise: find the spinning, splashing dolphins and the tuna are often right underneath. They also stack on kelp paddies and dive on the same bird schools as bluefin.
How big yellowfin tuna get
Most SoCal yellowfin are “footballs” in the 15–40 pound range, perfect eating size and a blast on light gear. In a strong warm-water year, fish over 60 pounds move in and give you a real arm-burner of a fight.
How to catch yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin love a lively bait. Fly-line a live sardine or anchovy, throw a surface iron or popper into a foamer, or bounce a small jig. They can be line-shy, so many anglers drop to lighter fluorocarbon when the fish get picky.
Where to catch yellowfin tuna
The grounds that hold yellowfin 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
- Oceanside
- THE OFFSHORE BANKS
- Dana Point
- THE OFFSHORE BANKS
- Newport Beach
- 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
Yellowfin are one of the fastest fish in the ocean and grow incredibly quickly, a yellowfin can pack on 20+ pounds in a single year.
More species
Bluefin 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 yellowfin tuna day?
Load yellowfin tuna into the live Bite Score and see where the water’s worth the run right now.