MINIMUM SIZE
24 in fork length
Species · Jack
Yellowtail fishing in Southern California
Seriola dorsalis
The bulldog of the kelp and the banks, a hard-charging jack that dives for structure the second it's hooked.
TYPE
Yellowtail (a jack, not a tuna)
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Seriola dorsalis
TYPICAL SIZE
8–25 lb (mossbacks 30 lb+)
LIKES WATER
62–70°F, on structure
HANGS ON
Kelp paddies, banks, boilers
BEST MONTHS
Spring – Fall
yellowtail regulations
DAILY BAG
10, up to 5 of them short
OPEN SEASON
Year round
Ten fish at or over twenty-four inches fork length, except that five of the ten may be under it.
14 CCR 28.37, 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 yellowtail
Yellowtail, “yellows”, are the fish that got a lot of SoCal anglers hooked for life. They're a jack, not a tuna, and they fight dirty: the moment you hook one it puts its head down and bulldogs straight for the rocks or kelp to break you off. Land a big one and you've earned it.
Where yellowtail hang out
Yellowtail live on structure. Look for them around floating kelp paddies, hard-bottom banks, the Coronado Islands, and the boiler rocks off the islands. They roam, so a spot that's loaded one week can be empty the next, which is exactly what a daily read is for.
How big yellowtail get
A little “firecracker” is a few pounds. A solid grade fish is 12–20 pounds. The old, wary giants, “mossbacks” over 30 or even 40 pounds, are a genuine trophy that can dump you into the structure before you even turn their head.
How to catch yellowtail
Two classic ways: soak a live sardine or mackerel near a paddy, or throw “the iron”, a heavy metal jig, and rip it back fast. Squid on the bottom works when they're deep. Whatever you throw, use enough gear to stop that first run.
Where to catch yellowtail
The grounds that hold yellowtail 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
- THE CORONADO ISLANDS
- LA JOLLA KELP & CANYON
- Oceanside
- SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND
- Dana Point
- SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND
- Newport Beach
- THE NEWPORT CANYON
- CATALINA ISLAND
- Long Beach
- CATALINA ISLAND
- San Pedro
- CATALINA ISLAND
- Marina del Rey
- CATALINA ISLAND
- Channel Islands Harbor
- ANACAPA ISLAND
- Santa Barbara
- SANTA CRUZ ISLAND
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
SoCal yellowtail don't fully disappear in winter, a few hang around the warmer Coronado Islands, but the real season fires up in spring and runs through fall.
More species
Bluefin TunaYellowfin TunaDoradoCalico BassRockfishMarlinWhite SeabassBarred Sand BassCalifornia HalibutCalifornia BarracudaPacific BonitoLingcodCalifornia SheepheadSculpinOcean WhitefishSpotted Bay BassPacific MackerelAlbacoreShortfin MakoCommon ThresherGiant Sea BassOpahSwordfishSkipjack TunaCabezonPacific Sanddab
From the logbook
More on yellowtail
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Is it a yellowtail day?
Load yellowtail into the live Bite Score and see where the water’s worth the run right now.