Species › North America · Saltwater › California Yellowtail

Saltwater · #22 most targeted in the US

California Yellowtail

Seriola dorsalis · yellowtail, yellowtail jack, forktail

Water temp
64–75°F
Peak season
May–Sep
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
109 lb 2 oz (49.5 kg)
California Yellowtail (Yellowtail amberjack.jpg)

Photo: brian gratwicke · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

California yellowtail are a streamlined jack with a blue-green to olive back, a bright brass-yellow stripe running from eye to tail along the lateral line, silver sides and a deeply forked yellow tail. Long treated as a form of the worldwide Seriola lalandi, the eastern Pacific population is now recognized as its own species, Seriola dorsalis. Small fish under 10 pounds are called firecrackers, and the big, dark, heavy-shouldered fish that live on the islands are mossbacks.

They range from Washington to Chile but are a Southern California and Baja California fish for US anglers, abundant from Point Conception south around the Channel Islands, the Coronados, Cedros and Guadalupe Island and the length of the Baja peninsula. Warm-water years push them north; in La Niña years the bulk of the fish stay off Baja and show at the SoCal islands later in summer.

Yellowtail are schooling, structure-oriented predators that eat sardines, anchovies, mackerel, squid and pelagic red crabs. They patrol kelp beds, rocky reefs, high spots and offshore paddies and kelp patties, and they will come to the surface boiling on bait or sit deep on a hard-bottom ledge in 100–200 feet. Water from 62 to 72°F (17–22°C) and current moving over structure are the ingredients; slack tide and cold green water kill the bite.

For anglers, the yellowtail is the fish San Diego sportboat culture is built around. Fly-lining a sardine, yo-yoing a heavy iron off the bottom and dropper-looping a live mackerel on a high spot are techniques refined over a century on these boats, and the long-range fleet chases 40–50 pound mossbacks at Guadalupe and the Baja ridge every spring and fall.

Typical size8–25 lb (4–11 kg); 25–36 in
Trophy40 lb+ is a mossback; 50 lb+ fish come from Guadalupe Island, Cedros and the Baja ridge
Table fareExcellent — firm, rich flesh; the hamachi of sushi menus

How to catch

Fly-lining live sardinesThe sportboat staple. Hook a lively sardine through the nose or collar and cast it away from the boat with no weight, letting it swim on a free spool. When a yellowtail picks it up, let it run a few seconds, put the reel in gear and wind until the rod loads. Use 30–40 lb when fish are biting, 25 lb when they are picky.
Yo-yo ironDrop a heavy 6–8 oz iron jig to the bottom on a high spot or off the kelp edge, then wind it up as fast as you can for 20–30 cranks and drop it again. Yellowtail crush the jig on the retrieve. Fish 40–60 lb line straight to the jig and a 8–9 foot rod with backbone.
Surface ironCast a light aluminum surface iron into boiling fish or along the kelp line and retrieve it at a medium-fast, steady pace so it swims and kicks just under the surface. Long rods of 9–10 feet and 40 lb mono give the distance and a straight, smooth retrieve.
Dropper loop with live mackerelOn deep structure, rig a live Spanish or greenback mackerel on a dropper loop above an 8–16 oz sinker and drop it to the bottom. Big yellowtail eat the mackerel in the first few minutes of a drift. Use 50–80 lb and crank hard to keep the fish off the rocks.
Slow-trolling live baitTroll a live mackerel or large sardine at idle speed along kelp edges and over high spots to cover water and locate fish. Once you hook up, stop the boat and start chumming and fly-lining.
Kelp paddy fishingOffshore in summer and fall, yellowtail hold under floating kelp paddies. Approach quietly, toss a few chum baits and fly-line a sardine or cast a surface iron or jerkbait past the paddy. Firecrackers to 20 pounds are common and the action can be nonstop.

Gear

Rod8' medium-heavy conventional for bait; 9'–10' jig stick for iron
ReelStar-drag or lever-drag conventional with 300+ yards of 40 lb; 6000–8000 spinning
Line25–40 lb monofluoro or fluorocarbon for fly-lining; 40–65 lb for iron and dropper loops; 65 lb braid backing

Lures

Heavy yo-yo ironSurface ironKnife jigLarge sinking stickbaitPopperSoft-plastic swimbait on a lead headFlat-fall jig

Baits

Live sardineLive mackerelLive squidAnchovy

Regulations

A California sport fishing license (and an Ocean Enhancement validation south of Point Arguello) is required, and California sets a daily bag and a minimum size for yellowtail; fishing at the Coronados, Cedros or Guadalupe requires a Mexican sport fishing license and follows Mexican limits.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 109 lb 2 oz (49.5 kg) — Ohara, Chiba, Japan, October 24, 2009 (Masakazu Taniwaki); the eastern Pacific all-tackle fish was 92 lb 1 oz, Guadalupe Island, Mexico, 2004 (Kevin Pfeiff). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the best bait for yellowtail?

A lively sardine fly-lined with no weight is the most consistent producer on Southern California sportboats, with live mackerel on a dropper loop the choice for big fish on deep structure. Live squid is deadly when yellowtail are feeding on it in spring.

When is yellowtail season in Southern California?

Roughly May through October, with the Coronado Islands often starting in April and the SoCal islands and offshore paddies peaking from July through September. In warm-water years fish bite into December, and Baja long-range trips find them most of the year.

What is a mossback yellowtail?

A mossback is a large, old, resident yellowtail, generally 35–40 pounds and up, that lives on island structure rather than migrating with the schools. The name comes from the dark, greenish-brown color big fish develop. Firecrackers are the small, fast schoolie fish under about 10 pounds.

What pound test line do you use for yellowtail?

Match the fish and the bite: 25–30 lb fluorocarbon for picky fly-lined bait, 40 lb as the all-around choice, and 50–65 lb for yo-yo iron and dropper-loop fishing on deep structure where you must stop a big fish before it reaches the rocks or kelp.

Bite forecast — California Yellowtail

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to California Yellowtail.

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