How to Catch Yellowfin Tuna in the Pacific Coast
The short answer
Yellowfin Tuna in the Pacific Coast hold on bluewater. They peak Jul–Oct. Start with live bait: Flylined sardine pitched to a paddy or a porpoise school — the SoCal bread-and-butter. All day when the water's right — every paddy deserves a stop.
When Yellowfin Tuna bite in the Pacific Coast
Warm-water summers into fall — kelp-paddy season
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
off | off | off | off | off | around | peak | peak | peak | peak | around | off |
What to throw for Yellowfin Tuna
Best first. The retrieve matters more than the lure, so each one says how to work it.
- Live bait — Flylined sardine pitched to a paddy or a porpoise school — the SoCal bread-and-butter.
- Vertical jig — Small knife jig under the paddy when they won't come up.
- Cigar minnow — Trolled feathers and cedar-plug style lures between stops to find the biters.
Where to find them
Look for bluewater.
Stop on every kelp paddy in warm water — sonar first, then chum a couple of baits and watch the corners light up. Yellowfin travel with porpoise here; troll the edges, never through the pod.
Tide and timing
Tide isn't the driver for yellowfin tuna — all day when the water's right — every paddy deserves a stop.
Tackle
25–40 lb live-bait spinning or conventional · 30–40 lb fluoro · #1–2/0 live-bait hooks
Check the regulations
Size and bag limits change by state and by season, and they change more often than any article gets updated. Check your state agency before you keep anything.
Sounder links the right state agency for wherever you drop a pin, and flags a fish that’s out of slot as you log it.