(left): Stoked angler with one of two striped marlin caught on two consecutive trips near the Coronado Islands while fishing aboard the Sea Watch running out of Seaforth Sportfishing.
(right): Football yellowfin tuna caught while fishing with Blackfin Sportfishing out of Ensenada made this angler’s day.

Dock Totals 9/15– 9/21: 3540 anglers aboard 163 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 2009 bluefin tuna (up to 198 pounds), 22 bocaccio, 1477 bonito, 1 cabezon, 1905 calico bass, 6 dorado, 11 halibut, 169 lingcod, 1246 rockfish, 289 sand bass, 226 sculpin, 375 sheephead, 4 striped marlin (2 released), 2 triggerfish, 1202 whitefish, 3 white seabass, 27 yellowfin tuna, and 521 yellowtail.

Saltwater: Yellowfin tuna and dorado are still basically a no show this year within 50 miles of Point Loma, most likely due to cooler water along the coastal side of the California Current and few storms pushing warmer water north during hurricane season along the Baja Peninsula. That said, the Top Gun 80 had a nice score of 276 yellowfin during a 5-day run with 17 anglers aboard. I did not add those to the counts as I only total the half to three-day counts for consistency as many of the mid and long-range boats do not publish their totals. Blackfin Sportfishing running out of Punta Banda near Ensenada did report a scratch of small yellowfin early in the week, but that bite seems to have died down. For the larger yellowfin and great wahoo fishing, the typical fall bite is far south off the Ridge and Alijos Rocks off the southern half of the Baja Peninsula, where long-range boats have been doing great.

Bluefin tuna continue to bite well from near San Clemente Island to the outer banks and with most of the boats concentrating their efforts there, fewer boats are fishing south along Baja where there have been reports of a decent yellowfin bite off Ensenada by the local operations that are still scratching up a few bluefin as well. When the tuna or yellowtail aren’t cooperating or when limits are caught with time left, rockfish and lingcod are being targeted with success to add some variety to the overall catch. 

White seabass have been biting well along the coast and near the islands in recent weeks, but that action has been slowing a bit. Maybe as the full moon wanes they will start biting again, but for now white seabass have been a pleasant surprise on trips mostly targeting calico bass, sheephead and yellowtail just off the kelp edges. The big surprise this week, however, has been a showing of striped marlin.

Last Sunday, the six-pac boat Reel Champion caught and released two stripers within one-day range of Point Loma, and the Sea Watch boated two later in the week on consecutive days near the Coronado Islands, also on Full-Day runs. The surprise is that we usually only see striped marlin in the counts on longer trips along southern Baja or during warmer El Niño years in our area. Striped marlin do have an endothermic organ that allows a broader temp range, but typically spend their time further south on this side of the Pacific where the main currents run north to south as opposed to the opposite in the western Pacific where they are heavily fished by commercial fleets.

Though mostly concentrated in the central and eastern Pacific, historically, Japan and China catch more striped marlin than any other country in the western Pacific, with peak total metric tons around 18,000 for each country from 1964 to 1969. Since, there has been a downward trend to under 2,000 metric tons by 2011 and are at about 1,000 metric tons over the past few years. Striped marlin are the most widely distributed billfish in the Pacific, ranging in a horseshoe shaped arc in the north central Pacific Ocean. 

Though most recreational anglers release them, striped marlin are eaten in most places where they are commonly found. Striped marlin are caught recreationally in Mexican waters where commercial take is not allowed, and US commercial fleets catch several hundred metric tons in warmer years, but much less than their counterparts in the western Pacific, again, due to the clockwise circulation of currents in the Pacific that keeps the majority of striped marlin far to the south on the west coast of North America.

Living an average of 11 years, older striped marlin can be high in mercury, and it is recommended to eat only once per week. Larger species that live longer lives while preying on baitfish that often migrate near industrialized nations tend to have higher mercury concentrations, as the tiny amounts of heavy metals in each baitfish eaten accumulate in the predator species as mercury does not naturally process out once ingested. That said, I have eaten marlin, both blue and striped, in jerky, soft smoked, and in tacos and it was excellent. 

Lobster season is set to begin this Friday, September 27 at 6pm in Southern California waters. Make sure to meet the licensing and other requirements before heading out to target the tasty bugs. Those pursuing lobster need to have their CDFW Spiny Lobster Report Card and California sport fishing license. An Ocean Enhancement Validation is also required unless you have a one or two-day license. Spiny lobster can only be taken by hand by SCUBA and free divers. For those hooping from piers, only two hoop nets can be used. Boaters may have 5 hoop nets per person with a maximum of ten nets on each boat. Hoop nets cannot be set before the official season start time, so hold your horses until 6pm Friday. Please visit the CDFW website for all rules and regulations for taking lobster, the fines for infractions can be very stiff. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!