Yellowtail

Yellowtail Fishing: California Yellowtail (seriola lalandi dorsalis) a rugged member of the jack family and its cousin the southern Yellowtail (seriola lalandi lalandi) are tough customers on rod and reel. The all tackle records are 91#9oz for the California yellowtail and 114#10oz for the southern yellowtail. Found from central California south into tropical waters it has been a mainstay of the pacific deep sea fishery for many years. As with most fish there are a number of ways to fish yellowtail. They will take a variety of baits and lures, with squid, sardine, mackerel and anchovy preferred. Jig fishing for yellowtail can be very productive and a lot of fun. To Yo-Yo jig you use a 4 to 12 ounce candy bar type jig. Drop the jig to the bottom witch is normally not deeper than 200 feet. When you hit the bottom lift the jig off the bottom 4or 5 feet several times followed by a fast retrieve all the way to the surface. Remember that no matter how fast you are cranking the yellowtail is much faster. When you are bit there is no mistaking it and when it happens do not set the hook just continue to reel, wait to set the hook until you are sure the yellowtail is swimming away from you,. Jig fishing allows you to fish with much heavier line than bait and 30 to 50 lb.test works well. When the yellowtail are feeding on or near the surface they sometimes will take surface iron. These are jigs usually not more than 4 ounces and retrieved at a much slower speed. The proffered bait when available is live squid and when the yellowtail are feeding on squid they may ignore all other baits. Fishing squid is fairly simple you will either tie your hook directly to the line or use a sliding sinker that is right down on the bait. The size of the weight will be dictated by conditions such as current and depth. Put the hook once through the pointed end of the squid, when fishing squid even smaller yellowtail will swallow a squid quickly so do not let them run far before setting the hook. When fishing sardine use the same rig only put your hook through the nose or on the bottom behind the vent. The bait tends to swim deeper when hooked on the bottom. Anchovy either hook through the nose or behind the gill in the bony collar. Anchovy are week swimmers so you will need to use smaller hooks and line; I prefer #4 hook and 12# test. Mackerel are one of the best baits for yellowtail when available, when using mackerel you are able to use heavier line and larger hooks because mackerel are larger and stronger swimmers. With this bait you have to give the yellowtail more time to eat as its a large bait. As with the sardines hook the bait through the nose or the bottom. Remember that wich ever way you fish for yellowtail always be aware of structure because you can be sure they will know its location; a lot of fish are lost in the kelp or rocks. Tackle- Standard rod for live bait 6 ½ to 8 ft. rated for 12 to 30-lb test. Heavy live bait 61/2 to 8 ft. rated for 20 to 40-lb test. Jig stick 61/2 to 8 ft. rated for 20 to 50-lb test.