San Diego Catch Report: Albacore Getting Closer

If the albacore season is going to heat up, chances are we'll find out this weekend as more sport boats are set to cover a wider area offshore. Albacore bit as close as 63 miles and bluefin were reported at 40 miles this past weekend as the fishing season appears ready to go for sport fleet and private boaters. The Pacific Voyager, with Captain Mark Oronoz, checked in with 15 albacore from its two-day trip, with the fish landed Monday, the second day of the voyage. The fish mostly weighed between 15 and 18 pounds, with a 28-pounder topping the haul.

John Yamate of Seaforth Sportfishing said the Pacific Voyager was at 63 miles when it found the fish. Anglers caught some fish trolling and some on bait stops. “Mark said there were perfect conditions, with the water at 63.5 degrees,” Yamate said. The Legend, out of Seaforth Sportfishing, had one albacore last Sunday. The Apollo, out of Fisherman's Landing, also had a lone albacore early last week.

The Grande, on a two-day trip out of Point Loma Sportfishing, reported albacore Monday and yesterday. Sabrina Bartley of Point Loma Sportfishing said the Grande had one albacore yesterday after getting seven on Monday. The boat was 63 miles from San Diego. None of the sport boats reported bluefin, but private boat reports indicate bluefin as close as 40 miles and even albacore at 51 miles. Mike Gauger at Seaforth heard from a private boater who landed longfins at the 390 Bank, approximately 51 miles from Mission Bay.

All of the landings have boats ready to go if the fishing turns on. “It's hard to schedule trips because we just end up canceling them until someone really puts up a score,” Yamate said. This past weeks signs were promising, with albacore biting Tuesday as close as 30 miles southwest of Mission Bay for the El Gato Dos on a three-quarter-day trip. Turns out Captain Bryan Zulka's El Gato Dos was the last three-quarter-day boat to get albacore in September when his anglers boated three, and it's the first three-quarter-day boat to get into albacore this year.

Zulka was fishing southwest of South Coronado Island when the 24-pound albacore hit a black and purple jethead trolled by angler Eric Romberg of San Diego. Zulka said they were in 64.1-degree water along a break that went from 64.1 degrees to 64.6 degrees. His anglers also boated a yellowtail off a kelp paddy, some bonito and 25 rockfish. The El Gato Dos anglers also attracted a swordfish that refused to take the bait. Zulka estimated its weight at 150 pounds. They were approximately 26 miles south when the swordfish was spotted. Zulka said private boaters are reporting a mix of albacore and bluefin in the same zone he fished.

The Sea Adventure 80, in that area Wednesday, landed 13 albacore during a late afternoon bite of a 1½-day trip. Sportfishing operations based at both San Diego Bay and Mission Bay plan to cover a large area starting tonight. Most boats have spots open.