Fishing Intel & Guides
Reports, species breakdowns, and everything you need to know before you book your next SoCal charter trip.
SoCal Fishing Forecast: September 2026
The tuna showed up a month early this year. Most people are calling it El Niño — but NOAA says El Niño hasn't reached the West Coast yet. Here's what that means for what's left of the season.
Introducing Catch Cards: Somewhere for the Fish You Don't Want to Forget
Most of the fish you're proud of end up buried in a camera roll. Catch Cards give them a home — a clean card carrying the species, weight, boat, and date. Free to build, no account needed to try one.
How to Catch Yellowfin Tuna in Southern California: The Kelp Paddy Game
Yellowfin are the tuna you can reach without a multi-day commitment, and a strengthening El Niño is holding warm water in place off our coast. Here's how the SoCal fleet actually works a kelp paddy — finding it, easing in, and what to have rigged before the boat stops.
How to Catch Yellowtail in Southern California: The Three Techniques That Matter
Yellowtail are the fish that built the SoCal charter fleet. Here's how to catch them — the three techniques that cover almost every situation, the gear that works, and where to find them from the kelp line to the Coronados.
SoCal Fishing Forecast: August 2026
The water's the warmest it'll be all year and the offshore grounds are lit up. Here's what's biting off Southern California this August — yellowfin by the hundred, a stacked yellowtail bite, jumbo bluefin, and dorado in the mix.
Fishing the Coronado Islands: A Complete Guide to San Diego's Home Island Fishery
Everything you need to fish the Coronados — why you need a passport, the three permits nobody warns you about, which San Diego landings run there, what's biting by season, and which trip length actually gets you on the fish.
How to Catch Bluefin Tuna in Southern California: A Practical Guide
The bluefin are biting. Here's how SoCal anglers actually get them — fly-lining bait, deep jigging, surface iron, and kite fishing — plus the tackle and the beginner's game plan.
SoCal Sportfishing Forecast: July 2026
Bluefin tuna are in the counts and the offshore season is ramping up. Here's the SoCal sportfishing outlook for July 2026 — what's biting now and which trips to target.
Why the Boat With the Most Fish Isn't the One You Should Book
Total fish caught is the number everyone misreads. Here's how to read SoCal fish counts the way the fleet does: fish per angler, species, recency, and trip type, plus how FYNC's Hot Boat score does the math for you.
What Gets Passed Down: A Father's Day Reflection from the Rail
A Father's Day reflection on fishing legacies, multi-generation anglers, and what really gets passed from one generation to the next.
Yellowtail on the Horizon: What a 2.5-Day Trip Taught Me About SoCal's Most Reliable Gamefish
A 2.5-day run on the Horizon out of H&M Landing put 91 yellowtail over the rail — and taught me a humbling lesson about how nomadic these fish really are. Here's the trip, the gear, and how to chase SoCal yellows yourself.
SoCal Sportfishing Forecast: June 2026
What's biting on the SoCal fleet in early June, where the action is shifting, and what to expect as bluefin season matures and summer ramps up. Real data from 21 landings.
Fishing Catalina Island: A Complete Guide to SoCal's Most Iconic Fishery
A complete guide to fishing Catalina Island — front side vs. back side, which landings fish it, what's biting when, and what to expect on every trip type. From boiler-rock yellowtail to world-class calico bass.
Your First SoCal Charter Trip: Everything Nobody Tells You
A complete first-timer's guide to SoCal charter fishing. What to bring, what to wear, how to beat seasickness, what to do when a fish bites, and how to not look like a beginner on the boat.
Fishing the Channel Islands: A Complete Guide to SoCal's Most Underrated Fishery
A complete guide to fishing the northern Channel Islands — Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. What's biting when, which landings fish which islands, and what to expect on every trip type.
Why We Fish: The Ancient Pull That Still Drives Us to the Water
There's a reason fishing feels different from other hobbies. One theory traces it back hundreds of thousands of years — to the moment our ancestors started pulling food from the water, and our brains started growing. A reflection on why fishing still pulls at us, and why it's more than recreation.
Half Day vs Full Day vs Overnight: Which SoCal Sportfishing Trip is Right for You?
A beginner's guide to choosing the right sportfishing trip in Southern California — from San Diego to the Central Coast. Learn the difference between half day, full day, overnight, and multi-day trips, how weather affects your options, and how to pick the trip that matches your goals.
SoCal Bluefin Tuna Season 2026 — It's Already Here
Bluefin tuna are showing up in Southern California waters weeks ahead of schedule. Here's what's happening, what boats are catching them, and how to get on the water before the word fully gets out.
Best Sportfishing Landings in Southern California: The 2026 Guide
21 landings from San Diego to the Central Coast. Here's everything you need to know about SoCal sportfishing — and how to find the right trip.