June did what June usually does. The rockfish bite carried the fleet — boat after boat coming back stacked, the island multi-days flat-out loading up, and the local 3/4-day runs putting steady numbers on the deck for anyone who wanted them. Reliable, dependable, exactly what you'd expect this time of year.
But the back half of the month brought the fish everybody actually waits for. The bluefin started showing up in the counts.
That's the story heading into July — and it's the one that matters, because July is the month SoCal fishing shifts gears. The water's warming, the offshore season is ramping, and the fleet is starting to point its bigger boats toward the tuna. Here's where things stand right now, straight from the fleet's last two weeks, and what to expect over the month ahead.
Where the fleet stands heading into July
Over the last two weeks, the SoCal fleet put nearly 100,000 fish on the deck across 18 reporting landings — around 7,500 fish a day. That's a healthy, fully-engaged fleet, and the bulk of it is still bottom fishing: rockfish alone accounted for more than 40,000 of those fish.
But the number worth watching isn't the biggest one. It's bluefin tuna — more than 700 landed in the last two weeks, and still climbing. A couple weeks ago that line was a trickle; now it's a steady stream, and the boats catching them are the longer San Diego runs. That's the tell that the season is turning.
The headline: bluefin tuna are back
If you've been waiting for tuna, this is the part of the year you wait for.
The bluefin are showing on the longer trips out of San Diego — the Pacific Queen out of Fisherman's Landing just put 142 of them on the deck on a single three-day run. They're not everywhere yet, and you're not going to limit out on a half-day, but they're here, the grade is good, and the trend is pointed up.
Here's the honest framing on July bluefin: it's a longer-trip game. Tuna live offshore, and getting on them reliably means a 1.5-day trip or longer — the boats need the run time to reach the grounds and stay on the fish. As the water keeps warming through the month, expect the bite to strengthen and more boats to dedicate themselves to it. And keep an eye on yellowfin tuna and dorado — they're barely in the counts right now (a dozen yellowfin, a handful of dorado), but those are the warm-water pelagics that typically build as summer goes on. July is the ramp; the back half of summer is the payoff.
Rockfish: still the bread and butter
Don't let the tuna talk distract you. Rockfish is still the most dependable bite in Southern California, and July won't change that.
The island multi-days are where the volume lives — the Mirage out of Channel Islands put nearly 600 fish on the deck on a two-day run, whitefish and rockfish stacked deep. If you want a cooler full of fillets and a near-guarantee of action, the island trips and the local 3/4-day boats are exactly where to point. This is the bite that doesn't care about water temperature or weather windows — it just produces, all month long.
Yellowtail and the inshore game
Yellowtail are the summer connector — the fish that bridges the easy inshore stuff and the offshore grind. They're holding steady in the counts and showing around the islands and the high spots, and they'll stay a strong target through July. For a lot of anglers, a yellowtail trip is the sweet spot: real fighting fish, no overnight commitment.
Closer to home, the calico bass bite is heating up as the water warms — a summer staple for the local half-day and 3/4-day boats — and there are white seabass around too, showing on the island runs. The inshore game is wide open for anyone who wants it.
What to target in July, by what you're after
The fishing's good across the board this month, so the real question is what you want out of the day:
- You want tuna. Book a 1.5-day or longer out of San Diego. Bluefin are the play, and the longer trips are how you get on them. Don't book an overnight expecting a tuna guarantee — give yourself the run time.
- You want yellowtail. The islands and offshore high spots, on a 3/4-day to 1.5-day boat. Strong summer target without the long commitment.
- You want a full cooler. Island multi-days or a local 3/4-day for rockfish. The reliable volume play.
- It's your first trip, or you're bringing family. A half-day or 3/4-day local boat for calico, sand bass, and rockfish. High action, short day, no overnight. (If you're not sure which length fits, here's how to think about it.)
Hot boats right now
Right now, the boats putting up the best species-weighted numbers are the Mirage (Channel Islands, loading whitefish and rockfish on the island two-days, with white seabass in the mix) and the Pacific Queen (Fisherman's, on the bluefin — 142 tuna on a three-day run). But the bite moves fast in July — the live Hot Boats board updates nightly, so check it before you book to see who's hot this week, not last week. (And if you're not sure how to read a fish count, we wrote the guide.)
The bottom line
July is the ramp into the best fishing of the year. The rockfish bite is dependable as ever, the islands are loaded, the yellowtail are around — and the bluefin are here and building. As the water warms through the month, the offshore season only gets better.
If you've been waiting for a reason to get on the water, the counts are giving you one. Check the live fish counts to see what's biting today, find an open trip at Find Your Next Catch, and go get on them.
Tight lines, and we'll see you out there.