This may or may not be a record year for bluefin, but it's a dang good one, and the fishing has held up very well overall, and now yellowfin have joined the fray in very big numbers Fishing will likely stay good for the day fleet until the first winter storms turn the water over and the migratory tuna depart. That may not happen for another month or two.

"I thought I'd better try to get out fishing one more time," said neighbor Mark Maruccia September 19, "so yesterday I went out with Alan Fay aboard the El Capitan. We fished about 50 miles from port, a lot closer than we did the last time I went on a day and a half trip. The water was nice, about 70 degrees, with not much wind and a fair-sized swell in the morning.

"We started fishing at dawn, and hit some kelp paddies. There were a few other boats around, but it wasn't crowded. We got small yellowtail and dorado, and then trolled. About nine A.M. we hit a kelp for some yellowfin tuna. We hit two more kelps after that and drove around some more, looking.

"About three in the afternoon the swell went down, and around four o'clock we stopped on a mark for some 20 to 40-pound yellowfin and bluefin. We found a really nice paddy at six o'clock, and drifted off from it until after dark, for some more bluefin and yellowfin. The jackpot fish were about 60 pounds, I thought, but I didn't get any that big.

"I ended up with one bluefin about 30 pounds, and four yellowfin and three yellowtail. I released all my dorado, they were pretty small. It was a good day. I got all the fish I wanted, and I had a good time."

The boat count for the 18 anglers, released by Pt. Loma Sportfishing: 32 bluefin, 30 yellowfin 85 yellowtail and 18 dorado.

Yellowfin photo provided by Steve "Wrong Way" Lamb.