California Yellowtail-
Considered one of California’s true trophy fish that can pull like a freight train! One of our favorite targets to chase in early Spring all the way to late fall. Average size for the California Yellowtail is around 10lb-20lbs.
If your lucky enough to hook into a “mossback” (large resident Yellowtail) in the 30lb-40lb class, hold on for a wild ride! Amazing fish to target and eat, we prefer ours sashimi with a little soy sauce!
Gearing up for a wild ride!
Recommended Line for Yellowtail-
We don’t mess around with the California Yellowtail, these fish fight hard and are notorious drag rippers! We stay in the 40lb-50lb monofilament test with the occasional short fluorocarbon leader (still 40lb-50lb test).
Yellowtail cruise the depths as well as close to structure so you never know if they’re going to try and “reef” you. This is why it’s crucial to have a strong pound test line to withstand these runs.
Recommended Rig For Yellowtail-
Your rig will all depend on what technique you’ll be using when targeting California Yellowtail. We prefer tying on surface or yoyo iron jigs directly to the leader. We also use live bait pinned onto a hook that is an appropriate size to your bait.
Meaning, if you have small delicate anchovies you don’t want to be using large hooks. Larger hooks will tear out of your bait or tire them out before they swim into the strike zone. On the other end of the spectrum, don’t use small hooks if you have large baits.
If the bait is small and the yellowtail are deeper in the water column we thread on an egg sinker to the leader line and then add the hook. This will help with casting out your bait and keeping them suspended in the water column.
Recommended Bait For Yellowtail & How To Fish Them-
Any diehard California angler will tell you that the best bait is “throwing the iron”. That means casting out a surface iron or yoyo iron jig and retrieving it back to the boat. The action of the jig as its retrieved, kicking & waddling back and forth entices the fish to strike the jig.
There are two preferred methods, the surface iron and yoyo iron. The surface iron is made of a lighter metal that can be casted out and maintain its position at the surface of the water column. As the angler retrieves the jig it will kick and shimmy back and forth mimicking an injured baitfish.
This method works really well especially for the anglers that are skilled enough to make a 40-50 yard cast. Another Cali method of fishing for California Yellowtail is the yoyo jig. This jig is made of a heavier metal meant to sink down through the water column. The angler lets the jig drop all the way to the bottom and then winds back up as fast as they can. As the jig swims up the water column it will kick and create an action enticing any yellowtail nearby. The angler will repeat this drop and retrieve just like a yoyo until bit.
Jig fishing is a great method of fishing for yellowtail but don’t let the hype distract you. Sometimes the best way is the original way, live bait! A skilled live bait fisherman that knows how to control and guide its bait into the strike zone can be just as successful as a jig fisherman.
Recommended Rod & Reel For Yellowtail-
Your rod and reel will all depend on what technique you’ll be using when targeting Yellowtail. We like to keep it “Cali Style” when fishing for Yellowtail. A 9ft-10ft medium-casting rod with a sensitive action, paired with a high line capacity conventional casting reel. This set up is the ideal “jigstick”, perfect for casting surface or yoyo irons long distances to “boiling” Yellowtail that are usually 40-50 yards away from the boat.
We also use the live bait rig, a 6ft-7ft medium rod with a spinning or conventional reel, use whichever reel you feel more comfortable casting with. The key is getting your bait the furthest from the boat. Many California anglers (myself included) love the conventional reel but I always recommend fishing what your most comfortable and confident with.
If you’re afraid of the notorious “birds nest” when using a conventional reel (line that backlashes and tangles on the spool when casted incorrectly), go with a spinning reel with a large line capacity. Here are a few reels we have used that work great. Click Here. Paired with one of these rods and you should be golden. Click Here!
Now Try Targeting Tuna!
Click here to see what works best for targeting these fun and delicious fish.
Tuna Fishing gear recommendations, click here.