Red Rooster III: Kite and Flyline Bites Right Before Dark Yield Bluefin

Red Rooster III logged a strong stretch of bluefin action anchored by a flyline day and late-evening kite bites off San Diego. The crew summed the best day with a report that captured how long drifts and steady weather produced quality fish.

"Fun day today with long drifts catching this nice grade of bluefin. Beautiful weather and great Flyline fishing most of the day. Great way to finish up. Headed up the line tonight and looks like more of this lovely weather," the Red Rooster III Crew wrote about the Feb. 5 trip, underscoring that flyline work carried the day during calm conditions.

That calm followed a night when kite anglers and flyline rigs both found action. "Bites on the kite and flyline right before dark," the crew noted in an earlier snippet, adding, "Look at the smiles on these guys after a long day of searching. Finally got bites on the kite and..." The truncated line preserves the fact that late light produced decisive strikes, a timing detail anglers can use when planning trips.

The week’s reports show consistent signs of big fish and mixed conditions. "Dylan with the 252 pounder on the Calstar jigging rod..." appears in the crew's notes, while another entry read, "Jeff Marasovich got a kite chance and picked off this nice 200 pound class Bluefin." Sonny Jones also scored: "Looks like we are back in the Bluefin Sonny Jones with a nice 180 pounder Kite fish with the mackerel for bait." Family trips produced results too: "Another Father and Son day today . Ofer Rosenzweig and Roee Rosenzweig with a couple of cows . Ofer 224 and..." (snippet truncated).

Those snippets together paint a picture of a fleet balancing tactics. Flyline long drifts excelled in steady, "beautiful" weather and provided daytime hookups on quality-grade fish. Kite work and mackerel baits paid dividends in lower light, with "couple of kite bites early this morning" and the right-before-dark bites demonstrating that timing and bait choice remain critical. The crew also recorded tougher days: "Tough today on the lower banks" and "Tough going down here today," reminders that the bite will swing with conditions.

For San Diego anglers and charter skippers, the takeaway is tactical: keep both flyline and kite setups ready, plan for long drifts when the weather is steady, and prepare for a late push as daylight fades. The Red Rooster III Crew’s consecutive notes, weights, angler names, and gear mentions like the Calstar jigging rod and mackerel for bait, offer concrete evidence that big bluefin are turning up when tactics match conditions.

Expect updates to follow as the boat continues its runs. Verify trip details directly with Red Rooster III Crew and have kite rigs, flyline leaders, and jigging gear on hand, the late-day window and long-drift flyline work have been the difference between a long search and a memorable boat full of bluefin.