San Diego offshore fleet lands bluefin limits within overnight range

Bluefin limits were close enough to make an overnight trip pay, and Seaforth Sportfishing’s April 14 update showed exactly why San Diego anglers were paying attention. The Polaris Supreme called in with limits of bluefin tuna on its two-day trip, with fish in the 25- to 50-pound class and within overnight range. The Pacific Voyager also returned with limits of bluefin tuna on its two-day run, which made this look less like a fluke and more like a real patch of fish that private boats and sportboats can actually target without a full long-range commitment.

The Polaris Supreme’s three-day trip added the bigger picture: 160 yellowfin tuna, 55 bluefin tuna and one dorado. That mix matters because it changes how crews rig the boat and how anglers fish the meter. When yellowfin and bluefin are both showing, the morning can lean on bait and fly-lining, while the afternoon note pointed straight at a 30- to 40-pound live-bait rig or a surface iron setup. Seaforth’s report also said the fish were in 1-day range, which is the kind of detail that tells you the action was close enough to keep the fuel bill and the time off work in check.

The broader fish count backed up the momentum. The April 13 summary covered 15 trips and 307 anglers, and the numbers came back with 160 yellowfin tuna, 55 bluefin tuna, plus rockfish, red snapper, whitefish, yellowtail and a dorado. That is the kind of spread that keeps the offshore deck busy and gives anglers more than one target if the tuna slide off the bank for a stretch. For the next two weeks, the practical call is to favor short, flexible trips over big commitments, because the fish are showing close enough to justify chasing them now.

The regulatory backdrop makes the run even more notable. NOAA Fisheries says the U.S. Pacific bluefin tuna commercial catch limit for 2025-2026 is 1,872.85 metric tons, with a single-year cap of 1,285 metric tons, nearly 80% higher than the prior biennial limit. NOAA also says the stock reached its second rebuilding target in 2021, and Pacific bluefin are managed as a single, Pacific-wide stock that moves across the ocean basin. Recreational anglers still face federal bag and possession limits off California, but the real takeaway is simple: bluefin are not just around, they are in range, and the San Diego fleet just proved it.