Deep Sea Fishing For Yellowtail

One of the most popular fish targeted when deep sea
fishing is Yellowtail. The California Yellowtail along
with the Southern Yellowtail, which is its cousin, are
Jack family members. Both are very tough customers for
reel and rod.

Where To Find Them

The Yellowtail is to be found in central California
and down south into the tropical waters. In fact, this
fish have been a staple in the Pacific fishery for a
lot of years already.

How To Fish

Just like with most other kinds of fish, you have a
variety of ways to choose from in able to fish for
yellowtail. A number of lures and baits would be
needed such as squids, sardines, mackerels and the
most preferred one, anchovy.

Jig Fishing Technique For Yellowtail

Jig fishing for this fish could be very fun and is
considered to be very productive by most people. The
Yo-Yo jig can be done by using a four to twelve ounce
candy-bar type of jig. Once you have the jig, drop it
to the bottom, which is usually not any deeper than
200 feet.

When you feel that you already hit the bottom, try to
lift your jig off of it for four to five feet. Repeat
this several times, then being followed by a very fast
retrieve all the way up to the surface.

It is important to remember that it doesn’t matter how
fast you are cranking, since the yellowtail would
always be much faster than you. Once you feel that
you’re bit, then there’s no mistaking it. Once this
happens, don’t set the hook and just continue reeling.
Once you feel that your catch is already swimming away
from you, then that’s the time that you should set the
hook.

Jig fishing enables you to fish using a much heavier
line than your bait. A 30 to 50 lb. test usually works
pretty well. When yellowtails are feeding on the
surface or near it, they would sometimes take surface
iron.

Surface irons are jigs weighing 4 ounces or less. They
are retrieved with a much slower speed than the other
kinds of jigs. Using a live squid is the much
preferred bait with this kind of jig. In fact, when
yellowtails feed on squid, they have the tendency to
ignore all the other baits.

Using A Fishing Squid

Using a fishing squid is quite simple. All you have to
do is either tie the hook directly to the line or make
use of a sliding sinker which is right on the bait.
However, the size of the weight you’ll be using is
usually dictated by factors and conditions like
currents and depth.

Find the pointed end of the squid and place the hook
once through it. However, take note that when fishing
with squid, even small yellowtails are able to swallow
it quickly. That is why you should not let them swim
far before you decide to set the hook.

Using Anchovies

If you’ll be using anchovy, then you should either
hook through its nose or behind its gill, specifically
on its bony collar. They are weak swimmers, which is
why you would want to make use of smaller line and
hooks.

Using Sardines

When you’ll be using sardines, you can make use of the
same rig. However, this time around, you should put
your hook through the sardine’s nose or on its bottom,
just behind its vent. Your bait would tend to swim
deeper, if you hook it on its bottom.