Maybe it was the big south swell that brought the fish up to local waters, or maybe they just wanted to come hang out close to Orange County’s coastline.
Whatever the reason, anglers are reeling over recent catches of “monster” yellowtail, a delicious fish typically found farther south or much farther out to sea.
Three trophy-size yellowtail were caught on April 23 during a half-day trip out on the charter boat Western Pride. The largest fish weighted 45 pounds, the second weighed in at 43 pounds and the third was 38.7 pounds, according to Jessica Roame, education manager for Davey’s Locker & Newport Landing Sportfishing.
They were the largest yellowtail that Western Pride captain Mike Harkins had ever seen in his 11 years while on a half-day boat. Typically this time of year, those shorter five- to six-hour trips target rockfish, sculpin, sheephead, bass and whitefish.
“They were ready to seize the opportunity when they noticed yellowtail start to boil near their boat,” Roame said. “Yellowtail of this size are rarely caught off a coastal Southern California fishing boat this far north of Mexico, and the massive size of these yellowtail in late April are more likely to be caught on the backside of San Clemente Island, close to 60 miles away from Newport Beach.”
While the fishing charter didn’t divulge the exact location of the catch, it said the boat was within 10 miles of the Newport Beach Harbor.
The run of south swell over the weekend “cleaned up” the water, bringing warmer water temperatures, though those temperatures have plunged the past two days.
“Yellowtail like warm and clean offshore waters for the most part, which is why it was so unusual and rare to have them show up within a 10-mile coastal range of Newport Beach at the end of spring,” Roame said.
Another group of large yellowtail were spotted on the radar again on Monday, in a different location, but still within coastal waters. Anglers weren’t as lucky though.
