California Yellowtail

Up to 80 pounds and over 5 feet long. Most caught off piers are fish under 10 pounds in weight.

Yellowtail Kingfish, Yellowtail Amberjack, Yellowtail, Hamachi (sushi), Kanpachi (sushi), Hiramasa (sushi), California Yellowtail, King Amberjack, Japanese

Occurs in some abundance throughout the Gulf of California and along the Pacific coast of North America from Baja California, Mexico to Los Angeles, California

The yellowtail’s body transitions from purplish blue on the fish’s back to silvery white towards the belly. A dusky yellow stripe runs the length of the flanks from mouth to tail. Anglers have a decent shot at catching yellowtail when they’re packed into schools and feeding on the surface. Yellowtail primarily feed on squid, crabs, anchovies, sardines and mackerel. Large streamers and surface poppers are often effective as anglers can enjoy great sport casting to schools of fifty and more fish. While mid-sized yellowtail are a common catch in the waters of Southern California and Baja, for truly large fish—in the fifty pound range and larger—New Zealand and Australia appear to be the prime spots. California yellowtail is most commonly found along the Pacific coast between southern California and Baja California. A member of the jack family, it's prized as a game fish by recreational fishermen who catch nearly three times as many fish as the commercial fishery. California yellowtail begins to reproduce at a young age and produces large numbers of young, traits that help it withstand fishing pressure. Most yellowtail is caught in drift gillnet and hook-and-line fisheries. Neither of these gears causes substantial habitat concerns, but drift gillnets catch large quantities of bycatch, including vulnerable species like marine mammals. Hook-and-line gear has low by catch. Yellowtail populations are believed to be healthy and robust, but the actual abundance is uncertain due to a lack of scientific involvement in the assessments. While management has been effective in maintaining the population, we need to better understand the impact of increased commercial catch in recent years.

Summary of Distribution:
Note: Distribution range colors indicate degree of suitability of habitat which can be interpreted as probabilities of occurrence (fishbase.org)

	Drifting Drift fishing allows you to fish over a variety of habitats as your boat drifts with the currents or wind movement. You can drift fish on the bottom or change the depth with a bobber or float. Natural baits work best. But jigs, lures and artificial flies will produce good results, too. You can drift fish on the ocean, as well as ponds, lakes, rivers and streams any time of the day and year..
	Gill nets Gill-nets are the dominant gear in the Indian Ocean. Gill-nets are used in artisanal and semi-industrial fisheries, contributing to 30-40% of the total catch. The net design is comprised of continuous panels of uniform mesh size, aimed to trap fish behind the gills. The International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) notes that rates of sharks and turtle by-catch in Indian Ocean gill-net fisheries are high..

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