California Yellowtail

California yellowtail are built like a torpedo, thick through the shoulders and tapering hard to a narrow wrist ahead of the tail. The most obvious field mark is the yellow stripe that runs from the eye to the tail, along with a yellow-green wash on the back and a bright yellow tail. That coloring, plus the amberjack-style build, is where the confusion starts.

The lookalike most anglers actually mix them up with is the amberjack group, greater amberjack and almaco jack in particular. Amberjack tend to run bulkier through the body, lack the strong yellow tail, and usually show a dark diagonal bar through the eye that yellowtail do not have as pronounced. Almaco jack have a taller, more sail-like dorsal fin and a steeper forehead profile. Yellowtail also get confused with bluefin trevally and other jacks in warmer water, but those species are smaller, deeper bodied, and lack the clean yellow stripe and tail. If the fish has a hard yellow tail and a crisp horizontal stripe running the length of the body, you have a yellowtail.

California yellowtail are a Pacific coast fish, found from the Southern California coast out to the offshore islands and down into Baja waters, with fish showing up as far north as central California in warm years. They hold around kelp paddies, kelp beds, rocky points, and offshore banks, and they stack up hard around structure like buoys, oil rigs, and current breaks.

They are a warm water fish and move with the temperature. In strong El Nino years they push further north and closer to shore. Most anglers find them on day boats and long-range trips running out to island backsides and drop-offs, though shore and kayak anglers connect with them near deep rocky points and kelp lines when the fish move in close.

Yellowtail eat other fish. Anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and squid make up most of their diet, along with crabs and other bait they can run down in open water or pick off structure. They feed aggressively and will chase bait to the surface, which is why boils and diving birds often give away a school.

Live bait is the standard approach. A live anchovy or sardine on a light fluorocarbon leader, fished with just enough weight to get it down near structure or a kelp paddy, is the most consistent way to hook one. Let the bait swim naturally and be ready for a hard, fast take. These fish will use kelp and rocks to break you off, so you need to turn their head early and keep steady pressure the whole fight.

Jigging works too. A heavy iron jig or a knife jig worked with a fast, erratic retrieve near bait schools or structure draws reaction strikes, especially on party boats working a school that is not eating live bait. Fly-lined bait with no weight at all can be deadly when fish are feeding on the surface. Because yellowtail fight hard and dive for cover, this is not a beginner's first saltwater fish. Use solid tackle, a reel with a strong drag, and check your state's regulations on size and bag limits before you go.