Cortes Bank
32.45°N · 119.12°W
24-Hour Conditions
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Current regulations
In effect nowWhat you can keep at this spot today
- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Limit of 10, which applies toward the overall general daily bag limit of 20 finfish (unlike albacore and bluefin). Tuna filleted south of Point Conception must be individually bagged per §27.65(b)(11). T14 CCR §§27.60(a), 28.38(d).
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality
52-week view · today highlightedWhen Yellowfin tuna is best at this spot
Cortes Bank is an outer, exposed rock flat lying roughly 100 miles offshore of San Diego, California, where the bottom rises to depths of 10 to 30 feet. The rock structure and open-water exposure draw a strong pelagic mix, with Albacore Tuna and Yellowfin tuna both peaking from June through October, alongside Skipjack tuna, Bonito, Barracuda, mahi-mahi, Blue Shark, Common thresher shark, and Opah. Anglers targeting Albacore Tuna work live bait such as sardines, anchovies, and mackerel over the shallow rock, and cover water with trolled cedar plugs, feather jigs, and skirted lures or surface iron when fish hold high. Yellowfin tuna respond to the same live sardines, anchovies, and mackerel, with trolling and jigging using heavy metal jigs or surface poppers filling in when the bite moves. The exposed position over rising rock concentrates bait and predators, making the summer-to-fall window the most productive stretch for the tuna runs.
Cortes Bank is one of the spots we track around San Diego. See every scored spot in California.
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