About Scripps Canyon

Scripps Canyon is an outer-exposed drop-off off San Diego, California, where a rocky bottom plunges from roughly 200 to 1,200 feet into deep offshore water. Yellowfin tuna and albacore tuna are the headline targets here, both peaking from June through October, alongside bigeye, bonito, mahi-mahi, and a mix of thresher, blue, and shortfin mako sharks. Sablefish hold along the deeper structure with a peak that runs July through February plus scattered spring months, and they respond to deep dropping with squid, mackerel strips, or sanddabs down the canyon walls. For the tuna, live bait carries the day, with live sardines, anchovies, and mackerel worked over the drop, while trolling cedar plugs, feather jigs, and skirted lures covers water to locate schools. Jigging heavy metal jigs or working surface poppers turns fish that stack up along the steep contour where the shallows fall away into the abyss.