This weekend: 8/10
The yellowtail bounced back exactly on schedule. San Diego went from zero yellowtail on May 4 to 35 for 23 anglers by May 11 -- the post-Full Moon correction ran its course and the Coronados reset. Meanwhile, the bluefin zone moved north, white seabass showed in numbers the fleet hasn't seen this season, and calico bass are going 130 per half-day trip. Five fisheries are running at the same time. Conditions are clean all weekend.
This week’s highlights:
Polaris Supreme: 96 bluefin / 16 anglers -- 6.0 F/A, BFT zone now 25 miles closer than last week
San Diego: 35 yellowtail / 23 anglers Monday -- Coronados recovery confirmed after post-Full Moon collapse
San Diego May 8: 7 white seabass + 15 barracuda -- biggest WSB day of the season
New Seaforth half-day PM: 130 / 121 / 132 calico bass on three consecutive trips
First marlin sighting of the 2026 season: 32°10N / 117°26W, Tuesday morning
Conditions: Variable under 10 knots, 3-4 ft seas, 14-16s period all weekend. Eight consecutive clean weekends. No advisories through Monday.
Private boat this week: The BFT zone shifted north and closer. Last week required a 60+ mile run south of the border. This week's consistent action has been tracking within 50 miles of San Diego -- a meaningful reduction in overnight run time. Water ticked up to 65.9-66.2°F from 65.4-65.8°F. Find the temperature break, look for bait on the meter. Spreader bars and MadMacs working on the surface; knife jigs and live bait at night. First marlin of the season was reported in the same zone Tuesday morning.
Why it works this weekend: The Coronados yellowtail recovery follows a predictable lunar pattern -- post-Full Moon correction, then reset into the New Moon. That New Moon window opens Saturday (May 16, 0.4% illumination), and the data from this week's trips confirms the bite is already building into it. The offshore zone is closer than last week. And the forecast is as clean as it gets.
Solunar pick: Saturday dawn 4:49-5:49 AM and Saturday midday 11:39 AM-1:39 PM. New Moon is a unique case: the moon rises just 29 minutes before the sun on Saturday, and the overhead transit aligns with solar noon. Both windows have moon and sun reinforcing each other simultaneously -- the morning pick for offshore boats already in the zone at first light, the midday pick for anyone on the Coronados or still running.
Boat of the week: San Diego (Seaforth Landing) -- 35 yellowtail on 23 anglers Monday, confirming the Coronados recovery, plus the biggest white seabass day of the season earlier in the week. The San Diego is fishing a full spring menu right now.
The Data Angle: Seven white seabass on one day trip isn't incidental catch -- it's a concentration. WSB and yellowtail run the same thermal windows. Their simultaneous appearance at the Coronados alongside the first marlin of the season suggests the full spring pelagic assembly is underway. The number to watch this weekend: does WSB repeat on multiple boats, or does it stay isolated to the San Diego?
The Bite Index publishes every Thursday. Built on marine weather data, offshore buoy readings, fleet fish counts, and our own in-depth fishing data analysis.