Know Your Target |The Bite Index | May 28, 2026

The Coronados yellowtail bite is off. Offshore water temperature dropped 3 degrees in one week -- Buoy 46086 is reading 63.5°F after touching 66.4°F last Thursday. The San Diego changed its trip type from "Full Day Coronado Islands" to "Full Day Offshore" on Tuesday and got 2 yellowtail. That's a clear signal from the fleet that the island bite has changed.

This isn't a surprise. Issue #09 described the exact mechanism: Full Moon spring tides mix in colder subsurface water, surface temps drop, and the yellowtail go with them. Full Moon hits Sunday at 1:45 AM. The pattern is running on schedule.

The BFT zone is still producing -- Pacific Queen posted 6.25 fish per angler on Monday, the highest F/A of the 2026 season -- and the overnight boats are well-positioned for the Full Moon midnight window. But the biggest story this week isn't offshore. It's the nearshore.

New Seaforth PM came back May 23 with 418 calico bass and 104 barracuda on 48 anglers. That's 8.7 calico per angler -- the highest single-trip calico count logged all season. The barracuda numbers have been triple-digit across multiple days and boats. White seabass have started showing on half-day trips. While the offshore cooled, the kelp beds went to the best level of the year.

This is a weekend where you pick your lane. The offshore overnight call is still valid, and the conditions are clean. But the story -- and the easiest big day -- is happening a lot closer to the dock.

Weekend Score: 7/10 ⚪

The pattern was in the notes from Issue #09. Post-Full Moon corrections at the Coronados run 5-7 days. The equivalent Pre-Full Moon cooling follows the same mechanism: spring tides driven by the approaching Full Moon mix colder water off the bottom, surface temps drop, and the pelagics that responded to that warm 65-67°F band scatter or go deep.

Buoy 46086 confirms it. The buoy was reading 66.4°F last Thursday. As of this morning it's at 63.5°F -- a 3-degree drop in seven days. At the Coronados, the inshore temps are likely even cooler. The San Diego, which had posted 35+ yellowtail every single day for the prior two weeks, came back with 1 yellowtail on May 23. Mission Belle posted 1 yellowtail on May 27. Zero, or near zero, has been the consistent Coronados number since May 22.

On May 26, the San Diego boat swapped its standard Coronados full-day trip for an offshore trip. They came back with 2 yellowtail and a change in strategy. When the flagship Coronados boat starts running offshore, the landing knows the island bite is done for now.

The timeline from Issue #09 suggests a 5-7 day correction window after the Full Moon peak. Full Moon is Sunday May 31. If the pattern holds, the correction runs through roughly June 5-7, and then recovery into the next cycle begins. The next issue (June 4) is when to watch for early signs of the reset.

Offshore Mexico -- GOOD (4/5)
The BFT zone is still producing but numbers are more variable than last week's historic run. Pacific Queen went 150 BFT on 24 anglers (6.25 F/A) Monday -- the season's highest single-trip ratio. Polaris Supreme matched 6.0 F/A on Monday as well. But the pattern this week has been more spread: boats logging 15-50 BFT on shorter format trips alongside the 100+ results on the longer 3-day runs. The zone is active. The Full Moon overnight window (Overhead Major at 12:41 AM Saturday and Sunday) is the highest-priority window for boats that are already out there.

Coronado Islands -- SLOW (2/5)
The bite is off. San Diego and Mission Belle are logging 0-6 yellowtail on Coronados full-day trips that were producing 35-95 fish just ten days ago. Water temperature is the driver -- the same 65-67°F band that concentrated the fish is gone. Not a recommended target this weekend. Calico bass and sheephead available in the kelp if you want to run the islands for bottom structure.

La Jolla / Nearshore -- HOT (5/5)
This is where the week's best fishing happened. New Seaforth PM posted 418 calico bass and 104 barracuda on 48 anglers on Saturday May 23 -- the single highest calico count of the season. The Seaforth half-day AM and PM trips have been triple-digit calico and double-digit barracuda across the board. White seabass have started appearing on half-day PM trips -- 3 WSB on Wednesday alongside 109 barracuda and 104 calico on 30 anglers. The nearshore bite is at its peak right now, and cooling offshore water pushes bait and predators tighter into the kelp structure.

San Clemente Island -- GOOD (3/5)
Consistent yellowtail and calico available as an alternative to the Coronados. Less fleet traffic than the islands this week as boats redirected offshore or nearshore. A solid mid-range run for private boaters looking for committed yellowtail fishing outside the Coronados.

Dana Point / Oceanside -- SLOW (2/5)
No significant pelagic action from the north end.

The 3-degree drop at Buoy 46086 (66.4°F to 63.5°F) is the single most important data point this week. For private boaters planning offshore runs, the thermal break that held fish last week has shifted. The productive 65.5-66.5°F band is no longer sitting in the same position -- it's moved, probably pushed south or deeper as the cold water event developed.

The BFT are still there, but locating has gotten harder. The boats posting the best numbers this week (Pacific Queen, Polaris Supreme on Monday -- 6.0 F/A) were on 2-3 day format trips that had time to search the temperature break. Pacific Voyager came back Wednesday with 58 BFT alongside 115 rockfish and 62 vermilion rockfish -- a mixed offshore haul that suggests they worked different depths looking for fish. When rockfish show up in volume on a BFT trip, the boat is covering more water and finding structure fish along the way.

For private boaters this weekend: the tactic is the same -- find the temperature break, look for bait on the meter -- but expect more searching than last week. The overnight Full Moon window (moon up bright all night, Overhead Major at 12:41 AM) is worth fishing aggressively if you're already in the zone. The Full Moon illuminates bait schools from below, and bluefin are known to feed heavily on bright nights.

Forecast: Excellent all weekend. Ten consecutive clean weekends.

Source: NOAA PZZ750, San Mateo Pt to Mexican Border, out 30nm.

Barometric Pressure: Stable. No significant signal.

SST:

Two things are worth fishing this weekend, and they're in very different directions.

1. The overnight BFT call is valid -- and the Full Moon helps it. Bluefin tuna feed heavily under bright Full Moon conditions. The moon rises at sunset Friday and Saturday, and the Overhead Major window hits at 12:41 AM both nights. Boats already in the zone should be fishing hard through midnight. The Full Moon is a liability for daytime yellowtail fishing -- it makes fish lock up in the kelp during the day -- but it's an asset for overnight BFT on the surface. The bright-water, active-bait scenario that the overnight boats have been running into all season is at its maximum this weekend.

2. The nearshore bite is the easiest high-volume day available. New Seaforth PM, Dolphin, and the other half-day boats have been posting 100-400 calico and 50-120 barracuda consistently all week. White seabass are mixing in. No long run, no permit required, affordable. The cooling offshore water pushed bait into the kelp -- which concentrates nearshore predators and makes the half-day bite more productive, not less. If the target is a fast-action, high-numbers day within 10 miles of the dock, this is the weekend for it.

Weekend of May 30-31, 2026 -- San Diego

Full Moon weekend (Saturday 98.8% / Sunday 99.8% -- exact Full Moon Sunday 1:45 AM PDT).

The picks: Saturday midnight (overnight) and Saturday/Sunday midday (day trips).

Full Moon solunar is different from New Moon. The New Moon has the moon and sun overhead together -- double reinforcement. The Full Moon has them on opposite sides of the earth. The moon transits directly overhead at midnight (when it's highest in the sky, visible all night). That midnight Overhead Major is, in pure solunar theory, the single strongest window of the lunar month -- it just happens to fall when most anglers are asleep.

For boats already offshore on Saturday night, 11:41 PM to 1:41 AM is the window to fish hard. The Full Moon is up bright, bait is lit up, and the overhead gravitational maximum is stacking on top of the overnight bite pattern that has been producing all season.

For day anglers, the Underfoot Major at 11:41 AM - 1:41 PM is the call both days. Moon on the opposite side of the earth still produces a gravitational pull upward through the ground -- a full Major window in solunar theory. Nearshore half-day AM trips will be fishing through this window on the way back in. Full-day boats should plan to be on the mark and actively fishing through midday Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday's Moonset Minor at 5:30-6:30 AM overlaps directly with sunrise -- a minor window plus dawn feeding activity combined. For overnight private boaters heading back in, that's an early-morning push worth noting.

The offshore BFT overnight call. 6.0 F/A on the last 3-day (May 25: 144 BFT on 24 anglers). The boat is the most consistent multi-day BFT operator in the fleet and is well-positioned to fish through the Full Moon midnight window. The overnight format is exactly where the Full Moon solunar advantage is.

The nearshore call. 418 calico and 104 barracuda on 48 anglers May 23. Triple-digit calico and barracuda numbers have been consistent across the AM, PM, and Twilight trips all week. White seabass mixed in on the PM trips May 26 and 27. Affordable, no long run, fishing through the midday Underfoot Major window both days. The highest-production trip in the fleet right now for easy access.

The mid-format BFT call. 114 BFT on 22 anglers Wednesday (5.18 F/A). The Spirit runs 2-3 day formats that allow enough time to locate the shifted temperature break and work the overnight window. An alternative to Polaris Supreme for anglers who want a slightly shorter commitment to the offshore game this weekend.

BLUEFIN TUNA

CORONADOS / YELLOWTAIL -- COOLING PATTERN

NEARSHORE -- THE WEEK'S BEST FISHING

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.

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