Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

ALBACORE

BARRACUDA

BLACK SEA BASS

BLUEFIN TUNA

BONITA

CALICO BASS

CROAKER

DORADO (MAHI-MAHI)

HALIBUT

MARLIN

ROCKCOD

WHITE SEA BASS

YELLOWFIN TUNA

YELLOWTAIL

 

= Good     = Fair     = Poor     = Not Available

 

 

FISH CHARACTERISTICS

 

Albacore
	The Albacore is characterized by its “tuna-like” body with very elongated pectoral fins that reach the dorsal finlets. The Albacore has its greatest depth at the origin of the second dorsal fin and has a faint iridescent blue stripe along the flank. The first dorsal is deep yellow; the anal and second dorsal fins are light yellow; the finlets are dark gray; and the caudal fin is gray with white borders. The Albacore is not easily confused with other species due to its exceedingly long pectoral fins.   The Albacore is found at all levels of the water column. It is reported to reach a length of six feet (which are rare with three to four foot models being more common).
Barracuda
	In general barracudas have very elongated, cylindrical bodies, long heads, pointed snouts, and a protruding lower jaw with large mouths equipped with awesome, long large pointed teeth. Barracudas are silver in color, with dark bars, saddles or chevron markings generally above the highly visible dark, straight long lateral line. They have small anal, pectoral and pelvic fins, well aft of the pectorals, and their caudal fins are deeply forked. The dorsal fins are well separated and the first has five spines.
Black Sea Bass
	The Black Sea Bass has a grey-brown overall appearance covered with large dark spots. The Black Sea Bass has a large mouth with small teeth and a bulky robust body approximately 2.5 times longer than wide. It has a distinctive single strongly-notched dorsal fin whose spinous part is low and has a longer base than the high soft part. The anal and dorsal fins are mirror images and the caudal fin is straight with rounded tips. The females lay up to 60 million eggs per annum. The Black Sea Bass are exceedingly fast swimmers for short distances and voracious feeders eating a variety of fish and crustaceans.   The Black Sea Bass is reported to reach up to 7.5 feet in length and 560 pounds.
Bluefin Tuna
	The Bluefin Tuna is characterized by its massive “tuna-like” body, widest at the pelvic fins, deep metallic blue back, silvery white lower sides and belly, rather small eye, and a long pointed head. The Bluefin Tuna has alternating colorless lines and rows of dots along its lower sides. Its first dorsal fin is either yellow or blue; its second dorsal (which is taller than the first dorsal fin) is either red or brown; its anal fin and seven to ten finlets are yellow, edged in black; the caudal keel is black. The Bluefin Tuna has short pectoral fins and the anal fin begins behind the second dorsal fin.   It is found at all levels within the water column and even up to depths of 3,000 feet. The Bluefin Tuna has been known to be travel at speeds of up to 45 m.p.h. and has crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 60 days. The largest known Bluefin Tuna was 15 feet in length and weighed 1,506 pounds (the IFGA all tackle record is 1,496 pounds); however, the Bluefin Tuna is more common around 6 feet in length.
Bonita
	The Mexican Bonito is characterized by its “tuna-like” appearance, dark blue back, silver sides and belly, and a series of 8 to 11 broken horizontal stripes along its upper sides. It does not have spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins.   The “all tackle world record,” caught in Mexican waters as of 2004 stands at 27.0 pounds, with a length of 46.1 inches.
Calico Bass
	The upper head of the Calico Bass or Kelp Bass is brownish-olive with random yellow spots, and the upper back is mottled with characteristic white botches on a brown background. There are two rows of the characteristic rectangular white blotches on the back. The Calico Bass or Kelp Bass is easily differentiated from other members of the bass family by these white botches.   The Calico Bass or Kelp Bass reaches a length of 28 inches and about 18 pounds in weight.
Croaker
	The Croakers or Drums of the Sciaenidae Family, are a series of fish caught out of the surf. They are so named because of the sound they make with their resonating swim bladders. The croakers are easily distinguished from other perciform fishes (a group of bony fished with more than 6,000 species placed in 150 families) by their separated dorsal fins, one or two anal spines, and a prominent lateral line that extends into the caudal fin and to its posterior edge. (The lateral line normally ends at the base of the caudal fin in most fishes.) They are tropical fishes that inhabit sandy shores and estuaries.
Dorado
	The Dorado, "golden" in Spanish, is instantly identifiable because of its unique shape and brilliant coloration. It has a compressed body with a long concave anal fin, a single long dorsal fin that extends the length of the body, very long pectoral fins that are greater than one-half the length of the head, pelvic fins that originate under the pectoral fins, and a deeply forked caudal fin. The fins are normally yellow. Dorado is brilliantly colored with golden hues on its sides, irregular metallic blue and green blotches on the back and sides, and white to yellow underneath. These striking colors quickly fade to a uniform blotchy white shortly after collection. Characteristically, the body depth is less than 25 percent of the body length.   They are reported to reach a maximum length of 6 feet and more than 65 pounds. However fish of less than 3 feet in length and less than 30 pounds are most common. The world angling record is 87 pounds.
Halibut
	body of the halibut is oblong and compressed. The head is small and the mouth large. Although a member of the left-eyed flounder family, about 40 percent of California halibut have their eyes on the right side. The color is dark brown to black on the eyed side and white on the blind side. Their numerous teeth, very large mouth and a high arch in the middle of the "top" side above the pectoral fin make them easily distinguishable from other flatfish.       The world record halibut was caught at 5 feet and 72 pounds.
Marlin
	The body of the striped marlin is elongate and compressed. The upper jaw is much extended, forming a rounded spear. The color is dark blue above becoming silver below, with light blue bars or vertical spots on the sides. Of the billfishes that occur in California waters, the striped marlin is difficult to confuse with the others. Marlin have scales, fins on the belly, and a rounded spear which set them apart from swordfish which have no scales or ventral fins and have bills that are flat. Sailfish have an extremely high dorsal fin not found among the marlins, and shortnose spearfish do not have the long spear on the upper jaw nor the body weight of the marlin. The striped marlin normally develops conspicuous stripes along the sides of its body after death. This feature is unique to striped marlin.   The world record Marlin was caught at 13.5 feet and 339 pounds.
Rockcod
	These species are characterized by very highly varied coloration, generally bass-shaped bodies, large heads, strong head spines, and preference for deep water and cool water temperatures, when compared to most other fish found in Mexican waters.
White Sea Bass
	The White Seabass is characterized by its elongated body, large mouth, and a ridge along the length of its belly. It is metallic blue to copper on its back, with dark specs on its sides, and silver on its belly. The White Seabass has a long dorsal fin base. The caudal fin is slightly concave. It has small rough scales and a black blotch on the inner base of its pectoral fins. It is found in depths greater than 100 feet and up to 400 feet in rocky structure. The world record, as of 2004, for the White Seabass was caught in Mexican waters at 83 pounds 12 ounces, with the fish measuring over 5 feet.
Yellowfin Tuna
	The Yellowfin Tuna, perhaps the king of the tunas, is characterized by its “tuna-like” body, dark blue metallic back, yellow to silver sides, and belly with 20 broken slanting vertical white lines. The Yellowfin Tuna has very large anal and second dorsal fins. The dorsal fins are quite close together, and it has bright yellow anal and dorsal fins and finlets, with narrow black boarders. The Yellowfin Tuna is reported to reach a length of over seven feet and close to 400 pounds. The I.F.G.A all tackle world record, as of 2004, stood at 388 pounds, 12 ounces, caught in Mexican waters.
Yellowtail
	The Yellowtail is characterized by its long aerodynamic body with a long pointed, "smooth"-looking snout, a mouth ending at the front edge of the eye pupil, blue upper back, silver-white sides and belly, yellow fins, and distinguishing narrow bronze stripe along the middle of the body that becomes yellow posteriorly. It is reported to reach a length of 8 feet and up to 110 pounds in the southern hemisphere. The Yellowtail is a prime targeted game fish.