The hard-pulling jack of Baja's rocky banks. It hits a jig like a truck and heads straight for the rocks, and it's one of the best fish in the sea for sashimi.
A torpedo-shaped jack with a dark blue-green back, a brassy yellow stripe running from the eye to the tail along each side, a silver belly and a bright yellow tail. Unlike most jacks, it has no bony scutes on the base of the tail.
Yellowtail live around kelp, rocky reefs, islands and offshore banks, from California to the tip of Baja and through the Gulf of California. Young fish school offshore; around maturity they move to coastal reefs.
They eat whatever is abundant: in samples from California and Baja in 2014–2016, small schooling fish were in 62% of stomachs and pelagic red crab in 23%. They mature at 55–70 cm (22–28 in), spawning is thought to peak in mid-summer, and they can live at least 22 years.
Until 2015, yellowtail worldwide were treated as one species. Genetic work split them into three: the California yellowtail of our waters, the southern yellowtail of the Southern Hemisphere and an Asian species off Japan. Scientists still debate the names.
Source ↗IGFA's all-tackle "California yellowtail" record, 109 lb 2 oz, was caught in Japan in 2009, a fish that the 2015 split would place in the Asian species. The heaviest IGFA record from Mexican waters is 92 lb 1 oz, from Guadalupe Island in 2004.
Source ↗Yellowtail from the Gulf of California are genetically distinct from those on Baja's Pacific coast.
Source ↗In tagging studies, mid-size yellowtail (60–90 cm) were recaptured 100 to 1,000 km from where they were tagged, while small and very large fish mostly stayed within 100 km.
Source ↗Most yellowtail caught off Southern California come from central and northern Baja: they move north in early spring and return in late summer and fall.
Source ↗The oldest and largest yellowtail come from remote islands such as Guadalupe and Cedros, which researchers describe as possible de facto fishing refuges.
Source ↗Around Los Cabos, yellowtail gather over rock piles and offshore banks, especially in late winter and spring, when local reports describe them moving through southern Baja. Typical fish run 25–35 lb (11–16 kg).
The classic methods are yo-yo and flat-fall jigs dropped to the bottom and cranked fast, and live bait such as sardines or mackerel. The first run goes straight for the rocks, so it takes heavy tackle and a firm drag.
Firm, rich and fatty: superb raw as sashimi or tiradito, and very good grilled. California yellowtail is often sold in sushi restaurants as "hamachi", although true hamachi is the Japanese amberjack, a different species. Native yellowtail have also been farmed in Bahía Magdalena.
| Daily limit (NOM-017-PESC-1994) | Up to 5 per angler per day, within the 10-fish total |
|---|---|
| IUCN Red List | Least Concern (assessed for the broad Seriola lalandi group) |
| IGFA all-tackle record | 109 lb 2 oz (49.5 kg), Japan, 2009 |
| Heaviest IGFA record from Mexico | 92 lb 1 oz (41.75 kg), Guadalupe Island, 2004 |
In Mexico, "jurel" is also used for other jacks, such as the bigeye trevally and the crevalle jack ("jurel toro"), and "esmedregal" can also mean the almaco jack.
How to tell yellowtail, almaco jack and Cabo’s jacks apart ›
Late winter and spring are the most consistent months, according to local fishing reports, with fish over the rocky banks and points.
Not exactly. Restaurants often sell California yellowtail as hamachi, but hamachi is properly the Japanese amberjack, a related species.
Up to 5 per angler per day, within the overall limit of 10 fish per angler per day.
Top illustration: Top Anglers. Photos: iNaturalist contributors, credited on each photo.
Sportfishers with the range to reach the offshore banks. From $799 with license included.
