Pacific Queen Finds a Kelp Paddy Loaded With Wahoo
The Pacific Queen found a kelp paddy today loaded with wahoo.
That sentence does not belong on a normal two- or three-day out of San Diego. Wahoo are a long-range fish. In a typical year you get on an 8- to 16-day trip and you run south to hunt those tooth critters. Today they showed up close enough that a San Diego boat could pull up on a paddy, drop wahoo bombs, and get bit.
The Queen was ready. Several anglers had wahoo bombs tied on — the high-speed lures built for this fish — and that preparation mattered. They hooked 20 wahoo and had four on the deck by 11 a.m. Later word put them at six landed and still fishing.
Other boats have wahoo too. Down in Ensenada, the pangas are in the mix. Mixed in with the wahoo are yellowfin tuna, mostly in the 5- to 8-pound class, and some really good dorado fishing. A few boats in Mexico have limited out on dorado. Remember: the dorado limit in Mexico is two fish per angler.
Daniel Maxson reached out this morning to say his nephew is on the Pacific Queen today. He is thrilled. This is the trip you hope a young angler draws — the one that is not supposed to happen this close to home.
El Niño 2026 is flushing new visitors into Northern Baja and Southern California water. We have already seen pilot fish, orcas, manta rays, hammerhead sharks, lots of marlin, and more. The wahoo is the one that makes long-range captains sit up. They are not far from Ensenada right now. If this water holds, they will be in Southern California before you know it.
Pack the bombs. Stay current.
Fish with Friedman Adventures — Friday, September 18, 2026
Estella out of Hooks Landing, Oxnard
Morning half-day 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and evening twilight 5:30–10:30 p.m.
Book: (805) 382-6233 or http://hookslanding.net
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