Full Moon Can’t Stop the Bite! Wide-Open Bluefin on the Polaris Supreme

The full moon has had an adverse effect on the bluefin tuna bite for most of the 2026 season, but as we move toward the end of August the bluefin bite has been absolutely wide open.

Angler Frank Cerritos was aboard the Polaris Supreme last night and reported wide-open bluefin tuna fishing on mostly 12- to 30-pound fish. There have been some exceptional bigger fish mixed in, with bluefin exceeding 100 pounds, but the vast majority are that smaller grade.

The nighttime fish have been biting well on 250- to 400-gram jigs.

Landings from San Diego (where the Polaris Supreme departs) all the way to the Channel Islands have Tanner Bank, Cortez Bank, and Cherry Bank within easy range. That means boats from that entire stretch are in the bluefin zone.

Everyone is happy to see that the full moon so far has not had the poor effect it had earlier in the season. The bluefin are also biting in the daytime.

Bait has been the main concern, so you might want to bring some poppers. Tuna Riot poppers work really well. You can dead-stick them — that means casting them out and just letting them float on the surface for a while. That’s a super-effective way to get a bite. Clear poppers work best. Get them at http://tunariotpoppers.com.

Yellowtail on Tanner Bank and Cortez Bank are sizable fish in the 15- to 30-plus-pound category. Because of the bait shortages, it is advised that you bring some surface iron. There has also been some yo-yo iron fish out there, but the surface iron has been most effective.

When you’re bait fishing, 25- to 30-pound fluorocarbon has been working best. If you find yourself in a bite where the fish have gone crazy, by all means up your fluoro. There are some treacherous areas out there and yellowtail are adept at sawing you off, so you want to get away with as heavy a line as possible.

Back to the iron — whether it’s yo-yo or surface, 40-pound minimum. We prefer 50-pound.

Great fishing, and the full moon doesn’t seem to be slowing it down.

Check http://friedmanadventures.com for Captain’s audios, landing and boat counts, bait availability, Friedman Adventures AI, kids corner, and lots more.

End-of-summer Surf Fishing Festival is Saturday, September 12, 2026, 9am–12pm at Anderson St & PCH, Sunset Beach. Noon raffle. Park across PCH and at Big Fish Bait & Tackle in Seal Beach.

#BluefinTuna #PolarisSupreme #SeaforthSportfishing #SanDiegoFishing #FriedmanAdventures #FullMoonFishing #TunaRiot #Yellowtail #CortezBank #TannerBank #CherryBank #SoCalTuna #NightBite #PopperFishing