Yellowtail Kingfish
Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: a brassy-yellow stripe running the length of the flank from the eye to the tail, and a bright yellow, deeply forked tail. The look-alike to rule out is Greater Amberjack: amberjack carry a distinct dark stripe running from the jaw through the eye up to the front of the dorsal, and their tail is dusky rather than bright yellow.
Last updated
| Scientific name | Seriola lalandi |
|---|---|
| Also called | California yellowtail, yellowtail, forktail, kingfish |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Jack |
| Temperature | Concentrates between 62 and 75 °F and follows warm water north in summer. |
How to identify a Yellowtail Kingfish
- A brassy-yellow stripe running the length of the flank from the eye to the tail, and a bright yellow, deeply forked tail.
- A dark olive-blue back over silver sides, with a faint dusky bar through the eye rather than a bold one.
- A slender jack body with no bony scutes along the tail base.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Greater Amberjack | Amberjack carry a distinct dark stripe running from the jaw through the eye up to the front of the dorsal, and their tail is dusky rather than bright yellow. |
| Almaco Jack | Almaco jacks are noticeably deeper-bodied with a tall, sickle-shaped front lobe on the soft dorsal fin. |
Read the full entry for Greater Amberjack and Almaco Jack.
Where it lives
Southern California and Baja, and warm-temperate waters worldwide. Holds around islands, offshore banks, kelp paddies and any floating structure in blue water.
Temperature
Concentrates between 62 and 75 °F and follows warm water north in summer.
The conditions that matter
Yellowtail track warm water, so the season is read off temperature charts before anyone leaves the dock — a warm push moving up the coast brings fish with it. Offshore, a drifting kelp paddy holding bait in clean blue water is the whole game, which makes water temperature and clarity the two readings that matter most on a catch record.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about yellowtail kingfish into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.