Inshore — Bays, Kelp & Surf

Nearshore — Kelp Forests & Islands (~3–30 mi)

Offshore — Tuna Banks & Deep Water (30+ mi)

Inshore

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  Calico Bass — Best April through September over kelp and structure — fan-cast weedless swimbaits and leadhead jigs, throwing surface iron on warm summer mornings.GearWeedless swimbaitsLeadhead jig hooksInshore casting combo

  How to ID

  • Olive to brown body with cream/yellow blotchy mottling, often pale saddles on the back
  • Greatly elongated third dorsal spine that is clearly the tallest of the spiny dorsal
  • Deep, laterally compressed body; spiny dorsal deeply notched before the soft dorsal
  • Tail squared to slightly forked
  • No bold dark vertical bars on the sides

  Tell it apart: Calico (Kelp Bass) has a conspicuously LONG third dorsal spine that stands taller than the spines around it; Sand Bass has even dorsal spines (none elongated) plus dark vertical bars. Note both carry size/bag limits, so check this spine before keeping.

  Easily confused with: Sand Bass

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  Sand Bass — Peaks May through July on the spawning flats — drag plastics and cut squid on the bottom, fishing dropper-loop rigs in deeper water.GearCurl-tail grubsDropper-loop rigsLeadhead jigheads

  How to ID

  • Gray-brown with dark blotches and broad dark vertical bars on the sides
  • Dorsal spines roughly even in length — NO single elongated third spine
  • Dark vermiculations (worm-lines) on the snout and between the eyes
  • Rounded to squared tail
  • Stout, moderately deep body

  Tell it apart: Barred Sand Bass has even dorsal spines and dark vertical bars; if the third dorsal spine is greatly elongated it is a Calico Bass, not a Sand Bass.

  Easily confused with: Calico Bass

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  Barred Surfperch — Strongest late winter into spring spawn — work the suds with sand-crab-imitation grubs and bait rigs on high-low leaders near troughs.GearSand-crab grubsHigh-low surf rigsSurf spinning rod

  How to ID

  • Silvery, deep oval compressed body with olive-green back
  • About 8-10 dusky vertical bars on the sides (may be faint)
  • Brassy/yellow flecks scattered between the bars
  • Single continuous dorsal fin, spiny front grading into soft rear
  • Small terminal mouth, no chin barbel

  Tell it apart: The deep, compressed silvery body with vertical bars and a small barbel-less mouth separates it from the elongated, single-chin-barbel Corbina.

  Easily confused with: Corbina

• 
  California Halibut — Best April through August — slow-drag bucktail jigs and swimbaits along sandy edges, or drift live-style swimbaits over channel drop-offs.GearBucktail jigsSwimbaits + jigheadsLive-bait drift rig

  How to ID

  • Flatfish with both eyes on the same side of the body
  • Very large mouth reaching past the eye, armed with sharp teeth
  • High arch in the lateral line above the pectoral fin
  • Eyed (pigmented) side sandy-gray to mottled brown; blind side white
  • Roughly symmetrical diamond outline; can be eyes-left or eyes-right

  Tell it apart: The high arch in the lateral line over the pectoral plus the huge toothy mouth reaching past the eye positively ID a California Halibut among local flatfish.

• 
  Bat Ray / Thornback — Best May through August in warm bays — soak squid or mackerel chunks on a heavy sliding-sinker bottom rig and wait out the long fight.GearHeavy sliding-sinker rigOctopus circle hooksHeavy bay rod

  How to ID

  • Bat Ray: thick raised (elevated) head distinct from the disc, broad diamond pectoral wings
  • Bat Ray: smooth dark-brown to near-black disc, long whip-like tail with one or more venomous spines near the base
  • Thornback: rows of large hook-like thorns down the midline of the back and tail
  • Thornback: flatter, more rounded/heart-shaped disc, slender tail, NO venomous stinging spine
  • Both: eyes and spiracles on top, mouth and gill slits underneath

  Tell it apart: A row of big curved thorns down the back means Thornback (no sting); a smooth dark disc with a raised head and a venomous spine at the tail base means Bat Ray — handle a Bat Ray tail with care.

  Illustration after Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

• 
  Corbina — A summer suds fishery, June through August — sight-cast mole-crab baits or small soft plastics to fish feeding in the inches-deep wash.GearMole-crab Carolina rigSmall circle hooksLight surf rod

  How to ID

  • Elongated, slightly rounded silvery-gray body, darker on the back
  • Single short fleshy barbel under the tip of the lower jaw
  • Faint wavy/diagonal markings, no strong vertical bars
  • Underslung (subterminal) mouth for bottom feeding
  • Long low first dorsal and small head

  Tell it apart: The single chin barbel under the lower jaw plus the elongated body separate California Corbina from the deeper-bodied, barbel-less Barred Surfperch.

  Easily confused with: Barred Surfperch

Nearshore

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  Yellowtail — Peaks April through September — yo-yo iron deep over hard structure, throw surface iron on boils, or fly-line a live bait when they are up.GearYo-yo iron jigsSurface iron jigsFluorocarbon leader

  How to ID

  • Iron-blue to green back, silver sides, solid yellow tail
  • Brassy-yellow horizontal stripe running along the side from eye to tail
  • Streamlined torpedo body with a deeply forked yellow tail
  • NO separate finlets between the dorsal/anal fins and the tail
  • Pointed snout; small, terminal mouth

  Tell it apart: Yellowtail (an amberjack, not a tuna) has a single solid yellow forked tail and a yellow side-stripe but NO finlets, unlike the tuna-like Bonito which has a row of small finlets.

  Easily confused with: Bonito

• 
  White Seabass — Best spring, April and May, on squid spawns — fly-line a bait or slow-yo a heavy iron near kelp at grey light and dusk.GearHeavy yo-yo ironLive-bait hooksGlow squid jigs

  How to ID

  • Elongated silvery body, bluish to dark gray back
  • Raised fleshy ridge running lengthwise down the belly midline
  • Several dark vertical bars on juveniles that fade with age
  • Dark blotch on the inner base of the pectoral fin
  • Large mouth, no chin barbel

  Tell it apart: A raised fleshy ridge along the belly midline plus the dark spot at the pectoral base positively ID a White Seabass (the largest local croaker, not a true bass).

• 
  Bonito — A warm-water visitor peaking May through August — burn small chrome jigs and feathers fast, or fly-line anchovies behind a chum line.GearChrome casting jigsFeather jig fliesLight wire leader

  How to ID

  • Steel-blue back marked with dark oblique stripes that slant up onto the BACK
  • Silvery sides and belly without stripes
  • Row of small separate finlets behind both the dorsal and anal fins
  • Slender torpedo body, deeply forked tail with keels at the base
  • Mouth with small but distinct conical teeth

  Tell it apart: Bonito's slanting dark stripes run along the BACK (not the belly) and it has finlets, separating it from the stripeless, finlet-less Yellowtail.

  Easily confused with: Yellowtail

• 
  Barracuda — Best May through August in warm water — cast and rip chrome spoons or tube jigs fast across the surface, adding a short wire bite tippet.GearChrome spoonsTube jig luresWire bite leader

  How to ID

  • Long, slender, pencil-shaped silvery body
  • Large jaw set with prominent canine, fang-like teeth
  • Lower jaw juts forward (underbite); pointed head
  • Two small dorsal fins set widely apart
  • Yellowish forked tail; faint dark spots/lines along the back

  Tell it apart: The elongated pencil body with a fanged jutting lower jaw and two far-spaced dorsal fins is unmistakable for a California (Pacific) Barracuda.

  Adapted from Darren Baker · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

• 
  Sheephead — Available year-round, best April through September — drop shrimp or whole crab on a dropper-loop rig tight to rocky reef and kelp roots.GearDropper-loop rigsLive-bait hooksRock-fishing rod

  How to ID

  • Males: black head and tail, broad red/pink midbody, white lower jaw (chin)
  • Females and juveniles: uniform dull pink to rosy-red
  • Large protruding dog-like canine teeth at the front of the jaws
  • Thick fleshy lips and a blunt forehead (fatty bump on big males)
  • Deep, robust body with a long-based dorsal fin

  Tell it apart: Protruding canine teeth plus the white chin and, in males, the black-red-black color blocks make California Sheephead unmistakable.

• 
  Rockfish / Sculpin — Best in the cool months, October through March — drop shrimp flies or squid-baited rigs straight down onto hard bottom and reef edges.GearShrimp fly rigsBait dropper rigsConventional bottom combo

  How to ID

  • Rockfish: stocky body, large head and eyes, strong spines on the dorsal and gill cover
  • Rockfish: color varies by species — red, orange, brown, olive, or banded
  • Sculpin (California Scorpionfish): mottled red-brown with fleshy skin flaps (cirri) on the head
  • Sculpin: VENOMOUS spines on the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins
  • Both: large fan-like pectoral fins and a bottom-hugging shape

  Tell it apart: Loose skin flaps on the head plus a mottled red camouflage pattern mean a venomous Sculpin (California Scorpionfish) — handle the spines with extreme care even when dead.

Offshore

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  Bluefin Tuna — Best May through September — match the bite with sinker-rig sardines, flat-fall jigs worked deep, or surface poppers on schools busting bait.GearFlat-fall jigsSinker-rig hooksHeavy stand-up combo

  How to ID

  • Football-shaped deep body, metallic dark-blue to black back
  • Very short pectoral fins (do not reach back to the second dorsal)
  • Finlets yellow with dark/gray edging
  • First dorsal yellowish-blue; second dorsal short and dark
  • Lateral keels plus small keels at the tail base

  Tell it apart: Bluefin's pectoral fins are distinctly SHORT (ending well before the second dorsal), versus the very long pectorals of Albacore and the longer, moderate pectorals of Yellowfin and Bigeye.

  Easily confused with: Yellowfin Tuna, Albacore, Bigeye Tuna

• 
  Yellowfin Tuna — A late-summer offshore target, July through August — fly-line sardines under kelp paddies, troll cedar plugs, or chunk-fish a stopped school.GearCedar plug trollingRinged live-bait hooksFluorocarbon leader

  How to ID

  • Dark metallic-blue back, golden-yellow lateral band, silver belly
  • Bright yellow finlets narrowly edged with black
  • Very long, sickle-shaped second dorsal and anal fins on adults
  • Moderately long pectoral fin (reaching about the start of the second dorsal)
  • Lower flanks/belly marked with broken pale vertical lines and spots

  Tell it apart: Adult Yellowfin grow very elongated bright-yellow second dorsal and anal fin sickles, which similarly sized Bluefin and Bigeye never develop.

  Easily confused with: Bluefin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Albacore

• 
  Albacore — A narrow late-summer run, July and August — troll feathers and clones at trolling speed, then stop and fly-line bait when the jigs go off.GearTuna feather jigsTrolling clone luresLive-bait hooks

  How to ID

  • Steel-blue back grading to dusky silver sides
  • Extremely long pectoral fins reaching past the anal fin origin
  • White trailing edge on the tail (caudal) fin
  • Rounded football body with a relatively small second dorsal
  • Finlets dusky/dark, not bright yellow

  Tell it apart: Albacore's pectoral fins are exceptionally long (reaching past the second dorsal and anal fins) and the tail has a clean white trailing margin — both unique among the local tunas.

  Easily confused with: Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna

• 
  Dorado (Mahi) — A warm-water summer visitor, June through August — pitch fly-lined baits and small swimbaits to fish holding under kelp paddies and floating debris.GearCasting swimbaitsLive-bait hooksFluorocarbon leader

  How to ID

  • Brilliant green-gold-blue body that flashes vividly when fresh
  • Scattered blue and gold spots/speckling on the sides
  • Single long dorsal fin running from just behind the head nearly to the tail
  • Males (bulls): tall blunt vertical forehead; females: rounded forehead
  • Deeply forked tail; slender, laterally compressed body

  Tell it apart: A single long dorsal fin running from the head almost to the tail plus electric green-gold-blue color makes Dorado unmistakable; bull males also show a steep blunt forehead.

• 
  Bigeye Tuna — A rare late-summer prize, August and September — troll deep diving plugs and skirted lures down the canyons, often working low light early and late.GearDeep trolling luresHeavy trolling leaderHeavy trolling combo

  How to ID

  • Robust, deep body with a conspicuously large eye
  • Dark metallic-blue back, whitish belly
  • Yellow finlets edged with black
  • Long pectoral fin (longer than adult Yellowfin's, but shorter than Albacore's)
  • Second dorsal and anal fins stay short — never form long sickles

  Tell it apart: Bigeye has a notably larger eye and keeps short (non-sickle) second dorsal/anal fins, separating it from same-size Yellowfin, which grow long yellow sickles.

  Easily confused with: Yellowfin Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Albacore

• 
  Swordfish — A deep-drop fishery best June through August — drop a weighted squid bait to 1200-1800 feet by day, or work surface baits on warm summer nights.GearDeep-drop swordfish rigStrobe + glow lightsElectric deep-drop combo

  How to ID

  • Long, flat, broad sword-like bill (flattened, not round in cross-section)
  • Very large eye; NO pelvic fins
  • Single tall, rigid first dorsal fin that does not fold into a groove
  • Smooth scaleless body in adults; adults have no teeth
  • Dark purplish-bronze back fading to dull silver-white below

  Tell it apart: The broad flattened bill plus the complete absence of pelvic fins separate Swordfish from any marlin (marlins have a rounded spear-like bill and retain pelvic fins).