California Sportfish Species
Explore 82 fish species tracked across California waters. Get current catch data, seasonal information, and fishing insights for every species.
Albacore Tuna
Thunnus alalunga
The long-run summer tuna. Cedar plugs on the troll, chrome jigs on the meter, and the best canned tuna you'll ever eat.
Black Cod (Sablefish)
Anoplopoma fimbria
The deepwater delicacy. Black cod — officially sablefish — is one of the most prized fish in the Pacific, and a rare but achievable target for California's deep-drop anglers.
Black Croaker
Cheilotrema saturnum
A nocturnal reef-dwelling croaker of SoCal. Black croaker hold in caves and crevices on exposed rocky structure — less abundant than white croaker but more interesting to catch.
Black Rockfish
Sebastes melanops
Dark, aggressive, and thick in NorCal waters. Black Rockfish school mid-water and hit jigs hard — one of the best light-tackle rockfish species on the Pacific Coast.
Blacksmith Perch (Black Perch)
Embiotoca jacksoni
Black perch — an Embiotocidae surfperch common in SoCal kelp and rocky reef. Abundant, aggressive on small baits, and a solid light-tackle target from piers and structure.
Blue Perch (Striped Seaperch)
Embiotoca lateralis
Striped seaperch — a colorful surfperch family member found from Alaska to Baja on rocky shores and kelp edges. Shore-fishable year-round on light gear.
Blue Rockfish
Sebastes mystinus
The most abundant shallow-water rockfish on the California coast. Blues school everywhere from the kelp canopy to 300 ft and eat almost anything — perfect beginner rockfish.
Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus orientalis
The heavyweight SoCal offshore fish. Powerful, fast, and within reach year-round — from deep Baja water up to the 9-Mile Bank.
Bocaccio
Sebastes paucispinis
California's big-mouthed rockfish. Mid-depth schools on offshore banks, fast bites on cut squid and jigs, and one of the best eating fish in the Sebastes family.
Broadbill Swordfish
Xiphias gladius
Deep-water apex predator found off Southern California — increasingly caught by day using buoy gear jigging, not just night squid drifts.
Brown Rock Crab
Romaleon antennarium
The mid-size California crab. Former Cancer antennarius, now Romaleon antennarium. Year-round legal, 35/day combined Cancer limit, 4-inch carapace minimum — the warm-water cousin to Dungeness.
Brown Rockfish
Sebastes auriculatus
A shallow-water rockfish of California kelp edges and rocky nearshore structure. Browns stay shallow — often inside 100 ft — and hit light tackle readily.
Brown Smoothhound Shark
Mustelus henlei
A small, common California bay shark — close cousin of the gray smoothhound. Routine bycatch while targeting leopard shark, halibut, or bay bass.
Cabezon
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
California's largest sculpin — a powerful ambush predator of rocky reefs that fights like it's twice its size and cooks up into outstanding white fillets. Watch out for the roe: it's toxic.
Calico Bass
Paralabrax clathratus
SoCal's year-round kelp ambusher. Aggressive, acrobatic, and always in season.
California Barracuda
Sphyraena argentea
The silver torpedo of SoCal kelp. Fast strikes, light tackle, and a 28-inch minimum that separates legal keepers from the 'pencils.'
California Halibut
Paralichthys californicus
SoCal's premier flatfish. Ambush predator on the sand, prized white flesh, and a catch you'll clean yourself.
California Sheephead
Semicossyphus pulcher
The colorful reef wrasse of SoCal. Sheephead are hard-fighting, surprisingly smart, and carry some of the most interesting biology of any California gamefish.
California Spiny Lobster
Panulirus interruptus
The SoCal night-dive bug. No claws, all antennae, 3¼-inch minimum carapace length — hoop net from a boat, hand capture on dive, and a season that opens the last Friday of September and slams shut mid-March.
California Two-Spot Octopus
Octopus bimaculatus
The SoCal reef's eight-armed problem solver. Octopus bimaculatus lives in rocky dens from intertidal to 50 m. Regulated under § 29.05 default: 35/day, no minimum size, year-round, no take in MPAs.
Canary Rockfish
Sebastes pinniger
Bright orange-yellow rockfish of deeper California reefs. Canary rockfish were no-retention for years — they reopened in 2026 with a 2-fish sub-limit. Slow-growing, long-lived, worth handling carefully.
Chilipepper Rockfish
Sebastes goodei
The sleek, fast-school rockfish of California's mid-depth banks. Chilipepper school tight, hit aggressively, and are excellent on the table — the party-boat workhorse you don't always see on the trip description.
Common Thresher Shark
Alopias vulpinus
The shark with the tail as long as its body. Warm-blooded, acrobatic, and one of the most commonly targeted offshore sharks in SoCal.
Copper Rockfish
Sebastes caurinus
A coppery-hued nearshore rockfish with a strict 1-fish-per-day sub-limit in 2026. Strong fighter on structure from 30 to 180 ft, found coast-wide from Alaska to Baja.
Dorado (Mahi-Mahi)
Coryphaena hippurus
SoCal's warm-water visitor. Neon-gold, acrobatic, and always found under a kelp paddy.
Dungeness Crab
Metacarcinus magister
California's winter crustacean. Hoop nets in November, crab pots off harbor walls, sweet meat, 5¾-inch minimum — and a season that lives and dies by domoic acid testing and whale entanglement risk.
Fantail Sole
Xystreurys liolepis
A warm-water flatfish of SoCal sandy bottoms — mostly bycatch, but excellent eating and a good bonus fish on sandy-bottom trips.
Finescale Triggerfish
Balistes polylepis
Unique fish with extendable snout
Giant Sea Bass
Stereolepis gigas
A no-take protected species. Giant sea bass are the largest kelp-forest predator in California — illegal to retain, and worth encountering.
Gopher Rockfish
Sebastes carnatus
A small, territorial rockfish of shallow California reefs. Gopher rockfish hold tight to rocky crevices from the kelp zone down to about 55 m — perfect light-tackle quarry.
Gray Smoothhound Shark
Mustelus californicus
A small, common California bay shark. Often caught as bycatch while fishing for leopard shark or halibut — light-tackle fun on the drop.
Greenspotted Rockfish
Sebastes chlorostictus
A mid-depth bycatch rockfish on California groundfish trips. Greenspotted rockfish work soft and rocky bottom at 50–200 m — common incidental catch on longer offshore runs.
Greenstriped Rockfish
Sebastes elongatus
A slim, deeper-water rockfish with distinctive vertical green-brown striping. Greenstriped rockfish work the 90–366 m zone and show up as incidental catch on offshore groundfish trips.
Halfmoon
Medialuna californiensis
A striking kelp-forest grazer instantly recognizable by its dark upper body and bright silver lower half. Halfmoon are shore-accessible light-tackle targets that eat moss, mussel, and peas — not live bait.
Humboldt Squid
Dosidicus gigas
Large, aggressive squid - warm-water events only
Jack Mackerel
Trachurus symmetricus
The offshore schooling jack. Jack mackerel are a key forage species in California's current ecosystem — excellent live bait and surprisingly good smoked.
Kelp Greenling
Hexagrammos decagrammus
Colorful shallow-reef fish of California's kelp forest. Males are spotted blue-grey, females are golden-brown — both are good on light tackle and better eating than their small size suggests.
Kelp Rockfish
Sebastes atrovirens
The canopy dweller of California's kelp forests. Kelp rockfish are small, shallow, and accessible — one of the best light-tackle rockfish species for kayaks and small private boats.
Leopard Shark
Triakis semifasciata
California's most recognizable nearshore shark. Spotted, harmless to humans, common in bays and nearshore waters — and a solid light-tackle target.
Lingcod
Ophiodon elongatus
The toothy reef predator. Big swimbaits, live sand dabs, and blue-green fillets that turn white in the pan.
Ocean Whitefish
Caulolatilus princeps
The reliable half-day staple. Ocean whitefish are the consistent bite on SoCal charter boats — a tilefish that eats cut squid aggressively and tastes excellent.
Opah (Moonfish)
Lampris guttatus
A large, disc-shaped deep-water fish with silver-spotted skin and red fins — caught incidentally on offshore tuna and swordfish trips, rarely targeted.
Opaleye
Girella nigricans
The biggest and strongest kelp grazer in SoCal. Opaleye are identifiable by their opalescent blue-green eyes and olive-green body — and they fight much harder than you'd expect from a plant-eating fish.
Pacific Angel Shark
Squatina californica
The flattened ambush shark that looks more like a ray than a shark. Common on sandy nearshore bottoms and almost always encountered as bycatch.
Pacific Bonito
Sarda chiliensis
The hyperactive schooling torpedo. Light tackle action, year-round availability, and dark meat that's fantastic for sashimi when bled fast.
Pacific Hake (Whiting)
Merluccius productus
The abundant mid-water schooler. Pacific hake are the most commercially fished species on the West Coast by volume — and a legitimate catch-and-eat species if you ice them immediately.
Pacific Halibut
Hippoglossus stenolepis
The giant of North Pacific flatfish — a different animal from California halibut. Rare in CA, but when they show up offshore, they fight like nothing else.
Pacific Mackerel
Scomber japonicus
The abundant nearshore baitfish that doubles as good eating. Pacific mackerel school by the thousands along California's coast and will hit almost anything small and shiny.
Pacific Ocean Perch
Sebastes alutus
A deep-slope rockfish rebuilt from near-collapse. Pacific ocean perch live at 150–460 m (500–1,500 ft) — most recreational anglers will never target them directly, but they appear in mixed deepwater groundfish bags.
Pacific Sanddab
Citharichthys sordidus
California's favorite little flatfish. No bag limit, non-stop action on the right grounds, and sweet pan-ready eating that converts skeptics every time.
Pacific Tomcod
Microgadus proximus
The small cod of NorCal bays and estuaries. Pacific tomcod are an accessible, willing bottom feeder — and an excellent training fish for anglers learning the basics.
Petrale Sole
Eopsetta jordani
The premium Pacific sole. Deep-water bycatch that restaurants pay top dollar for — and a smart target if you know the right grounds.
Popeye Catalufa (Bigeye)
Pristigenys serrula
Small deep-dwelling fish with distinctive large eyes
Red Rock Crab
Cancer productus
The feisty intertidal crab with black-tipped pincers. Red rock crabs are small, aggressive, and year-round legal under § 29.85 — 35/day combined with other Cancer species, 4-inch minimum carapace width.
Rock Sole
Lepidopsetta bilineata
A cold-water NorCal flatfish found on gravel and mixed bottom — more common in the Pacific Northwest but present in California. Clean-eating bycatch on groundfish trips.
Rockfish
Sebastes spp.
The workhorse of California bottom fishing. 60+ species, 10-fish limit, and the reason half-day boats sell out on weekends.
Rubberlip Seaperch
Rhacochilus toxotes
The largest common surfperch on the California coast. Rubberlip seaperch reach 18+ inches, fight well on medium-light gear, and are the best-eating perch you can pull from a rocky reef.
Salmon (King/Chinook)
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
California's prized anadromous fish — when the season is open and stocks allow, ocean Chinook trolling off the Bay Area and NorCal coast is world-class.
Sand Bass (Barred Sand Bass)
Paralabrax nebulifer
The sandy-bottom specialist of SoCal. Aggressive, consistent, and the reason bay boats exist.
Sand Sole
Psettichthys melanostictus
A cold-water flatfish of sandy and muddy California bottom — bycatch on groundfish trips, good light-tackle fun, and a quality eating fish.
Sargo
Anisotremus davidsonii
A grunt (family Haemulidae), not a croaker. Sargo are silver-bodied reef fish with one dark vertical bar, found in SoCal rocky reefs and kelp — cautious biters that fight well and eat well.
Sculpin (California Scorpionfish)
Scorpaena guttata
The venomous bottom dweller of California's rocky reefs. Sculpin sit motionless on structure, slam cut squid with authority, and produce excellent light-tackle action — but those dorsal spines are serious. Handle carefully.
Sevengill Shark
Notorynchus cepedianus
A big, primitive shark with seven gill slits instead of five. Common in NorCal bays and deep nearshore water — a specialized target for dedicated shark anglers.
Shortfin Mako Shark
Isurus oxyrinchus
The fastest shark in the ocean. Aggressive offshore predator that leaps on the hook, runs hard, and is legitimately good eating.
Skipjack Tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis
The light-tackle pelagic that shows up with the warm water and eats almost anything moving.
Soupfin Shark
Galeorhinus galeus
A medium-sized nearshore shark that was commercially collapsed in the 1940s and hasn't fully recovered. Listed as Critically Endangered globally by IUCN; a 2026 U.S. ESA proposed rule does not cover the California population.
Spider Crab (Sheep Crab)
Loxorhynchus grandis
The long-legged SoCal decorator crab. Not a Cancer species — regulated under § 29.05's default 35-invertebrate bag, no minimum size, year-round. Sweet, long legs, full of meat.
Spotted Ratfish
Hydrolagus colliei
The chimaera with the venomous dorsal spine. Spotted ratfish are ancient, cartilaginous, and strange — a glimpse at fish evolution from 300 million years ago.
Spotted Sand Bass
Paralabrax maculatofasciatus
SoCal's warm-water inshore bass. Spotted sand bass thrive in bays, harbors, and eelgrass beds — quick to bite, easy to find, and genuinely good on the plate.
Starry Flounder
Platichthys stellatus
The bay flatfish that goes where most marine fish won't — up tidal rivers and into brackish water. Accessible, good-eating, and a legitimate NorCal bay target.
Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
California's most storied anadromous gamefish. Stripers run the Delta and bay system year-round, with peak spring runs drawing thousands of anglers.
Striped Marlin
Kajikia audax
The most accessible billfish in SoCal water — a warm-water summer fish that jumps, tailwalks, and goes back in the water alive.
Treefish
Sebastes serriceps
The most visually striking rockfish on the California coast. Yellow and black stripes, shallow kelp reef habitat, and an attitude that punches above its weight.
Vermilion Rockfish (Reds)
Sebastes miniatus
The iconic bright-red reef fish. Deep water, shrimp flies, and the premier table-fare of the rockfish family.
White Croaker (Tomcod)
Genyonemus lineatus
One of the most abundant nearshore fish in California. White croaker are pier-accessible, easy to catch — and subject to a DO NOT EAT advisory for fish taken from the Palos Verdes Shelf and adjacent waters due to DDT and PCB contamination.
White Seabass
Atractoscion nobilis
The ghost of the kelp beds. Finicky, patient-rewarding, and the best-eating fish in California.
White Sturgeon
Acipenser transmontanus
California's prehistoric giant — catch-and-release only. White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America and a species we're racing to save.
Wolf Eel
Anarrhichthys ocellatus
The nightmare face, the gentle temperament, the excellent meal. Wolf eels are rocky-reef bycatch with powerful jaws, timid behavior, and surprisingly fine-grained white meat.
Yellowfin Croaker
Umbrina roncador
A hard-fighting surf croaker with golden-yellow fins and a solid reputation in the SoCal surf zone. One of the few legitimate surf-fishing targets from the beach.
Yellowfin Tuna
Thunnus albacares
The warm-water summer visitor. Flat-falls and Daiwa SK jigs on the meter, live sardines in a blitz, sashimi by dinner.
Yellowtail
Seriola lalandi
SoCal's year-round gamefish. Iron at the Coronados, live bait on the kelp — yellowtail do both.
Yellowtail Rockfish
Sebastes flavidus
A mid-water schooling rockfish with a distinctive yellow tail fin. Yellowtail rockfish chase baitfish actively and respond well to jigs — common catch on NorCal and Central Coast trips.