Calico Bass

The West Coast's resident light-tackle king. Calicos live in the kelp their whole lives, hit like fish twice their size, and reward the angler who can put a swimbait a foot off the stringers without hanging up.

Paralabrax clathratus · Also known as: Kelp bass, calicos, bull bass (5 lb+). Ideal water temp 62–70°F.

Habitat & structure

Kelp forests, boiler rocks and breakwater walls — anywhere hard structure meets moving water. Big fish hold on the up-current corners of the kelp and the wash around boiler rocks. Harbor walls like the LA breakwater grow genuine trophies in flat-calm water.

Where they’re biting

LA & Long Beach Harbors — Trophy fish on The Wall — weedless swimbaits tight to the rocks on calm days.
Oceanside & Carlsbad — Outer kelp stringers off Carlsbad, up-current corners first.
Newport & Dana Point — Boiler rocks south of the harbor and the headland kelp.
Santa Monica Bay — Malibu and Palos Verdes kelp on clear-water mornings.
Santa Barbara & Ventura — Island kelp at Anacapa and Santa Cruz in summer.

Season by season

Season	Best bait	Best lures	Notes
Spring	Live squid when the nests form	Weedless swimbaits, hard jerkbaits off the kelp edge	Fish wake up with the water. Squid in the count means calicos in the game.
Summer	Live anchovies and sardines fly-lined at the kelp	4–6" weedless swimbaits in the stringers, surface iron over bait	Peak season. Big fish shallow in the kelp and on the boilers — this is the window for a legitimate bull calico.
Fall	Sardines on the kelp line	Swimbaits and jerkbaits as the bait schools push through	Steady fishing until the water drops through the low 60s.
Winter	Live squid fished slow and deep	Heavier swimbaits crawled along deep structure	Fish slide deeper on the same structure. Slow down and go to the 20–40 ft zone.

Preferred water temperature

Active from 58°F to 74°F — sweet spot 62–70°F. Watch the live water temp on our location pages.

Weather, light & cloud cover

A gray-light and edge-of-day fish. Overcast mornings keep calicos loose and hunting off the kelp; bright midday sun pins them deep in the stringers where only a weedless bait reaches them. A little current beats any light condition — slack water is the real bite killer.

Proven for calico bass

3.5" Paddle Tail Swimbait — Soft plastic · spring / summer / fall. Match jighead to depth: 1/8 oz over flats, 3/8 oz on channel edges. Slow and steady beats fancy.
4–6" Weedless Swimbait (Kelp Rig) — Soft plastic · spring / summer / fall. THE calico bait. Rig it weedless, cast into the stringers — not next to them — and swim it out. Hang-ups are the cost of doing business.
Surface Iron (Tady 45-style) — Hard bait · summer / fall. The gray-light religion. Long cast past the kelp line or the birds, then a slow, steady grind — the iron kicks best just under the surface. Don't stop when one boils on it.
Suspending Jerkbait 110 (Lucky Craft-style) — Hard bait · spring / summer / fall. Twitch-twitch-pause along the outside kelp edge and boiler rocks. Calicos crush it on the pause; burn it straight if bonito are around.
Live Squid, Fly-Lined or Dropper Loop — Live bait · spring / summer. When the squid nests form, everything eats. Fly-line it shallow for seabass in gray light; dropper-loop it on the bottom over structure for everything else.
Fly-Lined Sardine — Live bait · summer / fall. No weight, light fluoro, free spool. Let the bait swim away from the boat toward the kelp — when the line speeds up, wind tight and lean back.

What should you throw today?

Get a live lure pick from the smart lure tool, browse the full lure & bait database, or go back to all species guides.