Species guide

Sand Bass

Paralabrax nebulifer

Summer flat-bottom brawlers just off the beach

Barred sand bass stack up on sand and low-relief structure through the warm months, sometimes in enormous spawning aggregations. They pull hard, bite readily on bait and plastics, and are the backbone of a great half-day trip close to home.

Season: May through September, peaking in July
Best bite: Morning grey light and the last hour of light, best on a moving tide
Typical size: 1–4 lb, with occasional 6 lb-plus models
Where we fish: Sand flats, hard-sand edges and pipeline structure in 40–120 feet

How we catch them

Dropper loop with live sardine or anchovy
Swimbaits and leadheads worked slow along the bottom
Fly-lined bait when the fish come up in the water column

Tackle we use

15–25 lb outfit
1–4 oz leadheads
Circle hooks 1/0–3/0 for bait

Baits & lures

Live sardine
Live anchovy
Squid strips
5-inch plastic swimbaits

Captain's tips

Keep the bait pinned near the bottom — sand bass rarely chase far up.
Slow-roll swimbaits; a dead-slow retrieve out-fishes a fast one.
Release the big spawners; they are the future of the fishery.

Table quality

Very good — mild, white, flaky fillets.

Regulations

14-inch minimum size, five-fish combined bass limit in California.

Ready to target Sand Bass?

Private charters aboard the Kate Elizabeth out of Seaforth Marina, Mission Bay.

(619) 431-3070