Calico Bass
The green-and-gold ambush king of the kelp forest — SoCal’s home-team fish that lives here all year.
- Type
- Calico (kelp) bass
- Scientific name
- Paralabrax clathratus
- Typical size
- 1–4 lb (grade fish 5–7 lb+)
- Lives in
- Kelp forests & boiler rocks
- Stays put
- Year-round resident
- Best months
- Late spring – fall
Paralabrax clathratus
Meet the calico
The calico — kelp bass — is the fish SoCal grew up on. You don’t need a long run offshore; calicos live right along the coast and around the islands, all year. They’re a green-and-gold ambush predator that hides in the kelp and pounces, then tries to wrap you in the stalks.
Where they hang out
Right in the kelp forest and the boiler rocks — the thicker and gnarlier the structure, the better. Calicos are homebodies, not migrators, so a good reef holds fish reliably. That said, they bite best when the water’s warm and slow down when it gets cold.
How big they get
Most calicos are 1–4 pounds of scrappy fun. A “grade” fish over 5 pounds is a real one, and a genuine bragging-size calico over 7–8 pounds is old and wise — which is why so many anglers let the big ones go to keep the fishery strong.
How to get bit
Throw a swimbait or plastic right at the kelp and swim it back, or soak a live sardine on the edge of the structure. When one bites, lean on it hard and pull it away from the kelp fast — give a big calico any slack and it’s gone into the salad.
Calico bass grow slowly and can live 30+ years, so that trophy is decades old. Check current CDFW size and bag limits — many anglers release the big breeders on purpose.
Is it a calico bass day?
Load Calico Bass into the live Bite Score and see where the water’s worth the run right now.