An open-water predator in the big I-5 reservoirs. They eat trout-sized meals and show as boils or meter marks, not as dock fish.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Open water and dam-area bait balls in the big reservoirs — Castaic (upper lake) and Pyramid especially.
Inland striped bass: generally two fish, 18 inches — except the Southern District (which includes Los Angeles County) is 10 fish and no size limit (T14 CCR §5.75(d)). That is the rule that applies at Castaic and Pyramid. Troll swimbaits and spoons that look like trout or shad. Ocean striped bass are a different section.
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are silvery with seven or eight dark horizontal stripes along the sides. Their large size and stripes separate them from other LA lake fish.
In LA County, striped bass live in the large State Water Project reservoirs, Castaic Lake and Pyramid Lake. Stripers roam open water following schools of threadfin shad, often moving between depths.
Open year-round. Striper fishing often peaks when they chase shad near the surface; other times they hold deep.
OEHHA's Castaic Lake advisory lists striped bass at 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children and 4 for women 50+ and men. At Pyramid Lake, OEHHA advises women 18–49 and children not to eat striped bass, and others to eat no more than 1 serving a week.
In the Southern District, which includes LA County, the limit is 10 striped bass per day with no minimum size.
Lake Elsinore is carved out of the Southern District exception — not an LA water. Ocean striper rules differ.
T14 CCR §5.75 striped bass (Southern District exception) →
Independent-site disclaimer: this summary is for orientation only and can change in-season. Confirm with CDFW before you keep a fish. Fish in LA is not affiliated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
10 fish per day in the Southern District, with no minimum size.
Castaic Lake and Pyramid Lake.
OEHHA advises women 18–49 and children not to eat them; others should limit to 1 serving a week.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.
