The most reliable beginner surf fish in the county — bars on the side, copper-pink flash, and a willingness to eat a sand crab in two feet of water.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Sandy surf troughs on an incoming tide from Malibu through Long Beach.
Surfperch family bag is 20 in combination, no more than 10 of any one species; shiner perch are a separate 20. No minimum on barred surfperch. CDFW SoCal beach guide lists September–May as the barred-surfperch peak. A high-low with sand crab in the first trough at Venice, Dockweiler, or Manhattan is the textbook session.
Barred surfperch (Amphistichus argenteus) are deep-bodied, oval perch with olive-brown vertical bars and spots along silvery sides. Like all surfperch they give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Other local perch, such as walleye and pile perch, lack the bars.
Barred surfperch are the classic sandy-beach perch. They feed in the troughs and holes just past the breaking waves along LA's beaches, from Zuma and Malibu to Dockweiler and the South Bay. Rip currents and sand bars that create deeper water close to shore concentrate fish.
Barred surfperch are present year-round. CDFW's beach-fishing guide lists September through May as the peak in Southern California; winter swells and the spring pupping period both produce.
Surfperch are mild and good pan-fried. OEHHA's LA coastal advisories list surfperch at up to 2 servings a week for all groups, both north and south of the Santa Monica Pier.
Surfperch (excluding shiner perch) have a combined bag of 20, with no more than 10 of any one species. There is no minimum size for barred surfperch; the 10½-inch rule applies to redtail surfperch. Shiner perch have their own separate 20-fish bag. A license is required on the beach.
Redtail surfperch 10.5-inch minimum is a northern rule, not an LA regular.
CDFW Southern ocean regs — surfperch →
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.
Live sand crabs, mussels, ghost shrimp and small soft plastic grubs.
They are caught all year, with CDFW listing September through May as the peak months in Southern California.
20 surfperch in combination, no more than 10 of one species. Shiner perch have a separate 20-fish bag.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.
