The small silver croaker that saves a slow pier day. Also the species you should think twice about frying if it came from inside the Harbor.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Mud and sand around piers and harbors — Santa Monica, Redondo, San Pedro, and Long Beach in particular.
General 20/10 bag, no size minimum. They eat almost any small bait on a high-low around LA piers. Palos Verdes Shelf / LA-Long Beach Harbor have a DDT and PCB history. Check current OEHHA advisories before you eat white croaker from this coast.
White croaker (Genyonemus lineatus), long called kingfish or tomcod on LA piers, are small silvery-brown croakers with a small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin and a few tiny barbels under the chin. Queenfish lack the chin barbels and have a larger, more upturned mouth; yellowfin croaker have yellow fins and a single barbel.
White croaker are bottom feeders over sand and mud. They are among the most common catches on LA piers, especially in harbor areas such as San Pedro, Long Beach and the Cabrillo Beach Fishing Pier, and around Santa Monica Bay piers. Schools can be thick at night.
Open year-round, and present in most months. Their abundance on a given pier varies with water temperature and bait.
This is the key thing to know about white croaker in Los Angeles. OEHHA's advisory for Santa Monica Beach south of the Santa Monica Pier to Seal Beach Pier says no one should eat white croaker from that area, which includes the South Bay piers and the LA and Long Beach harbors. Along the coast from Ventura Harbor to the Santa Monica Pier, OEHHA advises 1 serving a week for women 18–49 and children and 2 servings a week for women 50+ and men. Treat white croaker caught south of the Santa Monica Pier as catch-and-release.
No species-specific size or bag limit; white croaker fall under the general ocean bag of 20 finfish, no more than 10 of one species. Pier anglers are limited to two rods or lines.
Check OEHHA consumption advisories for white croaker in the LA/Long Beach Harbor area before eating fish.
CDFW finfish and shellfish health advisories →
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.
OEHHA advises no one to eat white croaker caught from Santa Monica Beach south of the pier to Seal Beach Pier. North of the pier the advice is 1–2 servings a week depending on age and sex.
Usually a white croaker. Check for chin barbels and a dark spot at the pectoral base.
The general ocean limit applies: 20 finfish total with no more than 10 of one species.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules, stocking and access change; confirm with the agency linked above before you go.
