Barred Sand Bass
(Paralabrax Nebulifer)
Ranging from Pt. Conception Ca. all the way to Magdalena Bay, Mexico, the “Sand Bass” may just be the most important game fish swimming in our California waters. Day in and day out this great tasting member of the bass family will always be found somewhere in the local fish counts. They grow to a maximum size of roughly 14 pounds, although most of the sport caught fish are generally in the 2-4 pound range. The larger specimens are known as “Grumps” by many anglers here in California. They typically inhabit Sandy bottom areas and offshore structure in waters under 100’ deep. In the summer months the Sandbass gather in very large numbers in a few specific areas of shallow sand flats to mate and spawn.
Areas such as Ventura, Santa Monica Bay, Huntington Flats, San Onofre and Imperial Beach are famous for the sometimes wide open action during the Sandbass spawn.
We however are discussing inshore and onshore fishing in this book, so let’s get you informed. Regardless of the time of year the fact of the matter is that our inshore waters which include our harbors and bays, have warmer water temperatures than the open ocean. This is because they are much shallower and are affected less by winds or cooling water currents. So a large population of Sandbass just remain here in our local waters rather than migrating to other areas in search of food or comfortable water temps.
Although Sandbass are not as frequently caught as their cousins the Spotted Bay Bass, they are still an integral part of our inshore fishing options. I very much enjoy hooking into a nice fat Sandbass; they are great fighters and respond well to a variety of baits. Over the years I have found that the waters of San Diego bay and Marina Del Rey have been the best for me when looking for Sandbass. In fact, my personal best of 6 ½ pounds was caught in 2010 fishing from shore in the Marina Del Rey area. Not to say that you will not catch Sandbass anywhere else mind you, because they can be caught in anyone of our Southern California bays and harbors.
Sandbass are not as structure dependent as the Spotted Bay bass is. They are frequently found in open water where no visible structure can be found. I generally fish deeper channels, and hard bottom areas of the bays I am fishing. I also catch many by just drifting across large expanses of water.
(Sandbass searching for food along a flat sandy bottom)
Sandbass respond to pretty much the same baits as the spotted bay bass, but I find you can’t beat a large 5” swimbait rigged with a ¾ oz. to 1 oz. leadhead, and if you utilize a small strip of fresh squid then the odds are even more in your favor. If you prefer to use live bait you simply cannot go wrong using anchovies or live squid when available.
Tackle again is relatively the same as with spotted bass, except when fishing the deeper water areas located in San Diego bay. It is there where you have the best chance of hooking larger Sand bass than any other bay in California. Typically ,there you would want to use casting rods in the 7’ range that are capable of handling 20# test or even braided lines. Lures of 1-3 oz. are not uncommon when seeking out big Sandbass.
(9.5 Lbs. Sandbass (already cleaned )
caught on 4# line)
Sand bass provide a great alternate target when the spottys are not cooperating. That fact becomes perfectly clear in the colder winter months. As it gets harder to catch Spottys, it seems to get easier for sandbass. They are capable of tolerating cooder temperatures and still feed well.
By: Aldo Gonzalez