White Seabass — *Atractoscion nobilis*

Published · Researched 2026-09-20

White Seabass — Atractoscion nobilis

Where in SoCal

catalina, san-clemente-island, La Jolla kelp beds, Point Loma kelp, Coronado Islands; also the surf off sandy beaches (huntington-beach, newport-beach) at night in spring. Party boats (Pursuit out of 22nd Street San Pedro, etc.) run Catalina seabass trips.

Best season / months in SoCal

• Peak: March–June (the "1-fish" window south of Pt Conception is the classic spring bite)
• Good: July–August; limited fall reports (Dana Wharf ran "Fall White Seabass" content Sep 2025)
• Slow/off: October–February
• 2026 social evidence: Apr 28 (Pursuit, 22nd Street Landing) — "White Seabass on Deck" at Catalina; fishing.digital May 2026 report — white seabass among May's primary targets on live squid; Facebook May 2025 post planning a WSB/YT night trip at Catalina. BDOutdoors forum consensus: best Apr–Jun, fish the moon phases in May–June, fish close on the kelp with live squid and wait.

Best bait / lures

• Live squid — the trigger bait in spring (community consensus: stick with squid Apr–Jun)
• Live mackerel/croaker; slow-trolled or flylined at dawn
• Surface iron (Tady 45) and yo-yo jigs on deeper fish

Social consensus (platform + group context)

• BDOutdoors forum (thread "When to look for White Sea Bass?"): community consensus — spring at Catalina is best; best bookings a few days before the full/new moon in May; live squid fished tight on the kelp; Dreamer boat out of the islands is the name everyone recommends.
• Facebook (May 29, 2025): Jeremiah Bradtke plans WSB/YT nights at Catalina — commenters supportive; shows the island-overnight seabass culture.
• 976-tuna.com (Apr 28, 2026): Pursuit (22nd Street) lunchtime check-in — live white seabass on deck at Catalina.
• fishing.digital (May 2026 San Diego report): white seabass on La Jolla kelp on squid bait in spring, big fish 60+ lb possible.

Social validation tier

Tier B (Moderate) — solid technique/season consensus from forum and report sources; few 2026 Facebook group trip reports, reflecting the species' elusive reputation ("ghost fish").

Size / bag limits (California, 2026)

• VERIFIED (CDFW Southern Region page): open year-round; 3 fish daily bag and possession, except only 1 fish in waters south of Pt Conception from March 15 to June 15. Minimum 28-inch total length or 20-inch alternate length.

Images (6, all verified JPEG, md5-unique)

All in ../images/species/white-seabass/. View: catch/angler photos unless noted.

1. 01.jpg — Seabass fish report photo — fishreports.com
2. 02.jpg — White seabass photo — Saltwater Sportsman "Top 10 White Seabass Records"
3. 03.jpg — Fall White Seabass Fishing in SoCal — Dana Wharf, Sep 2025
4. 04.jpg — Fish report "White Seabass!" — fishreports.com
5. 05.jpg — White seabass photo — sportfishingmag.com
6. 06.jpg — Pacific Islander white seabass — Channel Islands Sportfishing, 2021

UNVERIFIED / unknowns

• No late-summer 2026 group catch reports collected; fall availability thin-sourced.
• Trophy-size claims (60+ lb) from a single 2026 report, not multi-source.