Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, seagrass, at depths of 0–61 m.
Scientific name: Paralabrax clathratus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 72 cm
Weight: up to 7 kg
The kelp bass is the largest member of the genus Paralabrax, a serranid with an elongate, compressed body, a large downturned mouth and, in adults, a brown to olive-green back mottled with pale yellow spots and black, white and olive blotches on the flanks — the pied belly pattern is why Californians call it the calico bass, and the fin tips are yellow, with males showing an orange chin in the spawn. It ranges from central California to the southern tip of Baja California, is now rare north of Point Conception, and lives in kelp forests, rocky reefs and estuaries from the surface down to 61 m, most often between about 3 and 21 m. Spawning runs from late spring to early autumn with a summer peak, when fish gather in aggregations of up to 200, and because of that it is fished almost entirely in June, July and August — virtually none are caught from October through April. Southern California anglers drift live sardine, squid or anchovy along the kelp edge from boats, or fish soft plastics, jigs and jerkbaits from breakwalls, piers and rocky shorelines; the explosive boil at the kelp line is the region's signature bite, and a hooked fish has to be pulled out of the weeds immediately.
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