CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing · 2026 regulation year
Saltwater bass regulations · 2026
Plain-English summary of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife sport fishing regulations, current for the 2026 regulation year. This page is paraphrased from the official CDFW source. Always verify against cdfw.ca.gov before keeping anything: regulations change.
The numbers
Minimum size
14 inches total length
Daily bag
5 per day combined
Combined across
Calico + sand + spotted
Season
Open year-round
The details
Size limit
Sport minimum is 14 inches total length, and it applies to all three species in the saltwater bass group: kelp (calico) bass, barred sand bass, and spotted bay bass.
Daily bag limit
5 per day combined across the three species. Five calicos, or three calicos and two sand bass, or any other mix: the group shares one bag. The bag is per angler, per day.
Season
Open year-round. There is no closed season for the saltwater bass group.
Licensing
California sport fishing license required for anglers 16 or older. Ocean enhancement stamp required when fishing for marine species south of Point Arguello. Buy at wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing.
What this page does not cover
- Freshwater black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted). Different group, different regulations, inland booklet.
- Special-area rules. Some Marine Protected Areas and state marine reserves prohibit take entirely. Check the area before fishing.
- Commercial regulations. This page is sport-fishing only.
Sources
How regulations work in the GhostFingers Fish app
The app treats the three saltwater basses as one regulation group: the bag counter is shared, so logging a calico and a sand bass on the same day ticks the same 5-fish counter. A 13-inch fish of any of the three flags undersized.
Live regulation overlay on every catch entry.
Undersized warnings, bag counters, closed-season hard gates. No accidental tickets.