Surfperch Cycle: The Seasons of Surfperch Fishing

Like everything, surf fishing in So Cal, involves cycles. Broadly speaking, spring is when things start picking up, summer is peak, and fall and winter are slow. In this article, we’ll be specifically analyzing the cyclicality of surfperch fishing (in So Cal mainly).

November – January

It might seem weird to start with December, but November is actually the start of the surfperch cycle. November marks the start of the breeding process as surfperch begin mating in November. To paint you a full picture – they give birth to live young in April-May. You may notice a little bit of an increase in feeding activity in November, but not a ton.

In December, we usually notice an increase in feeding activity. This trend should remain as surfperch fishing will simply get better from November onward.

The best bait to use from November to January is undoubtedly mussel meat. You can use Gulp or others (lugworms are great but pricey), but if you learn how to surf fish with mussel meat, it’s easily the best and most consistent… in my experience at least.

February – April

Depending on the year, this is usually peak season. February is when you really start catching those massive pregnant females in the 12-16 inch. March is when the first few surfperch will begin to be born – immediately becoming perfect prey for both halibut and large surfperch (believe it or not).

It’s during this time that both mussel meat as well as jerkbaits are great baits to use for surfperch fishing. I personally love fishing jerkbaits in the early spring for surfperch as if you pick the right areas (a little bit of structure but mostly sand) you’re likely to either catch halibut or very large surfperch.

May – August

May through August really becomes the season for sand crab fishing as we target species like corbina, croaker and more. But, as it pertains to surfperch, most years, they can be reliably caught year round and as far as numbers go (especially through June), you can expect to catch the most surfperch during the early summer. But, you’re using sand crabs and they’re all dinks compared to the ones you can frequently catch in the early spring.

Generally, I stop “targeting” surfperch during these months and switch to target the summertime surf species with sand crabs.

I’m not forgetting October, but it can be a rather forgetful month in terms of surf fishing for all species. Lure fishing can turn on a bit but overall, it’s a lackluster month and I avoid fishing much.