If scoring a big spotfin croaker is on your to-do list this season, this article – covering one of the more enigmatic fish found in the California surf – will aid in your quest.
Outfighting, outsmarting and often rarer then corbina and yellowfin, these are the tips, baits, tackle and tactics we use in our guiding service to catch spotfin croaker on West Coast beaches.
Ultimate Guide To Spotfin Croaker Fishing in California
Spotfin Croaker Species Overview - Identification, Sizes, Lengths and Records
The Spotfin Croaker (Roncador stearnsii ) is a West Coast member of the croaker and drum family of finned marine fish, and is commonly referred to as a spotfin, spotty, SFC or roncador aleta manchada in Spanish.
It's primarily found in small groups close to shore in Southern California below Point Conception down through Mexico's Pacific coastline, with concentrations around warm, sandy waters with some shelter. Harbors, breakwaters, jetties, bays and shallow sandy flats are all popular spotfin territory.
Similar in shape to the yellowfin croaker, corbina or an East Coast redfish, the spotfin croaker has a blunt head with a slightly under-slung mouth, a long silver and brassy-colored body with light color fins, and a distinct black spot right on the joint of the fin nearest their gillplate - the pectoral fin. This black spot is where the spotfin gets its common name from.
The largest of the croaker species commonly caught from the surf (if you exclude white seabass), spotfin can reach up to 27 inches in length and weigh as much as 14 pounds. An example of the species weighing 10.5 pounds was found to be around eight or nine years old, while a 26.5-inch specimen was at least 15 years old.
The California State rod and line-caught spotfin croaker record is 14lb 0oz by Charles Dusart on 9/24/1951 in Playa Del Rey in Los Angeles. With the average size of spotfin falling due to overfishing in recent decades, now any fish over 4lb is considered to be a great catch.
Tackle shops often run local croaker derbies in the summer months when the spotfin begin to run up the warming coastal waters along the sandy beaches and bays of Southern California and Mexico. The image above shows some trophy spotfin weighed in during a recent derby in Oceanside's awesome Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle shop, with many around the 2-4lb mark and occasional trophy fish in the 5-9lb range.
During the breeding season, females develop blackish streaks on their bellies, and larger males, known as golden croaker, exhibit golden pectoral and pelvic fins. Golden croaker, like the one below, are rare and considered to be a trophy catch in California surf fishing circles.
Typically, males reach maturity at nine inches (two years old), and females mature at 12.5 inches (three years old), with all individuals being fully mature by 14.5 inches (four years old).
Spawning takes place from June to September, likely offshore, as few ripe individuals are found in the surf zone. Juvenile spotfin croakers, measuring between two and four inches, are often found in waters ranging from the surf zone to depths of 30 feet, which is the general range of the adults too with 2 to 15-feet seeming to be the sweet spot that hold lots of fish in the shore break zone and around the first breakers.
Spotfin Croaker Size Limit, Bag Limit, Season and Regulations
In California, the regulations for spotfin croaker size limit, bag limit and seasons include the following key points for anglers to be aware of:
Bag Limit: The daily bag and possession limit for spotfin croaker is 10 fish per maxmimum person
Size Limit: There is no minimum size limit for spotfin croaker
Fishing Season: Spotfin croaker can be fished for year-round with no seasonal restrictions
License Requirements: A valid California fishing license is required for anglers aged 16 and older, except when fishing from a public pier where no license is needed, with some limited exceptions. Double-check this is the case before you start pier fishing
Fishing Methods: Spotfin croaker can be caught using all legal hook-and-line methods. There are no specific gear restrictions for this species beyond general regulations that apply to all fishing sport fishing activities in the State
These regulations are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and are subject to change, so it's important to check the latest rules before going fishing.
But, generally, they're not a protected species, have no size restrictions, and you're unlikely to catch ten in a day, so there's not much legal jeopardy in spotfin croaker fishing.
Spotfin Croaker Fishing Basics
Unlike their surf-dwelling cousins - the yellowfin croaker, white croaker and corbina - the spotfin shows little regard for habit or consistent behavior.
The main quirk of the species to understand first is that they can be highly elusive and picky about what they eat one day - and then they turn up in large numbers the next day and eat anything thrown at them. But the normal mode is somewhat elusive, and very picky when it comes to leaders and bait sizes.
Tagging spotfin croaker has added credence to the elusive reputation - fish tagged in LA harbors turned up as far south as Oceanside, 91 miles apart. They're clearly highly mobile and would seem to follow warm water currents and concentrations of bait such as sand crabs as they stack up in shallow, sandy beaches, harbors and bays.
Through guiding in the California surf for several years, and catching a good number of spotfin to well over 20" for myself and clients, there have been several consistent factors that seem to heavily dictate the success rate. Let's take a look at each factor and how to leverage it in your own fishing.
Best Seasons Tides and Conditions for Spotfin Fishing
Although we've caught spotties in every month of the year on guided sessions, the main spotfin season seems to be from May to September, with a peak around July and August when they go into breeding mode and school up close to shore in numbers on shallow sandy beaches around SoCal.
This seasonality is very likely tied to water temperatures, with the mantra being the warmer the better, so using NOAA Bouy Data for Southern California and apps like Windy to monitor and identify warming trends in your local spotfin beaches in season is a good first step.
Over 60°F local water temps are a must, with anything over 63°F (and preferably 65°F+) ideal for spotfin. The 70°F+ temps seen across SoCal for the 2024 summer saw some great spotfin fishing and lots of giants caught. More water temps, more warm currents, more bait and mellow surf equals the best chance of action.
Say the water is pushing north of 63°F on your local beaches, and the surf is mild in the 1-3ft range (calm waters are another thing spotfin seem to favor) – the next part of the spotfin puzzle are tides.
A lot of the bigger spotfin caught by our clients are on a smaller or lower state of tide, often in full daylight in the afternoon or early evening during the last half of an outgoing tide, or the first few hours of a good incoming tide before it really starts pushing a lot of water around.
For example, the trophy spotfin below was caught on a typical tide we target for the spotfin - a mid-afternoon slack water period in calm conditions. See the screengrab below for the exact state of the tide to the minute (16:12) when we caught the spotfin.
The period highlighted below is a typical one to target spotfin on, with a nice slack in the middle of the afternoon and then a few hours of incoming tide to fish as the light goes. They're big fish, and seem to favor slacker water compared to something like a corbina or surf perch, maybe due to having a high-sided body and feeling more at home in that mid-range of water depth.
Best Setups, Rigs and Baits for Spotfin Fishing
A big lesson for spotfin fishing is this: Light leaders matter – we've caught a few on 20lb line, but a vast majority of the fish caught have been on 4–15lb test leaders, with 6–15lb seeming to be a sweet spot as it gives you enough line strength to land bigger fish without reducing the number of hook-ups.
Setup-wise, with a majority of spotfin seeming to fall for baits presented statically – bait-and-wait-style – and the choice of rod and reel reflects this.
A good quality spinning reel in the 4000-5000 size range, such as Penn Battle IV, Spinfisher VII or Slammer IV, loaded with 10-20lb braid main line is paired with a 10-12ft surf spinning rod in the Medium-rating category capable of casting sinkers in the 1, 2, 3 and 4oz range. You'll need a substantial 45"+ surf spike made from white PVC or aluminum, too.
End tackle-wise, a Single Dropper Loop rig equipped with a small 1 to 3oz sputnik sinker (essential for holding the rig in place) is the most effective way of setting up.
A spotfin croaker single dropper loop rig consists of a small micro swivel at one end of the leader and a sinker clip at the other end, with a branching strand of line tied in the middle and a hook on the end.
The strand with the hook should be about 15-20" and the other strands connecting main line to sinker should be 18-25", so the hook and swivel or clip cannot become tangled. Fluorocarbon in about 10-15lb breaking strain is the best balance of strength and finesse for light bait and wait fishing like this.
Hook-wise, small gets the bites but spotfin are great at ridding themselves of the hook so there's a balance between presentation / finesse, and security. A size 4, 2 or 1 Mutsu Circle for sand crabs, and size 4, 2 or 1 Tanago Match J hook for other fresh baits, or a baitholder-style J hook in the same sizes for worm baits are the range to consider. Larger, 1/0+, will catch fish but get fewer bites from fussy SFC.
The photo below shows a typical spotfin mussel meat bait fishing setup with a small sputnik sinker and fresh bait attached with bait elastic.
The second method, and one with increasing popularity thanks to a great fun factor, is the use of small plastic baits like curlytail grubs and mini creature baits fished lure-style on light spinning tackle from the shore.
Spotfin croaker love fake wormy, crabby or grubby things in neutral colors (hence the success of green pumpkin / motor oil-type colors) and will readily chase soft plastic 1-3" baits presented on Carolina rigs slowly retrieved through the shallow surf. Light leaders in the 4-8lb range (25"), 1/2-1oz sinkers and Light to ML-rated rods make for a great presentation and fight.
Z-Man's Micro Goat baits are a recent favorite croaker bait and one I'll be reporting back on more later this year, following promising testing sessions this winter.
Credit to Mr Reido - photos below - for puting me onto the Micro Goats for 24/25. He caught the SoCal spotfin below left on the setup shown right; note the low tide in the background, too (or so it looks) A great catch on light tackle on the Bloodworm color of the Micro Goat.
Next, let's look at the exactly what baits to consider. In order of preference based on results on guided and personal fishing, we've found the following baits to be best for spotfin croaker fishing:
Sand crabs - One or two medium-size live sand crabs, preferably one of the soft shell variety. Aim for ones around the length and size of a quarter or a grape, don't be tempted to go too large or you'll miss hook-ups
Fishbites E-Z Flea - A small thumbnail-size chunk of E-Z Flea cut into a rough circle has accounted for a lot of spotfin, especially when combined with a live sand crab
Berkley Gulp! Sandworm - The 2in Camou Neris sandworm, a classic California surf bait, is highly-effective, especially when fished bait-and-wait style and tipped with a sand crab or Fishbites. Similar shapes and sizes of curlytail grubs also account for a few fish but nothing like the Gulp! numbers
Mussel Meat – freshly-shucked mussel meat attached with light bait elastic is probably the oldest spotfin bait and is killer when fishing near rocks and harbors, usually free too. A summer go-to for selecting the big croaker. See photos below for our go-to mussel meat presentation
Beach worms – Bunches of the the spindly worms - sometimes called bloodworms - you can dig up on most beaches in California. An easier option is the white tubs of lugworms you can buy in most tackle shops but these can be costly, and they come with teeth and legs, which isn't to everyone's liking. Use a whole one with the tail nipped off on a size 4 or 2 Long Range Wormer hook
Best Location, Spots and Beaches for Spotfin Fishing in California
Presence of bait, warm water and calm conditions with a bit of current are the keys to find spotfin on open sandy beaches.
For example, an ideal situation, if I was guiding specifically for spotfin, would be a mid-morning low tide a few days after a full moon when it';s one of those middling 1ft to 4ft tide ranges that doesn't do a lot movement-wise. I know there will be 2-4ft of water over the sandy bars and troughs for a while.
I'd make sure I was fishing over a substantial bed of sand crabs in the summer, and sand clams in the winter, using a couple of rods setup with single dropper loops; one on a sand crab bait, the other mussel meat.
I'd target pockets of darker water, troughs, channels and the tops of bars if calm enough (1-2ft surf), or any structured water between the area behind the first breakers and my under my feet. I'd also be conscious of water temperatures, and be happy to move south or north location-wise depending on where the warmest, bluest water on a sandy beach can be found.
Sandy lagoon, harbors, inlets, piers and breakwater-sheltered areas are also prime habitat, but the more open beaches in SoCal tend to produce the better runs of fish versus occasional stragglers overwintering in a harbor.
Thanks for reading this article on one of my favorite species. Every county in SoCal has great spotfin croaker beaches and reliable spots, so work out your local go-to area and you'll soon find yourself attached to one of the meanest-fighting fish on the West Coast!
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