A sargo caught at the San Clemente Pier in 2015

Species: Anisotremus davidsonii (Steindachner, 1876); from the Greek word anisotremus (unequal aperture, in reference to the pores on the chin), and davidsonii (for George Davidson, a 19th Century astronomer at the California Academy of Sciences).

Alternate Names: China croaker, black croaker, blue bass, grunt, perch, sargo raiado. Called burro piedrero or sargo rayado in Mexico.

A sargo caught at the Santa Monica Pier in 2013

Identification: General perch shape but heavy bodied. The dorsal fin is long and ddeeply notched with spines longer than rays. They have 9 to 11 soft rays in the anal fin (perch have at least 13), and the second anal fin is strong and as long as the soft anal rays (anal fin spines of perch are weak and only half as long as the rays).  Their coloring is entirely metallic silvery; iridescent with a grayish tinge above, plain silver below. A dark vertical bar runs across the body in the pectoral area. The shape and similar dark bar can, at times, lead to confusion with pileperch but sargo have a shorter anal fin and a different shape to the dorsal fin. In addition the bar is farther back on the perch and the tail of the perch is very forked. Sargo caught in bays tend to be darker in color. Both “golden” and “albino” sargo have been recorded in California.

Size: To 17.4 inches and just over 3 1/2 pounds; most caught off piers are under 14 inches in length.

Two sargo taken from Malibu in 2009

Range: Bahia Magdalena, southern Baja California, and Gulf of California to Santa Cruz. Sargo are uncommon north of Point Conception.

Habitat: Primarily found inshore and in bays around rocky areas.

Piers: Common at both oceanfront and bay piers north to Gaviota. Best bets: Embarcadero Marina Park Pier, Shelter Island Pier, Oceanside Pier, Oceanside Harbor Pier, Dana Harbor Pier, Seal Beach Pier, Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, Long Beach Finger Piers, Cabrillo Pier, Redondo Harbor Sportfishing Pier, and the Santa Monica Pier.

A sargo taken at the Crystal Pier in San Diego by Angel H in 2015

Shoreline: A common catch by southern California shore anglers especially when fishing near rocky areas. Favored areas include Mission Bay and San Pedro Bay.

Boats: An inshore species rarely taken by boaters unless they are fishing in bays—San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, and San Pedro Bay.

Small sargo caught by KJ at the San Clemente Pier in 2015

Bait and Tackle: Sargo are bottom feeders that prefer ghost shrimp, fresh mussels, and worms, but they can be caught on almost any bait. Use size 8 to 4 hooks and fish on the bottom or a couple of feet above the bottom. The most commonly used rigging is a high/low leader.

Food Value: Good meat, similar in taste and texture to croakers. Best fried, baked or broiled.

Comments: A good sport fish, very similar to the larger croakers.  The first sargo you catch may surprise you when you hold it and feel it grunt—not surprising since it belongs to the grunt family.

Sargo caught at the Oceanside Harbor Pier in 2013

Large sargo from the Redondo Sportfishing Pier in 2012

A sargo taken at the Long Beach Finger Piers in 2013

My grandson Adam’s first sargo, a fish caught in 2009 from the Crystal Pier

KJ and a sargo from the Crystal Pier in 2010

A sargo from the Belmont Veterans Pier in Long Beach in 1998

Tom and a pair of sargo from the Santa Monica Pier in 2003

Sargo from the San Clemente Pier by Domphabro in 2009

Sargo taken by IsoGure in 2014 from the Dana Point Jetty