California Fishing Gear Regulations: Limits, Methods, and Penalties

California fishing gear regulations set what you can use, how many of them, and where, and the answers change sharply between inland waters and the ocean. The core rules live in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations and the Fish and Game Code, enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). A resident sport fishing license runs $64.54 for 2026, and specific gear choices — a second rod, a crab trap, ocean fishing south of Point Arguello — trigger extra validations on top of that.¹

Inland Rod, Hook, and Weight Limits

In inland waters, the default is one closely attended rod and line, or one hand line, with no more than three hooks or three artificial lures attached. A lure rigged with a treble hook counts as one lure with three hook points, not three separate hooks.²

Want to fish two rods at once? You need a second-rod validation ($20.26 in 2026), and it does not apply on waters posted as barbless-hooks-only or artificial-lures-only.¹

Rivers and streams add hook-size and weight rules under 14 CCR § 2.10. Single hooks cannot have a gap wider than one inch. Multiple hooks, like trebles, are capped at a three-quarter-inch gap. You cannot attach any weight heavier than half an ounce within 18 inches of a hook, and no weight may hang directly below a hook. Lakes, reservoirs, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the Colorado River are exempt.³

Many trout streams and salmon spawning stretches are further restricted to barbless hooks only or artificial lures only. Those postings override the general rules, so check the district regulations for whatever water you plan to fish before you tie anything on.

Ocean Fishing Gear

Ocean waters are far more permissive on line count. The general rule: any number of hooks and lines is allowed in California ocean waters and bays. The exceptions are where most anglers get caught out.⁴

San Francisco Bay: one line, no more than three hooks.
Public piers: no more than two rods and lines, two hand lines, or two crab traps/nets per person.
Rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, California scorpionfish, or greenlings aboard or in possession: one line, no more than two hooks.
Salmon north of Point Conception: one rod and line per angler when fishing for salmon or when salmon are aboard.

Salmon in ocean waters north of Point Conception have their own hook rule: single-point, single-shank, barbless, no more than two.⁵ Wardens check this closely during the season.

Landing Net and Descending Device

Two pieces of gear are mandatory in the ocean, and both surprise people. First, every person fishing from a boat or floating device in ocean waters must have a landing net on board or available for immediate use, sized with an opening at least 18 inches in diameter, to help release undersized fish of species that carry a minimum size limit. You also cannot use a gaff to land any finfish shorter than its minimum size.⁴

Second, since 2024, any vessel taking or possessing federal groundfish species must carry a descending device aboard, ready for immediate use. A descending device lowers a fish suffering from barotrauma (bulging eyes, inflated swim bladder) back to depth. CDFW explicitly warns against venting, calling the practice of puncturing the swim bladder with a needle dangerous and often fatal to the fish. Clip the fish to the descending device and send it back down instead.⁶

Crab Traps and Hoop Nets

Recreational crab traps must have at least two rigid circular escape openings, each with an inside diameter of no less than 4¼ inches. The lowest portion of each opening has to sit no lower than five inches from the top of the trap, so undersized crabs and non-target animals can climb out.⁷

Hoop nets for spiny lobster and crabs come in two approved designs, and the bottom ring cannot exceed 36 inches inside diameter. If you’re using crab traps, you need a recreational crab trap validation ($2.98 in 2026). Hoop nets and crab loop traps don’t require the validation.¹ All other nets, traps, and appliances for saltwater crustaceans are prohibited unless specifically authorized.

Dip nets and Hawaiian-type throw nets are legal in ocean waters for gathering bait species only. They are not authorized for taking sport fish, and a landing net remains a secondary tool for bringing aboard a fish you have already hooked, not a method of capture on its own.⁴

Spearfishing, Bow Fishing, and Grunion

Skin divers and SCUBA divers can spearfish for finfish in the ocean, but several species are off-limits to spears entirely: giant (black) sea bass, garibaldi, gulf grouper, broomtail grouper, trout, salmon, and broadbill swordfish. No spear may be possessed or used within 100 yards of any stream mouth in ocean waters north of Ventura County.⁸

If you are spearfishing for federal groundfish or greenlings in a season or area otherwise closed to those species, your vessel cannot carry any fishing gear other than spearfishing gear. The rule closes the door on running a hook-and-line setup alongside a spear-only exception.⁸

Bow and arrow fishing is legal, but only for a short list of non-game species: carp, goldfish, Sacramento sucker, Sacramento blackfish, hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow, and lamprey. The season stays open year-round. Designated salmon spawning areas are closed to bow fishing, and a handful of districts narrow the species list further.⁹

Grunion have their own rule and it’s an unusual one. No equipment of any kind can be used to catch them. Bare hands only. No nets, no buckets, no shovels, and no digging holes in the beach to trap them.¹⁰ Firearms are not an authorized method for taking any fish in California.

Prohibited Methods

Explosives are banned in any state waters inhabited by fish, with only two narrow exceptions: work performed under a CDFW permit, and emergency removal of an obstruction blocking water flow.¹¹ Using electricity or chemical substances to stun or kill fish is also illegal.

Snagging is prohibited. California defines it as impaling or attempting to impale a fish anywhere other than inside its mouth with a hook, gaff, or other mechanical device. Any fish you keep has to have taken the bait or lure in its mouth. If you foul-hook a fish elsewhere, release it immediately, regardless of species or size.²

“Mousetrap” gear is banned in ocean waters: any setup where a hook or lure is attached to a float that drifts free from any person or vessel. Possession of mousetrap gear aboard a vessel is treated as presumptive evidence of illegal use.⁴

Licenses and Validations Tied to Gear

Anyone 16 or older needs a valid California sport fishing license. Certain gear choices require add-on validations or report cards on top of the base fee:¹

Resident sport fishing license (365 days, 2026): $64.54
Second-rod validation: $20.26 (inland only, not valid on barbless-hook or artificial-lure-only waters)
Ocean enhancement validation: $7.30 (fishing south of Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County)
Recreational crab trap validation: $2.98 (not required for hoop nets or crab loop traps)
Steelhead report card: $10.29
North Coast salmon report card: $9.21 (Klamath-Trinity and Smith River systems)
Sturgeon report card, 2026/27 season: $8.13
Spiny lobster report card, 2026/27 season: $12.70

Penalties for Gear Violations

Gear violations fall under Fish and Game Code § 12000. The baseline is that any violation of the Fish and Game Code or its regulations is a misdemeanor. Most recreational gear rules — Title 14 CCR sections 2.00 through 5.95 (inland gear) and 27.56 through 30.10 (ocean gear and crustacean rules) — can be charged as either an infraction or a misdemeanor at the prosecutor’s discretion.¹²

Charged as an infraction, the fine ranges from $100 to $1,000. Charged as a misdemeanor, you face potential county jail time along with higher fines. Wardens can also seize the gear used in a violation, and repeat offenders risk losing their fishing privileges. The severity call typically tracks the conduct: a wrong-size hook may draw an infraction, while illegal traps or explosives are treated as misdemeanors.¹²

1
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2026 Sport Fishing Items and Fees
2
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 2.00 – Fishing Methods-General
3
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 2.10 – Hook and Weight Restrictions
4
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 28.65 – General
5
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 14 CCR Section 27.80 – Salmon
6
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Rockfish Barotrauma and Descending Devices
7
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 29.80 – Gear Restrictions for Recreational Take of Saltwater Crustaceans
8
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 28.90 – Diving, Spearfishing
9
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 2.25 – Bow and Arrow Fishing
10
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 29.00 – Gear Used in Taking Grunion
11
California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code FGC 5500
12
California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code FGC 12000 – General Provisions