This species is largely diurnal and they are typically associated with some sort of cover while shade appears to be important in allowing them to effectively observe prey and to catch it.

They maximum recorded life span is 34 years. After spawning the eggs hatch Males are sexually mature at between 2 and 4 years old and half of them are mature when they have attained 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length while females are mature at 2 to 5 years old and half of them are mature at 22.6 centimetres (8.9 in). After spawning the eggs hatch within 36 hours, There is then a pelagic larval phase which lasts for at least a month before the fish settle. The males and females release the sperm and eggs at the same time, normally around sunset. While they are mating, the females change colour to dark grey or black on the upper body, and bright white on their underparts, while males also darkens to an overall charcoal colour, broken by black vertical bars and white spots. The mating fish break off into smaller groups, a gravid female will swim to the substrate and males will perform courtship displays and rubbing himself against her flanks and nibbling at her fins. The aggregations are normally formed around a natural or man-made structure such as the canopy of the kelp forest or piers and occur at depths of 8 to 18 metres (26 to 59 ft). The kelp bass spawns in the late spring to the early autumn When spawning the adults for aggregations of up to 200 fish, but more commonly numbering around 50 individuals. The fish use a variety of micro-habitats within this habitat for feeding, shelter and breeding, for example the juveniles will hide among the blades of kelp and among other seaweed species in the intertidal zone while the adults prefer deeper water, into rocky habitats where their larger size gives them some protection against predation. They show a strong association with kelp and are almost always found inhabiting kelp forests. Paralabrax clathratus is found at depths between 0 and 61 metres (0 and 200 ft). It was formerly found as far north as the mouth of the Columbia River on the boundary between Oregon and Washington State but it is now rare anywhere north of Point Conception in California. Its range extends from the central California south to the southern tip of Baja California. Paralabrax clathratus is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean off the western coast of North America. This species attains a maximum total length of 72 centimetres (28 in) and a maximum published weight of 7.0 kilograms (15.4 lb). A distinguishing feature of this species from other sea bass is that the kelp bass has piebald or multicoloured spotting under the belly, which is why it is alternatively called calico bass. The males have an orange tint on their lower jaw and chin. Along the back there are rows of white, rectangle shaped spots. The juvenile fish are light brown in colour, while the adults are brown to olive-green fading ventrally The dorsal part of the head has a mottling of light yellow spots while the dorsal part of the body is patterned with black, white, and/or olive green blotches. The caudal fin is truncated, although the margin can be wavy. The anal fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13-14 soft rays, the 3rd and 4th spine are the longest, both being nearly twice the height of the 2nd spine. There is a large spine on the edge of the gill cover. The margins of the preopercle have fine serrations. There are teeth all over the roof of the mouth. The mouth extends back as far as the centre line of the pupil and the lower mandible protrudes to form part of the snout. Paralabrax clathratus has an elongate, relatively deep, compressed body with a pointed snout and a large mouth.

Calico bass