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Leopard sharkRetention openBay · California
Bear Harbor
39.91°N · 123.94°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 3010 PM PDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bear Harbor scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
88Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
45Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 57°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 6.3 ftSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Mendocino Groundfish Management Area
Leopard shark
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Closed in the Groundfish Exclusion Areas off southern California.
From CDFW 2026 California Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (last updated July 17, 2026), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Albacore tuna Retention open (25 per day)
- Barred sand bass Retention open (4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
- Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
- Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
- Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Lingcod Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Pacific bluefin tuna Retention open (2 per day)
- Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
- Rockfish Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
- Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Leopard shark is best here
Shoulder season for Leopard shark · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bear Harbor
- Depth
- 15-25 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLeopard shark
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Bear Harbor
Bear Harbor is a bay in Coastal waters from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena CA out 10 nm, California. Depth in the nearest water is 15-25 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are cabezon, striped bass and surfperch. It is peak season now for cabezon, striped bass, surfperch and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, white seabass, lingcod and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Leopard shark
- Leopard sharks cruise shallow mudflats, sloughs and channel edges in bays, most often in less than 15 feet of water, and follow the flooding tide onto the flats to feed on crabs, worms, clams and small fish. Anchor or fish from shore or a pier with a sliding sinker rig and a chunk of squid, mackerel or ghost shrimp on the bottom. The bite is often better into the evening and at night.
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
- Striped bass
- Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Duffys Reef68
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 68
- Surfperch 66
- Striped bass 65
5 kt NL 3:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:28 AM · 5.0 ft
- Small White Rock66
Bar · 5.7 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 66
- Rockfish 63
- Lingcod 56
5 kt NL 3:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:28 AM · 5.0 ft
- Shelter Cove66
Bay · 10 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 66
- Rockfish 54
- Lingcod 48
5 kt NL 3:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:28 AM · 5.0 ft
- Point Delgada66
Cape · 10 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 66
- Rockfish 59
- Lingcod 53
5 kt NL 3:54 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:28 AM · 5.0 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with CDFW before you keep a fish.