Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Bar · California

Blunts Reef

40.45°N · 124.47°W · Bar · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 12 AM · Leopard shark

30/100Fair
Now
2012 AM PST
Best window
12 AM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.2 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide0.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Current1.0 knmodeled · toward N
Wind17 kn Sgusts 23 · easing
Sea stateVery rough9.4 ft · 14 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherOvercast90% cloud
Water60°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Northern Groundfish Management Area

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Leopard shark is best here

Out of season for Leopard shark · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Leopard shark season by week of the year. Out of season for Leopard shark · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Leopard shark in California →

Spot profile

Blunts Reef

Depth
100-120 ft
Structure
Reef · Outer · Exposed
Season
Off 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 Blunts Reef

Blunts Reef is a bar in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 100-120 ft. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for cabezon, rockfish, striped bass and surfperch. Cabezon peak from May through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November.

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.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Mendocino

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    30
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 30
    • Kelp greenling 30
    • Lingcod 30

    17 kt SL 12:52 AM · 0.1 ftH 7:39 AM · 5.6 ft

  • Punta Gorda

    Cape · 14 mi

    30
    Top: Albacore tunaShoulder season
    • Albacore tuna 30
    • Cabezon 30
    • California halibut 30

    8 kt SSEH 6:58 AM · 5.3 ftL 12:44 PM · 2.4 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.