Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Cape · California

Tepona Point

41.04°N · 124.12°W · Cape · Humboldt Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · Leopard shark

74/100Great
Now
304 AM PDT
Best window
7-11 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind1 kn NEgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateRough4.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp52°Cool
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water55°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

Shoulder season for Leopard shark · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Leopard shark season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Leopard shark · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Leopard shark in California

Spot profile

Tepona Point

Depth
3-15 ft
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-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 Tepona Point

Tepona Point is a cape in Humboldt Bay, California. Depth is 3-15 ft. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, rockfish and striped bass. It is peak season now for cabezon, rockfish, striped bass and surfperch, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, white seabass and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Rockfish peak from May through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October.

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.
Rockfish
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sotsin Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 63
    • Rockfish 62
    • Striped bass 62

    3 kt NNEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Trinidad Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    61
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 61
    • Striped bass 59
    • Surfperch 58

    3 kt NNEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • College Cove

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    60
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 60
    • Striped bass 58
    • Surfperch 57

    3 kt NNEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Honda Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    58
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 58
    • Striped bass 56
    • Surfperch 55

    1 kt NEH 9:51 AM · 4.9 ftL 2:48 PM · 3.5 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.