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Leopard sharkRetention openBay · California
Isthmus Cove
33.44°N · 118.50°W · Bay · Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 305 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Isthmus Cove 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 2 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 72°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.1 ftSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Southern 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 (10 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 (5 per day)
- Chinook salmon Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
- 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
Peak season for Leopard shark · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Isthmus Cove
- Depth
- 8-100 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Peak 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 Isthmus Cove
Isthmus Cove is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth is 8-100 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are California yellowtail, barred sand bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, lingcod, rockfish and surfperch. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August. Lingcod peak in April and from November through December.
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.
- California yellowtail
- Yellowtail school around the offshore islands, banks, high spots and kelp paddies from spring into fall, moving north from Baja as the water warms past about 64 degrees. Fly-line a sardine or mackerel, cast a surface iron to breaking fish, or drop a heavy iron and wind it fast when they hold deep. Heavy line matters because they run straight for kelp and rock.
- Barred sand bass
- Barred sand bass hold on the sand and rock edge of reefs, artificial reefs, breakwaters and bays, mostly in less than 90 feet of water. In summer they stack up over sand flats in 60 to 120 feet to spawn, and a plastic or live anchovy bounced on the bottom under the boat will catch them. A sudden drop in water temperature from upwelling can shut the bite off for a day or two.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Harbor Reef65
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 65
- Barred sand bass 60
- Lingcod 58
2 kt WSWH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Ballast Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 64
- Kelp bass 55
- Lingcod 54
2 kt WSWH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Fourth of July Cove59
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 59
- Barred sand bass 56
- Lingcod 56
2 kt WSWH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 ft
- Catalina Harbor59
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 59
- Barred sand bass 57
- Kelp bass 56
2 kt WSWH 8:46 AM · 4.3 ftL 2:17 PM · 1.8 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.