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Leopard sharkRetention openBay · California
Yellowbanks Anchorage
34.01°N · 119.55°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 · 9 AM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 3010 PM PDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Yellowbanks Anchorage 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
61Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
25Wind: 15 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.2 ftSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
91Season: 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 today
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
Yellowbanks Anchorage
- Depth
- 25-40 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposed
- 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 Yellowbanks Anchorage
Yellowbanks Anchorage is a bay in Inner waters from Point Mugu to San Mateo Pt. CA including Santa Catalina and Anacapa Islands, California. Depth in the nearest water is 25-40 ft. 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 kelp bass. It is peak season now for California yellowtail, California halibut and leopard shark, and shoulder season for barred sand bass, kelp bass, lingcod and rockfish. California yellowtail peak from July through September. Barred sand bass peak from June through August. Kelp bass peak from June through August.
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
- Middle Anchorage63
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 63
- Yellowfin tuna 57
- Barred sand bass 54
15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Coche Point63
Cape · 4.0 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 63
- Lingcod 54
- Rockfish 53
15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Cavern Point60
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 60
- Lingcod 53
- Rockfish 52
15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 ft
- Chinese Harbor58
Bay · 3.8 mi
Top: California yellowtailPeak season- California yellowtail 58
- Barred sand bass 54
- Kelp bass 52
15 kt WNWL 2:29 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:54 AM · 4.3 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.