Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Cape · California

Arrowhead Point

36.56°N · 121.94°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 12 AM · Leopard shark

71/100Great
Now
298 AM PST
Best window
4-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 10 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score30Fair
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward ENE
Wind5 kn WSWgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateRough6.4 ft · 12 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy57% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Central 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
  • 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 18 weeks

Leopard shark season by week of the year. Out of season for Leopard shark · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Leopard shark in California →

Spot profile

Arrowhead Point

Depth
5-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Off seasonLeopard shark

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Arrowhead Point

Arrowhead Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 5-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are lingcod, striped bass and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for lingcod and kelp greenling, and shoulder season for striped bass, rockfish, cabezon and surfperch. Lingcod peak from April through May and from October through November. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Kelp greenling peak 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.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
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

  • Pescadero Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    57
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 57
    • Striped bass 52
    • Kelp greenling 46

    14 kt NNWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 ft

  • The Pinnacles

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    57
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 57
    • Rockfish 45
    • Striped bass 42

    14 kt NNWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Carmel Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    56
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 56
    • Rockfish 45
    • Striped bass 38

    14 kt NNWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Stillwater Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    50
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 50
    • Striped bass 50
    • Kelp greenling 45

    14 kt NNWL 9:12 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 4.9 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.