Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Bar · California

Aumentos Rock

36.63°N · 121.92°W · Bar · Monterey Bay

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Best score today · 8 PM · Leopard shark

72/100Great
Now
308 PM PDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score50Good
Tide3.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind4 kn SWgusts 16 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water64°FPersisted

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 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)

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

Aumentos Rock

Depth
20-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Shoulder 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 Aumentos Rock

Aumentos Rock is a bar in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 20-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Lucas Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Rockfish 70
    • Cabezon 68

    5 kt SWL 2:03 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:06 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Lovers Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Rockfish 70
    • Cabezon 68

    5 kt SWL 2:03 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:06 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Point Pinos

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Rockfish 70
    • Cabezon 68

    5 kt SWL 2:03 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:06 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Point Alones

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 71
    • Rockfish 70
    • Cabezon 68

    6 kt NWL 2:03 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:06 AM · 4.0 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.