Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Leopard sharkRetention open

Cape · California

Cooper Point

36.25°N · 121.84°W · Cape · Monterey Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Leopard shark

68/100Great
Now
306 AM PST
Best window
4-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.9 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Cooper Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score30Fair
Tide2.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current1.0 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateVery rough9.4 ft · 13 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherClear0% 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

Cooper Point

Depth
25-60 ft
Structure
Point · Outer · Exposed
Season
Off 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 Cooper Point

Cooper Point is a cape in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 25-60 ft. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, striped bass and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. 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.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
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

  • Molera Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    65
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 65
    • Striped bass 64
    • Lingcod 62

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

  • Grimes Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    64
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 64
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Striped bass 62

    6 kt NNWL 8:50 AM · 3.2 ftH 2:32 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Sur Rock

    Bar · 3.6 mi

    61
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 61
    • Kelp greenling 60
    • Striped bass 52

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

  • Point Sur

    Cape · 5.1 mi

    60
    Top: LingcodPeak season
    • Lingcod 60
    • Kelp greenling 59
    • Striped bass 59

    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.