UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Leopard sharkRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 3010 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Santa Cruz 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 61°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Central 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 (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)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Leopard shark is best here
Shoulder season for Leopard shark · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Santa Cruz Anchorage
- Depth
- 20-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- 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 Santa Cruz Anchorage
Santa Cruz Anchorage is a bay in Monterey Bay, California. Depth is 20-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, surfperch and striped bass. It is peak season now for cabezon, surfperch, striped bass and rockfish, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, California halibut, Chinook salmon and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through September. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- Surfperch
- Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Black Point69
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Striped bass 64
- Surfperch 63
3 kt SL 1:31 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 4.8 ft
- Soquel Point69
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 69
- Striped bass 64
- Surfperch 63
3 kt SL 1:31 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 4.8 ft
- Mitchell Cove68
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 68
- Cabezon 67
- Striped bass 61
3 kt SL 1:31 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 4.8 ft
- Steamer Lane63
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: CabezonPeak season- Cabezon 63
- Surfperch 63
- Striped bass 62
3 kt SL 1:31 PM · 2.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 4.8 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.