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Leopard sharkRetention openBay · California
Bar Channel
37.80°N · 122.36°W · Bay · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 PM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 357 AM PST
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High5.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bar Channel 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
62Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
48Wind: 14 kt SPressure: Falling fastWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 64°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
44Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco 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 (2 per day)
- 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 17 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bar Channel
- Depth
- 25-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Bar Channel
Bar Channel is a bay in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 25-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, surfperch and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and lingcod, and shoulder season for surfperch, cabezon, striped bass and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Surfperch peak in May and from July 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Oakland Outer Harbor75
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 75
- Cabezon 66
- Surfperch 66
3 kt EL 12:27 PM · 2.8 ftH 5:49 PM · 5.3 ft
- Blossom Rock73
Bar · 2.8 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 73
- Lingcod 68
- Cabezon 67
4 kt EL 12:02 PM · 2.8 ftH 5:34 PM · 5.2 ft
- Outer Harbor Entrance Channel72
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 72
- Surfperch 65
- Lingcod 64
3 kt EL 12:22 PM · 2.6 ftH 5:42 PM · 5.4 ft
- Oakland Middle Harbor71
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season- Kelp greenling 71
- Cabezon 63
- Surfperch 63
3 kt EL 12:22 PM · 2.6 ftH 5:42 PM · 5.4 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.