Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Bar · California

Arch Rock

37.83°N · 122.44°W · Bar · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Leopard shark

76/100Great
Now
4312 PM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide4.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward E
Wind5 kn Wgusts 9 · building
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 9 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water63°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

San Francisco 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 (2 per day)
  • 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

Arch Rock

Depth
60-90 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-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 Arch Rock

Arch Rock is a bar in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 60-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shag Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 67
    • Kelp greenling 62

    5 kt WL 4:24 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:15 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Harding Rock

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    69
    Top: CabezonPeak season
    • Cabezon 69
    • Rockfish 67
    • Kelp greenling 62

    5 kt WL 4:27 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:14 PM · 5.3 ft

  • Anita Rock

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 64
    • Cabezon 62
    • Pacific halibut 59

    5 kt WL 4:06 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:01 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Alcatraz Shoal

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    62
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 62
    • Cabezon 60
    • California halibut 59

    5 kt WL 4:24 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:15 PM · 5.5 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.