Waterlands

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Leopard sharkRetention open

Bay · California

Belvedere Cove

37.87°N · 122.46°W · Bay · 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

75/100Great
Now
304 PM PDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide2.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward SW
Wind9 kn Wgusts 15 · easing
Sea stateRough4.5 ft · 9 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear1% 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

Belvedere Cove

Depth
3-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
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 Belvedere Cove

Belvedere Cove is a bay in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, surfperch and rockfish. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for white seabass, Pacific halibut, Chinook salmon and lingcod. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. Rockfish peak from May through September.

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.
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.
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

  • Point Lone

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 73
    • Rockfish 60
    • White seabass 59

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

  • Raccoon Strait

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 70
    • Rockfish 60
    • Lingcod 56

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

  • Peninsula Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 66
    • Rockfish 56
    • Pacific halibut 54

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

  • Cone Rock

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    59
    Top: RockfishPeak season
    • Rockfish 59
    • Striped bass 59
    • White seabass 54

    9 kt WL 4:27 PM · 2.2 ftH 10:11 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.