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Leopard sharkRetention openChannel · California
Southampton Shoal Channel
37.91°N · 122.42°W · Channel · San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Leopard shark
- Now
- 648 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Southampton Shoal 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 64°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Leopard shark
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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 yesterday
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
Southampton Shoal Channel
- Depth
- 25-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Southampton Shoal Channel
Southampton Shoal Channel is a channel in San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the West Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 25-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, surfperch and California halibut. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, rockfish and cabezon, and shoulder season for California halibut, white seabass, leopard shark and lingcod. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. Surfperch peak in May and from July through September. California halibut peak from May through August.
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
- Cypress Point75
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 75
- Rockfish 70
- California halibut 69
1 kt WNWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Richmond Harbor Entrance Channel74
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 74
- California halibut 67
- Lingcod 66
1 kt WNWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Castro Rocks73
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: RockfishPeak season- Rockfish 73
- White seabass 73
- Striped bass 71
1 kt WNWH 11:14 AM · 5.3 ftL 4:44 PM · 2.3 ft
- Southampton Shoal69
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 69
- California halibut 66
- Surfperch 65
1 kt WNWH 11:17 AM · 4.8 ftL 4:38 PM · 2.1 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.