Leopard Sharks in the Winter/Fall?
Ever since I began surf fishing about five or six years ago, come mid-October, I would almost never even attempt shark fishing. This year, with Soupfin and 7-Gill in mind, I won’t be stopping anytime soon. These two species have been known to prefer cooler waters than the more common species- the Leopard Shark.
Leopard Sharks tend to migrate to warmer waters when the summer months dwindle away here in San Diego. For this reason, my hopes will turn to Soupfin and 7-gill. But, it’s no secret that the leopard Sharks and even Yellow-tail are still inhabiting La Jolla Cove as the videos and images spread wide across social media. A more significant question for me, “can you catch Leopard Shark year round? More specifically… can we do it with success?
Fellow fisherman, Kyle and I made it out to the beach for a surf fishing session that was long over due. Since Daylight Savings has a tendency to eliminate the chances of evening sessions, we decided on an early morning. We arrived on the sand at 6:25 am, and Crabs were scarce at this hour so Kyle began throwing dead anchovy. It took me close to 20 minutes to get my daily take for sand crabs and by then, Kyle already had a baby leopard and a Yellowfin Croaker. I rigged up and began fishing.
Surf Conditions
The water temp was listed at 66 degrees Fahrenheit and the swells were a mellow 1-2 feet. Current was fairly minimal and salad covered the shoreline but the water remained clear for the most part. We fished an outgoing tide from 4 ft to 1 ft. Overall, after realizing the seaweed wasn’t in the water like it was on the beach, the conditions were near perfect for shark fishing in San Diego!
I set up my new 12 foot Okuma Tundra Surf Rod paired up with a Penn Battle 6000 series. (for more on what type of set-up and rigs to use for shark fishing in San Diego, click here). I casted her out and let the my chunk of Mackerel soak.
Meanwhile, the fishing was picking up. Between 7 am and 11:45 am, Kyle had 18 fish and I had 9. In the mix, were a couple 18+ inch Corbina some Yellowfin Croaker, baby leopards, and some Bat Rays and Guitars (one guitar was on my mackerel chunk and the rest were on sand crab and anchovy). I didn’t like how easily the Mackerel fell apart so I decided to switch it up to a yellowfin Croaker head that we had caught earlier in the session. After about 1 more hour-long soak in the surf (from 10:45 to 11:45) , Kyle reels in a whopping 13″ Perch so I make my way over to snap a pic for him. Just as I’m taking the last picture for him, I see my rod tip sporadically in the background and we’re on!
Catching Leopard Sharks in November!
Thank God for Kyle’s perch at the last minute because we were just about ready to wrap it up. Seconds into the fight, I know I have a shark and my heart is pumping! After about a 10-15 minute fight, I reel her in. Possibly the thickest and heaviest Leopard Shark all season long and maybe ever for me. At 59 inches, she was my second longest Leopard and she was absolutely Gorgeous!
All in all, it was a terrific day and even more so, it was insane for November. I couldn’t be happier about my new rod (which by the way was only 34 bucks and high quality at that) and I am so relieved to have gotten another Leopard Shark and for her to come in November! I would greatly appreciate your support in shopping through these amazon links and through the native ads on my website as I am an affiliate member for Amazon. Thanks for listening and I hope you guys are slaying!
