The Coastodian sent over this picture from Inverness today. The halibut he had hoped to be in this picture declined to bite the offered hooks. It is still early. The surface has warmed and there's bait entering the bay (according to the pelicans diving and big flocks of terns arriving) so as the water warms down and the bait situation heats up, fish will start biting appropriately. Just, not yet. Soon, though. The variables are lining up, as well as the calendar days passing. Mother's Day and after is probably the target for good fishing. 

     Crabbing with traps will end at 6:00 PM on May 1st here. So will commercial crabbing with traps. Traps will reopen on July 1st when Dungeness closes. Next Dungeness season will have different rules for traps and hoops but I haven't seen a final plan yet and I heard a rumor that there may be a lawsuit that could delay things. Just know this universal rule: Get 'em while you can. Probably don't wait for next season if you are thinking of going crabbing. The clutch is ending and bright shiny (kinda hollow...) crab are re-emerging from where ever they hide. Crabbing should get better until the season ends. Get 'em while you can.  Here's the press release from CDFW:

"Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunity Continues in Northern Management Area, will Close in Central Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries in the Central Management Area. These changes, which will go into effect at 6 p.m. on May 1, 2025, are intended to minimize entanglement risk as humpback whales return to forage off the coast of California.

The commercial fishery will close in Fishing Zone 3 (Sonoma/Mendocino County line, 38°46.125' N Latitude, to Pigeon Point, 37°11' N Latitude), at which time the commercial take and possession of Dungeness crab from those waters is prohibited. The commercial fishery will remain open in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (California/Oregon border to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line 38°46.125' N Latitude) under existing trap reductions and depth constraints. Fishing Zones 4-6 (Pigeon Point to the U.S./Mexico border) were closed for the commercial season on April 15, 2025. 

A recreational crab trap restriction will be extended to include Fishing Zone 3. A crab trap restriction was implemented in Fishing Zone 4 (Pigeon Point to Lopez Point, 36°00' N Latitude, Monterey County) on April 15, 2025. CDFW reminds recreational crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods (including hoop nets and crab snares) is allowed through the close of the season. 

All open Fishing Zones remain under a Fleet Advisory for both the commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. CDFW also reminds all fishery participants to implement best practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide.  

Commercial Dungeness crab vessels are authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of commercial Dungeness crab traps which are lost, damaged, abandoned or otherwise derelict in Fishing Zone 3 starting at 6 a.m. on May 8, 2025. In Fishing Zones 4-6, permitted Dungeness crab vessels were authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of lost, damaged, abandoned, or otherwise derelict traps on April 22, 2025. CDFW requests that individuals regularly report retrieved gear to WhaleSafeFisheries@wildlife.ca.gov. Any vessel operating or transiting in an open Fishing Zone may not possess more than six traps belonging to another vessel, pursuant to Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Section 132.2(a)(2)(A). In addition, CDFW has authorized the Lost and Abandoned Gear Retrieval Program to begin removing commercial Dungeness crab traps left in the water beginning May 8, 2025, at 6 a.m. in Fishing Zone 3. In Fishing Zones 4-6, retrieval operations began on April 22, 2025.

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place in early May 2025. For more information related to the risk assessment process or trap gear retrieval, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page. For more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/crab. "

 

   This barely legal halibut (all of 22.5 inches) would lead one to believe that it is halibut time on Tomales Bay. I guess that it is, but it's got a long way to go until it's good halibut fishing. Gage and I trolled eight lines for three hours for two halibut, one of them a keeper. That's 24 hook/hours per fish. The water is warming and there's the start of some bait schools in Marshall and Inverness but it's not quite go time. Two weeks. Maybe three. By that time shallow water rockfish will be open as well. It's all coming. The things are going strong back in Inverness are leopard sharks and bat rays. We saw several of both while tacking around and watched the lines bounce off of several fish. It looked like we were bumping into jellyfish but there were no jellies. Two baby bat rays ended up getting snagged as we trolled. They were tiny and precious and really, really wanted to poke multiple holes in Gage. To be fair, I've had my moments too. No holes were poked and the bambinos were released intact. Another boat from here has caught quite a few sharks and rays back there this week in 4 to 8 feet of water. They're there if you want them.

    Crabbing has been not good, still, but it seems that it is starting to slightly pick up. Shore snarers are getting a few keeper Dungeness here and there. The guys I know working traps in the outer bay have been catching limits on long soaks but none of their crab have been large or pretty. But, hey, sport-legal mudders are better than no crab at all.

     So, there's a salmon season this year. Not much of one, but a season. Two days can be whole season, and it may be this year. CDFW actually explains it pretty well, so here's their press release about it: "On April 15, 2025, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) acted to recommend limited fishing opportunities for California’s recreational ocean salmon fisheries through the end of 2025. This decision will allow for the first recreational salmon fishing in California since 2022. The PFMC also recommended a repeat year of closure for California’s commercial salmon fisheries, the third year in a row.

Salmon stocks in California continue to be impacted from ongoing issues associated with multi-year drought and climate disruption, including poor in-river spawning and migration conditions, severe wildfires, harmful algal blooms, ocean forage shifts, impacts to habitat and thiamine deficiency. The low ocean abundance forecasts and low 2024 returns led the PFMC to recommend very limited fishing for California’s recreational ocean salmon fisheries and continued closure for commercial fishing to help salmon populations rebound from these difficulties.

“After years of full closure for salmon fishing, the opportunity for limited recreational salmon fishing brings hope. We know, however, that this news brings little relief for California’s commercial salmon fisheries,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Salmon populations are still recovering from severe drought and other climate challenges and have not yet benefitted from our consecutive years of wet winters and other actions taken to boost populations. I’m deeply appreciative for the partnership of the fishing community in rebuilding these impacted populations and in fighting together for the future of salmon in California.”

“A third year without fishing is a serious blow to California’s commercial salmon fleet,” said George Bradshaw, President of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association. “We were optimistic about a return to salmon fishing for California’s fleet, but the reality is, the low abundance and return estimates will not provide the economic impact we need. The risk of fishing this depleted population is simply not worth the reward.”

It is anticipated that the National Marine Fisheries Service will take regulatory action to enact the fishing alternative, effective in mid-May. In addition, the California Fish and Game Commission will discuss inland salmon fisheries at its April 16-17 meeting in Sacramento and is expected to take final action at its May 14 teleconference meeting.

The 2025 recreational ocean salmon season dates for the California coast are as follows:

For ocean waters between the Oregon/California state line and the U.S/Mexico border, the season will open June 7-8, with a 7,000 Chinook summer harvest guideline. If the limit is not attained in those two days, the fishery will open again July 5-6. Additional dates are available in late July and August for use until the summer harvest guideline is attained.

For ocean waters between Point Reyes and Point Sur (portions of the San Francisco and Monterey subareas), the fall fishing season will open September 4-7, with a 7,500 Chinook fall harvest guideline. If this guideline is not attained, the fishery will reopen September 29-30. Additional days are available in October between Point Reyes to Pigeon Point if any of the fall harvest guideline remains.

The short windows of open fishing followed by a period of closure are designed to allow for careful tracking and estimation of catch by CDFW to ensure the fishery does not exceed the harvest guidelines.

The minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. The daily bag limit is two Chinook salmon per day. No more than two daily bag limits may be possessed when on land. On a vessel in ocean waters, no person shall possess or bring ashore more than one daily bag limit. Retention of coho (silver) salmon is prohibited in all ocean fisheries off California.

“California's recreational anglers welcome the opportunity to get back on the water,” said PFMC member Marc Gorelnik. “The number of open days is exceedingly limited in order to achieve negligible impacts on Klamath River Chinook salmon.”

Salmon are significantly important to California. They provide important commercial, recreational, economic, intrinsic and cultural benefits to fishing communities, California Native American tribes, and the state. California is taking significant and meaningful steps to rebuild salmon stocks across California. In March 2025, CDFW released the California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future: Progress Report, an update to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future released in January 2024. In the Progress Report, CDFW announced that of the 71 action items outlined in the Salmon Strategy, nearly 70 percent are already underway, with another 26 percent of action items already completed. These actions provide tangible benefits for California’s salmon populations and habitats now and into the future.

More information is available on the PFMC website.

Anglers are advised to check for updated information when planning a salmon fishing trip. Season dates, bag/possession limit information and gear restrictions can be found on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon web page or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429. Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) ocean salmon hotline at (800) 662-9825."

    So there will be salmon season from June 7 to 8 for sure. But if 3500 or more salmon are caught during those two days, well, that's it until September. There's a 7000 fish limit for the season before September and if we hit it or approach it the season will conclude. Half the fish or better in the first two days will nip the rest of the season in the bud. If the weather sucks, and this is early June, so it might suck hard, then catch numbers may be low although death counts of fishermen may be high. Time will tell. But bad weather and bad fishing in June could buy us two days in July, the 5 and 6. It feel that it is unlikely that the season progresses beyond these dates. The wording in the press release seems like CDFW agrees. There could be bad weather for both two day seasons and then the season at the end of July would be in play, but I wouldn't hold your breath. The first two openings got trimmed from four days to two because people were worried that too many fish would get caught. They didn't trim the July 31 start because nobody thinks it will come into play. Probably less than 3500 salmon need to caught in the first four days to make the late season open. I think the party boats alone should accomplish this, easily (maybe not easily; if it is rough there may be a lot of vomiting, but fish, so accomplish yes, easily, no). So if you gotta go, go to the Monterey Bay area or Half Moon for the early one. If the July season comes, they'll be here, too, but right now our water is cold and devoid of life and the southern waters are awash with anchovies and things that eat them. The launch ramps will be abysmal. Good luck! There will be stories, and some will be good.

     Crabbing is still pretty very slow now. The crab should be exiting the molt and clutch and as soon as their shells firm up enough we should see some of them in our traps. The few that have been getting caught are the dark, barnacled ones that aren't healthy enough to molt. A healthy crab molts and sheds his shell before barnacles have a chance to grow. But the way crabbing is right now, if you catch a Barnacle Bill of the legal variety you should boil him. Keepers are better than vague promises.

    No halibut yet that I heard of from Tomales but a boat yesterday found murky, 64º water back by the Inverness Yacht Club. That sounds like game on to me. Gage and I will give it a look on Thursday, as offshore looks bad. Report to follow.

 

      Gage went out to the beach today and after his first cast he sent this picture and comment to me: "Hand pictures are so back." First cast, nice fish. And then an hour and a half of no bites went by. Such is fishing. Wide open to closed tight in 60 seconds. You gotta love it. The ospreys were slaying them all day, but ospreys aren't tied to the beach like we are. Gage caught this right at high tide, when (theoretically) the fish are concentrated against the waterline as the rising tide pushes the sand crabs up the beach and the slow ones get eaten.  From his photo, it looks like Gage was closer to Sand Point than mid-beach, in case you are looking to catch a fish. There may be more farther north, but I have had no reports, so...? 

    Crabbing, as usual, is bad, but there's always a few around, just not as many as anyone crabbing would like. There's been a few caught from shore by snarers and a few more from boats but there's nobody bragging. Actually, it's kind of nice. But the crab should be coming in by the middle of next month, sometime after traps are shut down. Maybe we'll get some bragging in here then.

    It's been a while, but I think that the things these guys have are fish. The weather has decided to give us a break and Harvest Time jumped on it today. In his words, "We plowed out for ling limits and 2/3 rockfish limits before getting blown off, took a beating but overall a great kick off. " Very nice. Excellent lings and I'm super jealous of your chilipeppers. Those are the best but you usually can't find them in less than 400 feet of water. That depth and 30+ miles of lumpy water makes 'em taste even better if you can stay awake long enough. The weather looks good for offshore fishing for a good part of this week, at least until the forecast changes again. Perhaps more of these so-called fish things may be pictured here soon.

      The wind has blown in some sand and structure (bars, basically) on the oceanfront beach and the surfperch are starting to show. I heard of at least a few caught from Sand Point all the way up to the rocks. The best bars close to shore look to be on the northern part of the beach but a good surf fisherman should always be prepared to do a bit of walking.

       Crabbing was the usual today, mostly bad. There were a few caught from shore, mostly reds but a couple of Dungeness as well. Dungeness should start to slowly improve as the clutch and molting finishes up. It probably won't be good, as there just aren't that many keeper-sized crab out there, but the little ones are growing and fortunes will change.