George Homenko sent over this report to refute my claim of slow halibut fishing:
Monday, June 30, 2025
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Tomorrow is last chance for legal Dungeness out here until November. Good luck if you go. Inside Tomales Bay it has been better than it has been but still not good. There's likely a few in the outer bay but I haven't heard any reports. Halibut over the weekend was slow. It was so slow that even Gage couldn't get one to stick to the hook on Saturday morning. He had four bites but hookups. Friday I caught one by Hog and saw another halibut and striper caught. Most of the action around Hog over the last three days was bat rays, but man, were the rays on fire! If somebody landed the bat ray with a 1.5 ounce underspin swimbait I'd love to get it back. There were a few halibut caught, but very few. Branden Mendoza caught a couple yesterday and sent over this report:
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
You may recall that two weeks ago I said that our next salmon opportunity would be in September. It is now official: "Ocean Salmon Fishery Achieves Summer Catch Limit; Will Reopen in September
California’s June 7-8 Ocean salmon season offered some of the best fishing many longtime anglers can remember. Fast action, quick limits and bustling harbors characterized the weekend along much of the coast with a hot salmon bite reported as far south as San Luis Obispo County. Excellent ocean conditions from Crescent City all the way down to Avila Beach allowed anglers to get out both days and try to catch the iconic sport fish in ocean waters for the first time since 2022.
“We’ve seen so many pictures and heard many stories of people enjoying their time on the water with family and friends,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. “By all accounts, the weekend was a huge success.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) estimates 9,165 Chinook salmon were taken statewide by 10,505 anglers aboard both charter vessels and private skiffs, achieving the summer fishery harvest guideline of 7,000 Chinook. On recommendation from CDFW and industry, the National Marine Fisheries Service took in-season action today to close the remaining summer dates of July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31.
Like most salmon seasons, the majority of catch and the greatest number of anglers originated from ports in the greater San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.
Nearly 100 CDFW and partner-agency staff participated in dockside data collection activities over the opening weekend at major boat launches and sport fishing centers statewide, counting anglers and their fish and collecting heads of hatchery-origin fish to recover coded wire tags containing life history information.
“CDFW appreciates the ongoing participation and cooperation of the recreational fishing community in our dockside surveys, which generate data vital to planning California’s ocean salmon seasons every year,” said CDFW’s Senior Ocean Salmon Project Supervisor Kandice Morgenstern. “Anglers are also very interested in learning about our hatchery programs and to participate in our courtesy program where they can learn about the hatchery of origin, age, and release location of their fish after the information is recovered from the Coded Wire Tag.”
The recreational ocean salmon fishery is set to reopen September 4-7 under a separate fall harvest guideline of 7,500 Chinook in waters between Point Reyes and Point Sur. If the harvest guideline isn’t reached, the season will continue September 29-30. If any fish remain after this date, the fishery will continue in waters between Pt. Reyes to Pigeon Point on October 1-5 and October 27-31.
The use of harvest guidelines and in-season management in California’s ocean sport fishery management is new this year. The guidelines were developed as part of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s pre-season process using catch and effort information from prior years along with expected performance this year. The guidelines serve to ensure that impacts from the fishery to stocks of particular concern - namely Klamath River fall Chinook and Central Valley Spring and Sacramento River Winter Chinook, are minimized. In-season management, including use of in-season monitoring and harvest guidelines, is a new objective identified in California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future released in January 2024."
So, 9165 salmon in two days? I guess it's a good thing for the salmon that they cut the originally suggested four day opening to only two, as we weren't supposed to catch more than 7000. Oopsie! It's pretty hard to stop when the fish are throwing themselves at you. Let's hope they're still in suicide mode come September.
FYI
CDPH Warns Public Not to Consume Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Marin County
June 19, 2025
SN25-014
What You Need to Know: CDPH warns consumers not to eat recreationally harvested mussels, clams, scallops or oysters from Marin County due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins detected in mussels from Marin County
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising consumers not to eat sport-harvested mussels, clams, scallops, or oysters from Marin County.
Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have been detected in mussels from Marin County. The naturally occurring PSP toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Cooking does not destroy the toxin.
This shellfish safety notification is in addition to the warnings against eating sport-harvested bivalve shellfish in Santa Cruz County, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties due to marine biotoxins. Consumers should also be advised that the annual mussel quarantine remains in effect. The annual mussel quarantine prohibits the sport-harvest of mussels for human consumption and applies to all species of mussels harvested for human consumption along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least October 31.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins affect the nervous system, producing a tingling around the mouth and fingertips within a few minutes to a few hours after eating toxic shellfish. These symptoms are typically followed by loss of balance, lack of muscular coordination, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. In severe poisonings, complete muscular paralysis and death from asphyxiation can occur.
This warning does not apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters from approved sources. State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products. Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.
You can get the most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines by calling CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133 or viewing the recreational bivalve shellfish advisory interactive map. For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring web page.
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Monday, June 16, 2025
Friday, June 13, 2025
With salmon over, one would expect the halibut to step up. They had two days off, after all. But the halibut seem to have different priorities. There have been a few caught near Hog but nobody is complaining of the fish biting too aggressively. Gage and I are back to not liking shiner perch again as the halibut decided they didn't like them yesterday. Big baits were key for us and they worked well, the only problem being that we couldn't hardly catch any big bait. We caught two halibut and two stripers by Hog on a large sardine, a large jacksmelt and two 6-8" walleye perch. We missed two other bites on a jacksmelt and a walleye. I had been told long ago that halibut won't bite walleyes. Thankfully, the fellow that told me that didn't tell these halibut. If you catch a mix of bait, use a mix of bait, as who knows what they like today? The strange things may not work but they sure make catching bait more interesting. And, they may actually work.
There's lots of Dungeness being caught in the bay, unfortunately they are mostly a hair too small. Maybe they'll be keepers this fall, but for now they're heartbreakers. There are a few keepers in the mix. There seems to be more crab nearer the mouth of the bay.
Sunday, June 8, 2025
I don't want to brag, but it has been literally years since I got skunked while salmon fishing. That ended today. In my three and a half hours of trolling off of Bodega Head I released a shorty and a silver and lost a small but probably barely legal salmon before I could decide to net him. I was not the only skunked boat, but overall the fishing and catching was better today than yesterday.
Saturday, June 7, 2025
It is salmon season, so let's roll out the salmon pictures!
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Gage and I went out in the south wind today to do a little scouting. We saw no bait in close from Tomales Point down to the top of McClure's. Then we ran out to 15 and 5 and saw only travelling birds along the way, no feeding. We did find a pod of humpbacks possibly feeding at 15 and 4 but we saw no biat there except for the faintest of lines of krill at 150' down. Then, as I had neglected to wear raingear and the spray was pretty cold and constant from the chop, we went back into the bay. 2.5 hours of trolling by Inverness later we had released three very short halibut. We had skipped past Hog as the water temp there closer to the high tide was only 53ยบ when we passed by. By noon the outgoing tide had the water up to 59ยบ. Also up was the south wind which had increased in strength there from earlier. We weren't able to find any schools of bait at Pelican Point but we did catch a bunch of shiners. Shiners aren't really our favorite bait, but we gave them a try.
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Monday, June 2, 2025
Friday, May 30, 2025
As of Friday night Windy.com is calling for good weather for the salmon opener. They also called for horrible weather a day or two ago. If the good weather actually happens it will likely also be the salmon closer, at least until September's season. The best bet for catching is the Half Moon Bay to Monterey area, as they usually have quite a few fish this time of year. Tomales and Bodega Bays have generally poor salmon action in early June but have also had a few banner years with lots of fish in the early season. With as much wind and upwelling as we've had, I'd guess that this isn't going to be one of those good years. But, the forecast also shows nice weather for most of the week before the weekend, so there may actually be a chance for schools of bait and krill to form up and salmon to find them. Back in April there were anchovies out in 240 to 300 feet of water due west from here, but as you may know, things can change a lot in a day and in two months they have likely changed many, many times. There's always a possibility of fish in close in the shallows but the chances of us being that lucky are really, really slim.
CDFW wardens have been busy here this week. Low tides have the wardens writing lots of tickets for people without licenses, people digging other people's clams, having your clams all in the same bucket (they need to be in separate containers, FYI) and no Boater Safety Card. Yes, if you haven't got your Boater's Card yet you probably ought to before the salmon opener as there may be a few wardens out checking then. Like, all of them. Also, check your flares as I'd bet the USCG may be patrolling as well.
Gage and I tried Inverness for halibut yesterday. We ended up trolling from there to Marshall and back for two shorts and a windburn. We probably should have tried around Hog as it seems there have been slightly more fish caught there than anywhere else in the bay lately. Maybe we shall see a few from there this weekend if the currents don't make it unfishable.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Last Sunday Mike Mack and Spinner caught three halibut to 14 pounds. They were at Hog Island and caught the fish on live jacksmelt at the turn of the low tide. I was going to announce that the halibut had finally arrived but I waited to see if it was actually true. Sadly, it would appear that Mike and Spinner happened to bump into only a small school of halibut entering the bay, not the tsunami of fish we're all waiting for. The Wet Dream boys were also here for the holiday weekend and picked up solo halibut on Saturday and Monday, making them the halibut leaders for those days as no other halibut were caught that I heard of. Their fish came from further in the bay than Hog by a mile or two. Five fish caught over three days does not indicate a bay full of halibut. But, there's a chance. I should also mention that there were a few anchovies caught on Sunday morning by the yellow buoy, and a white sea bass and green lingcod caught there on Monday.
Thursday, May 22, 2025
It's been so windy that you'd almost think that salmon season was open. Last week's string of gale warning forecasts (which was interrupted once by a storm warning) got it pretty right, as it sucked here. As I write this the Point Reyes waverider buoy just showed the water temp dropping below 49ยบ. That's some serious upwelling. The water inside the bay has stayed warm at least. It's about 60ยบ at Hog Island at low tide (53ยบ at high tide) so you'd think there's be a halibut or two around there. And there may be, but last week Gage and I tried for three hours without a bite. Lots of jacksmelt but no sardines for us, either. After that failed mission we tucked our tails between our legs and ran for Inverness this morning. We caught three keepers in three hours before we got blown off the water. There were also five shorts and four missed bites. We stayed in 11 to 13 feet of water. It ain't good yet. San Francisco Bay has been a slow starter this year as well. Maybe everybody fishing for halibut was a bit too much pressure.
Crabbing is getting slightly better, partly because it couldn't really get a whole lot worse. With only a little over a month left of Dungeness season there should be an increase in Dungies, if only to mess with the people crabbing for reds during the summer. There's nothing like having to throw back the largest catch of the day. But that's not yet, so there's hope. Shore snarers are catching some too, just not as many as the guys sneaking out in boats in the mornings before the wind really hits.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
fishies
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Two posts in two days? The end is nigh! Maybe, but more importantly, the schools of bait at the yellow buoy have been positively identified as sardines and herring with some schools of shiner perch at the bottom. The guys doing the identifying caught quite a few baits but had no game fish bite. This was at the turn of the high tide and the water was 52ยบ, so the low tide may have different results as the water temp should be a bit more balmy. Actual results may vary. The bait is here. The fish just need to find it.
A second report from this weekend is that a camper here caught 50ish surfperch over two days near the sand point. He only kept a couple of the larger models, but he had pretty steady action. The perch were red-tail and barred. I haven't heard of any stripers. I guess they must all be in San Francisco Bay and in the rivers eating salmon smolts. Well, somebody should be eating some salmon, I guess. I wish it was me, though.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Finally. Halibut. Not just here, but in San Francisco as well. I appreciate the fact that there's no lag time this year, as usually there's a four to six week period between when they bite in SF and when they finally bite here. This year they coordinated better and started a few days back. It ain't smoking hot either place, but you can catch a fish in both places, I hear. Gage and I caught a ride with tcguideservice.com on Tanner's 25 foot Parker on Thursday. We went back to Inverness and hooked fourteen fish, five of which were legal sized and four of which were actually landed in the boat. Gage and I need to practice our netting, apparently. Gaffing is good, though. Trolled straight herring was the ticket, mostly. Three fish bit stuff behind flashers/dodgers and one bit a Predator minnow but three of the keepers were on blue label Harbor Herring all by their lonesome. That is equivalent to everybody else's green label, size-wise, but our blue Harbor is in the best shape, so troll it we do. No belly disintegration. Good bait. And yes, it is game on all over. Best bite in Tomales has been way, way back by Inverness/Marconi on live and dead baits. The warm water extends all the way to Hog at low tide but the murky water we were catching in was lurking around Inverness only. I must say, I do better when the water is really colored up, as dirty water hides all my imperfections, of which there are many. Yes, I love that dirty water.
But beyond that Standells reference, other people have been catching too. The best bite has remained in the wayback (Thank you Mr. Peabody et. al. for the reference), but that's where people are fishing, so... Can't catch where you're not fishing. At the low tide, good temperature water extended past Hog to the north. Schools of bait were in the hole just south of Pelican. Not a few, but a lot of bait. Things are starting to happen. And thankfully, not just here. Soon we'll have photos. It'll happen! Probably before the end of this month but definitely before the end of June. The fish are starting to enter the bay, following the bait.
Crabbing has picked up, slightly, as the now sexually satisfied Dungeness are starting to slide back in closer to the shore. Good for them. Finish your post-coital cigarette and then climb in my hoop. Or snare. The shore snarers have been doing pretty well lately, judging by bucket and afternoon rod/snare sales. Most of those sales are predicated on somebody catching a crab and needing a bucket or seeing the crab caught and wanting to copy the success.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Crab traps are now closed until Dungeness closes here (July 1st). Hoops and snares are still okay. Catching Dungeness is still hard, especially inside the bay this week as the low tides make for high currents, and high currents are bad for crabbing but good for losing crab gear. One guy I spoke with had only one keeper on Monday but landed six on Tuesday, all by Marker Five. Not quite awesome.
Gage and I spent a few hours this morning trying for halibut on the north end of the bay. Result? Beans for dinner. We did get out of the bay and try for rockfish around the time the south wind kicked up, and we returned about an hour before the wind died. We caught two gopher rockfish to go with our beans. Good thing we had some beans. I haven't heard of any other halibut caught inside the bay although there were probably a few caught by some quiet fishermen, but not many. San Francisco Bay has been pretty slow for halibut so far, and we generally follow behind them, so maybe in a few more weeks? Fingers crossed. I guess I can get another coat of wax on the boat while I wait.
Sunday, April 27, 2025
The less-than-heinous weather (ocean fishing-wise) the last few days had at least one boat from here hit Rittenburg on Friday for limits of schoolies (mostly yellowtail) but no lingcod. The lings have been hit pretty hard there the last couple of years and require a bit of searching if you don't already have the waypoint in your GPS. I don't have that one. Before the deep water closure in 2000ish it didn't matter where you dropped a line on Ritternburg, you just caught lings and no rockfish. If you did hook a rockfish it was immediately ripped off the line by a lingcod. Those were the days. Although, now I prefer catching schoolies as they're easier to clean and tastier than the big lings. Big ones for bragging and schoolies for eating, says I, and it turns out as I get older that I prefer eating. So if you want the lings you need to work for them there. Harvest Time had a good time with lings at the Football but I have only caught a few smallish ones there. I'm guessing location, location, location again. I've only fished the very south end and done well on reds there in 620 feet of water so I'll bet Mr. Time was somewhere else on the reef, as there are acres and acres. No matter in the short term, as deep water ends Wednesday night and nearshore (less than 20 fathoms(120 feet) or at least shoreward of the line of waypoints signifying that depth constraint) opens on May 1st. The shallows have been difficult as they take a beating. Good luck.
Branden Mendoza sent over the best halibut report from Tomales Bay that I heard from this week: "
Hey Willy. Thought I'd check in. We trolled today from about 730am till 1130am. Saw lots of bait and birds between red barn and Marshal. We trolled hootchie skirts and herring. We only managed one shorty but it was a nice day out on the water and glad to know they are starting to bite, even if it is slowly. Thanks for the reports. " A shorty is good, as bites of any kind have been in short supply. There has been a bit of bird activity on the north end of the bay, very sporadic, but it seems that there is some bait coming in, and hopefully with it some things that eat bait. Good effort, Branden. The next month should start some things up.
Crabbing has been the same, slow. I'm sure that it will get better after traps close at 6:00 PM on Thursday. The commercial guys have been catching almost nothing so I'm sure that when they get off the water our portion of almost nothing will get that that much better. Never mind the snark, though, but the clutch is ending and there will be more crab marching in from the deep, so catching will improve as we approach the end of the season. It will never be good this season but it will get less bad,
Monday, April 21, 2025
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
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, 64ยบ 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.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Friday, April 4, 2025
Rejoice! The CDFW has spoken and traps are still legal here! For a little bit. Figure that by May it is rings again, but until then, traps are in! For more info, here's the announcement from CDFW:
"Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program Update - Apr. 3, 2025
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced the continuation of the 25% Gear Reduction in Fishing Zones 1-2 and implementation of a 30-fathom Depth Constraint. The Director also announced the continuation of the 50% Gear Reduction and the implementation of a 30-fathom Depth Constraint in Fishing Zone 3 and a Season Closure for the commercial fishery in Fishing Zones 4-6. The 30-fathom Depth Constraint and Season Closure will be effective April 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
A crab trap restriction for the recreational fishery in Fishing Zone 4 was also announced, effective April 15, 2025, at 6:00 pm. A Fleet Advisory will be maintained for all Fishing Zones for both the commercial and recreational fisheries."
The next scheduled risk assessment is expected to occur on or around April 21, 2025. The full news release can be found at the CDFW News Room and for more information, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries webpage.
So nothing changes here for us sporties. The commercials need to move their gear inside of the 180 foot line if they don't already have their gear there. They still only get to use half of their "permitted" gear. In Monterey (Area 4) they must quit traps and commercial fishing by April 15. So, if you crab around here with traps, rejoice! Next year's rules will be different and choices about seasons and gear will change, so don't get used to the current mess of rules as the rules will change by next Dungeness season. What are those rules? They haven't decided yet, so when they do I'll pass on the info.
Good news? Only that a very confused Greater Tern flew around here for a bit today. I had been thinking this, and then it was mentioned in a thread on Coastside, so it must be true, but when the terns really show up there's anchovies or other small bait about for them to eat. Good for them, good for halibut, good for us. Here's to hoping that misguided fool of a bird was right.
Poor optimists.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Much like March 1st, the Northwest wind is blowing like mad today. Happy spring, everybody! And it's not just the wind that is making it spring; the pelicans are back. Or they were for a bit this afternoon, but the sight of pelicans diving on bait in the middle of the bay for a half an hour was enough to lift me out of my fishing funk. For a little bit, at least. Just seeing somebody catch fish elevates the spirit, even if the guy you're watching is way better than you'll ever be. At least it is the confirmation of possibility, and in the pelican's case, they don't live here when there's nothing to eat. Let's hope they stick around, because that should mean there's baitfish, and baitfish mean there's other things that eat baitfish. Like Alec Bennett, but also halibut and salmon that we probably won't be able to keep. They're coming. Soon. Not soon enough, but soon.
Crab reports have been sad. My cousin the commercial crabber had a 650 pound pull after better than a week's soak. That's a little better than a crab per pot per week. No bueno. He has a pretty good idea idea on where to put his traps, too. Better than me, for sure, but I don't make my living on the water, just my reason to live. Inside the bay the numbers have been similarly poor. A few are being caught by boaters and snarers but the reds are mostly what you see in the buckets. A very few are getting some decent numbers, but it's mostly grim. The clutch and molt should be ending soon and the crab should start showing up again. A sure way to tell that the crab are coming is the word from on high that traps around Monterey and commercial trap fishing to Point Arena will be ending probably around April 15, not because whales are present in Area 3 (us) but because they should be present by then. Should be is good science, right? Hey, I should be a millionaire. Some guys I went to school with are. Same science. Whatever. Summary: Crabbing sucks, it will get better but soon you'll have to use rings again. Not yet, but figure May.
Deep rockfish are open this month. The weather doesn't look to good for the next few days but who knows? It could happen before the month's out. Maybe.
Friday, March 14, 2025
So the report: Slow. One of the locals has a few pots in the Outer Bay and has been averaging around five Dungeness per day of soaking. His last pull was thirteen crab for two days soaking, so maybe better? It's probably fresh bait pulling more crab early in the soak, but one can dream. Maybe they're coming in! (Spoiler: They aren't, yet. Soonish they will, but the clutch is likely in session, and soon traps will likely be closed as the whales return with April showers.) Shore snarers are getting a few but far from limits. It is the seasonal slow time, but it should get better as we approach the end of the season in June.