Good news! We drew a long straw and Shelter Cove got the short one! Sorry, Shelter Cove guys, but our Dungeness season will open as scheduled at 12:01 AM on Saturday November 7th, hoops and snares only, no traps.

"Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishing Begins in Most Areas Nov. 7 with Trap Restrictions, Commercial Season Delayed

The recreational Dungeness crab season will open under trap restrictions beginning Nov. 7, 2026, except in a portion of Northern California where it has been delayed due to a public health hazard.  

State health agencies determined that Dungeness crab collected north of Fort Bragg (southern Humboldt County/northern Mendocino County) have unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended delaying the opening of the recreational fishery in state waters from Cape Mendocino (40° 10' N latitude) to the Ten Mile State Marine Reserve (39° 33.3' N latitude). Following this recommendation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Meghan Hertel has delayed the opening of the recreational Dungeness crab season in this area. Recreational take and/or possession of Dungeness crab is prohibited in these closed waters.

The use of recreational crab traps will be restricted from the California/Oregon border to Point Conception (34° 27' N latitude, Fishing Zones 1-5) until at least Jan. 1, 2027, due to the number of confirmed entanglements this year and high abundance of humpback whales across the fishing grounds. A Fleet Advisory has also been issued for all Fishing Zones for the recreational fishery and crabbers should avoid setting any gear in areas where whales are present. The trap restriction does not affect the use of hoop nets and crab snares (loop traps), and CDFW reminds anglers that all hoop nets must be serviced every two hours and cannot be left unattended for longer periods.

The commercial Dungeness crab fishery will be delayed from the California/Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027. The commercial season delay and recreational trap restriction is required due to the number of humpback whale entanglements during the 2026 calendar year. Current regulations require the CDFW director to take these actions to reduce the possibility of additional entanglements for the remainder of the year. This delay will also allow whales to migrate out of California waters prior to the opening of the commercial fishery."

So the Commies are screwed as usual. We get to crab with hoops not traps, as usual. SNAFU, as usual. There are a lot of humpback whales out there. Usually you don't see them inshore but this year they are here. Warm water isn't likely to send them away anytime soon, nor does the warm water seem likely to go away for a while. Speaking of warm water....

Eric Sheppers caught this 33 pound, 45" white seabass today while rockfishing off of Abbott's Lagoon on a white fly with a piece of squid on it. It almost spooled him a couple times. Nicely done sir!