Rockfish anglers have moved to the nearshore area now we’ve passed into November. The deep reefs past 300 feet are now closed until December. There are still plenty of rockies on the inside, though the fish are usually smaller and catching limits takes longer. The trip to fishing grounds is a lot quicker, though.

Most notable this week is the opening of Dungeness crab season. Just like last year, concerns about whale entanglement in crab pot lines has necessitated some in-season changes to typical crab regulations. Anglers are not allowed to use the classic “crab pots” conducted by rope to floating buoys on the surface. Crab pots can be baited and dropped and then checked the next day, or in a couple/few days. This time period is called a “soak.”

Long soaks are conducive to collecting a good number of crab within each pot. Anglers can set out a line of pots and pull them up until they reach a limit. The remaining pots can be left in the water for retrieval the next day. It’s a very productive method of fishing for crab.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife stated, “The recreational fishery for Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) is open from Nov. 2 through June 30, 2025 south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county line. The daily bag limit is 10 crab, and the minimum size limit is 5¾ inches. Recreational crabbing is not allowed from vessels licensed for commercial Dungeness crab fishing.”

Commercial crabbing season opener, usually scheduled on Nov. 15, will be delayed this year, as it was last. We will not get further info of these in-season changes until after the DFW’s next meeting on the topic, scheduled for the middle of this month.

Though it takes more work and provides lower individual yields per trap, we are still allowed to use hoop nets and crab snares in our pursuit of these tasty crustaceans. DFW specifies “Crab traps may not be set or used from the Mendocino/Sonoma county line to Lopez Point in Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4), due to the elevated potential for whale entanglement in trap gear. Dungeness crab may still be caught using hoop nets, snares (loop traps) and the hands.

Recreational angler Joe Baxter reported in earlier this week saying, “We got three Dungeness limits in the Monterey bay in 150 feet of water. Bait was cod and anchovies. We had to work for them for sure. It was not easy. Unfortunately it sounds slow every where so far this year.”

Baxter and company were using hoop nets. It’s also notable that the crew were finding the crab in 150 feet of water within the bay. Usually the better crab locations are in deeper water from 180 to 220 feet of water in our area. Because the crab grounds are deeper than our rockfishing depth limits of 120 feet this month, be sure to catch your crab first, before fishing for rock cod. It is illegal to have sport caught rockfish on board the vessel if fishing past that 120-foot boundary.

Allen Bushnell also operates Santa Cruz Surfcasting Guide Service. Please send your reports, pictures or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com