Check out the new Issue of The Fish Sniffer magazine for September 19, 2025

In this issue of The Fish Sniffer, we are looking forward to Fall, the best season of the year for some of us. The Fall is the time when all beings start to prepare for the tough winter season. For Fishing in Northern Californi, that means the trout, salmon, bass, panfish, stripers, catfish and all other species go on the bite to fatten up for the lean winter season Lakes like Eagle, Shasta, New Melones, Folsom and Berryessa and most others will feature some of the best fishing of the year. Striped bass fishing in the Delta will take off for stripers and the Bay and Ocean will see halibut, rockfish and lingcod go on the bite.

The golden mussel problem is still impacting boaters all over the state and has caused major boat launch closures and strict new inspection and quarantine rules several lakes in our area. These rules are starting to change, and some lakes like Oroville and Bullards bar are allowing boaters to launch the same day after an inspection. Be sure to check out the regulations at any lake you want to fish before you go.

All you need to know about fresh and saltwater fishing in Northern California is now available in the new issue of The Fish Sniffer Magazine!

The beaches have been alive with action lately! Surf perch are showing up just about

everywhere. Most are palm-sized, which makes for some fun on light gear, but we’re still waiting

on those bigger models to move in. Bait has been scattered throughout the surf, yet the halibut

bite has slowed down with fewer quality fish being caught.

Corbina have been stealing the spotlight. Anglers are hooking into fish in the 16 to 20 inch

range, especially when working sand crab beds with a Carolina rig and 10 lb test. Mussel has

also been effective, but it comes with a tradeoff. It will get the attention of Corbina, Croaker,

Bass and Sargo, but it also attracts plenty of bycatch like guitarfish, bat rays, and other surprise

catches that can turn your session into an unexpected battle.

Sand bass and spotted bay bass, better known as spotties, have also been biting hard. These

fish are putting up a solid fight and adding even more variety to the SoCal bite right now. The

one pictured here is a beautiful 17-inch sand bass, proof that there are quality fish in the mix if

you put in the time.

Here’s a tip to keep in mind: target those transition zones where rocks meet sand. Fish are

more concentrated in these spots, and there are still some nice spotfin croakers being caught

too.

After a stretch of hot days in the high 70s and 80s, the coast has started to cool down. With that

shift, more Corbina are sliding into the skinny water during tide swings. Keep your eyes on the

shallows from low to high tide and you might see them cruising right at your feet.

Stay safe, keep fishing, and enjoy what the SoCal surf has to offer. Tight lines, anglers!

For more...

Huge Half Moon Bay Sea Bass

 

By Joseph Gonzalez

 

 

I live in Pacifica and have been fishing for many years out of Half Moon Bay. This year my buddy and I had a fantastic day catching huge white sea bass! Squid showed up a few weeks prior to the catch and there were seiner boats netting them. A few local boats were out trying to catch sea bass during this time with no luck, so everyone left the spot alone for a period of time. What everyone didn’t realize is that these fish primarily feed during the full moon, and the time wasn’t right yet. My boat, a 22 foot Boston Whaler Guardian, had some mechanical issues but was ready 3 days before the full moon,. I started buying all the right tackle to catch these fish at my local tackle shop, but they discouraged me from trying, saying that It was too late and the squid had moved on., I told them I was going to try anyway because I know these fish feed on the moon phase. I invited my buddy Pauly Christiansen who is the only local guy I know who has caught a sea bass in the past.

We launched my Whaler and headed out in search of bait. We found the squid out of the mouth of Half Moon Bay, and 5 minutes after we pinned the first live squid on we were hooked up! I fought the fish for 10 minutes on 30lb line and it ended up breaking me off. We weren’t 100% sure it was a White Sea bass but we were still hopeful. 2 hours later another bite, and this one we landed it turned out to be the 67 pounder.

It was an epic day of fishing, and Pauly and...

Catching Multiple Species at Bucks Lake!

By Paul J. Kneeland

John Brassfield of Foresthill and I took a quick trip to Bucks Lake with his truck and boat in late August. We drove up Hwy 162 over the green bridge at Lake Oroville– the road was curvy but smooth and well paved. As we traveled up in the afternoon and saw huge thunder clouds forming – and we were headed right up to them! The drive was through huge areas of burns from the Dixie Fire from a couple years ago, and the burnt remains of all the trees got to be kind of depressing. We arrived at Bucks Lake about 4:30 in the afternoon and got our campsite at a private camp. It was in view of the lake, but surrounded by mostly RVs and trailers. It was a big open site that was easy to pull the boat in and out of . The big thunder bumpers were to the north and east of us and we didn’t get any rain. We took a tour around the lake and saw where the fire came right down to the Mill Creek bay, but the rest of the shoreline was unscathed with no fire scars in view. We had excellent burgers at the Lakeshore Resort on the deck overlooking the lake. We went back to camp and built a small campfire in the pit, and watched the light show from the lightning in the northeast.  As darkness fell, we could see thousands of stars, and saw dozens of satellites floating through the night sky. About midnight I woke up on the cot outside with rain hitting my face. I was under the awning that was on John’s camper shell, so I adjusted closer to the truck, and then the rain...

Fall Salmon Opener Yields Salmon Limits,

Fishing for Rockfish Open at All Depths

SAN FRANCISCO – The Marin County Coast was the hot spot for the four day fall ocean salmon season that ran from September 4 to September 7 from Point Reyes to Point Sur.

Cat Kaiser, Vice President of Operations and Engagement for the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA), shared her experiences fishing during the limited opportunity to target salmon this year.

“I fished 3 of the 4 days of the season,” Kaiser said. “Thursday was spent working to help restore these amazing creatures, but being on the water and seeing so many friends out there was the best!”

“As happy as I was to share the opener with everyone out there working hard, doing what we love, and feeling grateful for the chance to fish when we can, it was also a bittersweet reminder of just how precious this resource is and what our fishery could and should be,” stated Kaiser.

“A few scattered days are not a true ‘season,’ and having zero days for the commercial fleet is truly heartbreaking. As the new Vice President of Operations and Engagement for GSSA, I do solemnly swear to work every day toward bringing back a strong, healthy salmon fishery for California,” she added.

Kaiser said she was honored to kick off day one “with my passionate and hard-working friends, Unforgettable Fishing Adventures, and of course my salmon sister Annie Nagel for an episode of Angler West TV.” They departed for the fishing grounds out of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

The 6 people fishing aboard the boat, along with the two crew members, landed 16 salmon, full limits, while trolling with anchovies off Double Point with Captain Virginia Salvador.

“Annie caught the largest fish, a solid 20 pounds,”...

Paul’s Staff Tackle 4408

 

Paul Kneeland fished Bucks Lake with John Brassfield of Foresthill in John’s 18 foot Duckworth.  They caught rainbow trout to 19 inches using a Daiwa North Coast 8 foot ultralight graphite rod with a Okuma Convector low profile line counter reel loaded with 8 lb test Okuma Soft Steel line.. They trolled yellow winged Tasmanian Devils and bright yellow/red Speedy Shiners off the Canon Downriggers at 25 to 60 feet deep and 2.3 mph.

Don’t Miss the Shasta Lake Fall Trout Derby

The Fall Trout Derby at Shasta Lake is happening this October 11 and 12, 2025. The water level at Shasta is only down about 70 feet and all launching facilities are in full operation. We are all anticipating a great Fall Trout Derby!

The Fall Trout Derby is hosted by the Shasta Lake Business Owners Association. The Derby features two full days of fishing with a 4 trout weigh in per team. A team is one or more anglers fishing from the same boat. The 4 trout weigh in can only include one German brown trout per day. This derby promises a minimum of $9000 in Prize Money. The Derby entrance fee of $175 includes both days of fishing, plus a great dinner at the Lakehead Lions club, and a fun raffle. The weigh in is held both days at the Basshole and Brews parking lot in Lakehead.

New for this year is the ability to use bait for the derby. Also, the weigh location is now at Lakeshore Inn at 20483 Lakeshore Drive in Lakehead.

This is always a very fun derby with lots of camaraderie. Shasta Lake is huge, and the trout are in excellent condition this year with the high water conditions. Don’t hesitate, there is a maximum of 250 anglers allowed in the derby.

There are several places to rent a cabin during the derby, including Sugarloaf Cottages (800-853-4432) or www.shastacabins.com, and Tsasdi Resort (530-238-2575) or www.tsasdiresort.us There are also campgrounds and even houseboats available to fishermen at this time. Basshole and Brews features excellent food and drinks after a long day of fishing. Contact them at 530-962-3050 or www.bassholebrews.com

For more information, go to www.shastalaketroutderby.com, or contact Harold Jones at Sugarloaf Resort at 800-853-4432.

The Thomas Lures Speedy Shiner the “go to” fast trolling trout and salmon lure

 

 

 “The “Speedy Shiner” style of lure appears to date back to the 1960’s,” according to Peter Ridd of Thomas Lures, makers of the Speedy Shiner. “The lure originated in Maine. Back in those days a lot of companies were turning out spinning gear. It was customary then to offer a line of lures to go with your gear. The Speedy Shiner style lure was knocked off by a lot of different companies and there have been a lot of slightly different configurations of the spoon we market today.” These days our Speedy Shiners are offered in three different sizes – 2 ½, 3 ¼ and 4 inch models. They are also available in over 30 fish catching colors. Color is less important when trolling fast in the 2.5 to 4 mph range then when moving slowly at traditional trout speeds of 2.0 mph or less. And Speedy Shiners are very speed capable, with a great wiggling action from 1.8 up to 4 mph!

If water clarity is good, go with natural colored lures. That means chromes paired with hues of blue or purple for spoons. If the water clarity is poor, super bright stuff like florescent orange can give you an edge. When the light level is low either early or late or when the sky is overcast, black can be an absolutely deadly color that few anglers ever think to try.

For more information about Speedy Shiners visit them at Thomas lures – www.thomaslures.com

Camanche/Pardee Lakes

Shore Anglers Get Ready for Trout Plants

BURSON – Fishing pressure remains light at both Camanche and Pardee reservoirs, due to the closure of the lake to private boats including kayaks. Trout plants at both reservoirs will resume in the fall after the surface water temperature cools down.

But catchamericafishing reported “trout limits for the crew renting pontoon boats and running Power Bait” on Camanche over the Labor Day weekend, so there are plenty of holdover rainbows in the lake to be caught.

The most recent fishing report from the Lake Camanche Recreation Company was when Victoria Flemings landed an 8.9 lb. channel catfish, winning first place in the Lake Camanche Catfish Competition. The derby featured 45 entries.

The boat ramps remain closed through the end of 2025 for launching outside water craft, although shore fishing, mussel-free rental boats, and camping are still available at Pardee and Camanche reservoirs.

Due to the spread of the golden mussel recently discovered in Northern California, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) will keep boat launches closed to private vessels for the 2025 season. “This decision eliminates one of the primary ways that mussels spread, helping EBMUD keep its commitment to protect the environment and the public water system on behalf of its 1.4 million customers in the East Bay,” the agency said in a press release.

• Dan Bacher

Davis Lake

Catfish and Black Bass Offer Best Late Summer Action

PORTOLA – The surface water temperature at Davis Lake is cooling with the cooler weather. The surface temperature was in the mid to high sixties at press time.

After rainbow and brown trout fishing slowed down during the “dog days” of August, the action is appearing to perk up, at least for trollers.

“One angler came in today with three nice trout, a mixture of rainbows and browns,’ said Jeanne Graham. “He was trolling Baby Simon lures at 15 feet deep.”

Graham hasn’t heard any reports from bank anglers or fly fishermen lately, but shore fishing and fly fishing should also pick up with the cooler weather. Bank anglers interested in hooking trout should toss out PowerBait and nightcrawlers at Mallard.

The brown bullhead bite is best on the north end of the lake at this time. Anglers should use worms and prepared dough baits for the 1 to 2 lb. catfish.

The largemouth bass are still hitting soft plastics and worms around the lake. South of Eagle Point and north of Lightning Tree are two of the better spots to target bass.

On July 23, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife planted 20,000 subcatchable rainbows in the reservoir.

Davis is holding 67,900 acre feet of water, 82 percent of capacity and 124 percent of average.

• Dan Bacher

East Bay Lakes Roundup

Perfect weather, light crowds and decent fishing!

ALAMEDA COUNTY – The weather is perfect, school is in, and the crowds are light, seasonal plants may have ended but there is still plenty of action to be had.

Lake del Valle - Paul Clouse and Al Hurwitz continue their quest for DV smallies and are starting to see some decent numbers. Last week the pair took a total of 12 fish (the one Bluegill and 11 Smallmouth). The smallies were mostly on the dink side, except for one weighing 2 pounds. The fish were mainly caught on the western shore of the lake opposite Swallow Bay trolling 1/4 oz Panther Martin Spinners in a salamander pattern at 16-21 feet below the surface in 20–30-foot water columns at a speed of 2.0-2.4 mph.

Largemouth remain another solid target, with a decent morning and evening bite and with water temperatures slowly dropping the bite window is stretching longer into the day. Additionally, the fish are moving into deeper water and are a bit easier to target in the cleaner water. Catfish are still more than available, panfish are at about their largest size of the season, and there are still some outliers such as the occasional striper. Weedless plastics, chatter baits, shallow divers and spinners will all work for bass.

Cut baits like anchovies and sardines are best for the cats and worms under a bobber or small jigs should produce both crappie and bluegill. There was a surprise DFW trout taken this week

A caution advisory for algae remains in effect but has had little effect on the fishing. The water level is good, and water temperatures have been between 75 degrees in the morning and 79 degrees in the afternoon.

Contra Loma – There has been little...

Los Vaqueros Reservoir

South Side of Reservoir Opens Back Up to Public, Catfish Is Best Bet

LIVERMORE – From September 2-4, the south side of the watershed was fully closed, including Los Vaqueros Road and the Los Vaqueros Marina. But on September 5 the road reopened to the public.

"We're glad to welcome visitors back to the South side today after the temporary closure,” according to the Los Vaqueros Marina staff. “Road repairs are still underway, so please continue to drive with caution. As always, we appreciate your patience.”

Meanwhile, there have been six plants of channel catfish in Los Vaqueros this summer.

The latest plant by Tsai Enterprises was on August 19 when 1,000 pounds of catfish were stocked in the reservoir. They also stocked 1,000 pounds of channel cats on July 15.

Big fish honors go to Ricky, who caught a hefty channel catfish off the fishing pier. The size of the fish and the bait the fish was caught on were not provided.

For those targeting catfish, chicken liver and anchovies are the best choices of bait. There has been a steady number of catfish being caught around the reservoir. South Cove, Cowboy Cove and Oak Point are some of the popular spots, according to the Los Vaqueros Marina. Expect to catch channel cats averaging 2 to 5 pounds, along with some bigger fish.

“Striper fishing is mixed with both shakers and legal sized fish being caught from around the reservoir,” the marina reported. “Cut anchovies or shad are the baits of choice, either from shore or a boat. Cowboy Cove and Howden Cove seem to be the hot spots for stripers. Just a reminder: stripers need to be 18 inches or more to be legal. Please release the small fish as quickly and carefully as possible....

Lake Oroville

Fishing Pressure Light for Kings and Rainbows Despite Great Bite

OROVILLE – Since so many anglers are fishing the Feather River for the chance to catch their first river salmon in 3 years, fishing reports from Lake Oroville have been scarce.

However, Bret Brady of Bare Bones Guide Service reported top-notch fishing on this most recent adventures at Oroville.

“Fishing has been fantastic,” said Brady. “We are catching rainbows up to 5 lbs. and kings up to 4.5 lbs. Rainbows are coming from 55–65 feet, while the kings are coming from 85–95 feet. Fish are in great condition and actively feeding.”

“There is very little fishing pressure,” he advised. “Focus on finding the bait—fish are concentrated wherever bait is present. Use Uncle Larry’s Pearl Squid (both colors), a 360 flasher in various colors, and a 5.5-inch dodger at 2–2.3 mph for best results.”

David Derby confirmed the excellent salmon and trout fishing on the lake on the Lake Oroville Fishing Reports Facebook Page:

“We caught five kings and three rainbows this morning west of the green bridge 80’ down. The fish were still biting when we left. We had a fun day,” he reported.

Meanwhile, Inspectors for DWR’s invasive mussel prevention program at Oroville found suspected golden mussels during a routine inspection of a pontoon boat on September 4.

“The pontoon was previously moored at the Pittsburg Marina and had been power washed prior to traveling to Oroville,” DWR reported in its weekly update. “Thanks to DWR’s mussel inspection program, the boat was prevented from launching at DWR’s Oroville facilities.”

“Staff immediately contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for further inspection and decontamination at another facility. The vessel was quarantined and will not be allowed to launch at a DWR reservoir until CDFW confirms that...

Lake Berryessa

Catfish, Salmon and Bass Highlight Early Fall Catches

SACRAMENTO – Cal Kellogg of fishcalkellogg.com reported experiencing the “most interesting trip I’ve ever had on Lake Berryessa” while fishing with Nate Kelsch from Big Nate’s Guide Service. Their target was lunker catfish – and they caught those, as well as a smallmouth and largemouth bass.

“We went into a cove and marked what we thought were channel catfish,” said Kellogg. “The fish were exploding on bait that jumped onto the shoreline to flee the big predators.”

“Over 40 feet of water, we put squid and anchovies on our hooks. Kelsch hooked and landed a channel cat over 20 pounds at 15 feet below the surface. We missed another fish and I then I hooked and landed a catfish weighing about 12 pounds,” Kellogg continued.

“We also caught and released a 3 lb. smallmouth on an anchovy and a 3-1/2 lb. largemouth on a whole squid,” noted Kellogg. “There didn’t appear to be any small catfish there – there were only huge marks on the fish finder.”

The kokanee, king salmon and rainbow trout action at Berryessa is also going strong.

On his latest trolling adventure, Nate Kelsch reported, “Today I had the pleasure of taking Dave, Amy and Lyle out on Berryessa for a potluck trip and they absolutely smashed the donkeys, scoring the largest kokanee that I’ve seen since 2021, big king salmon and some beautiful trout. What a day! These potluck trips are a blast as I try to get you a nice combo of what this amazing fishery as to offer.”

“I can’t preach enough about the Tackle that we are using, which is all available in my Kokanee Kit from Catch America!!! These 6 in Offset Dodgers. Tpex lures and Uncle Larry’s Spinners, tipped with...

Feather River

Anglers Score Salmon Limits on River

OROVILLE – The salmon season closed after September 15 in the Feather River from the unimproved boat ramp above the Thermalito Afterbay Outfall to 200 yards above the Live Oak boat ramp.

The section from 200 yards above the Live Oak boat ramp to Highway 99 bridge remains open through October 31. The bag limit is one Chinook salmon: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=202686&inline

Before the closure of the upper section of river, Justin Leonard of Out Cast Guide Service reported solid Chinook salmon action, with some slower days mixed in.

"It was a tough morning," said Leonard on September 12. "The releases to the river dropped over the last couple of days. But we still ended up with limits of salmon for six people. The fish ranged from 8 to 22 pounds."

"We caught all of the fish while boondoggling with roe. There are a ton of fish in the river now. Anglers are now finding decent salmon action downriver. We will be fishing the lower river once the closure of the upper river goes into effect,” he concluded.

Lake Almanor

 

Good fishing all over the lake.

 

 The weather returned to pleasant following days that featured afternoon thunderstorms. The conditions are almost identical to the last report, with little changing out on the water. The water level continues its slow decline of about 1/10 of a foot/day and currently sits at 4486. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are at seasonal norms. Water temperature is at or near 70. Bug hatches continue in many areas of the lake, but a good number of fish, including trout and Smallies, have shifted their attention back to the lake’s pond smelt population. The trout are now spread throughout the entire lake. With localized dense pockets of fish tightly grouped on bait. Find one of these groups and stay on them for some wild bites. Action for trollers is happening at a variety of locations around the lake, from the dam to Big Springs. Both sides of the peninsula have been giving up fish as well. Trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings recently. Slow trolled worms and plastics along with fast trolled spoons in bright as well as bait fish patterns have both produced fish this week. 35 to 45 feet seems to be holding the bulk of the active fish. The catch continues to be a mix Rainbows and Browns along with a few salmon. Bait fishermen have been netting a few fish at several locations including the dam and east shore around Dorado as well as eastern side of the peninsula. Fly anglers suspending nymphs under indicators are tempting the fish that are keyed in on the aquatic larvae  Bass anglers have been throwing jigs on rocky points and shore lines for smallies keyed in on smelt as their food source. Lots of trout stacked up in...

Rio Vista/Delta

Trolling, Bait Fishing Produces Striper Limits

RIO VISTA – The striper bite for trollers in the Delta continues to be excellent, according to legendary trolling expert Mark Wilson. Mark tells me that he and his friends have been concentrating on the Sacramento River below Rio Vista.

Mark said he’s been trolling the West Bank from Sandy Beach down river to the Red Barn for 20 to 30 keepers per trip, releasing all but their limits. He’s trolling any green colored Yozuri or P-Line Predator deep diving lures in 12 to 15 feet of water for his best action.

Mark added that when the wind prevents them from trolling the West Bank, he’s been going into Broad or Montezuma Sloughs. Both sloughs are holding stripers averaging 7 pounds similar to the main river. Mark is finding that the incoming tide has been more productive, but he’s also catching stripers on the outgoing tide as well.

There is no sturgeon report this month as sturgeon fishing closed on June 30th from the west side of the Carquinez Bridge east to downstream of the confluence of the Feather River on the Sacramento River and downstream of the I-5 bridge on the San Joaquin River. Sturgeon fishing will resume again on October 1, 2025, so look for a sturgeon report once the fishery opens after October 1st.

Cal Kellogg of fishcalkellogg.com reported catching some quality stripers lately. On his latest solo trip, Kellogg reported catching and releasing a 22 lb. striper and catching and keeping an 8 lb. striper in the Delta.

“The big fish measured 40 inches long,” said Kellogg. “I saw good marks on my fishfinder on the San Joaquin River between the Mokelumne and the mouth of Fisherman’s Cut. I put on a bluegill for bait in 18 feet...

Bodega Bay/Tomales Bay

Rockfish and Lingcod Bite Continues At Fast Pace

BODEGA BAY – Anglers aboard the New Sea Angler found solid fishing during the four day salmon season from Point Reyes to Point Sur. Now the charter boats are back to targeting rockfish and lingcod with great results.

23 anglers caught 47 salmon to 27 pounds on September 5 while trolling aboard the New Sea Angler south of Point Reyes, reported Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sportfishing. The 25 anglers bagged 32 salmon to 26 pounds while trolling anchovies the previous day. The weather conditions were excellent.

On his most recent rockfish adventure, the 14 anglers aboard the New Sea Angler bagged 140 rockfish, full limits, and 10 lingcod up to 14 pounds. “The fish were all quality bottomfish – there were no school fish,” Powers noted.

On his previous rockfish adventure, the 6 anglers fishing with Powers landed 160 rockfish, full limits, and 12 lingcod to 12 pounds.

The anglers have been catching quality canary, brown, copper and vermilion rockfish. Anglers are hooking the fish while using shrimp flies baited with squid strips, bars, jigs, swimbaits and other offerings.

The recreational groundfish regulations in the San Francisco Management Area (from Point Arena to Pigeon Point) are available here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=185056&inline

In Tomales Bay, Willy Vogler at Lawson’s Landing in Dillon’s Landing reported spotty halibut fishing. He posted a report from “Swampy” that detailed the state of halibut fishing:

“Should have been here yesterday. It was a tough bite today, but plan C and D finally worked. We hit the bar and interior hard for two halibut. Jake, Swampy Jr, scored a 14 pounder and Alex got a clicker. We had a great time as always. She ain’t singing yet,” Swampy stated.

"The fat lady is surely warming up, though,”...

Half Moon Bay

Rockfish Limits The Rule Off San Mateo County Coast

EL GRANADA – If you want to catch a limit of colorful rockfish, along with getting the chance to battle a big lingcod or halibut, the San Mateo County coast is a superb prospect at this time. The new groundfish regulations allow anglers to target rockfish and lingcod at all depths in state water.

The Queen of Hearts reported in with 120 rockfish and 2 lingcod for 12 anglers on their latest trip out of the harbor. The boat came back with 228 rockfish, 2 lingcod and 2 cabezon for 23 people on their previous trip, reported Wallace Klughers, Captain of the Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle. Another trip yielded 240 rockfish, 5 lingcod and 2 halibut for the 24 anglers aboard the boat.

Recreational Dungeness crab season is closed until the first Saturday in November, but the rock crab season is open all year using either hoop nets or snares. Anglers interested in catching rock crab can fish off the fishing pier inside the harbor as well as on the jetty.

If you're interested in monkeyface eel, there are plenty of them available hidden in the jetty rocks for poke-pole anglers.

Groundfish Regulations Summary Update: Effective August 28, 2025: Recreational regulations allow take of rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod in all depths for state waters in the Northern, Mendocino, San Francisco, and Central Groundfish Management Areas through December 31, 2025.

There are temporarily different regulations for rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod in federal waters in these Management Areas. Regulations in federal waters may vary by management area. Before fishing, anglers should verify if their planned fishing location is in state or federal waters and what regulations apply in each water area....