Dugnie open finally ???

..and they're molting...

Hope you are joking.

The molt/mating is just starting so get em now before the commercial dudes swoop in ....but wait for Tuesday when the swell drops down IMO

 numero uno be safe.. Don't lose gear ( like me)

quick report on monterey bay dungy status-I went on Randys fishing sat the 13th

we sand dabbed and then went to pull traps I got to see the first Randys trap of this season come up and over the side rail--back is sore from pulling up like 4 myself---folks were sick and only like 3 guys in the boat took turns--we pulled 7-10 traps of their 20 trap line and left the rest soaking for todays folks--baited and dropped back the ones we checked etc..

first trap-after radio talk of only shorts or rocky's so thick they filled and blocked the traps--1 st had 10ish crab five short fiver really nice -good sign--no rocks
second trap was better and then we started getting like 8-15 per pull of really nice big crab---as big or bigger than i saw last year
200-300 fow in monterey will put nice size healthy dungies in the trap now for sure
I came home and ate 3 myself just about -wife ate maybe one
charter only allows 6 per angler--when i went to clean the kitchen after grubbing till could we not eat anymore we still had a ton of crab legs left--so big crabs for sure...huge seas and 3 crabs and butter had me spinning last night--still sore today from pulling and balancing---whole boat was getting sick just about it seemed..first pic shows a wall of water on the horizon---easy 15' from high to low in the big swells...

Looks like are version of deadliest catch is On!

Thanks for sharing trianglelaguna.

Nice you guys helped dial in the spots, Me and the boys are heading out next Saturday so hopefully we will have a smaller swell. Can't wait!

  Water looks very calm on Tuesday in Half Moon Bay. Is anybody going? If things work out, I should be good to go have some fun. Like to join up with somebody. Didn't want to be solo.      Herb N.

Debating on whether or not to go down to HMB tomorrow since I have the day off for President's day.  Conditions don't look as good as Tuesday but still manageable. 

Anybody else going tomorrow?

Saw a sea otter with a dungie on his belly in about 75' of water just south of the mile buoy out of Santa Cruz today. Harbor mouth was still a bit sketchy but I'm sure the swell with sit down a bit this week. Also saw lots of birds and bait working from the harbor out past 7 miles!!!

Saw a sea otter with a dungie on his belly in about 75' of water just south of the mile buoy out of Santa Cruz today. Harbor mouth was still a bit sketchy but I'm sure the swell with sit down a bit this week. Also saw lots of birds and bait working from the harbor out past 7 miles!!!

Oh you went out???

Oh you went out???
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🤐

Since this closure debacle started, a commercial guy named Ben Platt on the f/v Seastar went and got samples out of HMB on his own dime around 10  times.
Commercial remains closed, and if F&W follows protocol and the recommendations of our representatives it will remain closed until the whole of district 10 tests clean or clean buffer zones exist for two rounds of tests.
I suggest local crabbers either find Ben on FB and thank him or write him a letter and drop it at the harbor masters office. If you're feeling not as broke as a guy who has had 80% of their annual income taken from them, you might want to slide a donation into that letter.
Every port in CA has commercial fishermen that have done the same. It wouldn't be hard to find out who they are to thank/donate to.
Just a thought.

I see the 38' line goes right into chimney rock at the lighthouse. Does anyone know if we can crab in drakes bay or is that closed to mlpa?

It's been a few years since I've looked into this, however, there used to be an area between The estuary and Chimneyrock that was open to crabbing. In fact there was a commercial craber there, however, he was known for not being friendly towards other people's pots.

The old lifeguard launch would be a great place to launch a kayak if permissible. That place has an amazing history. Before the days of motors the lifeguards would launch rowboats in storms to save people in distress.



http://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/historyculture/people_maritime_lifeboatstation.htm

I see the 38' line goes right into chimney rock at the lighthouse. Does anyone know if we can crab in drakes bay or is that closed to mlpa?

There is a no take SMR occupying the western half of Drakes bay. The SE boundary is a line from buoy green "1" near the coastguard station to a point near the mouth of the estero.

I noticed that red rock crab is still closed in areas that Dungeness is open.  Are they closed for D-acid?  Kinda sketchy if you ask this novice, do they have a different diet? How could they be testing different when they are so similar.

Thanks Sharky