Conditions got a bit messy for anglers on the Monterey Bay in the middle part of this week. We had another early winter type storm move through that included some rain, high winds and big swells. A small craft advisory was issued through Thursday evening but the weekend looks to be much more calm, with swells in the four to six-foot range and winds forecast to peak around ten knots. That is just fine for deepwater rockfish and crabbing in 120 to 220 feet of water.

Dungeness crab take top billing right now, as the recreational season opened last weekend. Commercial crabbing usually opens in mid-November, but there will be delays again this year avoid whale entanglements. Recreational crabbers are limited to short-soak hoop nets, which can’t be left unattended for more than two hours. Some anglers use rod and reel with crab snares. This technique can work in the deep water, and is especially favored by crabbers working from the beach. Last week, the beaches between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay provided more than a few crab limits for hardy anglers who braved the elements.

Opening weekend proved to be very promising for those who chase the Dungeness. Within Monterey Bay, the best results came from flat areas on the edge of our deep marine canyons. The Soquel Hole seemed to have produced best for the opener. The Dungies were caught fairly shallow on Saturday, from 110 to 150 feet of water, according to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz. On Sunday, the traps set at 120 to 160 feet seemed to do better,   and Monday 180 to 200 feet seemed to be the region with most crabs crawling. “The swell may have moved the crab out to deeper water,” Fraser surmised. Experienced local crabbers had little problem collecting limits over the weekend, and fingers are crossed for this coming weekend, when the ocean calms down again.

November is also primetime for lingcod fishing. The big lings are moving in for spawning and can be found in shallow waters. Rocky areas are best. Monterey anglers move around Point Pinos towards Carmel and Big Sur, while Santa Cruz boats find their best success along the West Cliff reefs and beyond, up towards Davenport. Ling cod are not picky. They will strike at almost anything, including butter knife and crescent wrench lures. Typical bait presentations will always work for lings. Most agree the absolute best bait for the big fish is live sand dabs. Take the time to rustle up 20 or 30 dabs from the deeper sand flats for the live well, and let the mayhem ensue!