Crab opener good news and tragic

Last Saturday’s dungeness crab season opener was good and very bad. The good news was the crab catch was the best in years, with virtually everybody who went out getting limits of fat, legal-sized crab.

Rick Powers, of Bodega Bay Sportfishing, on the New Sea Angler brought in 50 limits of crab and 50 limits of rockfish for 50 anglers, plus eight lingcod Saturday. The next day he got limits of crabs and rockfish for the 33 anglers on board, plus five lingcod to 13 pounds.

Many others reported success off the Russian River and down to Salmon Creek. Rick on the New Sea Angler has room on his boats this week. Call him at 875-3344 to arrange a trip.

Crab action off the Marin coast was also excellent with virtually all party boats reporting limits for their customers.

You can actually buy rigs for catching crabs that can be cast out with your fishing rod. This allows you to fish from shore when you don’t have a boat or cannot go out on a party boat.

Tragically, the season opener also saw four fishermen from the Bodega Bay area drown when their boat was hit by a sneaker wave and capsized. A fifth angler managed to swim to Seal Rock and was later rescued. It is a reminder of just how deadly unexpected waves can be off our coast.

In 1976, well-known Sonoma trucking business owner Stewart Weider was lost in a boating accident off the Point Reyes Peninsula when a huge wave swamped the 24-foot fishing boat in which he was a passenger.

Ronny Jacobsen called me this week to report excellent striped bass fishing on the Napa River, where he caught two nice fish up to 27 inches. He was using anchovies for bait. He said that the second day he fished everybody coming back in reported catching lots of stripers. Most used live bullheads for bait.

Keith Fraser, of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle, continued to sing the praises of striped bass fishing in the Bay this week, with Red Rock as the best location for drifting Loch Lomond shiners. Anglers fishing with shiners are still managing to catch a few halibut along with the bass. Rick books Bay party boats and has plenty of live bait, including his famous Loch Lomond shiners. Call him at 415-456-0321.

Trout season closes Saturday, Nov. 15, on many streams and lakes in the Sierras and Siskiyous. The upper Sacramento above lake Shasta is now open all year. Check the regulations before you assume that it is OK to fish on a certain lake or stream.

Steelhead fishing is improving on the Klamath River, and has been excellent on the Rogue in Southern Oregon.