Meandering Angler: How to get crab for the holidays

Just in case you haven’t been watching the news, the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season has been postponed until December 15. That means the only way you’re going to get fresh Dungeness crab before then is to catch them yourself. And that is definitely possible.

Sports fishermen are allowed to fish for crabs now. The easiest way to do that is to go out on a party boat, like the “New Sea Angler,” operated by Capt. Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sportsfishing.

Rick’s dock in Bodega Bay is about an hour’s drive from Sonoma through Petaluma. He’ll take you on board and in a matter of a few hours you’ll not only have a limit of 10 beautiful crabs, but probably a limit of rock and lingcod as well. Rick charges $140 per angler, and for that you bring home hundreds of dollars worth of fresh crab and fish.

To book a spot on Rick’s boat, call him at 875-3344.

Freshwater anglers can still find some action on largemouth bass at Clear Lake. There is a lot less boat traffic and the fishing remains pretty good throughout the winter months.

If you’ve never fished Clear Lake, you might consider hiring a guide with a boat. I’ve read good things about Bob Myskey. Check out his website at fishclearlake.com.

Fly-fishing on the lower Sacramento River between Redding and Anderson also remains open and good during the winter. For that stretch of water I usually call The Fly Shop in Redding, (530) 222-3555. They have an excellent team of guides who know that river well.

My favorite spot is the lower Yuba west of Marysville when the flows are too heavy. For that, I call guide Hogan Brown at (530) 514-2453.

Closer to Sonoma, fishing on San Francisco Bay remains surprisingly good for striped bass, and now sturgeon fishing is picking up.

Keith Fraser at the Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael, has been getting good sturgeon action reports including one from a guy who went out with friends twice this week and they landed a total of 10 sturgeon while fishing near the Pump House. Keith is the recognized Bay fishing guru and has even written a book on how to fish in San Francisco Bay. He also has the best live bait and can help you book a party boat for bay fishing. Call him at (415) 456-0321.

Your 2019 fishing license is good through Dec. 31, and the 2020 licenses are already on sale. Brocco’s Old Barn on Arnold Drive sells them. Or you can buy them on the CDFW website, at wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing.