In Bodega Bay, one of the busiest sportfishing days of the year happens to be a day when people aren’t looking to catch fish at all: it’s the start of Dungeness Crab season. Every November, anglers from all corners of California head to town for a chance to harvest this iconic delicacy with their own hands. It’s no secret that seafood is best when fresh, and it doesn’t get much fresher than this!
Dungeness is king in the Crab world, since these are hands down the biggest and tastiest specimens. Their bodies are full of sweet, firm meat, offering a whole lot of bang for your buck. But Bodega Bay has much more to offer than that. Other common catches include Rock, Red, Yellow, and Slender Crabs. You’ll find that the tastiest meat in many of these critters is actually found in their legs and claws, not their bodies (unlike Dungeness).
Bodega Bay Crabbing Tips
The season for Dungeness Crab opens in November and typically runs until July (sometimes through the end of July). The best time to target this catch is at the start of the season. Other Crab species are open to harvest year-round.
You can catch Crabs from piers, jetties, and rocky shorelines, or in a boat. The jetty at the north end of Bodega Bay is one of the best spots for crabbing. Nets and snares are both effective, depending on conditions. Snares are better for catching large Crabs, but easily get caught in the rocks if you use them in a rocky area.
Be sure to bring heavy-duty rubber gloves to handle your catch and a container to keep it in. Many anglers in Bodega Bay will tell you that crabbing involves slowly taking beer out of the cooler and replacing the bottles with Crabs as you go.
Need to Know
Anglers age 16 and older must purchase a CA fishing license. One exception is that you do not need a license when crabbing from a public pier.
Pay attention to the size of the Crabs that you find, because some species have size limits. Anglers can only keep Dungeness Crabs measuring 5¾ inches or bigger (measured across the shell). The limit is 10 Dungeness Crab per day. The minimum size for Rock, Red, and Yellow Crab is 4 inches, and anglers can keep up to 35 of these Crabs.
While most species are legal to harvest year-round, Bodega Bay crabbing can close unexpectedly, so always keep an eye on regulations before your trip. In 2016, crabbing was closed in the area north of Bodega Bay due to high levels of domoic acid found in the Crabs. The California Department of Public Health still advises consumers not to eat the internal organs of any Crabs caught north of Salt Point in Sonoma County.
