Fishing for rock cod remains very much a sure thing for boats all around Monterey Bay. Chris’ fishing Trips from Monterey continue to post full limits of rockfish for all their forays. Lingcod counts are going up as we near the spawning season. Other Monterey anglers are going for sand dabs petrale sole and halibut on the flat sandy areas from Pacific Grove to Sand City in depths of 70 to 150 feet of water. On the North side of the bay, Stagnaro’s sportfishing reports near limits on all trips plus a few lings. 

Bluefin tuna are still in the area, but the bite has been very picky. There are some boats who catch one but most others catch none. Todd Fraser at Bayside marine provided a weekend tuna report saying, “There were a few boats who went looking for tuna today. I heard one boat was looking around the Davenport Fingers but did not hook up. There were a few other boats in the middle of the bay looking for tuna but I have not heard anything. I just got a confirmation of one bluefin caught near Carmel. There was another bluefin hooked near the Fingers but it was lost.” So, the tuna are still here, but chances of bringing one home are remote. Most of the tuna caught recently have been in the 50 to 100-pound class.

The recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to open on November 1, 2025, though no one really expects the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to approve that opening date. A number of factors affect the opener and governance of the resource is controlled by numerous state and federal agencies. The primary cause of delays each year is to mitigate whale and sea turtle entanglement in crab lines. Commercial crabbers are increasingly turning to “pop-up” gear that store both line and buoys on the seafloor to be deployed when the angler sends a signal. Domoic acid levels are also a factor taken into account before agencies will give a go-ahead for Dungeness trapping. Because crabs molt their shell as they grow, the percentage of edible meat can vary. Poor meat quality can also delay the season for recreational and commercial crabbers.