Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3802 Jan 4-18 | Page 30

28 SALTWATER January 4-18, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 2 SALTWATER REPORTS BODEGA BAY BERKELEY Rockfish/Crab Counts Held Up Despite Groundswell East Bay Anglers Score Limits Of Crab & Rocks As Season Enters Final Days BERKLELEY - Anglers departing from East Bay ports continue to round up limits of crab and rockfish. Loads are light with Christmas looming. If you want to score some last minute treats in the form of tasty crabs and rockfish fillets don’t wait too long. The bottom fish season is slated to end on December 31. As of press time the California Dawn, Happy Hooker and Goldeneye 2000 were all scoring easy limits of rockfish and crab when the weather conditions allowed them to make it out to the Farallons. Lingcod action has been slow overall, but guys that concentrate on working the bottom with large frozen baits have been scoring a fish or two per rod. Once the rockfish season closes the Happy Hooker will be heading up to the Martinez Marina for sturgeon and striper fishing in San Pablo and Suisun Bays as well as the West Delta. The California Dawn and Goldeneye 2000 will be going offline for repairs. They will be back on the bay in late March or April for the 2019 halibut season. BODEGA BAY - The big swell that arrived on the California coast affected the lingcod bite along the Sonoma coast, but the rockfish continued to bite with crab limits remaining the rule as the boat-based groundfish season neared its end on December 31. Even with the commercial opener two weeks ago, the crab counts were holding up. Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing and the New Sea Angler said, “We are still batting 1000 for rockfish and crab limits, and I believe that the crab limits will hold up through the end of the rockfish season on December 31st. The wind is the only limiting factor, and today’s wind was out of the east which is not a problem.” “When we get south wind or northwest wind, that’s when it is more of a concern. The swell is backing off, and I don’t really worry about the swell since the wind is the limiting factor. The swell will affect the lingcod, but the rockfish are still biting,” he stated. Powers’ clients put in 23 limits of rockfish and crab Late season lingcod hunters were scoring some impressive fish while fishing beyond the Golden Gate aboard the California Dawn this December. Photo courtesy of CALIFORNIA DAWN SPORTFISHING, Berkeley. GRADY-WHITE See the new 2019 Models now at BOAT SHOW PRICES! Mike Ohler landed this huge 32 pound lingcod while fishing near Cape San Martin aboard the Endeavor on December 12. Photo courtesy of GLENN FUKUMOTO, Sacramento. 3622 216 FISHERMAN Cali S fornia Dawn portfiShing THE FISH SNIFFER Now at Berkeley Marina! (833)-347-4661 232 GULFSTREAM 208 ADVENTURE 228 HARDTOP Call Now for details and availability! (408)371-6681 www.cvmarine.com 3802 FISH SNIFFER GOES DIGITAL! Digital subscription now available to the Fish Sniffer. Check us out on magazine.fishsniffer.com or Email digital_subscriptions@ fishsniffer.com Chef ey all Marc's G Daily! n O pe Crab, Rockfish & Lingcod COMBO TRIPS CAPTAIN CAPTAIN JAMES JAMES JR. JR. SMITH SMITH start NOV 3RD! Daily Departures at 6:00 AM From Berkeley Marina Reservations & Information: (510) 417-5557 Website: http://californiadawn.com E-mail: acaptainsmith@aol.com