Huge storm surf this week shut down the Dungeness crab action, but the waves will begin building excellent structure for wintertime perch surfcasting.

On Tuesday, a 25-foot sport fishing boat from Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay apparently was overcome by waves in that area which measured 20 feet or more. After a 20-hour search, some debris from the boat Good Guys and the emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) from the boat were sighted in the waters of that area. No survivors have been located from the Good Guys. The waves also undoubtedly finished off the Lou Denny Wayne from Santa Cruz, which was run aground near Pigeon Point last week. These recent tragedies underscore the importance of placing safety first whenever venturing onto the sometimes-unforgiving sea.

The swell also wreaked an amount of havoc in the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Because of the swell direction, waves were rolling through the harbor mouth and traveling all the way to the upper harbor. One harbor official says they measured a wave at three feet in the upper harbor on Tuesday. Final tallies are not complete, but some docks and boats were damaged due to the swell, and shoaling at the harbor entrance has increased. Harbor Patrol and maintenance crew were busy all day, tying off boats and trying to prevent further damage.

On a happier note, Chris' Sportfishing in Monterey got their last licks in on Friday, the final day of rockfish season for the year. Owner Chris Arcaleo sent the Star of Monterey and the Checkmate down to Point Sur, for full limits of big rockfish, 36 Dungeness crab and "a few lings," according to Arcaleo. Chris' will be running charters during the winter for crabs and dabs as the weather permits.

Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine says the perch fishing was getting good from beaches near the harbor before the storm surge. One angler found a good concentration of barred surfperch in the area and enjoyed multiple hook-ups using motor oil red flake grubs, said Fraser. When the swell drops, beaches from the San Lorenzo Rivermouth around the bay to Monterey will be prime territory for the annual perch hunt.