Local anglers are getting their last licks in on the rockfish and lingcod season, which closes on November 15. Luckily, Dungeness crab season just opened, and we are already receiving good reports of limits for the sportfishers.

Jim Rubin from Captain Jimmy Charters made it out a couple times last week for some good results in both fisheries. On Sunday, Rubin pulled the pots that he set the day before, just north of town. The results were impressive. Before the day was done, the Becky Ann had seven limits of meaty crabs aboard, five for the clients and two crew limits as well. Rockfishing was somewhat difficult on Sunday due to the remnants of our giant weekend swell, Rubin says, but the quality of fish caught was high. On Tuesday, Rubin returned to that area for even better results. Again, they pulled crab limits for five clients and two crew, but improved sea conditions made the rockfishing much better. "We caught a variety of blues, blacks, vermilions and olives. Most of the fish were in the two to three-pound range, but the olives were jumbo, measuring up to 24 inches. Rubin is looking forward to the coming weekend for more crab limits and good weather conditions to capitalize on the final days of rockfishing.

Skipper Gerry Brookes fished a bit further north on Tuesday. After pulling his pots for limits, Brookes ran to Ano Nuevo. "A banner day on the water," Brookes quipped. "It was grease slick all day. We put in limits of big olives, blacks and blues, with one nice vermillion." Brookes reported that the water clarity was perfect as was the water temperature, at 55.5 degrees.

According to Brookes, the Dungeness quality is starting out very high for the year. Of the 30 crabs they pulled on Tuesday, they had no shorts and no females. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine has been receiving similar Dungeness reports from private boaters. "There have been some good scores near Natural Bridges and straight out of the Santa Cruz Harbor. The crab are ranging from keeper to six plus inches." For those who want to go out for some local big game, Fraser adds that Humboldt Squid are being caught in the submarine canyons near Davenport and the Soquel hole.

Stagnaro's Sportfishing will also be running their final rockfishing trips this weekend, including a twilight trip on Saturday. Skipper Ken Stagnaro is looking forward to the wintertime sand dab trips that proved so successful last year. Stagnaro quipped, "If you have not eaten sand dabs, you should come out and see why the ling cod like them so much!" In addition to the dabs, clients aboard the Velocity found big schools of mackerel and sardines on the wintertime forays. Not the biggest fish in our area, but anglers can literally fill buckets when the bite is on.