Recreational Dungeness crab season opened Saturday, November 7, but the gear rules are different this year. Crab traps are banned. The commercial fleet's season is delayed until at least January 1, 2027. Recreational crabbers can still use hoop nets and loop traps, and hoop nets have to be checked at least every two hours.
Until the state lifts the trap ban, Bodega Bay's crab season is built around gear that someone stays close to. That changes how a crab day works, and it puts a state review in the middle of December at the center of the holiday crab calendar.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the decision on October 30. Its news release says recreational crab traps are restricted from the California/Oregon border to Point Conception, Fishing Zones 1 through 5, until at least January 1, 2027. The reasons it gives are "the number of confirmed entanglements this year and high abundance of humpback whales across the fishing grounds."
The commercial delay covers the same stretch of coast for the same reason. The release adds that the delay "will also allow whales to migrate out of California waters prior to the opening of the commercial fishery." CDFW has also issued a Fleet Advisory for all fishing zones in the recreational fishery, asking crabbers not to set any gear where whales are present.
All of this comes down to the gear. A trap can soak unattended, with lines running to the surface, which is what tangles whales. A hoop net can't be left alone. The state is betting that gear someone has to stay with carries less risk while the humpbacks are still offshore.
The two-hour rule changes the outing most. In its October 30 release, CDFW reminds anglers that "all hoop nets must be serviced every two hours and cannot be left unattended for longer periods." A trap set in the morning and pulled the next day isn't an option this fall. Every set has to fit inside an outing you are present for.
The rest of the framework comes from CDFW's ocean invertebrate regulations, its crab information page and its Dungeness crab management summary:
These rules are summarized here as general information, not legal advice. The CDFW pages linked above are the authority, and anyone with a question about their own gear or license should check with CDFW directly.
The two-hour rule makes shore crabbing simpler. A crabber who has to stay with the net anyway can stand on the rocks with it.
Sonoma County Tourism's guide to regional park boat launches says the rock jetty at Doran Regional Park, at the harbor mouth, provides access for fishing and crabbing. The county tourism site's Doran Regional Park profile places the jetty at the west end of the park, lists the address as 201 Doran Beach Road and gives the park's hours as 7 a.m. to sunset daily. Those park hours set the outer limit for a shore session. In November daylight, one or two full two-hour cycles take up most of an afternoon at the jetty.
Across the harbor, the site's Westside Regional Park profile describes a three-lane boat launch and kayak launch, and says the park is popular with sport fishers. Anyone with a small boat or kayak and a hoop net can launch there. The Fleet Advisory applies on the water too, so if whales are in the area, the net stays on board.
Crabbers who would rather have a captain set the gear can choose from several Bodega Bay charter operators, and some pair crab with a day of rock cod fishing.
North Bay Fishing Charters posted in its 2026 season update that its crab combo trips "start Nov. 7th and are available to book." Its Dungeness page lists its method as "Hoop nets per CDFW req, or crab traps when permitted," which matches this season's rules.
Sonoma Coast Adventures offers a crab-only trip of four to five hours and an all-day crab and rock cod combo, from 1534 Eastshore Road. Miss Vic Sport Fishing lists Dungeness crab and crab-and-rockfish combo trips from its dock at 1500 Bay Flat Road. The Bodega Bay Sport Fishing Center, at 1410 B Bay Flat Road, lists Dungeness and crab-and-fish combos on its 65-foot New Sea Angler and takes calls at (707) 875-3344.
Posted rates and schedules vary by operator. With the gear rules this different from a normal year, it's worth calling the boat to confirm how this season's trips are run before booking.
This year's opener comes with a second restriction, and it doesn't apply to Bodega Bay. State health agencies found unhealthy levels of domoic acid in Dungeness crab collected north of Fort Bragg. CDFW has delayed recreational crab season in state waters from Cape Mendocino to the Ten Mile State Marine Reserve, and taking or possessing Dungeness crab in those waters is prohibited.
That closure is well north of the Sonoma coast. CDFW's health advisories page has the current boundaries. CDFW says the closure stays in place until state health officials decide domoic acid no longer poses a significant public health risk, so that page is the one to check if conditions change.
Everything so far points to one date. CDFW expects its next risk assessment in mid-December, "to inform a possible opening of the commercial fishery and lifting of the recreational crab trap restrictions around the new year." The Whale Safe Fisheries page lists that review for December 15 to 18, with another scheduled for January 13 to 15. Both dates are marked subject to change. CDFW says the director will weigh all available data at the December review, including a recommendation from the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group.
"At least January 1" is the earliest possible date, not a scheduled opening. Between now and then, Bodega Bay's calendar has plenty that doesn't depend on crab:
Until the December decision is posted, recreational crab traps stay out of local waters and the commercial fleet stays in port.
If you're planning a winter on the coast and want to know how seasons like this one affect daily life in Bodega Bay, Steve Hecht and John Chute are glad to talk it through. Contact Your Sonoma Coast Experts.
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