Heyo, we have some good looks this weekend! I’m hitting the coast for a little morning crabbing this Saturday, and probably some afternoon surf fishing as well. Sunday and Friday will be alright, kind of a game time decision type of day.
I’ve had some tough look crab snaring recently, but I’ve learned a lot about snaring in the past couple of outings. I’m gonna share some tips later on for crab snaring in places with heavy current like Ocean Beach.
But first, the reports!
Fishing Reports this Week 🎣
Pacific Pearl 19 Anglers | |
|---|---|
Crab | 19 Limits |
Not too much action right now, but on the horizon we’re going to see some striper and halibut reports in March! Rockfish and lingcod will return in April pending CDFW regulations.
Bay Area Tides Social Media Report:
Rock Crab: Seeing good numbers pulled out over by Torpedo Bay
Dungeness Crab: Lots of Dungeness being caught right outside the Golden Gate. Sharp Park Beach has been hitting too. Not a ton of action right at Ocean Beach though - I got skunked there last weekend and didn’t see anyone else catch a keeper.
No Trout Stocking Reports This Week 😔
Lessons Learned - Dungeness Crab Snaring
Like I said earlier, I got totally skunked last weekend and a couple weekends before that. I’ve had great luck other weekends, bringing home plenty of crab for dinner.
I think part of it has to do with where I’ve been crabbing. As a SF local I’m always drawn towards Ocean Beach. I think the challenge is half of it. That can be a rough beach whether you’re fishing, crabbing or surfing. It’s always rewarding.
The reason Ocean Beach can be hard is because of the current. This goes for any beach facing the Pacific, or especially, near a body of water like a Bay.
Why? Well, think about when the tides shift from high tide to low tide. The Bay is essentially disgorging an insane amount of water as it goes towards low tide. I’m talking hundreds of billions. With a B.
All of this water has to go somewhere, and a lot of it goes right down South past Ocean Beach. That’s just how the current naturally goes, but with all of this water coming through it can be borderline impossible to anchor a snare to the floor.
I’ve been at Ocean Beach with 20 oz on my snare, watching my rod tip go crazy as the snare gets thrown around like a 0.5 oz torpedo weight. There is 0 chance a crab is getting that. With 20 oz on too!
So here is my lesson of the day: time the tides at rough beaches or don’t bother going. The crabs don’t like insane currents either. If 20 oz are getting tossed around like that, how do you think the crabs feel?
If you can get there right at the tide change, do it. If you’re near a Bay, just be aware that all the water coming out going into low tide is going to be a factor, especially with high fluctuations.
I’m a big advocate for high quality weighted snares and sputnik weights if you need them. Good luck out there anglers, let’s get some crab!
Weekend Fishing Forecasts - Curated Spots
Friday 1/30 | Saturday 1/31 | Sunday 2/1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Factor | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Swell Height (ft) | 4.9 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 870 | 582 | 1606 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 13.0 | 11.4 | 14.9 |
Pressure (in) | 30.30 | 30.18 | 30.12 |
High Tides (ft) | 6.8 @ 7:39 AM 4.4 @ 10:00 PM | 6.9 @ 8:35 AM 4.7 @ 10:39 PM | 6.8 @ 9:27 AM 4.9 @ 11:17 PM |
Low Tides (ft) | 3.0 @ 1:27 AM -1.3 @ 3:12 PM | 2.8 @ 2:32 AM -1.3 @ 3:57 PM | 2.5 @ 3:28 AM -1.2 @ 4:39 PM |
Our Rating | Okay | Good | Okay |
Ocean Beach 🦀
Friday 1/30 | Saturday 1/31 | Sunday 2/1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Factor | Med Heavy | Medium | Med Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 560 | 349 | 839 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 13.0 | 11.5 | 15.2 |
Pressure (in) | 30.30 | 30.18 | 30.12 |
High Tides (ft) | 6.9 @ 7:45 AM 5.1 @ 10:13 PM | 7.0 @ 8:41 AM 5.2 @ 10:52 PM | 6.9 @ 9:33 AM 5.4 @ 11:28 PM |
Low Tides (ft) | 3.2 @ 1:50 AM -1.2 @ 3:10 PM | 2.9 @ 2:49 AM -1.3 @ 3:56 PM | 2.6 @ 3:42 AM -1.2 @ 4:37 PM |
Our Rating | Okay | Great | Okay |
Check it out like I was saying - as we get closer to the full moon the tidal changes are BIG. See on Saturday? Going from 7.0 to -1.3 is a big change. Going to be a lot of water moving so time the gap.
Stinson Beach 🐟 🦀
Friday 1/30 | Saturday 1/31 | Sunday 2/1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wind Speed (mph) | Medium | Med Heavy | Light |
Swell Height (ft) | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
Wave Power (kJ) | 632 | 393 | 966 |
Wave Interval (sec) | 13.0 | 11.5 | 15.2 |
Pressure (in) | 30.30 | 30.18 | 30.12 |
High Tides (ft) | 4.9 @ 8:49 AM 3.0 @ 10:52 PM | 4.9 @ 9:44 AM 3.2 @ 11:32 PM | 4.8 @ 10:33 AM |
Low Tides (ft) | 2.0 @ 2:20 AM -0.5 @ 4:58 PM | 1.9 @ 3:38 AM -0.6 @ 5:40 PM | 1.8 @ 4:45 AM -0.5 @ 6:17 PM |
Our Rating | Good | Great | Okay |
*Always check conditions before going out there, this data may no longer be up to date so please be safe
Good luck out there anglers!