California · Northern California
DUNGENESS CRAB FISHING
IN HALF MOON BAY
Half Moon Bay is an excellent destination for dungeness crab fishing, with peak season in January, December and good catches in February, March, November. Book a charter and target dungeness crab with local experts.
About Dungeness Crab Fishing in Half Moon Bay
The Dungeness crab is the signature crustacean of the Pacific Northwest, found in bays and estuaries from Central California to Alaska. Named after Dungeness, Washington, these sweet-flavored crabs are the backbone of the West Coast crab fishery and are caught recreationally using ring nets and crab pots from shore and boat.
Dungeness Crab are the signature crustacean of the Pacific Northwest, named after the small fishing village of Dungeness on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. These sweet-flavored crabs are found in sandy bays, estuaries, and nearshore waters from Central California to Alaska, where they are caught commercially and recreationally in enormous numbers. Dungeness have a wide, fan-shaped carapace that is purplish-brown on top and cream-yellow underneath. They are considered the finest-eating crab species in North America, with sweet, tender white meat that requires minimal seasoning.
Scientific name: Metacarcinus magister
Dungeness Crab Seasonal Calendar — Half Moon Bay
Month-by-month availability for dungeness crab in Half Moon Bay, CA.
How to Catch Dungeness Crab in Half Moon Bay
Techniques & Bait
Recreational crabbing with ring nets or collapsible crab pots baited with chicken, fish carcasses, or turkey legs is the most popular method. Deploy pots in sandy bays, eelgrass beds, and channels in 10-60 feet of water. Check pots every 20-30 minutes for ring nets or every few hours for enclosed pots. Pier and dock crabbing with hoop nets is accessible from shore in many bays. Some anglers catch Dungeness by hand while snorkeling or wading at low tide. Kayak crabbing is growing in popularity.
Recommended Tackle
Crab ring nets, hoop nets, or collapsible crab pots with proper state tags. Heavy line (80-200 lb) for retrieving pots from depth. Crab gauge for measuring legal-size crabs (minimum 5.75-6.25 inches across the carapace depending on state). Bait: chicken legs, fish carcasses, clams. Rubber bands for handling — Dungeness have powerful pinching claws.
Best Inshore Fishing Spots in Half Moon Bay
Top spots where local captains target dungeness crab and other inshore species.
Pillar Point Harbor
Pillar Point Harbor is a protected harbor in Half Moon Bay where halibut, striped bass, and jacksmelt hold around the docks, breakwater, and sandy bottom of the inner basin. Crabbing for Dungeness crab from the harbor docks is hugely popular during open season, and the harbor serves as the launch point for the area's charter fleet.
Princeton Jetty
The Princeton Jetty at Pillar Point Harbor's entrance channels tidal flow and attracts rockfish, cabezon, surfperch, and striped bass to its submerged rock structure. Shore anglers fish from the jetty rocks for accessible catches, while the channel between the jetty walls holds halibut on the sandy bottom.
Mavericks Beach
Mavericks Beach north of Pillar Point is famous for big-wave surfing but also offers productive shore-casting for striped bass and surfperch from its rocky-bottomed beach. The reef structure extending offshore from the beach holds cabezon and greenling accessible to rock-hopping anglers during low tides.
Pillar Point Marsh
Pillar Point Marsh is a restored tidal wetland adjacent to the harbor where small halibut, perch, and smelt use the shallow channels as nursery habitat. The marsh's outflow attracts striped bass and leopard sharks during higher tides, and shore anglers cast from the adjacent trail for light-tackle inshore fishing.
Other Species in Half Moon Bay
More fish you can target while visiting Half Moon Bay.
Dungeness Crab Fishing in Half Moon Bay — FAQ
The peak months for Dungeness Crab fishing in Half Moon Bay are January, December. During these months, Dungeness Crab are most active and abundant in the Half Moon Bay area.
Dungeness Crab fishing charters in Half Moon Bay are typically inshore trips. Prices vary by trip duration and group size. Most charters include all gear, bait, licenses, and fish cleaning.
Recreational crabbing with ring nets or collapsible crab pots baited with chicken, fish carcasses, or turkey legs is the most popular method. Deploy pots in sandy bays, eelgrass beds, and channels in 10-60 feet of water. Check pots every 20-30 minutes for ring nets or every few hours for enclosed pots. Pier and dock crabbing with hoop nets is accessible from shore in many bays. Some anglers catch Dungeness by hand while snorkeling or wading at low tide. Kayak crabbing is growing in popularity.
No — when you book a charter in Half Moon Bay, your captain provides all required California fishing licenses as part of the trip.
Dungeness Crab regulations in California include minimum size limits and bag limits that vary by season. Your captain will know the current regulations and ensure compliance.
While targeting Dungeness Crab in Half Moon Bay, you may also catch Rockfish, Chinook Salmon, Lingcod, Pacific Halibut, Albacore Tuna. Many charter trips target multiple species for the best action.
Ready to Catch Dungeness Crab in Half Moon Bay?
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