Recreational crabbing opened off the San Mateo coast on Saturday, November 7. The commercial boats tied up along Pillar Point Harbor stayed in their slips. Under the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's October 30 risk assessment, the commercial Dungeness fishery in Fishing Zones 1 through 5 is delayed until at least January 1, 2027. The same order bans crab traps for recreational crabbers in those zones until at least that date.
So for the third season in a row, the off-the-boat Dungeness that the Coastside links with Thanksgiving won't come from the local commercial fleet in November. This year is no exception. The calendar has moved, and January is now when local commercial crab begins.
What Opened Saturday, and With Which Gear
CDFW's season status page says recreational crabbing is open to hoop nets and loop traps, and crab traps are prohibited until at least January 1, 2027. The agency's October 30 announcement applies the commercial delay to the whole coast from the Oregon border to Point Conception. That stretch includes the San Mateo coast, and there is no carve-out for local waters.
The restrictions protect whales. CDFW runs these reviews under its Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program, which measures entanglement risk for humpback whales, blue whales and leatherback sea turtles. When that risk is elevated, the agency restricts gear by zone. This fall the only domoic acid closure is far to the north, between Cape Mendocino and the Ten Mile State Marine Reserve. Crab caught off Half Moon Bay this month isn't under that health advisory, and the limits fall on the gear used to catch it.
Three Seasons, One Pattern
CDFW's own records show that this year's split has happened before.
| Season | Recreational opener | Recreational trap rule | Commercial opener on the central coast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | November 2, 2024 | Traps banned in Zones 3-4, lifted January 2, 2025 | January 5, 2025, Zones 3-6, 50% gear reduction |
| 2025-26 | November 1, 2025 | Traps banned in Zones 1, 3 and 4, lifted January 2, 2026 | January 5, 2026, Zones 3-5, 40% gear reduction |
| 2026-27 | November 7, 2026 | Traps banned in Zones 1-5 until at least January 1, 2027 | Delayed until at least January 1, 2027 |
The San Mateo coast sits within the stretch CDFW calls Zones 3 and 4, which together run from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line south to Lopez Point. In each of the past two seasons, commercial crabbing on that coast opened on January 5, and both times with fewer traps than normal. Each year the recreational trap ban lifted just after New Year's. Late fall has gone to hoop nets both times.
Last season also ended early. CDFW closed the commercial fishery in Zones 4 and 5 on March 27, 2026, and in Zone 3 on April 30, 2026. Recreational trap bans then covered Zones 3 through 5 for the rest of the season. On June 18, CDFW kept those rules in place through the end of the statutory season. For local commercial crab last year, that left a window from early January into spring. This year's window opens on the same schedule at the earliest.
What November at the Harbor Actually Offers
When the commercial boats aren't fishing, crab at Pillar Point means going out for it yourself or booking a boat that goes.
- Queen of Hearts crab combos. On October 31, the operator's booking shop announced on its Queen of Hearts fish reports page "It's Crab Combo Time!" and noted that hoop nets and snares are allowed through the end of the year while crab pots are not. The rates page lists Dungeness crab and rockcod combo trips that leave at 7 a.m., return between roughly 1 and 5 p.m., and cost $250 cash per person. That page also gives a November start date that doesn't match the state's November 7 opener, so confirm your sailing date with the boat.
- Half Moon Bay Sportfishing & Tackle, 27 Johnson Pier. The shop sells bait and basic fishing gear and has a 24/7 frozen-bait vending machine for anyone heading out before it opens.
- The Harbor District Fish Line. The San Mateo County Harbor District says local fishermen sell fresh fish directly to the public on weekends. Call the Fish Line at 726-8724 to hear what's on offer before you drive down. In November, that means fish, not crab from the commercial fleet.
Queen of Hearts' October fish reports show what those trips have been catching alongside crab. On October 17, twelve anglers brought back 120 rockfish, 31 bonito and a lingcod. The rockfish half of a combo trip has been producing steadily.
The gear rules come from the state and can change at each reassessment. This post is general information, not legal advice, so check CDFW's current Whale Safe Fisheries page before you set a net.
The Dates That Decide January
Because the commercial delay reads "until at least" January 1, the real opener depends on CDFW's next reviews. The agency has two more risk assessments scheduled this season, subject to change.
- December 15 to 18. CDFW's next risk assessment. Last year's December review is the one that set the January 5 commercial opener and lifted the recreational trap ban.
- January 13 to 15. The next scheduled assessment after that, and the check if December's review doesn't clear the fleet.
The harbor is already getting ready for that opener. In its October newsletter, the Harbor District describes its winter preparation in terms of "massive winter swells and the commercial crab season on the horizon." Deputy Harbormaster Cary Smith completed an Alaska Marine Safety Education Association instructor course. This December, the district will host a two-day survival course for commercial fishermen that meets U.S. Coast Guard requirements locally, so local crews don't have to travel for certification.
The harbor also sounds different this winter. The U.S. Coast Guard replaced the Pillar Point Harbor Entrance Light. Its foghorn used to sound every 10 seconds, all day, every day. Now it's an on-demand signal aimed out to sea, and boaters turn it on by keying VHF Channel 83A six times. The Harbormaster's Office is handing out free dashboard stickers with those instructions.
A Harbor Calendar That Runs Past the Crab
The Harbor District's homepage lists the Lighted Boat Festival for December 12, 2026. That's a few days before CDFW's December review and well before any commercial pot goes in the water.
The next change on the waterfront is food. The Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved two new restaurant leases at Pillar Point Harbor. One goes to Pillar Point Grill and Harbor Bar LLC, owned by Brian Overfelt and Andrew Turner. The other goes to Lucky's Pillar Point LLC, owned by Fletcher Morgan and Juan Carlos Pantoja. The district expects both to open in February 2027. If the past two seasons repeat, both will open about a month into the commercial crab season, when local Dungeness should be coming off the boats a few hundred feet away.
Hoop nets and charter combos run through November and December. CDFW's review falls the week of December 15. If that review clears the fleet, commercial boats fish from January. Two new harbor restaurants follow in February. On the San Mateo coast, January has become the start of local crab season.
The Doran Team follows the Coastside calendar closely, including the January date when the commercial boats go back out. If you own on the coast and are thinking about how the months ahead might shape a sale, we're glad to start with a clear, local read on what your Half Moon Bay home is worth.
