Crab pots are stacking up on the docks, and anglers who pick the right day to dodge swells are doing pretty well on the rock cod. Surprisingly, the offshore conditions are improving, raising the hopes of local tuna hunters.

Crabbers are getting ready for Dungeness season, set to open on November 7 this year for sport anglers, and a week later for the commercial boats. We hope to have a decent season again this year. Last year, the Dungeness fishing started out good, and then went a bit flat. Generally, the crabbing stayed steady enough that skippers like Jim Rubin on the Becky Ann were finding limits even in the last weeks of the season. Commercial fishermen further north working rock crab right now are reporting a significant by-catch of Dungeness already, so we may well have a banner year. Now is the time to gear up, make sure your pots are tight and your lines are good, and all your safety equipment is current on the boat. Anglers crabbing through the winter can face tough conditions.

Surfers are happy with the succession of swells we've experienced in Santa Cruz, but it can slow fishing down significantly. Due to wind and waves, Captain Jimmy Sportfishing stayed local this weekend, working the reefs around Natural Bridges in 80-120 feet of water. He got very decent results with clients bagging near-limits of rockfish and lingcod up to 12 pounds. Stagnaro's Sportfishing took the Velocity, a much bigger boat, to the Davenport area for similar results on Sunday. Captain Ken Stagnaro reported quality brown, yellowtail and copper rockfish for his clients. The swell will be up this weekend but it looks very fishable. Rockfish season will end on November 30, so it's time to stock the freezer. Working the flat sandy areas might even turn up a halibut or two, especially those areas off the North Coast.

According to local albacore skipper Mike Baxter, Hurricane Rick off the west coast of Mexico is providing us an unexpected bonus. "We have an unusually warm current pushing up the coast from the hurricane. The warm water is spiraling closer to us and it's holding fish. I wouldn't shut the door on albacore season yet." Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine agrees, reporting a few boats out last Monday that returned with 1-4 tuna aboard, including a few bluefins.

Bushnell can also be heard with a live fishing report Friday mornings at 6:45am on KSCO radio 1080 AM. Send your photos, comments or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com

Caption: Skipper Joe Baxter recently hosted Ron Koyasako, captain of the Aqua Nui out of Emeryville. Baxter treated Ron to this fine brace of white sea bass in Monterey.