After a stormy weekend, conditions were very favorable for fishing this week, though few boats went out and local reports are scarce. The main item on the menu is Dungeness crab. From Monterey to Eureka, sport crabbers are dropping pots and pulling limits of the tasty crustaceans when conditions permit. Jim Rubin from Captain Jimmy Charters runs his crab pots in the productive area north of Santa Cruz, between Natural Bridges State Beach and Davenport. Rubin finds the best results in 180-220 feet of water. He has been pulling up limits of Dungeness every trip so far this year. We are on the southern fringe of Dungeness habitat, though crabbers launching from Moss Landing and Monterey can also do well, often fishing a bit deeper in 240-300 feet. Further up the coast, kayak crabbers are doing well with reports of half- limits in 30 feet of water just outside Princeton Harbor. There are some crabs crawling in shallower areas locally, according to Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait. One skiff recently pulled nine Dungeness from 90 feet of water near Capitola, but they were all undersized. Another angler pulled a few keepers this week from that same depth, but the big concentration of keeper crabs will be found in deeper water. Burrell adds that fishing has been "kind of slow" from the Capitola Wharf, though he has seen a few nice black perch and sand sole caught from the wharf this week. Stagnaro's Sportfishing has been concentrating on sanddab trips. These small flatfish are considered a delicacy, and can be caught in great numbers. On a short trip last Saturday, Skipper Ken Stagnaro reports catching over 250 sanddabs for 10 anglers aboard the Velocity, "despite the wind and westerly swells." Stagnaro's will run these short and affordable trips every weekend, weather permitting. For the upcoming weekend, NOAA forecasts a chance of rain or showers, but it looks like the wind will be light and the swell negligible. The ocean always demands respect, but especially in these wintertime months. Paying close attention to current weather conditions and forecasts can make the difference between life and death. Tragically, a group of crabbers found this out the hard way last week, just south of Jenner. Five fishermen in a 21-foot boat launched despite gale warnings and 11-foot seas. Their prop tangled a crab pot line, the boat flipped and only four anglers were successfully rescued. None were wearing life vests. Have fun but be safe. Bushnell can also be heard Friday mornings at 6:45 on KSCO radio 1080 AM. Send your photos, comments or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com.