Windblown locals know when the best weather rolls through this gorgeous coastal hamlet. “Fall and winter is probably my favorite time of the year because you don’t have all the fog like you do in the summer,” says Shona Campbell, who recently opened Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf with her husband Brandon Guenther, bringing a new iteration of their popular Valley Ford seafood restaurant to the coast.
“Also, it’s more locals and less traffic in the fall and winter,” says Campbell, who also serves as president of the local chamber of commerce.
A boom-and-bust town that seems to ride the waves of the latest tourist or fishing season, there’s something still delightfully old-school about Bodega Bay. You can see it in the weather-beaten, yellow fishermen statues, the kite shops, the salt-water taffy shops (watermelon is the best-selling flavor at pink-and-white-striped Patrick’s of Bodega Bay) and the glass-encased shark jaws hanging on the wall at the Tides Wharf and Restaurant.
Underneath the tourist kitsch, there’s still an authentic fishing village, even if it’s just barely hanging on by a 15-pound microfilament. The last two salmon seasons have been canceled. Every fall, the opening of crab season seems to get pushed back by state fish and game department officials wary of long crab-trap lines entangling migrating whales.
“We’re having a really hard time getting by,” says fisherman Tony Anello, who has been fishing for 56 years, and recently sold his boat, the Annabelle. He remembers when there were more than 100 boats fishing out of Spud Point Marina. Now, there are maybe 20, he says.
One of the smartest things he ever did was open Spud Point Crab Co. with his wife Carol Anello. The clam chowder that you see steaming in pots in the front has won nearly every tasting competition ever entered, and the crab sandwiches melt in your mouth. “Thank God for that, because if I had to count on fishing again, I would never be able to make it,” says Tony Anello.
Getting into the holiday spirit, Campbell and Guenther are planning to host a series of New Orleans-style, three-course réveillon dinners at Rocker Oysterfeller’s throughout the month of December — without a doubt, oyster stew will be on the menu.
The most convenient place to stay on the main drag is The Inn at the Tides, especially if you’re one of those Hitchcock fans who can’t resist watching a looping video of Tippi Hedren renting a boat (in her fur coat) at the Tides in the 1963 film “The Birds.” From the hotel, it’s a short drive to the trailhead for the Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access Trail, which leads a half-mile down to the beach along a narrow ravine. At low tide, you can hook up with the Shorttail Gulch Trail and make it a 1.9-mile loop, or wander down to Doran Beach in the other direction.
If four legs suits you better, hop on a horse and choose from beach rides, sunset ridge rides and wetlands expeditions offered through Five Brooks Bodega Bay equine outfit.
But sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. “I think people who come here are looking for relaxation, and some good Pacific air,” says Campbell. “It’s just a quiet, little village.”
Where to visit
Spud Point Crab Co.
When the crab season is delayed in Bodega Bay, the Anellos source their crustaceans from either California fishermen plying in-season waters above Fort Bragg or from Oregon and Washington fisheries. 1910 Westshore Road, 707-875-9472, spudpointcrabco.com
Rocker Oysterfeller’s
This Southern-style roadhouse serves Louisiana hot barbecue oysters, barbecue shrimp, and shrimp and grits. 595 Highway 1, 707-772-5670, rockeroysterfellers.com
The Inn at the Tides
Perched on a hill above the Tides Wharf and Restaurant, the 86-room hotel offers sweeping views of the bay. 800 Highway 1. 707-875-2751, innatthetides.com
Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access
Enjoy the recent $50,000 renovation of a 101-step stairway along this secluded beach trail. 20600 Mockingbird Road, 707-875-3540, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov
Five Brooks Bodega Bay
This wide-roaming equine outfit also offers horse-and-kayak combo trips. Some rides cross through newly preserved public lands at nearby Chanslor Ranch. 2660 Highway 1, 707-589-5040, fivebrooksbodegabay.com