Best wishes for luck and safe travels for all the anglers heading out on opening weekend. Monterey Bay harbors and launch ramps are bound to be crowded as the first day of salmon and rockfish seasons coincide this year.

Weather and sea conditions look fairly decent for the opener with winds forecast from five to 15 knots with a west swell that will build from five to 10 feet over the weekend. Mid-week may bring some moisture to the area as a weak low-pressure system works its way down the coast. A developing storm system below Polynesia will generate the season’s first south swell after next weekend.

We have received only a few reports of incidental pre-season salmon catches in the bay, with most of the reports coming from the Monterey side. Anglers fishing the Point Pinos area might have the best chance at fresh salmon this weekend. Commercial fisherman and live bait maven Carl Azevedo is uncertain about salmon fishing near Santa Cruz this weekend. ““Most guys I talked to haven’t really seen that much out there. But, you never know until you get out and get your lines in the water,” Azevedo said.

Azevedo is surprised and pleased with the quality of bait he’s seeing recently. He sells live bait from the Santa Cruz harbor at the end of “S” Dock, and says the “Bocci Boy” receivers are up and running right now. A quick set of the net last week provided about 500 pounds of lively sardines in the five to six-inch range. He’s working all week to fill up his receivers for opening weekend.

Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait reports sardines in that area as well. He has taken a few scouting forays recently, and notes he “is not seeing a whole lot of rockfish” on the local reefs. It may be the rockfish are still out in deeper water, if not hunkered down due to swell action we’ve been experiencing. Like Bocci says, you gotta go out and try for them.

In Monterey, the scattered rocks off Del Monte Beach are usually a good bet this time of year, and the big rocky reefs of Pacific Grove Point Pinos, Point Joe, and Carmel Bay consistently produce good catches of rockfish, lings and cabezone.

Near Santa Cruz, the deeper Capitola Reefs, Pleasure Point, the Mile Buoy area, and Lighthouse Point on up to Wilder’s Ranch all have wonderful structure to hold and hide the rockfish and lingcod. Remember we can fish as deep as 300 feet this year, opening a number of productive reefs and rock piles that have not been fished for many years. Keep your eyes on the weather, double check your emergency gear and stay safe.