And here we go! For the first time in many years, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the California Department of Fish and Game have forwarded bountiful abundance projections for Central Valley system king salmon. The numbers for Klamath system salmon are even higher. Saturday, April 7th the season opens and we can start testing the accuracy of these projections in our local waters.

The signs and portents look good, very good. After a weekend of giant waves, followed by a week of high winds, the forecast for Saturday calls for the wind dropping to about five knots over a two to four-foot swell. Both wind and waves will increase through Sunday night, but will remain quite manageable for most boats.

Gerry Brookes from Reel Sportfishing plans to start trolling north of the Soquel Hole and work his way down towards that canyon. "If we see any big baitballs, we'll switch over to mooching." Brookes is hoping for good concentrations of big fish to start the season off, and he may be well rewarded. "There's lots of bait offshore, and the water temps are perfect." Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine has received additional reports of incidental salmon catches near the Soquel Hole by sanddab anglers. The salmon were hitting around 75 feet down, and because they were pre-season, must be released.

Regulations this year are similar to last year's regs. Two salmon "of any species except coho (silver)" per day is the bag limit, and the minimum size is 24 inches. No weights exceeding four pounds can be used, unless on a downrigger. No more than two single point barbless hooks may be used, and if not trolling, they must be circle hooks. The two hooks cannot be more than five inches apart. One rod in use only for each individual angler.

The PFMC and DFG are finalizing the seasonal regulations in meetings this week. The official DFG website lists the open season for our area from April 7 through 30 right now, but everyone expects the final season end will be set at the end of September.

Before heading out, remember to check all your safety equipment on the boat, including batteries, radios and life vests. Trailer boats will be flocking to the launch ramps in Santa Cruz, Moss landing and Monterey. Get there early, and be patient, or better yet, wait till mid-week when the hordes have disapated and we know where the fish are located. Good luck and stay safe.