The wheel turns, and the seasons go 'round. Late March may be the most exciting period every year, as we emerge from the dark winter months to gear up for full on fishing again. We will soon be targeting multiple species on the beautiful Monterey Bay.


King salmon are always on the top of the list, and we have good news on that front. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council will make final decisions regarding open salmon season in early April, but the preliminary season outlook has been published.


For our area, the salmon opener is scheduled for Saturday, April 5. The preliminary plan is generous, with no closed days during this season, and is scheduled to run through October 5, 2014 in our area (south of Pigeon Point). Until the PFMC finalizes the seasonal regulations, we are limited to two king salmon per angler per day. The fish must be 24 inches in length. Gear restrictions are the same as last year. We can troll with single barbless hooks only, and while drifting or mooching we are allowed two single point, barbless circle hooks, hard tied with no more than five inches separation.


Ocean conditions are shaping up for salmon as well. Strong northwest winds have created vast areas of upwelling offshore, cooling the surface water. Exactly what we need for good salmon fishing. Skippers north of the Golden Gate are reporting big mats of floating krill while the deep areas of Monterey Bay are showing good signs of hard bait. Carl Azevedo from Boccie Boy Bait in the Santa Cruz Harbor is putting final touches on his nets and skiff, and will be scooping anchovies soon. Azevedo said, "there's tons of anchovies out there, big ones. They'll be moving in shallow soon, where I can net them. The receiver is in good shape on S Dock, so check in with me for live bait."


Jim Rubin from Captain Jimmy Charters is ready to go as well. Rubin reports "we've had a few salmon swim right up to the boat while fishing sanddabs near the Soquel Hole. There are plenty of anchovies and lots of small squid in the area. It's looking really good for the opener." Rubin and other charter operations on the Bay are mostly booked for opening weekend, but should have space during the week at the start of the season. Todd Arcaleo at Chris' Fishing Trips in Monterey says weekday reservations for their fleet in Monterey Harbor are "wide open, and we'll be going every day". Arcaleo is also impressed with the amount of bait in the Bay "there's all kinds of anchovies all across the bay. We've worked on all the reels, everything is tip-top and ready to go!"


And, while we have to wait till May before we can pursue the near shore rockfish and lingcod, an early halibut season may be developing. Eric Warner from Capitola, inspired by Ed Burrell's 30-pound flatty caught last week, took his 10-foot Livingstone skiff out to the Mile Reef area in Capitola last Saturday. Warner returned to the wharf with his own 23-pound halibut, caught in 55 feet of water using a frozen anchovy. Any of the flat sandy areas in 60-80 feet of water might produce similar results for intrepid anglers this weekend.


Allen Bushnell can also be heard on KSCO radio 1080 AM Fridays at 6:45 a.m. with a fish report. Contact Bushnell at [email protected]