It is an exciting time of transition for northern California fishing right now. April will bring the salmon season opener, and most recent reports indicate plenty of kings in the salt for this year. Rumor has it that rockfish season may open a month earlier than usual as well, in the beginning of April this year, instead of May. Fingers are crossed, but the decision-making bureaucracy moves slowly.

Meanwhile, local salt anglers are still being entertained and well-fed with the abundance of sand dabs, mackerel, Dungeness crab and surf perch available in our home waters. Big bait balls are starting to form inshore. Surfcasters have noticed huge flocks of birds diving off the beaches near Santa Cruz wharf, Twin Lakes and 26 Ave, as well as long stretch of beaches that ring the bay towards Monterey.

While we have no definite identification of the given bait on any given feeding frenzy, Ed Burrell at Cap Boat and Bait reports a good number of big sardines caught in that area this week, as well as some large variety anchovies. That particular corner of the Bay seems to attract abundant sea life, as skiff renters are returning to the Capitola wharf with bonita, big sea perch and jack mackerel from the Mile Reef area.

One skiff returned to the wharf with three troll-caught bonita, and also released a 12-pound salmon from that same area. Salmon season is scheduled to open April 7, though the exact date and 2015 regulations have yet to be determined by the multiple agencies involved in fisheries management.

For unknown reasons, surfcasting for perch slowed last week. Fewer fish were reported caught, and the average size was somewhat smaller than weeks prior. Decent structure remains along all our beaches from the big swells last month. It wouldn't hurt to have another giant swell come through before the Perch Derby scheduled on March 14, to refresh troughs and rip current channels that the perch love.

Steelhead season is over in our area as of March 7. With the lack of rain, flows have remained very low this season, and fishing for the large ocean-going trout has been slow for most anglers working the local streams. Bigger rivers further north have longer seasons, and reports are more positive from those areas. The Mad, Klamath, and especially the South Fork Eel river have been producing consistently the past few weeks. Even the Russian river can provide steelhead action this month. Last weekend local angler Joe Baxter along with Steve and Keegan Vasconcellos drifted the area from Healdsburg to Wohler Bridge, bringing in six fish for eight hookups using fish pills and eggs. All were fresh chromer's from five to 10 pounds.

Send your reports and fishing photos to Bushnell at scruzfishing@yahoo.com.