Salmon and rock fishing trips along the northern and central California coasts have been an adventure for anglers. You never know what you will catch, or see, given the warm currents brought by a burgeoning El Nino.

Exotic species typically found in warmer climates are showing up on the hooks of salmon and rock cod anglers.

Unusual catches of late include: barracuda off the San Mateo County and Marin County coasts, bonito outside the Golden Gate and Bluefin tuna outside Monterey Bay.

There have been Orcas sighted at the mouth and inside the Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay; giant sunfish (mola molas) witnessed finning along the surface and more humpback whales in Half Moon Bay than in recent memory.

The Bluefin were reportedly caught last week 20 miles outside Monterey. Two were caught, including a 51 pounder.

Bonito are few in Northern California, but thick along the Central Coast where rock cod party boat anglers are tying into them. Bonito are also thick in Santa Barbara, where anglers at Stearns Wharf and the Gaviotta Pier are getting plenty of actions.

“I’ve seen periods of three to five years go by and I don’t see bonito,” said Frank Drew, owner of Franks Bait & Tackle on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. “Last year they were here for 120 days. They’ve been here for 30 days so far this year.”

The warm water has changed the behavior of salmon. While commercial anglers have been able occasionally to pull salmon from deeper water, party boats have generally struggled. There have been bursts of limit fishing followed by days of less than a fish per rod.

“There’s enough salmon around for private boats but not for charter boats with a lot of anglers,” said Shari Ingles of Queen of Hearts in Pillar Point. “We haven’t caught 200 salmon over the entire season.”

The ocean is full of life, however. “The amount of humpback whales and porpoises is crazy,” Ingles said. There are schools and schools of anchovies and mackerel and the birds are going crazy.”

Despite the warm water nearby, there have been few reports of albacore catches. This is the second consecutive year of no albacore along the California Coast.

All that could change in a heartbeat. You never know what that warm water will bring.