A thread about fishing.....just for the halibut.....

[b.r.]

This is a painting my sister did of my dad teaching me to fly fish in the great smoky mountains as a kid,




and this is me teaching my daughter to fish for spotties under the bridge

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

for the east coast crew, can you eat what you're catching? SFBay is dirty enough that you probably don't want to eat a lot of what you catch, but the ocean is a go, curious what it is like back there

Varies by locale here in Florida. Lots of DO NOT EAT on largemouth bass in storied waterways. When you see this for something like Big Cypress/Everglades National Park (the undeveloped zone between Florida Bay, Miami, Fort Myers, and Lake Okeechobee, aka Panther country) it's kind of sad.

The ocean depends on the species. For example pictured above, snook, speckled trout, redfish, and bluefish coming from the surf or just off the backside of it, it looks like 1/week unless you are a young child or woman of child-bearing age.

I guarantee you nuclear shitloads of people are eating bass caught out of all kinds of fertilizer-infested golf course ponds, retention zones, and polluted rivers, not to mention saltwater species with mercury issues.

King Mackerel are a 24" fork. The Department of Health guideline says 1 per month under 31", and do not eat kings over 31". Kingfish over 31" are eaten on a daily basis.

http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/prevention/healthy-weight/nutrition/seafood-consumption/_documents/fish-advisory-big-book2020.pdf

Anyway you too can eat enough mercury to turn yourself into a human thermometer simply by eating local sustainably caught fish all over Florida.

 

[HarryLopez]

Surf perch fishing can be super fun if the bite is on. I like to go with a lighter set up that can still take some abuse. My go to set up is a 7foot ugly stick and cheap saltwater reel. 15 lb mono. Tie on a barrel swivel, tie on 6"-8" inches mono, tie on a 3 way swivel, tie on 6" mono to the 90 degree swivel of the 3 way, tie on a #4 hook. Tie on 18" more mono on the straight end of the 3 way swivel, repeat the set up with another 3 way swivel. For a weight, I like the flat disc 1.5oz. You'll get a better feel for the "roll" of the weight versus the feel of a bite. Move up an oz or so of weight if the surf bigger. For bait, the Berkley Gulp Sandworm is undefeated. Sand crabs and sand shrimp good to but a pain to keep on the hook without an egg loop and calmer seas. I like to save razor clam necks after digging a limit specifically for perch fishing too. They're tough and a preferred food for the perchies.

If fishing open stretches of beaches, you only need cast out 20 yards or so. Steeper sections better. They move in schools so if you're not having luck, move up and down the beach 10 yards at a time after a couple casts. If you do get a bite, land your fish and chuck it right back in the same spot. I'll usually cast, let it lie a minute or two and then slow retrieve taking some breaks in increments to let the bait soak.

As for kayaks, I'm stocked on my sit on top 11ft. You can buy rod holders and cut out where you want to sink em in. Since it's almost never flat here, I just assume I'm going over at some point. Always wear a wetsuit and keep everything tied down to the boat. For the most part I'm wearing a backpack with pre tied tackle (flashers and mooching rigs for salmon, shrimp flies and jigs for rockfish and lings.) Also get some crabbing rings for that kayak. They don't have to soak as long as crab pots and you can just hop scotch around bays and estuaries with 3 at a time working zones to find dinner.

Thanks for the info and tips! My guess was the beach I was at wasn't steep enough. But, the waves for surfing were the target!

 

[HarryLopez]

I bought a cheapy Tamarack Angler from Big 5 3 or 4 years ago (250$). I take it out in the ocean quite a bit. Does pretty well. Light enough that I put it on top of our car and can carry it quite a ways just myself. If going out through the surf, make sure everything is tied down. I learned the hard way.

My fishing buddy has a $2,000 hobie pedal model. Sure its nicer and faster (and hands free which is nice), but man is it heavy.

That is my initial take as well, for less than half price, and way lighter for transportation. I'm looking at those two wheeled carts to transport around as well

 

[Subway]

yeah people eat fish out of all the waterways and mighty estuaries here now. i'd eat a striped bass right out of NY Harbor

 

[silentbutdeadly]

First go at surf perch recently, nothing. Wasn't in the best zone, but surf was good, so that was the deciding factor as to where I was fishing.
Trout and bass in the lakes and streams!

Not to hijack, but what kinds of kayaks do any of you all use in the ocean? Is 10' too short (that size is better for transporting/handling)?

I have a 14 and wouldn't want anything less, or much less if you plan on paddling a significant distance. For your area a 10 footer might be better for navigating rocks, surf, sketchy access.

Kayak fishing is super fun I just can't take sitting that long, even with a decent seat.

 

[freeride76]

we get blues here, and they'll aggressively hit surface plugs at all times of day.

lot of the good spots are at the point breaks I surf.

keep the gear rigged up and when the schools move through hitting bait I'll come in, grab a couple, put in rock pools and continue the surf.

get a feed to bring home and a surf.

Mulloway are a prize (White Sea bass).
This forty pounder hit a large plug retrieved dead slow in shallow water on the top of a full moon tide at the base of a local point where I'd seen mullet staging up.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

^ Holy f--k just at a glance I could basically tell and googling confirms it. Drum family.

That's basically the biggest weakfish/seatrout that ever was or ever will be. With how aggro those things are on noisy surface walkers if they got over 60# I'd be scared to surf.

Anything over 32" or so is considered a gator trout here; I can't image a 40#.

 

[mundus]

^ Holy f--k just at a glance I could basically tell and googling confirms it. Drum family.

That's basically the biggest weakfish/seatrout that ever was or ever will be. With how aggro those things are on noisy surface walkers if they got over 60# I'd be scared to surf.

Anything over 32" or so is considered a gator trout here; I can't image a 40#.

Checkout the corvinas is Central America, look real close to a weakfish and get real big.

 

[freeride76]

they are called (dusky) Kob in South Africa and grow about to at least three times that big.

70 and 80 pounders are reasonably regular captures here, mostly on live mullet.

I'd love to come east and get some of that striper action. And snook.

 

[One-Off]

My dentist told me he goes spear fishing at my local surf break. I asked him what he gets and he said, "You can get some big halibut. The problem is getting it to the beach before the 7 gills get them." "Seven gills?" "Yeah, sharks." "How big?" "I've seen 8 footers."

Well, that's nice to know when I dawn patrol by myself (actually I never dawn patrol by myself at this spot. There's a dedicated paddle out in the dark crew).

They seem aggressive-

 

[GromsDad]

Day in day out, gulp is the way to go for fluke, Occasionally live bait or big strips can work better for bigger fish.

Since I started using the Gulp Penny Shrimp that is all I use. Deadly on a Kalin Jig Head.

 

[GromsDad]

First go at surf perch recently, nothing. Wasn't in the best zone, but surf was good, so that was the deciding factor as to where I was fishing.
Trout and bass in the lakes and streams!

Not to hijack, but what kinds of kayaks do any of you all use in the ocean? Is 10' too short (that size is better for transporting/handling)?

I have a Wilderness Tarpon 120 Kayak. For a paddling its a very good Kayak but I'd love to have a Hobie or similar that I could peddle instead of paddle for fishing. I went with the Wilderness Tarpon because the seat is super comfortable. More comfortable than any of the other Kayaks I looked at when I got it 3 or 4 years ago. I can sit in this thing all day without cramping up.

 

[keenfish]

I like my 19' kayak.

 

[hal9000]

As long as you have a drift. either way. I like to go with a bucktail tipped with gulp and a teaser 12" inches up and continually jig it.

I've been trying that lately. Had a few hits.

for the east coast crew, can you eat what you're catching? SFBay is dirty enough that you probably don't want to eat a lot of what you catch, but the ocean is a go, curious what it is like back there

Saltwater definitely. Freshwater, I'm not so sure.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

New Jersey, and they test the Hudson/Raritan too. Below are the ocean numbers. I grabbed them from page 9. The cooking advice on page 7 would make Gordon Ramsay flip his sh!t.

Stripers, 1 meal per month
6 bluefish over 2' all year
1 per month under 2'
1 meal of flounder/fluke each week

https://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/Fish_Advisories_2019.pdf

Fish Preparation Methods Proper fish cleaning and cooking techniques may reduce PCB levels by approximately 50 percent when compared to raw fish fillets. A meal size is considered to be an uncooked 8-ounce fillet. Eat only the fillet portions. Do not eat whole fish or steak portions.

Fish Cooking Methods Use a cooking method such as baking, broiling, frying, grilling, or steaming that allows the fats and juices to drain away from the fish. When possible, cook the fish on an elevated rack that allows fats and juices to drain to the pan below. Avoid batter, breading or coatings that can hold in the juices that may contain contaminants. The juices should be thrown away since they contain the PCBs and other chemicals that were in the fat. Do not pour these juices over the fish as a sauce or to moisten the fish. Butter, margarine or other liquids can be added to the fish for this purpose once the juices have been poured off. After cooking, discard all liquids and frying oils. Do not reuse. Do not use heads, skin, trimmed fatty portions in soups, stews, chowders, boils, broth or for fish stock. If you make stews or chowders, only use skinless fillet parts. Raw fish may be infested by parasites. Cook fish thoroughly to destroy the parasites. This also helps to reduce the level of many chemical contaminants.

 

[freeride76]

jeezuz.

I eat fish morning, lunch and dinner when I'm catching, which is pretty much all year around.

 

[HarryLopez]

I have a 14 and wouldn't want anything less, or much less if you plan on paddling a significant distance. For your area a 10 footer might be better for navigating rocks, surf, sketchy access.

Kayak fishing is super fun I just can't take sitting that long, even with a decent seat.

I talked to three guys that were coming in from fishing. One guys said 'no less than 12' for him because of the stability. He had a Hobie paddle. He said he goes out about 2-3 miles. Second guy had a 12' hand paddle, goes out about mile, but said he mostly goes when calm weather. Also said he got pulled around for hour by what he thinks, seeing color, was a halibut. Third guy was spearing rock fish and was about mile off shore.

All told me what the weather report should look like for that area. Stocked!

 

[mundus]

jeezuz.

I eat fish morning, lunch and dinner when I'm catching, which is pretty much all year around.

There is a reason it is called the lucky country.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

jeezuz.

I eat fish morning, lunch and dinner when I'm catching, which is pretty much all year around.

So do a shitload of people in Florida, some probably from rivers/lakes that are even worse off than the ocean.

There's plenty of 2 servings per week fish species in Florida. Is the below source who I should be looking at for NSW, because they say 2-3 servings per week of quite a few species.

Mercury and fish

It’s good to eat enough fish, especially when pregnant or breastfeeding. Fish are a valuable source of protein, minerals, vitamin B12 and iodine.

www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Also it says your mackerel are low in mercury, but ours are considered very high even in the Atlantic, far, far away from the rigs in the Gulf.

Is this or something shaped very similar to it what you're calling a mackerel?