Pennies From Heaven

 

The rain as it appeared outside the author's window at 6:47 Tuesday, Feb 7th

5:30AM and it's raining.  Drip drop drip.  Not the torrential downpour predicted, but rain nonetheless. Huzzah!  Sturgeon milling about in the bay.  Salmonids suddenly perking up.  The last herring getting squirrelly again.  And me sitting here with cup o' joe and a rare sense of optimism.

 

  "... with cup o' joe and a rare sense of optimism."

 

But even so... wow, what a miserable winter rain-wise.  Just spent ten minutes looking at my New Year's resolutions... which have always been more of a January to-do list than anything else.  Anyway, I was thinking about it and it dawned on me that I ought to write up my New Years fishing resolutions.

Recreational:

1.  Get off butt and catch a friggin white seabass!

2.  Get off butt and spend more time halibut fishing in the bay!

3.  Make a trip to Jerry's secret lair of goliath clams

4.  Master extracting gonads from purple urchins

5.  Make a new A-frame net for S. starski season... and overhaul old nets.

 

 

Commercial:

1.  Get off butt and catch a friggin white seabass!

2.  Get off butt and spend more time halibut fishing in the bay

3.  Hook and line sand dabbery.  Can it be done inside 3 miles?

4.  Coon striped shrimp--in earnest.  What could be done with 200 traps?

5.  Attend Fish and Game Commission meeting to propose regulatory changes to the herring fishery.

6.  Continue to develop the market for underutilized species.  Rock crab?  Jacksmelt anyone? Yellowfin gobies?

 

Seriously tho.  The Japanese are way into this species.  They have party boats for them and what not.  I even found the following slogan from the annals of Japanese fishing lore:

 

 ‘A saltwater fisherman’s life begins with goby fishing, and ends with goby fishing’

 

And of course, the Japanese aren't the only ones:  Remember this picture from several thanksgivings ago?

 

                                                                Not bullheads, gobies.

I mean, you want to talk sustainability?  Let's reduce the population of invasive gobies through commercial fishing.  Who's in?

Funny, I totally forgot about these old posts (see below if you want more goby-hood).

Thanksgiving Gobies

Byczki Cigarettes and Tales of Old Odessa

Gotta go poke the shores.

--Kirk out

 

Comments

[Northern Boy]

Have you explored the culinary potential of Myliobatis californica?

Seems like it could be a winning combo for seaforger.org - go fishing, with a really good chance of actually catching one, including some good hang-on-to-your-hats-it's-off-again runs and scraps, followed by 'tastes like scallops' dinner.

You'd have to deal with those puppy dog eyes tho.

[BL]

Aw man, Northern boy, I know what you're saying. I was at a spot recently doing a wind-oriented watersports thing and saw a lady hauling a big, beautiful bat ray off the beach. I've definitely taken my fair share of fish in my life, but those bat rays are just so damned cute, I don't know how anyone could kill one! I really felt sad for the poor guy.

[Popothewonderdog]

I'm in for the goby fishing! It's quite popular in Japan... and they're delicious. Unfortunately, I don't know what it would take to gain acceptance in the local market.

Why isn't there a commercial market for jacksmelt? They're certainly plentiful. Is it because of the worms? I'm guessing they could be grilled just like pacific saury. I'll have to try it sometime.

[Kirk Lombard]

Yeah I know. Always used to break my heart when I worked for DFG and saw those fish so brutally abused. So anthropomorphic! It's a good idea but there's also health issues. They're loaded with toxins those guys.

[MWM]

Kirk, Just to let you know...you can commercially fish for sanddabs inside three miles. Outside of three mile you need VMS. Pretty sure you can even fish for sanddabs inside the RCA as long as you have to correct sanddab gear.

[Kirk Lombard]

Right. But try to find abundant sand dab inside three mi. And the VMS... ugh. That's taking things to a whole different level. A level that involves serious misery. Bureaucratic nightmares. Guys in blue suits (don't the feds wear blue?) busting balls constantly. What could be worse? Surely nothing.