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Topic: Stillwater Cove 12/4/06  (Read 1068 times)

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rockfish

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Got to Stillwater about 8:30 and unloaded the yaks to a glass sea with 1-2 foot swells.  The tide was almost at full high, but the launch was smooth.  The water in the cove was clear to about 25 feet and the kelp was all ripped up.  Last Time I was there, there was kelp everywhere, at least 75% of it was gone yesterday.  The bite was fast in the morning but slowed when the wind picked up arround noon.  5 keeper blues between the two of us and at least 50 assorted RC caught, including 2 big lings.  I had never caught a ling before and teought I was snagged the when the first one bit, but then the snag started moving...several minutes later I had a 30" ling in the net and then back in the water  :smt010 an hour later I landed annother ling, this time about 28", both were awesome and released.  I didnt get any pics, cause I wanted to get them back in the water fast and I was about 100 feet from my buddy...
Off the water about 2:15 and back to Fresno...

I'll try to get pics next time.
Jim
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e2g

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nice work.  I knew those lings had their calendars marked for the end of the season!  Now they will bite until the opener
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Sin Coast

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Isn't it funny how that works! Even though you had to let em go, it was probably still fun to fight a couple beasts.

Thanks for the report,
PK
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rockfish

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I'll gladly catch fish all day even if I have to throw all of them back, the bigger, the better!!!  I was a little nervous unhooking the lings, I had forgotten my pliers at home...fortunatly htey were hooker near the lips  :smt001

A question about cleaning rock cod; do most people leave the skin and fins on after gutting?  Last time I had a haul I spent several hours filleting them and felt like I wasted allot of meat.  This time I skinned and finned one, but that took a while so I just finned the rest and plan on baking or Q-ing them.   Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Jim
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LoletaEric

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Fileting is the way to go.  Use a very sharp knife to avoid waste.  Cut in behind the gill plate and down to the back bone.  Turn your filet knife 90 degrees so it's flat against the spine and filet back toward the tail, cutting through the few rib bones and staying as flat as you can.  Stop short of the end of the meat at the tail, flip the filet with the skin over past the end of the tail and skin it so that the skin stays with the fileted carcass.  I also cut out the chunk up by the head.  With a sharp knife and some practice you'll end up feeling like you didn't waste much and you'll have boneless, skinless, and even fat-trimmed filets for immediate use or freezing.  Good luck!   :smt001
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Sin Coast

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I totally agree with Abking. Filletting is definitely the way to go. And his description is accurate too. A good knife make s a huge difference too...as I recently found out (I thought my knife was "good enough" but then tried a friend's knife and it was like cutting through butter! It was soo much easier).
One bit of advice I can offer is to be assertive with the knife...no namby pamby limp-wristed cutting---just strong, clean slices (no sawing). Although, I do tend to "saw" when cutting through those first few rib bones sometimes. Another technique I employ is to begin by rotating the fish so its back/dorsal fin is facing toward me...as opposed to its belly facing toward me--this helps to get deep on all of that shoulder meat above the gill plate area.

The best way to figure out how to do it is just go for it! After a few rockfishing-trips-worth of filletting, you're feel like a crusty old deckhand and slice that fish like Zoro!

Good luck,
PK
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rockfish

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Thanks guys, I'll have to invest in a new fillet knife then.
Hopefully I can make it back out before the season is over.
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kickfish

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Even with a good knife.  Use a stone to sharpen it after a few fish.

Ken kickfish


Whalewatched

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  To fillet rockfish, I've found the wood-handled Rapala 8" blade fillet knife works well. 
It's strong enough to break through the ribs yet flexible enough to cleanly skin the fillets.
It's not too big or too small. It didn't cost too much either, maybe $15.  Paul
 


Whalewatched

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  Actually, the Rapala knife blade is 7 1/2", with a 1/2" metal base. Sorry for the inaccuracy.  Paul