Capitola 8-2

Launched off the beach next to the pier and worked various kelp beds up over towards Soquel Point...bite was real hot for the rockies in the morning, but most were too small to bother keeping (still had fun catching them though!!)...ended up keeping a couple black and yellows (that my wife and I are eating right now) a nice 14 inch brown, a fatty 15 inch kelp, and a pretty 16 inch Kelp Greenling...my first Greenling ever!!! 

Seals were ALL over the place as were the millions of baitfish...ocean was flat calm, wind was mellow and it was nice and foggy and then warmed up a bit later on...

Bite died for me around 11 and I came back in early...

All fish caught on frozen chovie chunks on a rock cod/shrimp fly rig.

Forget to take my camera out, so just one pic of the ones I brought home for the grease...

Sincerely,

Jim

thanks for the report.   Nice looking fish.  Were the baitfish macs. or smelts?

I didn't jig any up, but from what I could see (and from what I have jigged up out there my last couple times out) there were a ton of smelt, and a mix of macks and sardines...the smelt were everywhere and were nibbling on my bait and following it up to the surface all day...even ended up catching a few on the rock cod rig!!!

Good eats Jim, nice job out there!


-Eliot

Nice haul and good work.
Looks like decent size fillets on those boys.

 It's good to see reports out of cap.
Haven't tried it there for a couple weeks.

Stoggie

Thanks guys...had a really fun time OTW and while the bite was hot the action was nice and fast on the little guys...

Also my first time launching and landing from the beach...have been just walking it down the pier and launching from the floating dock after buying some chovies from Ed.  Today Ed was running late though so I launched from the beach and then paddled over to the dock to tie up and get the chovies...even though it was like launching and landing in a pond, still had fun doing it!!!
 
Stoggie, not even gonna filet them, they are going in the grease whole...that's the way the wife likes them best, and you also maximize the eating potential of even medium to small fish, and easily make a nice meal out of each one...She is Honduran and that is the way she grew up eating fish down there...I catch and clean 'em and she cooks 'em...works for me!! 

Just got a new big ol' cast iron skillet as a gift, and am still working on seasoning it...think tomorrow the Greenling will take a sizzle bath in there to break it in!!!
 

One of these days we need to meet up to do a Cap or Santa Cruz trip...

Sincerely,

Jim

Great post Jim...I hear a lot of peeps say they love the "greenling" I don't know why but their so cool looking...flakey all white meat I guess...

When u cook um whole in a pan...??? how does she do it...because your right in the "USA" we like to fillet! but all the flavor is in the head, tail, fins, skin...we waste so much of the good stuff...I remember a trip to Fijii  they prize the head...fish head soup...yum...

thx for your post and pics...

Here are some pics of the whole fried rockfish and greenling that my wife and I just enjoyed for our 4 year anniversary...

Sledge, we just gut and scale them, two slits on each side, rub some Tony Chachere's cajun spice in there (I'm from New Orleans originally), a sprig of fresh rosemary in the belly cavity, then a sizzle bath in the hot grease for about 4-5 minutes on each side...yeah, the fins, tail, and most of the head all get eaten...yummy!!

Damn, I want some rockfish to eat now    Thanks for the report Jim, love the pic of you next to the fish fryer 

Nice catches!  Looking at the pictures makes me hungry    Thanks for the report and pictures Jim.

There's something about deep-frying fish (or bacon!) in a wife-beater...makes me feel like I earned the grub, by enduring hot bacon-grease splatter on the arms haha! Great report Jim--Thanks!

Congrats on your 4Th...and what a home cooked meal...mmmmmm...yes it looks yummy along with some red wine... thx

Some of the best food I've ever eaten was in New Orleans in 98, worked a home show for a week @ the super dome...wow...every nite a different eatery...I think the best was this little mom & pops deli that had a line going out the front door!!! Poor Boys' were their speciality...fried oyster sandwich....damn that was the best!!! and had to visit the world famous Acme Oyster shack...life on a half shell...

Great read and pics too!.....love a post that ends with FISHonDISH!
Keep it up Jim, you've got it right!