Introduction

Hi Everyone,

Largely due to heavy workload and kids I've shied away from groups like this, but after a bit of prodding and my addiction to all things sea kayak, it was time to get on here. As dumb as it may sound to everyone, my favorite fish to catch are sanddabs, hence my login name of SanddabMan. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing a halibut power-dive and snap my new pole in half, or wrestling a big lingcod into the boat, but darn I love eating sanddabs! Then again, I love seeing the faces on the beach when I pull my big ling out of the boat and people invariably ask, "You caught that in a kayak?" Darn straight I did! I haven't had time to look this site over, but if you need some reading, get a copy of Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble: True Stories and Their Lessons from Sea Kayaker Magazine by Matt Broze and George Gronseth. I've pulled off two harrowing rescues of guys who submerged their kayaks on the North Coast...this book is some good motivation to be prepared and play safe. See ya on the water. -SanddabMan

Welcome, SanddabMan! Thanks for the book recommendation; I ordered a copy. I used to rock climb, and the annual Accidents in North American Mountaineering was really helpful for understanding risks.

Where do you like to go for sanddabs? I've tried for them off Linda Mar with only minimal success.

Welcome! And that does look like an interesting read

Welcome, SdM.

Welcome to NCKA.  I knew someone must eat those dabs. 

Welcome, and may i ask what is the best way to cool those little guys up, ive never even tried one,  seems like a fish youd chop the head and guts off and throw in the fryer whole
 

Thanks for the welcome. I'd been sea kayaking for a number of years when I read Deep Trouble...the take-home was that some guys that were a lot more badass on the water than me got their hind-ends kicked by unexpected conditions and almost got free tours of Davey Jone's Locker (one or two actually did), so I don't take chances and go prepared. That's what I love about what I see on this website. A lot of wisdom and caution.

As for the dabs, the only place I've ever done well for them was outside of the stretches of coast along Maverick's (north of Half Moon Bay) and from Mad River to Big Lagoon. I know they're elsewhere, but we've caught scanty few off of Eureka, the Cape, Orick or south of Half Moon Bay. We start picking them up at 120, but 150 to 180 they start loading your sabikis up. Not so glorious to show off to your fishing buddies, but hard to beat on the table. Then again, my wife's Asian and my kids eat the meat off the bones. No waste in our home! So you got it ryang85, eat 'em whole and you don't lose anything. Most folks say they're too small, but we mostly catch 'em about 9-11 inches. If you don't filet them, a couple make a pretty nice meal. The killer is to gut them and lay a few slices of ginger and green onion over them and steam in a tinfoil wrap. Then you make a soy-sauce, sugar, cilantro sauce and you'll make a lot of dinner friends fast!

Welcome to NCKA. 

The killer is to gut them and lay a few slices of ginger and green onion over them and steam in a tinfoil wrap. Then you make a soy-sauce, sugar, cilantro sauce and you'll make a lot of dinner friends fast!

Welcome to NCKA !!! You will fit right in !!!

Thanks for all the sanddab wisdom. Sounds like I'm going to need to head farther offshore.

Welcome!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Thanks for the warm welcome. Yeah KPD, depending on your coast, a couple miles out the flatfish are just waiting. I'm looking forward to scanning the website to see what other flatfish wisdom is around, and raising the bar this year with the petrale sole reg changes. So far we've boated Pacific halibut, California halibut, petrale sole, butter sole, sand sole and tons of sanddabs. My paddling crew is looking forward to figuring out how to catch petrale sole and starry flounder on a consistent basis. Now if this wind would just stop and work would slow down...