Another Epic at Limekiln - Sat 5.10 w/ pics

NICE JOB!! You guys are KILLIN' me!!!!!!!

Martin how do you skin a fish while leaving it on the bone?  That looks awsome.

Heard of the Bolivian Necktie?  Well here's the Vietnamese Backrub.

Need super sharp fillet knife and blunt nose pliers.  Directions are for a fish lying prone with dorsal fin pointing upward from work surface.

Make an initial SHALLOW 1-inch incision starting from top of head to gill plate.  Barely insert tip of knife just below skin into superior aspect of the nick.  Keeping knife tip still just below skin, and knife edge facing upward, bring down handle till knife parallel to work surface and in line with fish's long axis (head to tail).  Run knife along dorsal fin to base of tail, applying just enough downward pressure so knife tip stays below skin, but above flesh.  Do it right and it doesn't tuck into the fillet too much.

Now you've got an opening to the skin the length of the entire fish with a little "tab" at the head.  Securely clamp skin tab with pliers.  Pull on skin with pliers toward anal region (creating a larger and larger triangular flap).  While pulling, simultaneously apply counterpressure on fillet with free hand.  Once you pull skin away a bit, its gets easier and easier, but keep resetting  your pliers to a portion of exposed skin close to the fillet.  Skin pulls away from fascia leaving fillet intact.

You'll notice in the pics that I also gave the fish a Vietnamese Haircut removing the dorsal and anal fins with spines altogether.  Once skin removed on both sides, you can take pliers and yank out spines.  You can run incision along fin base to help the process, but only after skin removal.  If cut before, run risk of peeling off too much meat long with skin.  I left pec. fins intact for presentation (spread them out to help fish stay upright when prone - pretty when served whole).

Once fish is skinless, you can do a lot of things, including further filleting, dissection over the ribs or just cooking whole as is.

Upsides:  Don't have to scale your catch. eliminates lots of subcutaneous fat and skin where I assume lots of toxin bioaccumulation and parasites reside.

Downsides:  Don't get to eat skin (which can be tasty sometimes).  Maybe a bit more time consuming.  Don't end up with boneless fillets.

There's other neat ways to "clean" the fish while keeping it whole.  Try removing the GI tract, air bladder, and organs through the fish's mouth.  Pretty easy with right angle forceps or, less preferably, really long needle nose pliers.  With proper urging force, entire peritoneal contents pops right out for you.

Thanks, I will have to try that sometime.  Do you gut it first or not?

Great reporting, Guys! 

The Ling Story:

The drift was northward and I had not had a bite in two drops so I paddeled back south to my way pont to start a new drift.  I put the rod in free spool and set it in the holder while the lour dropped to about 100 feet so that I could re rig my other rod.  The lour stopped 10 feet from the botttom.  I figured a schoolie blue had hit it but there was no pull.  I jigged a little just to see if I was on some kelp or something and fell a slight tug of a rockfish.  I started reeling in slowly a little dissapointed when the line went slack and then suddely the fish felt much bigger.  It was pulling like a ling and even took a couple of vertical runs against my drag.  When it came to color about 10-12 feet below me, I saw a huge white mass that suddenly split in two.  As that happend I saw the ling turn almost a full circle and a 13-inch or so blue rockfish sort of dazed on my line.  In less than a second I hit free spool and blue and ling both head down together and the ling turns and hits the blue riight in my sight then takes him down.  I engaged my reel and made sure the gaff and net where handy.  This hichhiking ling had alredy let go once.  Careful not to let him break the surface, I reeled him close, rod in left hand gaff in right, when he was about 2 feet away I went at him with the gaff, an upward pull and got him behind the gill.  Rod back to the rod holder (the blue can wait), lip gripper, fish be cool stick, be cool.....bam bam bam.....Be Cool.....bam bam.......BE COOL....Bam...Ahhh   Primal Scream.  I got him on the stinger and had to use two hands while supporting the stringer on my lap to close it.  During the mayham, the blue with multiple bit wounds got away.  Lour and bait were still there ready for the next drop.  The ling taped out at 32-3/4 and about 13 lbs.  My best yet.

Well done, Etienne!  That was a good read.  Good Times!

I wish Limekiln wasn't so far away - I'd come get some videos...

Keep the Good Times coming.   

yakuza,

thanks for the prep instructions!  will have to try that next time!

pj

... I saw the ling turn almost a full circle and a 13-inch or so blue rockfish sort of dazed on my line.  In less than a second I hit free spool and blue and ling both head down together and the ling turns and hits the blue right in my sight then takes him down.  I engaged my reel and made sure the gaff and net where handy.  This hitchhiking ling had already let go once.  Careful not to let him break the surface, I reeled him close, rod in left hand gaff in right, when he was about 2 feet away I went at him with the gaff, an upward pull and got him behind the gill.  Rod back to the rod holder (the blue can wait), lip gripper, fish be cool stick, be cool.....bam bam bam.....Be Cool.....bam bam.......BE COOL....Bam...Ahhh   Primal Scream.  I got him on the stinger and had to use two hands .......

  - beee-yooo-teee-ful!!!! Great story guys, thanks!!

John

Any dumps would've been worth it. We should've headed out with you guys. Spectacular catches indeed.
We'll see next weekend if things work out.

Love the write up.
Seems I'm not the only one who wished they made the drive down there.
Excellent play by play on the hitchiking ling Sackyak!

Thias is one HELLUVA report! supported by some VERY entertaining writes and pics!......nothing but pure NCKA SWEETNESS at it FINEST!
how long does it take one to get there form the bay area?   a heat-wave is predicted this midweek...and you know it will be followed by three days of heavy winds...like always....I want to go south now! 
Madness I say!...pure SWEET MADNESS!