Fresh Octopus

Seeing all the little fresh octopus that I caught yesterday in Santa Cruz, I was wondering if anyone either eats them or use as bait. They were looking like a great size for some fried calamarie! 

Great bait

Great grilled.

  The bigger ones are great mixed in ceviche, or deep fried,, or,,, most any other way you'd prepare calimari.

Lots of mini oct'I in capitola for the past two trips to New Brighton. Must be the time of year.  Bastards will go to town on your bait...   

ended up switching to jigging for rock fish outside the kelp

Tako Poke or fried

   Pulled up twins...   lost a much bigger one.   

yum! i have always wondered how they fight if you get them hooked. i know squid put up a pretty good fight or at least from what i have seen in videos. not from personal experience...

If you steam the octo, then slice it thin and pickle it with a mix water, Japanese rice vinegar (Murin), and slices of lemon for a couple of days it is great. A friend that lived in Japan taught me that one...

how were you catching them?

If you steam the octo, then slice it thin and pickle it with a mix water, Japanese rice vinegar (Murin), and slices of lemon for a couple of days it is great. A friend that lived in Japan taught me that one...

  That sounds good !   


        Everything I dropped over caught them...  squid,  swimbaits even.        You can just feel the sudden extra weight when the latch on.  reel up slowly, and don't yank them out of the water until the last second.