Fort Ross - 8/20 (PICS)

Ya want about those cooties did you see the expression on Mooch face the fish you know i am no expert but girls:smt061  like when you smile and not when you look   ha ha nice fish. steve

That vermillion sashimi looks unspeakably good. Do they just prep it for you when you bring it in?
    Joel, don't listen to those guys. We know you got rid of your cooties. BTW, looking at the pic of the sushi chef, "cutie" comes more to mind!

Good Job Mooch. I seem to never get a hit when I use a small black for Bait.  

Jason

Hmmm. I am a big sashimi fan, but I have pulled so many parasites out of rockfish and lings that I would not eat them raw.  All fish have parasites and raw fish served as sushi in California has to be frozen for a period of time to kill them.  I guess you would be alright if you "candeled" each slice, but then you may offend the sushi chef...who as we know, carry sharp knives.

Ya rolls the dice and ya takes ya chances!

Great catch though Mooch.  I was camping in Gualala this weekend, sans kayak unfortunately (accumulating WAF credits).

Ed

raw fish served as sushi in California has to be frozen for a period of time to kill them

Nope.  In fact some of the worst cestodes (aka tapeworms) aren't even phased by freezing, heck some aren't even killed by formalin.  Most sashimi species are selected for their taste and LACK of parasites.  Thats why the overall list of things offered is generally limited to pelagics like tunas and jacks.  

Others like sushi species like salmon (aka sake) needs to be carefully inspected by the chef.  Salmon has both cestodes and nematodes.  Nematodes cause anasikiasis which is an illness caused by a nematodes cruising your body looking for its home. It never finds "home", cause your not the right intermediate host.  Depending on the length and direction of the worms walk-about, damage can be pretty bad or minimal.  The whole thought is yucky, so I stick to things tor etc...tuna baby.

Last year a ate a grip of albacore sashimi after I went on a run out of HMB.  I felt fine, but the thought was on my mind.  I know albacore is not anywhere near as popular as maguro.  Are parasites the reason?

In any case, I always wanted to do what mooch did - take my catch to a sushi-rista and have them slice and dice.  What a neat way to finish the day.

Albi -as a tuna it is primo sushi/sashimi.  I have eaten some on the water that rivals maguro/ahi/tor...plain awesome.  I think its availability in sushi bars has more to do with availability.  Catching tuna for the sushi trade is entirely different than canning etc.  I don't know of anyone around here working the sushi grade fishery, but if you did you would likely make a ton of money.

I have always wanted to do what Joel did, it would be a cool way to eat your catch.

you can usually get shiro maguro in sushi restaurants (at least in marin), occassionally it will be seared with a little ponzu...oh yummm.

That's my biggest drive to go albi fishing- fresh sushi.  another one that is amazing is bonito.  Most people think of it as a 'junk' tuna.  But bleed and ice immediately, then sear with a bit of ponzu, amazing

Well guys...I'm still alive and feeling good....the cooties seem to have no effect on me....for now at least  

The sashimi slices were pretty thin and if there were any worms in 'em, the sushi man would have never served it. Yet, I'm sure there are still smaller parasites that we cannot see....I simply HAD to eat the vermillion cause I was hungry....besides, the dish did look very appealing..... IF I do get sick later on....oh well  

The raw Vermillion was delicious especially when you sqeeze some lemon on it and dip it into the soy-wasabi mix. The texture was almost similar to Hirame (raw Halibut). I had a few slices of raw Ling and the meat was similar to Mirugai (giant clam) and Tako (Octopus) - but maybe a little softer. The rest of the Ling was deepfried and served with tartar sauce and some tempura sauce.

Do they just prep it for you when you bring it in?

Rich - they do it for Lee and I ....since we are loyal - regular customers   We both bring 'em fish and abs every chance we get...they are just great hosts and we just enjoy their hospitality  


Lee also brough back an Uni (Sea Urchin) from Fort Ross and he and the Ryan picked it clean.....IMO =   ....I'm not a big fan of it.

Hey Joel... thanks for posting the photos... was fun to hook up with you on the home turf for once... wish I could have spent the rest of the day out there with you guys but gotta preserve the WAF.  You guys had a nice day on Lake Pacific.

I did mark some bait in the first spot we fished and spent about 30 minutes mooching through it but no salmon.   I did catch one 30" ling while mooching and caught a decent red earlier along with a couple other small gophers.  Pretty good for about 30 to 45 min of fishing in one little spot.

The in-laws enjoyed the abs this afternoon... was definitely worth going up there to harvest such a treat for them.  

I may have enough WAF to get out next weekend somewhere... would really like a salmon...

I'm going out of capitola and pebble this saturday.  I'm gonna go mooch-style and try some sashimi.  Brendan posts that he eats raw halibut and he's still standing.

I'll post a report (hopefully not from the ER.)

Hey Erik - I noticed that there was a long strip of Islands pointing out to sea to the South side of the cove we were fishing. Have you ever fished that area? Looks really fishy - I should have taken a picture of it. Lee told me that there was a spear-fish tournament in honor of Randy fry (the Ab diver who was attacked by a GW) in that strip of Islands not too long ago....do you know what I'm talking about??

I may have enough WAF to get out next weekend somewhere... would really like a salmon...

Erik - I'm ALWAYS thinking salmon....I'm thinking Linda Mar this Saturday if conditions permit. Plan B (just in case it's rough at LM) is to fish HMB for Rock fish and maybe even try for Halibut. Chuck and I drove past HMB yesterday to have lunch at Ono's and we saw some birds working the shallow sandy area just outside the harbor. Chuck really thinks there are Halibut out there and that no one really fishes for 'em...it might be worth a try if the RF are not active

company welcome!!!

Joel,
You are talking about a couple of miles south, right?

If so, I believe that is Pedotti's or the "White Barn".  We used to camp there before the state took it over and rock pick on the minus tides.  Almost everyone picked just south of the reef.  Its a steep climb down with no yak access.

Paddling from the Fort?  that would be a hell of a long way.

Stuart

Ya Stu - that's it. Paddling from Fort Ross can be done.....I guess it would depend on how and where the wind blows later in the morning. I'd give it shot  


Has anyone tried fishing Jenner - I believe the Russian River flows out there. It looked really murky....and from what I've heard = GW territory!
Any thoughts about this place?

the legalities of giving abalone to restaurant are murky, be careful.