Hola! - California Fishing

RathPete · 07-13-2005, 02:05 AM

Hi all,

Just another new guy out here in Southern California... My friend took me out pier fishing out in newport and ive been hooked every since (no pun intended). I caught a bunch of croakers and whatnot and lately ive been catching mackerel... stocking up on some bait and my mom actually likes to cook a little bit of it for some vietnamese dish....

I was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction on where and when to go to catch some nice edible fish... Im a seafood kind of guy and the fishing has really brought my stress down a lot so i figure this hobby is a great addition to my arsenal!!! thanks for your help!

Wahoo! · 07-13-2005, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RathPete

Hi all,

Just another new guy out here in Southern California... My friend took me out pier fishing out in newport and ive been hooked every since (no pun intended). I caught a bunch of croakers and whatnot and lately ive been catching mackerel... stocking up on some bait and my mom actually likes to cook a little bit of it for some vietnamese dish....

I was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction on where and when to go to catch some nice edible fish... Im a seafood kind of guy and the fishing has really brought my stress down a lot so i figure this hobby is a great addition to my arsenal!!! thanks for your help!

You can catch halibut from the surf and in the harbors, perch from the surf, and I've seen barracuda and bonito in the harbors from time to time. If you're in Orange County, the state just started stocking catfish again which are very good to eat. You can check out the News forum on here and check out all the stocking schedules to see if they stock a park near you.

FishSlayer · 07-13-2005, 08:15 AM

Those Mackeral will make great catfish bait in the fresh water and shark and ray bait in the ocean. If you are looking to get fish you can eat out of the ocean your best bet is a party boat, the next couple of months are going to be 1/2 day boat heaven.

Nick Velvet · 07-13-2005, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RathPete

Hi all,

Just another new guy out here in Southern California... My friend took me out pier fishing out in newport and ive been hooked every since (no pun intended). I caught a bunch of croakers and whatnot and lately ive been catching mackerel... stocking up on some bait and my mom actually likes to cook a little bit of it for some vietnamese dish....

I was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction on where and when to go to catch some nice edible fish... Im a seafood kind of guy and the fishing has really brought my stress down a lot so i figure this hobby is a great addition to my arsenal!!! thanks for your help!

Welcome to the board. You will find lots of good info here. Im not much of a fish eater but I do keep the occasional surf perch for tacos and whatever I may catch on ther charters. Wahoo and Fishslayer mentioned some good species to eat as well. Mmmm catfish. I agree that fishing does lower your stress level.

DementedFish · 07-13-2005, 10:32 AM

Pete, what you want to do, is go on a 3/4 day trip out of Newport Landing. It costs $45 I think, and right now, they're catching tons of sand bass and barracuda. I find sand bass to be one of the most tastiest fish around. Welcome to the board!

PlatinumHooks · 07-13-2005, 01:47 PM

Rathpete, Welcome! Everyone pretty much named it. Halibut is hittin' pretty well right now, Sandies(Sand Bass) are great tasting, Surf Perch make the best fish tacos, and Barracuda (As long as you either fillet them or at least bleed them right away), taste great with the right recipe -(you can check out my recipe for "Creole Barracuda" in the "Recipe" section of the Boards Home page).

DementedFish · 07-13-2005, 01:56 PM

Is it good to bleed barracuda right after you catch them tony?

PlatinumHooks · 07-13-2005, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DementedFish

Is it good to bleed barracuda right after you catch them tony?

Well, most of the time people catch them on a 1/2 to 3/4 day trip, etc. and they are getting them filleted shortly after being caught, but if you go out on a private boat and or catch them while kayaking, tubing , etc. you probably wont get to filleting them for a while so I do recommend bleeding them right away.