Surf Fishing Question??

[bigjig71]

After seeing all these excellent surf fishing posts by Wingnut, City Dad, 57 etc... It brought back a lot of memories. I used to go to those same spots with my friends Dads and we would fish early in the morning and then go surfing after that. Back in the day we would keep some of the fish. Some decent sized Perch, a Corbina or two and once in a while we would catch a big Halibut. After surfing we would go home and cook those bad boys up!! Well that was in the late 80's, now I'm guessing that pollution levels are higher now than back then. So my question is... Is anyone eating what they catch out there or is this mainly for sport??

[Skyler]

I eat a portion of the fish I catch in the surf. Mainly surf perch in taco form, and the occasional croaker/corbina. If you follow the DFG consumption guidelines, you should be fine.

[Ricky-Ray]

I've only done surf fishing a few times and the few that I caught I just threw them back.

[KaliDawgFan]

I've heard that you shouldn't eat anything caught within two miles from the shore, especially croakers. There's actually a warning sign in Alamitos Bay stating the the mercury levels are very high in the croakers.

[Brian_GSC]

I think it depends on where you catch 'em.

[Cangler]

I smoke two packs a day ... but i dont eat my catch ...

[Fisherman57]

It's C&R for me.....

I must admit, Ive had a couple legal Hali's that I debated on keeping , but when it came down to it, I opted for the fresh Alaskan Halibut at Trader Joe's.. :lol:

I never have a cooler or anything with me to keep the fish in anyways, as Im always wanting to be as mobile as possible. Wingnut and I were out the other day for a full day and we musta covered 10 miles of beach in the three areas we worked... no way could I have covered that kinda area lugging a cooler along...... or fish for that matter.

I don't preach C&R on the board, but thats me for the most part, hell Ive returned Ghost Shrimp that Ive caught back to the mud just because they were females laden with eggs and are a big part of the ecosystem! LOL!

A friend shared some BSP with me one time and I didnt care for it all that much, I dont think Id ever eat Croaker.... but ya never know, hunger can drive a man to eat a legal Hali! LOL!

Hope to see ya on the sand!



57

[Skyler]

It's C&R for me.....

but ya never know, hunger can drive a man to eat a legal Hali! LOL!

Hope to see ya on the sand!

57

This coming from the guy who drives the pimped-out Hummer, lol! I honestly wish I could afford to release all my fish (or afford not to hunt), but the fact of the matter is, I'm a broke SOB. Those fish help to save me money on my family's dinner (which in turn saves me quite a bit of money on my license and gear for the year).

As for the cooler, no need. In centuries past, fish were always hung out to dry for several days before being eaten (raw sometimes!). I always keep my fish in my game bag, sometimes all day, to the point that the skin is dry as a bone, and I have NEVER gotten sick from them. In fact, in europe, people actually PREFER a properly aged fish. Same goes for wild game. nothing like hanging your venison for two days before butchering :wink: Just goes to show how far we have drifted from our roots. Tight lines.

[Fisherman57]

This coming from the guy who drives the pimped-out Hummer, lol! I honestly wish I could afford to release all my fish (or afford not to hunt), but the fact of the matter is, I'm a broke SOB (and I'm sure I'm not the only one). Those fish help save me money on my family's dinner (which saves me money and pays for my license and gear for the year). As for the cooler, no need. In centuries past, fish were hung out to dry for several days before being eaten (raw sometimes!). I always keep my fish in my game bag, sometimes all day, to the point that the skin is dry as a bone, and I have NEVER gotten sick from them. In fact, in europe, people actually PREFER a properly aged fish. Just goes to show how far we have drifted from our roots. Tight lines.


LOL! :rofl:.... hey, 48 more payments and it'll be mine! HAHAHAHAHA! J/K!.... I hear ya. It's all good. I advocate everyone following the law and DFG guidelines. If your catch falls within those guidelines, you should be able to keep the fish and make a great meal out of it if you prefer.


57

[ThemBastards]

Yeah I wouldnt be too scared to eat it. It might come as a surprise to some- but people eat fish from the beach, city park, streams, harbors, and piers all the time.



... not me of course but people do it.

[Wingnut]

I'm sure that most surf fish is okay to eat. I keep telling myself that the next legal Hali I catch is going to get grilled. But when I do get one, I can't bring myself to kill it. :lol: So I continue to order grilled Halibut in restaurants while the Flat Boys swim free. :mrgreen:

[Fisherman57]

I'm sure that most surf fish is okay to eat. I keep telling myself that the next legal Hali I catch is going to get grilled. But when I do get one, I can't bring myself to kill it. :lol: So I continue to order grilled Halibut in restaurants while the Flat Boys swim free. :mrgreen:


I thought that was CATFISH you ordered last night? :p......
Looked good though.....


As for dangerous to eat fish.... I think City Dad had a Balboa Lake Tilapia BBQ every Thursday night.... and look at him, he seems ok.... :lol:


57

[Wingnut]

I thought that was CATFISH you ordered last night? :p......
Looked good though.....


As for dangerous to eat fish.... I think City Dad had a Balboa Lake Tilapia BBQ every Thursday night.... and look at him, he seems ok.... :lol:


57

That was a plate of grilled catfish I ordered, poor man's Halibut. :lol:

But you're right, nothing beats the Lake Balboa flavorful Tilapia sizzlin' platter prepared by City Dad. :shock: :rofl:

[bsp]

Avoid eating any croaker species from anywhere, things caught out of right next to harbors, and anything that comes out of areas with a low water quality rating. Also scrape remove any dark colored parts of the fish. Those are the fatty areas and that is where most of the toxins will be. If you eat surf perch or halibut caught from areas that have a B or higher water quality you should be fine.

[bigjig71]

Thanks for the info everyone. Tight lines.