Friday Fishy News - January 12

[Flattieman]

A review of 2006 reveals plenty of fish tales

By Dave Strege

The Orange County Register

January 5

Record fish, money fish, snagged fish, big fish, banned fish.

Clearly, fishing tales took center stage in the great outdoors in 2006.

Before stepping outdoors for another year of fun, we look back at the top stories of the year just gone by:

Angler snags world-record bass:Without question, the top story of the year was the 25-pound, 1-ounce largemouth bass caught in March by Mac Weakley of Carlsbad at Dixon Lake in San Diego County.

It was world-record sized, easily surpassing the legendary world record of 22-4 caught in 1932.

One problem. It was foul hooked in the side.

It was not a legal catch under state regulations, and probably wouldn't have been recognized by the International Game Fish Association, the record keeper.

Because of the controversy, Weakley decided not to submit the fish for consideration, so the most coveted record in fishing remains safe.

"Hopefully, the next one will be (caught) the right way," said Weakley, who had released the fish.

The world-record-sized fish gained worldwide attention, and anglers from all over descended upon Dixon in hopes of catching it.

The London Times even called the lake to get the story.

Bad Company wins big money:Win a daily jackpot in the Bisbee's Black and Blue Marlin Tournament in Cabo San Lucas and anglers are happy. Imagine winning all the jackpots and most of the purse?

That's what Bad Company 55 did in October by catching marlin weighing 422 and 361 pounds.

The team, sponsored by Anthony Hseigh of Newport Beach and skippered by legendary Steve Lassley of Spring Valley, won a record $3.9 million in the hurricane-shortened event.

"The moon, the stars and everything else were lined up for Bad Company," said team member Jim Kingsmill of San Clemente.

The cows keep coming: The long-range fleet out of San Diego enjoyed a record season in 2005-06 with 2,243 yellowfin tuna weighing 200 pounds or more, known as cows. Twelve went over 300 pounds.

This season the fleet is enjoying more of the same with many more "super cows."

As of Christmas Day, the fleet had caught 278 cows and 15 were the super cows weighing more than 300 pounds.

The Red Rooster III went to Hurricane Bank and got 71 cows and a record five 300-pounders. Incredible.

The biggest of the season is a 356.2. Could the world-record, 388-pound yellowfin tuna be in danger?

Alpers Trout come to the O.C.: If you can't have the Utah rainbows, the famed Alpers Trout of the Eastern Sierra is the next-best thing.

Laguna Niguel Lake was fortunate to strike a deal with Tim Alpers, who was looking to expand his business. He is making weekly stockings at the lake this season.

Got trout? Laguna Lake does now:A few years ago, Laguna Lake in Fullerton was green and full of muck. Fishing was a pipedream and anglers yearned for the good old days.

The good old days might not yet be back, but the fishing has returned.

After a $2.25 million restoration project, rainbow trout were stocked in the lake in January for the first time in more than 20 years.

Private waters produce record fish: George Coniglio of Mission Viejo caught, weighed and released a 19-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass at Lake Mission Viejo in March. It was a record at the private community lake.

Aquaculturist Jim Harrold of Cohasset raised a rainbow trout to 28.3 pounds and then caught it from his private pond Jan. 3. The DFG recognized it as the state record for hatchery trout. Obviously, that was controversial.

Friends hook prize-winning fish

Newstalk ZB - tvnz.co.nz

January 4

New Plymouth fisherman Warren Davis and his mate Noel Bishop are still laughing over the 7.1kg snapper they made sure would not get away by both hooking it simultaneously.

Davis says they thought it was rather strange when both their lines began screaming out at the same time. At first they thought one of them had caught a shark and it had become tangled in the second line.

The huge fish simultaneously swallowed both Davis' and Bishop's bait, leaving them both winners of the Urenui Boating Club Shell Todd Classic Fishing Competition.

The men are still wondering how to divvy up the prize - a tool box packed full of tools.

But Davis says he is sure they can come to some arrangement on sharing the huge tool kit.

The two fishermen are waiting for the weather to improve before setting out for the same spot to see if they can strike lucky again.

Davis says they marked the spot where they caught the huge snapper on their GPS, but he is not about to reveal it to anyone else.

Fish fly, not fry on undersea molten ponds

By Christine Roulston

The University of Victoria - The Ring - (USA)

January 2

It may seem like something from another planet but fish that skip across pools of molten sulphur do exist and have been captured on video in the western Pacific.

The newly discovered flatfish, which thrive around sulphur ponds caused by underwater volcanoes, are the subject of research by University of Victoria ocean scientists Drs. John Dower and Verena Tunnicliffe.

“No one has ever found flatfish in a hydrothermal area and no one expected to see them in such abundance,” says Dower. “In some cases there were a few hundred fish per square metre sitting on the bottom near the sulphur pools.” The team also observed a few fish sitting on the molten sulphur and then moving off unharmed.

The footage was captured during three research voyages, the most recent in May, using remote submersibles along the Mariana Arc, a 1,200 km chain of underwater volcanoes and islands between Guam and Japan. Numerous hydrothermal vents occur in the area, where water becomes hot and mixes with toxic heavy metals.

Dower and Tunnicliffe were part of the expedition sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Exploration Program, a scientific and educational outreach program.

The UVic team will describe the fish’s behaviour and their ecology in a forthcoming journal paper.

“We’re hoping to learn more about how they manage to stand the temperatures on these sulphur ponds and also what they eat to support themselves,” says Dower. The researchers believe the flatfish live off small invertebrates in the sediment and “deadfalls” of normal ocean fish that are killed by the volcanic plume and fall to the seafloor.

UVic biology master’s student Jen Tyler will be focusing on how exactly the fish nourish themselves.

In the spring, Dower and Tunnicliffe will travel to New Zealand to study another volcanic arc off the country’s north coast where they believe the same distinctive flatfish resides.

The fish'n'chip shop that turns over $10,000 a day

By Jonathan Marshall

The New Zealand Herald

January 7

Tis the season to make money from holidaymakers.

A Coromandel fish and chip shop is turning over up to $10,000 a day as holiday hotspot retailers cash in on the influx of holidaymakers.

Kiwis holidaying in hotspots on the Coromandel Peninsula are paying top dollar for food and fuel because shop owners have only one month to make most of their annual income.

Despite being open all year round, Pauanui Takeaways and Ice Cream Parlour earns 75 per cent of its income between December and January. Proprietors Vicki and Craig Jones say on their best summer's day, they clock up $10,000 on the till. This is helped by charging a little extra for ice cream and takeaways. "We get everything shipped in and it costs a bit more so we have to pass that cost on to the tourists," Craig Jones says. "A lot of people don't understand how it works at these beach places. In Auckland it is a competitive market but here it is selective. They make a good living all year round but here we have to do it in a few weeks."

During winter it is just Vicki deep frying hotdogs and selling lollies, but when the Herald on Sunday visits, the whole family is mucking in.

Drive half an hour north and you'll be told it's because of the "quality of the bean" that you are being charged 50 per cent more for your cup of coffee than you would expect to pay at some of Auckland's swankiest hang-outs.

At Crisp Cafe and Restaurant in Whitianga, it will cost you $4.50 for a 400ml takeaway flat white. Owner Richard Lunn isn't worried though, as he's had no complaints. "It's a premium organic blend made in New Plymouth. It's won awards," he says from behind the bar of his newly opened beachfront eatery.

"During the last week we went through 40 kilos of the bean and there are 30 more arriving tomorrow. I haven't had one bad comment about the coffee, or the price."

The Chocolate Pretzel in Pauanui charges $4 for a double shot flat white. Asked why, the manager replied: "Because we can."

Holidaymakers like Pamela and Bruce Smudge from Hamilton say they don't mind paying a little extra while away on holiday. "Sure $4.50 is a bit much for a cuppa, but when you only go away once a year it is quite maintainable," Bruce says.

At Ferry Landing Store on Purangi Rd at Cooks Beach, across the waterway from Whitianga, filling up the family wagon with unleaded 91 will cost you $1.44 a litre, compared with $1.38 in Auckland. "We don't really get any complaints apart from the odd tightarse," says shop owner Kevin Blank. He says he pockets around three cents a litre profit.

Prescott's Garages in Hikuai, Tairua is even more pricey. On Friday, unleaded 91 was selling for $1.55.9 - 8.3 per cent more expensive than at the popular family beachspot of Whangamata where it's $1.42.9.

At Ocean Curves Beach Store in Whiritoa, owner Bill Doyle is surprised that on a hot summer's day he can sell 300 cups of coffee at $3.

"For a small place like this it is pretty impressive. But we keep our prices the same all year round because when the holidaymakers go home we need the locals to keep coming back," he said.

Fish Tacos San Felipe-Style

Courtesy of Tom Gatch

The Log - California

January 10

Visitors to the coastal regions of Baja have turned the fish taco into what is now one of the most popular 'fast foods' gaining attention throughout the United States. One of the most prominent versions is served in San Felipe, the famed fishing and shrimping port at the northern end of the Sea of Cortez.

Ingredients:

* 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. of seabass, halibut or rock cod fillets cut into 2" to 3"-long strips

* 1 fresh head of green cabbage, very finely shredded

* 2 limes, cut into wedges

* 12 freshly made corn tortillas

* 1/2 to 1 cup corn or vegetable oil

Method:

Heat oil in a skillet until it is very hot. Rinse fillet strips well, and then pat with paper towels until perfectly dry. Dip fish into batter and place in skillet so that the pieces are not touching each other. Cook the fish on all sides until it is just golden brown and lightly crisp. Remove pieces from pan and drain well. Remove remaining oil from the skillet and gently heat the tortillas until they are soft. Place a few fish pieces onto each warm tortilla, and then top with shredded cabbage, salsa blanca, tomato salsa and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Did You Know?

- Swordfish have a longer shelf life than most other fish species, because they have a low fat content and a higher percentage of white muscle than red muscle.

- Yellowfin are the second tuna species in terms of volume and popularity.

- Some tunas maintain a body temperature several degrees higher than that of the surrounding water. This heat is due to the modified circulatory system associated with the red muscle. A similarly modified circulatory system also warms the brain and eyes of some species of tunas and billfishes.

Flattieman.

Edited January 12, 2007 by Flattieman