Kingfish and looking after your catch

[whiskey299]

Since some ppl can’t enough of kingfish reports (not to mention any names @Pickles 😂) here’s one from early November when the bust ups were going crazy in the harbour.

Today’s mission was to catch a top water #kingfish and it definitely wasn’t easy.  Got to the spot for the first light feeding frenzy and I couldn’t get any interest with all the selection of lures I was using. Spent the next couple of hours chasing the morning bust ups without a single glance at my lures. 

Plan B catch some live yakkas and it didn’t take long to fill the livewell with a dozen of them. Even with the live yakkas I couldn’t get any interest. They call me 007, 0 bites, 0 fish, 7 hours! Then the rain came and it was wet, cold, miserable and dead boring. I was so bored I had a quick power nap on the yak 😴💤 while it continued to rain! 

Eventually moved spots and luckily I marked a massive school on the sounder. Before I knew it they were busting up all around me, casted the 3gram halco twisty and I was on straight away. What an awesome feeling to feel the rod load up and hear the reel scream. 

Kingfish measured 69cm not quiet big enough to tag for the @project_kingfish comp, but still a decent size on the EGI Pe0.6 setup. I decided to keep this fish and quickly took some photos and dispatched it.

A properly looked after fish will always give you best eating quality on offer. After you have Ikejime, bleed and if possible ice slurry, which isn’t practical on most kayaks. So instead I use ice blocks when bagging the fish. 

Try not to bend and keep it as straight as possible before rigor sets in, otherwise when you straighten a curved fish it degrades the texture for sashimi. But if you’re just going to make fish cakes then just ignore everything I said 😂.

I avoid using public filleting tables especially if they’re not made of stainless steel. I tried cleaning fish once at the boat ramp table (non stainless) and the fish deteriorated very quickly and developed the notorious fishy odour.

Day 1: My wife replicated this recipe from a Japanese restaurant we ate at recently and it turned out pretty close.

Day 2: Our usual goto ceviche recipe with the additional red szechuan chilli oil to spicy things up a tad

Day 3: As requested by our youngest he wanted fish cakes and our goto recipe is from recipe_tin it’s basically a hash brown with fish mixed in and who doesn’t like hash browns! We adjust her recipe so there is an almost equal ratio of fish to potatoes. Dressed with sriracha and kewpie mayo. 

Gear used:
Rod: NS Blackhole EGI S-702ML
Reel: Daiwa 21 Caldia LT2000S
Line: tasline elite PE0.6
Leader: Sunline FC Rock 12lb leader
Lure: Halco Twisty 3gram
 

[fish-aholic]

Absolutely amazing report. Great catch n good pics. Loved every bit of it. 

[Pickles]

Great report @whiskey299, love your committment. There are some great pics of those recipies and fully endorse the benefits of looking after your catch. Thanks for sharing.

[Central Coast Fisherman]

Great report! I love how you put a small ball sinker above the 3g metal lure. I assume this is to aid with casting distance and sink rate? 
 

I’m considering purchasing a knife specifically for sashimi and noticed the knife in your photo. Is it a sashimi knife? And how do you find it? There are so many knife options and I have no idea which one to get. Are you able to provide details of your knife?

Cheers,

Phil

[Little_Flatty]

Nice work @whiskey299. I didn’t know about not bending the fish re sashimi quality.

I’ve been a lot more disciplined about dispatching and icing down my catch over the past couple of years and it’s been like night and day in terms of eating quality.

Interesting what you say about cleaning tables, by it makes sense. Maybe you can keep your own chopping board in the car?

[DerekD]

Hi @whiskey299

Loved this report. The combination of being informative and the visually spectacular story board knocked this one out of the park in my opinion.

Really appreciate you posting this one.

Regards,

Derek

[whiskey299]

1 hour ago, Central Coast Fisherman said:

Great report! I love how you put a small ball sinker above the 3g metal lure. I assume this is to aid with casting distance and sink rate? 
 

I’m considering purchasing a knife specifically for sashimi and noticed the knife in your photo. Is it a sashimi knife? And how do you find it? There are so many knife options and I have no idea which one to get. Are you able to provide details of your knife?

Cheers,

Phil

Hi Phil

That’s actually not a ball sinker but a black rubber bead I put on to prevent tip damage. I like to do that for all the rods I use on the yak as I can just unhook everything wind up all the slack when fishing is done. It just keeps the line tidy that way and doesn’t tangle during transport. 
 

As for getting a sashimi knife (aka yanagiba) honestly it’s not necessary needed unless you need a long knife to complete the cut in one stroke. Ie avoid back and forward cuts which can ruin the flesh on delicate flesh. What I think is more important is learning how to sharpen a knife so it’s a pleasure to use. A yanagiba is a single beveled knife and a very different technique is use to sharpen them and you need to invest in time and a bit of money gets whet stones. So if you’re not keen on that, probably best to get a long chef knife instead. I actually find myself reaching for my Global chef knife more often than the yanagiba. The chef knife is easier to sharpen for me personally on the whet stone. 
 

I have Tojiro Sushi Sashimi Chef Knife Shirogami Steel Yanagiba 270mm F-909. I bought it to try out many years ago and it’s an ok knife what I’ll call a budget knife. Most of these knives are made of steel that have a high carbon content so they remain sharp longer but will rust easier. So you’ll need to maintain the knife by applying some oil after use. If I were to buy another yanagiba I personally would consider getting the Global G11, I haven’t tried this but it fits my price range.

[whiskey299]

33 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

Nice work @whiskey299. I didn’t know about not bending the fish re sashimi quality.

I’ve been a lot more disciplined about dispatching and icing down my catch over the past couple of years and it’s been like night and day in terms of eating quality.

Interesting what you say about cleaning tables, by it makes sense. Maybe you can keep your own chopping board in the car?

Yea when rigor sets in and you straighten a fish to fillet it loosens the flesh and this is very noticeable on Aussie salmon. BTW I can only eat Aussie salmon sashimi or ceviche, I’ve found it eaten cooked just isn’t my cup of tea. 
 

that’s great you’re looking after your catch, it makes a massive difference in quality and being able to store in the fridge or freezer longer. So much so I’ve converted my boat buddies.

Those concrete cleaning tables are loaded with bacteria but your suggestion of bringing your own chopping board is a pretty good idea!
 

Cheers Brad

[whiskey299]

29 minutes ago, DerekD said:

Hi @whiskey299

Loved this report. The combination of being informative and the visually spectacular story board knocked this one out of the park in my opinion.

Really appreciate you posting this one.

Regards,

Derek

Thanks Derek!

Hope your are well and enjoying some quality fishing time, well hopefully not in this wet weather Sydney’s getting smashed with.

[FishingFables]

Wow! You’re a kayak fishing expert and brilliant chef rolled into one.

I loved reading your report and looking at the pics of all the dishes you created, which showed great skill with a sashimi knife and respect for the fish.

Cheers

Jason

[XD351]

Awesome report + nice fish + fantastic dishes = EPIC in my books ! How do you find the NS rods ? I have the flattie rod and love it- it became my favourite rod very quickly! , I am planning on buying the egi rod very soon . 

[Larkin]

Mate, those food pics look amazing, and it’s coming on lunch time atm.

please post the recipes in the ‘Kitchen’ section on here, I need to try them out! 
 

 

[whiskey299]

20 hours ago, fish-aholic said:

Absolutely amazing report. Great catch n good pics. Loved every bit of it. 

 

20 hours ago, Pickles said:

Great report @whiskey299, love your committment. There are some great pics of those recipies and fully endorse the benefits of looking after your catch. Thanks for sharing.

 

6 hours ago, FishingFables said:

Wow! You’re a kayak fishing expert and brilliant chef rolled into one.

I loved reading your report and looking at the pics of all the dishes you created, which showed great skill with a sashimi knife and respect for the fish.

Cheers

Jason

 

6 hours ago, XD351 said:

Awesome report + nice fish + fantastic dishes = EPIC in my books ! How do you find the NS rods ? I have the flattie rod and love it- it became my favourite rod very quickly! , I am planning on buying the egi rod very soon . 

 

5 hours ago, Larkin said:

Mate, those food pics look amazing, and it’s coming on lunch time atm.

please post the recipes in the ‘Kitchen’ section on here, I need to try them out! 
 

 

Thanks all.

I can't really take credit for all the dishes as my wife is a much better cook. 

I catch, clean and slice, that's my contribution.

I'll try and dig up the ceviche recipe and fish cake recipe and post it into the Kitchen section if anyone is interested.

 

[blaxland]

Excellent report nice to know Im not the only one who can spend 7 hours to catch 1 decent fish

 

[jenno64]

Great report Whiskey!

I love the preparation you have shared as to me this is just as important as everything else you do to catch a good fish. I notice you leave some red flesh on the final fillet….does it taste as good as the pink fillet?

[bessell1955]

Great to see how other people prepare their fish.

[kantong]

what a catch and cook report! thanks for sharing those recipes, looks yummm

[Basil D]

OOOOOH YUM , My mouth is watering

[whiskey299]

On 11/25/2023 at 8:11 PM, blaxland said:

Excellent report nice to know Im not the only one who can spend 7 hours to catch 1 decent fish

 

Haha yea I'm not ashamed to admit it, fishing in Sydney is tough at times!

On 11/25/2023 at 8:24 PM, jenno64 said:

Great report Whiskey!

I love the preparation you have shared as to me this is just as important as everything else you do to catch a good fish. I notice you leave some red flesh on the final fillet….does it taste as good as the pink fillet?

When the catch is fresh and hasn't been exposed to the air that long you can leave the red flesh on and isn't necessary to cut off. As the fish ages in the fridge or is exposed to air it starts to turn brown and develop an odour. That's when I start cutting it off. I don't really notice much difference in taste so I always leave it on for the first 1-2 days. I do this with most fish except for Aussie Salmon lol.

On 11/25/2023 at 9:31 PM, bessell1955 said:

Great to see how other people prepare their fish.

Thanks

On 11/27/2023 at 11:31 AM, kantong said:

what a catch and cook report! thanks for sharing those recipes, looks yummm

Thanks Recipe will be uploaded soon

 

2 hours ago, Basil D said:

OOOOOH YUM , My mouth is watering

You're welcome!