Shiogisu シロギス Japanese Whiting

Cleaning a batch of Japanese Whiting
I went fishing near Kanazawa Hakkei and brought in a haul of Japanese Whiting. They are very easy to catch and the white meal has a very light and tender taste. Perfect for summer dishes.
Cleaning the fish is very easy because their bodies are straight- the bones are actually edible if grilled well with salt. Raw kisu is also very good- sometimes serves with a smidgin of umeboshi(salted plum) But I decided to

http://shizuokagourmet.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/japanes-seasonal-fish-shirogisusillago/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/74692206@N00/517869902/

Fishing Log #000 Aji 釣り

Fishing for Horseneck Mackeral in Sagami Bay.
We took off early in the morning from Negishi in Yokohama aboard a fishing boat similar to the one pictured here.
The weather held out for us as the boat drove out about 40 minutes into Sagami Bay.The rig set up was a holland trap with chum(minced up sardines and fish parts) and 3 set #6 hooks, shock leader and 30gram weights

We left from Negishi Port around 7am and rode out into Yokohama Bay. I showed everyone how to set up the bait and lower the gear....but only about 20 minutes into the boat trip some passengers got seasick/motion sickness. I felt really sorry for them- in all my life I've never felt motion sickness, even when my father, who was a pilot, would bounce me around in his small plane. I told them to take preventive medicine(Dramamine) 30 minutes before boarding the boat- but that didn't seem to help. The best thing for the girls to do was to rest and crash out in the lower boat cabin and sleep it off. I especially felt sorry for my friend, Nami, whose name literally means 'wave' , as she became sick and didn't even have a chance to try fishing at all!

There are some other helpful hints on this video link:
http://www.howcast.com/videos/218345-How-To-Prevent-Seasickness

Once we settled in and started fishing (Koog caught the first fish!) We caught several large Horse Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel.

Each boat is equipped with a pump and bucket beside your spot and you can keep your fish alive. Once the fish starts to weaken it's best to transfer them to the ice chest to ensure the meat stays fresh.

Each of us caught about 8-10 Horseneck Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel. Being a cook myself I decided to do a small demonstration of sashimi on the dock with one of the freshest fish. I had already prepared the knife, soy sauce, and wasabi. The reason for this was simple...

I remembered working at a sushi restaurant near San Francisco and taking the sushi chefs out on a fishing boat in the bay for halibut. One of the Japanese chefs, Jinya, carried a long knife onto the boat. All the American passengers thought he was crazy - but I had to reassure them that he was harmless and only wanted to opportunity to clean an prepare a fresh fish on board the boat as they often do in Japan.

Now the tables had been turned and it was me who was "the crazy one with the knife on the boat!" But I showed how to clean and fillet a fresh Mackerel on the dock and we all tried a taste of sashimi. (except for Koog who thought it was 'gross!")But I don't blame him. I prefer to cook my fish anyways. I brought the fish home and pan fried it in olive oil, with garlic and fresh thyme and coated it with Balsamico. It was the best!

A fresh dish is Aji Tataki. Carefully remove the bones from the freshest fillets of Mackeral. Mince the fillets into a mulch and add fresh minced ginger and Shisho(oda) leaves.

Mixing in chopped shallots and serve right away with soy sauce.

Fishing Log : Casago

Casago: Spiny Rockfish

One of the best fish to catch of the rocky coast of Japan inlets are the rockfish. The king of all kings in the rocks is the 'casago' Not only is it wickly red and covered in thorns and spines- its one of the tastiest fish to ever dress up my dinner table!

Fishing Log #000 Enoshima

A popular fishing destinaton for the family is Enoshima Island in Kangawa. There are several ways to get there, using the old-fashioned Enoden line from either Kamakura or Fujisawa- but I highly recomment the suspended monorail out of Ofuna station. From the back of Ofuna station the monorail zooms out along the hills of West Kamaura and settles along the beach of Shonan. It's almost like flying because the monorail is a supended rail, hanging you from the top.
There are several places to buy bait or fishing gear along the main road. Be sure to buy everything before crossing the bridge onto the island because once there all the prices for eveything are jacked up threefold.
The first place we fished was along the beach as the tide rolled in. The area is a hot spot for sandsoles when the conditions are right. We fished for a few hours without much luck and no one else was catching anything. We moved inland to the north shore of the island. (On weekends and holidays there is a boat service that ferries you for 300 yen around the north point to the opposite side of the island for the prime fishing spots. We walked through the middle of the island, through a temple and waded out way past tourist spots thick with weekend warriors to the top. At the top of the island is a botanical garder, aquarium, and several seafood eateries

As you can probably tell by the lack of fish photos in this log we got skunked. Only a few tiny nibbles and a few small minnowy fish. My friend was very happy to catch anything bigger than the bait(not too hard to do) and we had a really good time walking around the island and checking out the temples and shrines.

Fishing Log #0012 Hayama

Hayama Marina, Zushi
Chum fishing from shore

During the summer months the waters close to shore invite some species of fish that tend to prefer deeper, cooler waters. Chumming with shrimp is a good way to draw the fish in closer to shore.
Frozen blocks of shrimp chum (" komase")can be bought at a local fishing shop along with the rigging.

The basic rig set up was a drop

Aiko (あいこ)Siganus Fuscescens Dusty Rabbitfish

Fishing Log #00000

Party Boat Fishing Kanazawa Hakkei, Yokohama, Kanagawa
We've taken a party or group out from Kanazawa Hakkei. The best season is late September or October when the weather has cooled down a bit. It's very easy to get on the boats, but they don't take reservations, you just have to show up and sign-in by 7am. They have all the rental: gear, poles, reels, weather wear and bait. They even have a cooler box loaded with ice to store your catch on the boat- bringing the fish home is up to your own arrangement.

Several of the members of the cooking class got together and we went AJI(horseneck mackeral) fishing.

Fishing Log #0001 Night Fishing

Night Fishing

MM21 Yokohama, Kanagawa

Lure fishing has never been one of my strong points. I'm a 'bait' kinda guy! Bait is real and I don't like lying or deceiving my friends, so why should I try to deceive the fish I catch? It made no sense to me, but my friend Taro constantly reaped on and on about the benefits of lure fishing; the ease, the cleanliness(no dead fish odors), the challenge of selecting the right lure/shape/color/movement/for any particular condition....he has fished salt and freshwater and had closets full of lures. He said, 'try it, you might like it!"

With his words still ringing in my head, I went to the local fish shop and asked the clerk what I might have luck catching on lure around my area. He recommended fishing for Mebaru(Rockfish) which was popular around the Yokohama Pier area at night.He set me up with