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.