Noyo Jetty 9/8/22

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#1
Every time I come to Fort Bragg, I always try wetting my line at the jetty in the Noyo harbor. It’s a small jetty but pretty close to good kelp forest. They give an assortment of fish bites usually. I found two hours this morning that I could visit there. As I parked my car I was approached by an angler asking what I was rigging. He was not local from Chico who works as commercial salmon fisher in Alaska. Obviously he likes fishing when he does that even in his breaks.
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After I set up my high low rig on my light set up with size 6 hooks and 2 oz sinker, I walked up to the end of the jetty and found another very friendly angler there.
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My first cast landed this rockfish. This should be a black rockfish.
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Then the bites slow down. I explored different holes in the kelp and finally found productive spot for the perches.
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After catching four and losing one to crevasse, I decided to leave. I like to make Japanese style sun dried perch “himono”. It makes their mushy meat firm! What I kept was smaller than usual size at the jetty but I saw my new friend landed a nice footer. But for making himono, the small ones work just fine!
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The blue thing is the net I use to dry fish avoiding flies.
 
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Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#4
One of my favorite fishing spots when I lived in Mendocino County. Surprisingly, I caught quite a few starry flounder, sand sole, and Pacific tomcod while fishing the jetty along with the perch and other rocky species.
 

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#5
One of my favorite fishing spots when I lived in Mendocino County. Surprisingly, I caught quite a few starry flounder, sand sole, and Pacific tomcod while fishing the jetty along with the perch and other rocky species..
Thank you for your intell! I had cabezon, black rockfish and monkeyface eel alongside the perch. Would love to try these flaties and tomcod.
One question I have is about the surf there. I have tried some surf there but I did not have any bites near shore on gulp worms or sandcrab. Have you fished the surfs in mendocino successfully back then?
 

scaryfish

Active Member
#9
Nice looking spot. I like jetty fishing, although each year gets tougher on the old legs. Would you and Ken be willing to give a little more info on how you got the variety of species? Were you poking for the eels? Where were the rockfish? Ken, casting to the sand for the flounder?
My experience with Jetty fishing is Poking for eels, casting close and into kelp for rockfish, and into a sandy channel for sharks and rays, but that is central coast.
Thanks for the report
 

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#10
Nice looking spot. I like jetty fishing, although each year gets tougher on the old legs. Would you and Ken be willing to give a little more info on how you got the variety of species? Were you poking for the eels? Where were the rockfish? Ken, casting to the sand for the flounder?
My experience with Jetty fishing is Poking for eels, casting close and into kelp for rockfish, and into a sandy channel for sharks and rays, but that is central coast.
Thanks for the report
I have fished Noyo jetty in the same ways you do in central coast. Poking for eels and casting close/into kelp for rockfish and perch. I did not pokepole for eels this time as low tide did not work for my schedule. Noyo jetty is short. It would not take too long to work the entire length looking for fish and half the length can be fished with pretty flat concrete structure!
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#11
As for the surf, there were times I would move down the jetty trying out different spots and winding up at the shore end by the surf. I actually caught quite a few perch casting into the surf area from the jetty.

Unfortunately the jetty was also where I had one of worst accidents while fishing. I made a cast one time but the line caught on the reel and the 3-4 ounce sinker came back and hit me right in the side of my mouth. A bloody mess but somehow I was lucky enough not to break any teeth.
 

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#12
As for the surf, there were times I would move down the jetty trying out different spots and winding up at the shore end by the surf. I actually caught quite a few perch casting into the surf area from the jetty.

Unfortunately the jetty was also where I had one of worst accidents while fishing. I made a cast one time but the line caught on the reel and the 3-4 ounce sinker came back and hit me right in the side of my mouth. A bloody mess but somehow I was lucky enough not to break any teeth.
I hate to hear the sound of accident. I too am happy that you did not lose your teeth. Thanks for sharing your experience on the surf there. I will try it next time. Did you find the same striped perch or something else on surf?
 

moonshine

Well-Known Member
#15
Great ideas. Think I'm gonna try drying fish.
When I was a kid, mom used to serve us rice with dried bonito flakes. She'd take a device that looked like a wood plane and she'd shave flakes off a piece of dried fish that look like a chunk of wood. Not my idea of a great meal as a boy. This post brought back the memory. I need to give it another shot.
 

TheFrood

Well-Known Member
#16
Great ideas. Think I'm gonna try drying fish.
When I was a kid, mom used to serve us rice with dried bonito flakes. She'd take a device that looked like a wood plane and she'd shave flakes off a piece of dried fish that look like a chunk of wood. Not my idea of a great meal as a boy. This post brought back the memory. I need to give it another shot.
https://www.globalkitchenjapan.com/collections/bonito-shaver-box

Err, this isn't a recommendation on purchase... Just showing what it is :) Sure you can find them in whichever online markets you prefer.
 

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#17
Great ideas. Think I'm gonna try drying fish.
When I was a kid, mom used to serve us rice with dried bonito flakes. She'd take a device that looked like a wood plane and she'd shave flakes off a piece of dried fish that look like a chunk of wood. Not my idea of a great meal as a boy. This post brought back the memory. I need to give it another shot.
I have similar memory @moonshine. My mom made it my job to shave dried bonito flakes with her old shaver. I wish I could go back in time to sharpen her blades though.... Today, the bonito rice still stays in my repertoire when I do not have much to cook around. I mix shaved dried bonito with sesami oil and soy source. And put them on warm rice. I can keep eating that.

Drying fish like perch or spanish aji mackerel is very simple by the way. I think @moonshine shares the same heritage and perhaps knows all of these but let me share some tips below just in case.

You brine it for a couple of hours after cleaning the fish then sun dry it. Tradition is that you cut open fish not from its stomach side but from back side. If you live in dry weather, one evening of drying usually suffices with a good breeze. If you like sweeter taste, try coating the fish with Mirin sake by a paintbrush a few times during drying.
 

fish-ninja

Well-Known Member
#19
My folks were both Okinawan. When they came to California I avoided their background to try and fit in. It wasn't a huge success. Now they're gone and I'm in my 60s so I'm working at regaining things I've lost. Thanks for the tips.
Happy to be of your service, moonshine! Anytime! Will DM you.
 

TheFrood

Well-Known Member
#20
Just out of curiosity what kinds of uses are there for dried fish? I know shaved bonito is commonly used in furikake and to make dashi... I have also seen dried anchovies or sardines (the pinhead ones) used to make dashi. Are there other things dried fish are used for?

Was trying to learn about Japanese cooking methods lately which is the only reason I learned the above (learning to make dashi to make miso soup from scratch... but just use pre-shaved bonito for now).