May 2013 Coastal Update

May is upon us. Summer is around the corner. Before we dive pell-mell into the fracas, here's some stuff of interest...

First off, I've got a Mega Low Tide Tour in HMB on May 28th. This is a -1.5 tide, and honestly, it's gonna be awesome. These big minus tides have been unbelievable lately. So, if you've been holding out on doing my HMB "Mega Tour" this is the one you want to do. Remember to wear boots and wake up early it's at 07:00 (just think - we will have the whole harbor to ourselves!)

Okay, I didn't even realize this but The Curious Adventures of Kirk Lombard is up for a James Beard Award and Dark Rye is flying me to NY to attend the gala. Maybe I'll wear my eelskin suit?

{Okay, we didn't win it, but it was cool hangin’ out with Hank Shaw and Andrew Zimmern...}

Also... see the bottom of this post for other upcoming media and events!

Lombard's Wild Fish Company

Sorry I won't be selling any seals or harbor porpoises.

Also, I'm interested in peddling fish for my friends this year, but the licensing is expensive, so I want to see what kind of interest there is. If you are interested in buying salmon and a few other things from me this year please let me know. It's really important that I get a sense of how many people might be into this. I am also toying with the idea of a CSF (Community Supported Fishery). You know, put together a weekly box of fresh, sustainable, local seafood and deliver it to your door once a week. Again if you are reading this and think you might be interested in doing such a thing, for say $30-40 bucks per week, let me know by e-mailing me at mawson@gmail.com.

If I can't generate a hundred or so e-mails I'm going to scrap the idea.

Camino: The fishwife and I will be performing sea chanteys at the big Camino restaurant shindig on May 18th. I think it may be sold out, but get on the wait list, or show up for drinks at the bar! Alive alive oh!

Are you ready for a private guided tour? Yep, I'm getting a guide's license. You want to go for nightsmelt? Learn my secret clam spots (well some of them, not all). Slam the monkeys like you never dreamed possible? I can take you now. Small groups, or one on one. No problemo. Kayak fishing for rockfish in a kayak? How about launching in the surf and kayak fishing for salmon and seabass? E-mail me for details.

The greatest of all guides: Sasha Siemel (right). If you're looking for an awesome book of outdoor adventure, drop everything and get this: Tigrero.

Razor Clams!!!!

After last month's post about razor clams, I started bumming out. The idea of driving all the way to Humboldt or Del Norte to catch clams and/or abalone has always struck me as a phenomenal waste of energy, time and effort. I imagine it's kind of the way leopards feel about hunting mice. So I gave myself a challenge. On this last minus tide window, I set out to check all the local beaches, to see if I could find razors--if you read up on them you'll find that their natural range extends to Baja. Well, after two days guess what. I found 'em! Let me repeat this because it's quite notable. Not only did I find true Pacific razor clams within 30 miles of my front door, I got limits. Limits for two, in fact. And some of these were decent sizes: 5-6 inches.

Anyway, I made two videos. One on how to catch them:

And one on how to prep/cook them:

Salmon

So what are you gonna do? Go to the market and buy four salmon steaks at 16 dollars a pound? Shell out 64 bucks for four pounds of the local salmon resource that you've already paid for with your tax dollars? Or call in sick, swallow your dramamine, go down to fisherman's wharf at 06:00, get on board the Wacky Jacky and come home 5 hours later with 20 pounds of salmon fillets for a bargain basement 135 bucks (gear rental included).

I'm just sayin'. The numbers are ridiculous. Boats are leaving Sausalito at 06:00, hauling ass down to Pillar Point, and returning to the docks by 13:00. Does everybody understand how crazy this is? It's a three hour trip to Pillar Point, so that means 30 customers catching 60 fish in an hour or less of actual fishing time! That's how it's been. But now there's the wind and swell to contend with, so it'll probably be a few days before you can get out. Check last month's update for my party boat recommendations (hit the archives tab to the left).

If you can't get yourself on a boat, the next best thing is to drive down to Princeton Harbor, go down to the dock and buy your salmon from one of these guys:

All three of these guys are offering 5% discounts to anyone who mentions the Monkeyface News at the dock in HMB.

Commercial salmon season opened May 1st so keep a look out for fresh local salmon in the markets. It won't be cheap, but you'll be supporting the locals and this is as good a fishery as we have in the Bay Area.

Forage Fish

Surf smelting back in the day. The Mural at Martin's Beach

Nothing at all happening by way of anchovy, sardine or mackerel in our local waters--not yet anyway. That false smelt, otherwise known as jacksmelt, continues to infest the waters around the downtown piers. Infest is probably the wrong word, but hey, that's kind of how I feel about jacks. Never been much of a fan. It's not just all the worms. There's a sort of "effervescence of lowtide" about jacksmelt flesh, that I just can't shake. Maybe I'm not using enough ginger?

Surf smelt (those sparkling, golden, slivers of pure joy) seemed ready to bust open before the current spate of 30 knot winds moved in. Lots of lonely guys with binocs and empty net bags wandering the coast with sunken shoulders and casting nets rolled up in their knapsacks. Not sure what's up with the day fish but they do not seem interested in running. Hoping things will pick up in May.

The one encouraging thing on the forage fish frontier has been the awesome night smelt runs of Feb, March and April. I can't tell you how encouraging this has been. According to the old timers, night smelt run heavily once every four years or so, so don't expect it's going to be like this next year. Get on it while it's hot.

BTW: I am now selling hand crafted A-frame nets. 200 bones a piece (think how much more you'd spend for a rod and reel)!

By the way, your A-frame will be stained mahogonny red, coated in four layers of poly, and will be carved with crazy pseudo-Amerinidian pictograms that will virtually guarantee a full bucket every time out (believe that and I've got some prime beachfront property in Arizona you might be interested in).

Here is a video I shot with smelt partner Brian, on the last quarter moon phase two weeks ago. I'm including this because a lot of you guys have been asking what smelt dipping is all about. Good luck trying to figure it out with this footage! We did about as well as could be done with a flashlight and a couple of headlamps. The funny thing about this footage is that the fish stopped running as soon as the camera was rolling--of course! But you should be able to see how the net works. The sock on the A-frame has a pretty good number of fish in it, so you can see what a decent night is like.

Out Of State News:

Merriwether Lewis:

“This evening we were visited by Comowool the Clatsop Chief and 12 men women and children of his nation . . The Chief and his party had brought for sail a Sea Otter skin, some hats, stergeon and a species of small fish which now begin to run, and are taken in great quantities in the Columbia R. about 40 miles above us by means of skimming or scooping nets . . . I find them best when cooked in Indian stile, which is by roasting a number of them together on a wooden spit without any previous preparation whatever. They are so fat they require no additional sauce, and I think them superior to any fish I ever tasted, even more delicate and luscious than the white fish of the lakes which had heretofore formed my standard of excellence among the fishes.”

—From the Journals of Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (February 25, 1806)

Then, about 30 years ago they started disappearing. No one is sure why. Global warming? Shrimp trawls? Siltation in the spawning grounds? Anybody's guess. By the late 1970s they were pretty much gone from the Klamath. It's heartbreaking really, to lose a species of such historic and ecological importance. But their disappearance in California seemed to raise comparatively little concern (in my humble opine). I tell you small fishes get no respect. Then about ten years ago the numbers in Oregon and Washington started failing too. The eulachon was finally listed as a threatened species but the future continued to look bleak.

Now suddenly they've returned to several river systems in Oregon with a vengeance. These are areas where they haven't been seen in any kind of numbers in over a decade. Crazy. Where the hell have they been?

I mention this because it's such a cool species and an anadromous one as well! Merriwether Lewis said it was the most delicious fish he had ever eaten (see caption above). Frankly I'm hoping one of my readers from up north might be able to give me a report. Maybe with all this cold upwelling the last few years, and the fish returning to Oregon, a few candlefish have been sighted on the Klamath? One can dream, no?

California Halibut

I hear this is a local species. I am given to understand they did fairly well last week in the Berkeley flats. I hear they are already saying it's way better than last year. But why am I so bitter? At some point in April I got it in my head that I would succeed where many better halibut fishermen had failed before me. So I went down bay and dragged herring popsicles for a few hours (more like nine) in the vicinity of Candlestick Park. And... well... it should be pretty obvious where I'm going with this... in short, I am very bitter about halibut (or my continuing lack thereof) and so I am cutting this short here.

Okay, okay. If you really want halibut, go to the East Bay. That's the deal. Berkeley Flats, Alameda Rockwall, Red Rock, all the usual places. There's a few fish in the south bay for a few lucky anglers, but east and north seems to be the go-to area for now.

Now Appearing In Fish Markets Near You:

I've decided that every month I'm going to feature one species of fish that I see in my local fish market. This month it's Red Banded Rockfish, Sebastes babcocki, aka: "Red Bandit"

This is a beautifully and distinctively marked fish, it has the classic rockfish flavor, flakiness etc. Some things you might want to consider before eating them:

"Red bandits" are sort of the opposite of the small fishes that I like to rave on and on about. Long lived, slow growing species that take forever to reach sexual maturity are obviously problematic from a sustainability stand point. Most of the RBs I'm seeing in the market are coming from Canada, if my fishmonger is to be believed. According to Milton Love in his seminal tome, Certainly More than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast, A Post-modern Experience, 50 percent of Red bandits sampled off of British Columbia were sexually mature at 19. Yikes. They're a bit quicker to reproduction in California, most of these big loads are coming from Canada. They like relatively deep water (most abundant at 450-1200 feet) which is why, I suppose, sport fishermen rarely get them,

There is a hook and line fishery for these guys and they also get dragged. The ones I'm seeing in the Asian markets look beat to hell, so I'm assuming they were dragged. But does it really matter? Is there really a sustainable way to go with a species that may take 19 years (or more) to reach sexual maturity? Not to mention they can live up to 106 years. I dunno. I think I'll take a pass on this species. Go sniggle a few "grass cod" or "bolinas" if I need fish tacos that badly.

Nori

I don't have a whole lot to say on this, just that nori is everywhere right now. Inside SF and out. I've been seeing quite a lot of it out on the jetty where I do my SF Inner City Tour. Here's what Kacie L. of She Sells Seaweed says:

Toast nori and grind it up to use as a condiment. Break it into small pieces, remove any snail shells you may find, and add to stir fries. Nori will readily soak up the flavors of whatever you use as a marinade.

Try frying nori in coconut oil. Everyone who tries nori prepared this way loves it! It’s the most healthy and delicious chip.

TEDx Talk

Tedx Monterey was a blast. I don't think these people realized I talk about fish for a living. A standing ovation at the end reminded me of my Rube Waddell days. But the thing is, I'm not sure if it was for me or the fishwife or Django Ray who logged his first few minutes on stage (see above). Not bad for a 6-week old!

Bizzare Foods: Well, try as I might, I can't find myself on the Northern California episode of Andrew Zimmern's: Bizzare Foods--so there's no link here. Everyone tells me I was on the show in mid-April and I got a bunch of sign ups for my tours because of it. So (please) take my word for it, it's true! I swear! Andy was a cool. A pro. No attitude. Very down to earth. He was exactly the same on the camera as off. If anyone finds the link to the show (with me in it) please send it to me. Thanks.


Off The Hook, Extreme Catches. At some point this month I'll be on Show Time Eric Young's fishing show: "Off the Hook." Honestly, I liked this dude too. I mean, it's kind of hard not to like a professional wrestler. First one I've ever met. As to playing air guitar with his poke pole... not sure how I feel about that... but the eels did not seem to mind.

Anyway, that's it for May. Whew! Please check in on update later this month as I will then have time to post higher quality Vimeo versions of these three movies.

Until then, hoping to see you at, on, or in the water!

--Kirk-out