Does anyone actually catch fish?

>and troll at no more than two knots

I have to say we have never caught anything while going slowly. We catch most between five and six knots.

As for killing the fish, we don't waste the alcohol (but it does work), we use a knife straight to the brain. If you catch a tuna kill it fast, cut it's throat and bleed it as quickly as possible. If you don't adrenaline gets into the flesh and decreases the quality.
 
Our garfish was really good eating though the bones go a shocking bright green! Lovely texture and flavour.

Tuna - normally we catch them between 4.5 and 6 kts

Adrenaline - very interesting. Mrs L has tried various ways except the booze but she has finalised on dragging the poor fish through the water until it 'drowns'. Earlier this year we lost what seemed like a good-sized tuna when I slowed down to help get it in, it then got off the hook. I don't know what this does adrenaline-wise? Anyway, we usually eat ours within 4 hours and they are always delicious.

I knew about frightened cattle, sheep and pigs being tougher - there are different enzymes in the meat, ISTR, from an article in New Scientist some years ago. First time I've ever heard about it in fish and I have just spent twenty minutes googling and can't come up with anything to support that. Can you be sure? If you are right, then it would maybe change how we deal with it.
 
...adrenaline-wise?...can't come up with anything to support that. Can you be sure?

Sorry, can't remember where I first heard it but we've bled them quickly ever since. I do recall I was told adrenaline but as you say with animals it may be an enzyme. The strange thing is I've never heard it said about other fish, could it be be that Tuna flesh is more like red meat than any other fish?

I guess even if it is wrong it's still worth doing.
 
in addition to speed, does motoring or sailing seem to have any difference on catches? Think I might go out for and give it a go in a few days. So far I've been trailing a line about, maybe 60'? Might try a rod with much longer line. Bought a plug and a, not sure what they're called, long shiney bit of metal with a treble hook at the end. Will give these a go. Incedentally, Arrecife must have the best range of and in chandlers I've seen since Brest, seems to be quite a few fabrecators around as well.
Tight lines, as they say!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I guess even if it is wrong it's still worth doing.

[/ QUOTE ]Certainly, if the meat is better. The adrenaline thing is only a matter of interest and maybe a marine biologist will jump in?

There are three issues that I can see...

1. Freshness. Is super-fresh the best for tuna? I've heard it said that the sole family are better when not quite so fresh but have never found a trustworthy source of that information or any means to try really fresh sole.
2. Bleeding - should the fish be bled quickly after death or would it improve by letting the blood stay in the meat. Compare the argument with 'drip' from red meat?
3. Frightening the fish. We have never taken any steps to keep the fish happy up to the point of death on the basis that 'fish can't feel, fish aren't sentient' - but who knows? They say lobsters react to concentrated acid on their bit but then so do insects, don't they? When you spray fly spray at them the go all do-lally quite quickly and they clearly aren't 'enjoying' the experience. Leaving aside the cruelty issue, what makes for better eating? Beyond any doubt red meat is better when the animal has been slaughtered when calm - that has had extensive scientific investigation (the Spanish haven't caught on which is why all beef slaughtered in Spain is tough as old boots).
 
Motor or sailing, makes not difference for us. 60' sounds fine, that's about what we use. Why buy a rod? We use a crab line, no reel. Good strong line with a small plastic lure and small weight. I'll see if I can get it together to post a photo in the next day or so, got a problem with the camera at the moment.
 
>does motoring or sailing seem to have any difference on catches?

Not on catches but where you place the lure. We don't often motor but if we do I think the wake is longer so we put the lure further out. We have 800 feet of line, if you catch something big they strip off a huge amount of line.
 
Lemain, flatfish (i.e. your sole) are best not cooked too fresh as they curl up in the frying pan and hence difficult to cook evenly. Better to leave until rigor mortis has set in. Alternatively fillet them before cooking.
 
fwiw,

until recently (I do not know if it is still the case), the Adriatic was filled with giant tuna, they even organised world big game fishing championships: beasts 2-3meters long, weighing a couple of hundred kg /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

they were sold to local fisheries (I remember price was around 0.25 euro per kg for the whole fish), which begun handing out a leaflet explaining what to do with the fish in order to keep it in best conditions before being brought to port:

as soon as the fish is onboard, insert a thin knife laterally just behind the gills, apparently this severs the spinal cord or central nervous system and the fish dies immediately

hang it by the tail if at all possible, or keep it as vertical as possible: cut the belly from the anus towards the mouth and empty it of all stomach, bowels, heart, etc

let bleed

they advised the quicker all this was done the better quality was obtained, so adrenaline or not there must be some reason

those fisheries guys had a really expert eye, by simply looking at the fish they could tell how it was killed and if the angler was quick enough or not /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Well Well , and i thought it was me ,, we sailed all last year from the uk to spain portugal gib and on up to majorca , nearly always trolling something or orther , our sum total was 4 mackeral , and you will not guess where we caught them , under the big bridge in the far end of the ria de vigo , i will watch with interest how the pro's do it, oh and by the way two of the macks got of before i got them on board !!!!!!
 
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