Fish nets

Nostrodamus

Nostrodamus

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We are a stones throw from the Med and have decided it is time to be a bit more self sufficient.

I have decided to get into the hunter gatherer mode and see if I can catch a fish or two to go with the wine.

The trouble is the nearest I have ever been to a rod and line is a pair of fish net stockings and even then I found them uncomfortable.

So where do I start.... I love fish but don't know a mackerel from cod in batter, hate killing things and don't know how to cook them.

Any suggestions and what sort of fish should I be trying to catch in the Med?
 
It all depends on where you are and what fish there is. Even 20 miles can make a huge difference.
I used to catch lots of big calamares, here is nothing, except for some mullet ( don’t like ) and octopus.
In Turkey I sometimes laid a net, think those days are over now, to much rich geezers with cell phones. Is a lot of work anyway.
I suggest you start with looking what the locals are fishing from shore. Looking, learning.
Octopus is easy and rewording. Lots of food for little work.
Cooking is an other thing. Having a wood stove with free heating – cooking helps. Octopuses need a rather long cooking.
Read your blog today, congratulations. Sure you will learn quick.
 
Thanks Mr Bawley,
One thing that is out will be Octopussy. I have seen them being caught and being thrown on the ground numerous times to either kill them or tenderise them. I was also told they squeal...
 
I don't think I want to actually catch anything as I won't know what to do with it. It seems a good excuse to the wife when I am sat out on deck in the sun drinking beer at 11 in the morning.
 
I am pretty sure the squealing is done by other pussy’s.
It is indeed a very hard thing to kill an octopus and tenderise. Killing is done by turning there body inside out and tearing the ?????? out. I beat them 70 times onto a rock after which I am blessed with there perfume for days.
Yes, it´s brutal. Watching a ( small ) swordfish beating himself to death in our cockpit was a lot harder. You can´t kill the poor creature, he would sable your feet of.
I never fish if we have something in the fridge, don´t like killing.
Swmbo loves fish, hates me killing them. She knows I kill a lot less than those providing the restaurant with food.
 
We sailed back to Marmaris taking in about 80 miles,
with four lines over the stern
I trolled with feathers, spinners and lures, little rubber fish etc.
I caught absolutely bloody nothing,
so went straight to town and bought a harpoon,
dived with it and only caught a horrible mullet,,,

:(
 
That´s fishing.
Sometimes nothing, sometimes to much. Mostly at a very inconvenient moment both lines rattle.
Never caught fish motoring, Only sailing. Speed must be > 4 knots.
Last year, east Poleponese, every second troll fish. Palamut.

Big problem are other yachts sailing – motoring over the trolling line. In summer lots of yachts who come and have a look at that small old classic, erratic behaviour, lost some lines and lures that way.

In Turkey, sheltered waters, went dingy sailing – trolling with self made lures. Carved from a splinter of teak wood, some copper wire, a small shell as lip. Painted with glitter nail varnish.
( Store lures are expensive and lost all the time. Mine cost nothing )

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p543/OldBawley/DSCF1359_zps154356d0.jpg


Caught lots of Barracuda and Cornet fish mjum.
So successful the locals came asking me to make the lures for them.
Gave some away, they trolled with the outboard, not half as much fish as I caught sailing and rowing. KISS.
 
It was funny as one day there in turkey i saw a fisherman with a box of fish,
and i said, ah cool lots of bait you have there to go out and catch those biggons,
he twisted his face and said no boy that is the biggons,,,,
ah i thought ok, good job i like white bait then ,,,hee hee
 
As people have already said there isn't much in the way of fish in the Med.
But if you like to snorkel a Hawaiian Sling is much better than a fishing net as you have a lot more chance of catching something..
 
Trolling (for fish) in the North Sea crossing between N. Yorkshire and Holland it was common to get a bucketful of makerel so I continued the practice in the Med. Nothing - absolutely nada.

Until off the island of Pag in the Adriatic in unusually shallow water for the Adriatic I hooked a fair-sized one and hauled him into the cockpit - he was an ugly yellow and brown beastie and I gripped across the back to get the hook out to find blood streaming from my hand - the weever fish, as he turned out to be, had shot his poisoned back spines into my hand.

I could just get the boat to an isolated pier on the island before collapsing below with severe pain and swollen hand and arm while my wife ran to a nearby group of fishermen, one of whom, after seeing the fish, got me into his rickety van and drove me on an agonisingly bumpy journey across the island to the small hospital in the town where they kept an antidote to the poison. Almost immediately the pain and the swelling subsided.

I have never fished since.
 
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So, the bad news is that if I did fish in the med the only thing I may catch is an Octopussy. If I did then I would need training from the hoodies of Manchester on how to kick it to death and tenderise it. Failing that I may catch a fish that has been trained in Afghanistan by the Taliban and comes better equipped than a suicide bomber.
Looks like those supermarket tins of tuna are looking more attractive all the time and better still.. the only thing i need to do is peel back the lid and eat them....
 
Indeed lots of the Med fish is dangerous.

In Turkey south coast, lots of “Puffer fish “ Sometimes, (depending on his reproductive cycle ) deadly. Accidentally killed my cat with one of those. Deadly for people as well. It was one of the first puffer fish to arrive over there, migrated from the Red Sea. How was I to know.

Hauling my 50 yards fishing net, there was a octopus in it. They don´t get caught in nets so I grabbed the slimy guy with my bare hand, not to let it get away. It happens he was eating one of my caught fish, a weever ( trachinus draco ) In fact I grabbed into the sting of the greater weever.
At first I taught it was a bee sting, but I kept stinging more and more.
I was in a remote anchorage, 10 miles from civilization, three anchors and four landlines, had to sit it out. It hurt.
 
OldBawley said:
Indeed lots of the Med fish is dangerous.

In Turkey south coast, lots of “Puffer fish “ Sometimes, (depending on his reproductive cycle ) deadly. Accidentally killed my cat with one of those..
Click to expand...

Never heard of using cat for bait when fishing but I will go with that. I cannot think of any other use for a cat!
 
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