The Fisherman’s Corner

By Eddy Gonzalez —

PERTH AMBOY – With high temperatures this week in the 90’s many anglers opted to stay indoors planning the next trip next to the ac. While other anglers decided to go for the glory under the brutal sun and catch some fish, the Kill was killing this week. Party boats from all over were drifting up and down with one reporting a 75 fish catch in a few hours not far from the outer-bridge. As the angle slowed down a bit on the action but still producing some nice fish while others went exploring with mixed results. Frozen jumbo, frozen spearing and gulp on a teaser rig has been the top choice to land the fluke, squid and killie combo real doing well.

The 1st pier has been producing some nice catches. Former police captain and old salt Joe caught some beautiful fluke this week on gulp.

Catch Of The Week! KC Cabonilas caught this beautiful fluke 6/21/12 at the ac buoy with a combo of gulp and squid 24’’ 5lbs Great job!

With rising water temps striped bass have been tougher to catch the night crew and the early birds been catching the bass in deeper water on bunker heads. Most anglers have switched to fluking. The pier and surf guys are going for cocktail blues using bunker chunks peanut bunker, metal jigs and plugs are always a blues favorite.

Pier Repair Update

Insider information says that the right side of the pier towards the front has heavy corrosion and will need to be completely replaced. What will most likely happen is the pier will be shortened from a T shape to an L and a uncertain date of reopening. Dredging is soon to take place to install a bulkhead in front of the Armory Tikki Bar Side to battle against flooding from any storm induced high tides or waves. For more updates check americanpridebt@gmail.com

Keep Your Bait Cool. In these hot days to come bait would it be fresh or frozen can go bad real fast. I suggest invest in a cooler. Buy some kosher salt and ice make a slushy brine. The salt makes the temperature go below freeing without freezing keeping whatever you put on there really cold keeping your bait in the best shape possible. Plain ice won’t cut it – it will make your bunker soggy!

Guest Question:

I had a guest ask me how to keep my killies alive for a few days. Ok, that’s an easy one. First, you have to understand killies are a hardy fish even out of water. The trick is to keep them cool. Their body retains the moisture to keep them going. First get a cooler. Lay a wet towel on the bottom. Add killies. Don’t overcrowd. One layer will be fine. Get a screen or wire mesh. Lay on top of cooler and add ice. As the ice melts it will keep them cool and moist. Leave the drain open. Believe it or not non-circulating water will drown them. There are many ways but this is the less costly. Putting them in the fridge works to but it won’t fly with the wife well.

Special Guest Recipe

by Nicole Gonzalez (wife)

 

Fluke On The Skillet

One 1- to 1 ½ pound whole fluke or flounder

¾ cup all purpose flour

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. If necessary, skin the fish: Start by cutting off the head. Then make a little V-cut at the tail in order to loosen the skin enough to get a firm grip on it. peel the skin back far enough to get your thumb under the loose skin. To prevent slipping, hold a towel in your hand as you grip the skin. In one strong, swift motion, pull the skin away from the tail—it should come off in one piece. Flip the fish over and remove the skin from the other side. Then trim the small bones away from the sides of the fish, and remove the roe sac (if any) and any viscera from the cavity. If necessary, cut off the tail of the fish so that it will fit into your pan. Rinse and dry the fish. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to cook.

2. Adjust a rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

3. Place a 12-inch well-seasoned skillet over high heat and heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spread the flour in a large shallow bowl or a baking dish. Sprinkle the fish generously with salt and pepper and dredge it in the flour, turning it well to coat; shake gently to remove the excess.

4. Add the oil to the hot skillet. Lower the fish into the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-high (at this point, you should start cooking the butter; see step 5). Brown the fish on one side without turning, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish and immediately place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the fish is pure white and firm to the touch, about 8 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and keep warm.

5. Meanwhile, as soon as the fish goes into the pan, place the butter in an 8-inch skillet and melt it over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook the butter gently until it browns—keep an eye on it, but let it cook undisturbed until it is nutty brown. This will take about 8 minutes (about the same time it takes to cook the fish). When the butter is nutty brown, remove the skillet from the heat and immediately add the lemon juice, capers, parsley and a pinch of salt. pour the still-foaming butter into a sauceboat or serving bowl and spoon just a bit over the fish.

6. Present the fish at the table and allow a minute for your guest to admire it. To fillet the fish, hold an ordinary tablespoon upside down the center of the fish, near the head, and loosen the top fillet, pushing out from the center of the fish. The bones on a flounder are very strong and won’t pull away with the meat. You should have no problem removing the two fillets on the top side. Transfer them to a dinner plate. Flip the fish over and repeat with the two remaining fillets. Spoon the brown butter over the fish and enjoy this special treat, noticing how much more flavorful fish is when cooked on the bone.

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