Original plan was to take some out-of-state friends down to Portland for Willamette River springers. Things didn't quite work out for their visit, so the plan was scrapped. Besides, driving from Aberdeen to Issaquah to Portland for the o'dark early launch, all within a 12 hour window including boat prep and sleep (yeah, right) was gonna be a real challenge... not just for me, but my little one, too.

OK, backup plan...
So I decide we're going to sleep in, and maybe tow the drifter to one of the local lakes for trout. But holy crap.... I eventually realize it's opening day for trout in lowland lakes, and there won't be a place to park by the time we get there.

Plan B.... change of pace... I decide to take LMWS out to Westport to jig up some bottomfish. Been 5 years since her last trip jiggin' for rockfish. It's nearly 3:30pm by the time we pull away from the ramp.... has to be a personal record for latest launch for Team eyeFISH.

Coast Guard approached to warn us about crossing the bar in an open sled. Assured him we only had plans to stay inside. The wind made boat control a beech, but I finally figured out how to stay in the zone for a controlled drift over some willing biters in the dirty water. LMWS was really diggin' the hands on aspect of this fishing style.





Didn't get any more on-the-water pics because dense misty showers soon dominated our weather pattern. By 5:30, we had 11 black rocks in the bleeder bucket, and LMWS was ready to call it quits.

Back at the ranch, we feasted on homemade clam chowder and steamed sea bass, Chinese style.





In the memorable words of Zac Brown...
Life is good today... life is good today.

WOW.....looks a hell of a lot better than the cold cereal I had at 1;15 A.M. cause I couldn't sleep.

People that don't like seafood just don't know what the PNW has to offer....

It all looks so good but the asparagus looks awesome, can't get enough of it, this time of the year.

Sleep tight Doc......the pictures, as always, were great!!!!

You know what, Doc?
Your daughter's smile says it all.
Good job, Dad!

Yum good looking grub should be on a magazine cover definitely gets one salivating.

I'm comin' over!

The smile, the smile.

I like the "changing it up" aspect of this story.

I think we all need to do that from time to time. Just about the time I'm feeling like I'm getting my fill of summer runs, I'll change it up and hit the beach for some surf perch action or trout fishing. Kinda re-charges the batteries, so-to-speak.

Just so you know too(and I'm sure you do) fresh black rockfish fillets make killer fish-n-chips as well.

Nice pics.

Fish-n-chips for dinner tonight!

boy she is growing up

Great Plan B.

eyedoc - do you use the round bamboo steamers? We have one we've never used. It has 3 trays with a slatted bottom. Do you put the veggies in a couple of the trays with the fish on the bottom? A 'how to' in the recipe forum would be appreciated.
Always love to see your crew with their 100 watt smiles. Not many things better than kid grinning.

Looks like a pretty good swell was rolling in

The woven bamboo steamers are best saved for dim sum.... steamed meat/shrimp-filled dumplings.

I steam fish in a pie plate that I set on top of one of those blooming flower petal type metal steamers with the center post removed. Fill a large pot with an inch or so of water, set steamer inside, bring to a boil, place pie plate of fish inside, cover and let steam for no more than 9-10 minutes per inch thickness.

I scored the pair of small sea bass down to the spine and stuffed ginger and garlic into the deep scores. They steamed for exactly 8 minutes.... PERFECT!

In a pinch, you can also use several mason jar rings in the bottom of the pot to suspend your cooking dish. You won't be able to fill as much water so make sure it doesn't go dry.

Sometimes Plan B, when well-executed, ends up leaving us wondering why it wasn't Plan A to begin with.

I love bottom fishing. You never know what you are pulling up, and no matter what it is, it's almost guaranteed to be tasty. Unlike typical springer fishing, the action is usually fast and furious, and that's a nice bonus.

I hope I find time to chase some surf perch this summer; a whole different ball game, and one which I would like to explore further.

Finally, that steamed rockfish looks incredible. You, Sir, appear to be no slouch in the kitchen.

Too fast....

Here's a couple of pics from 2005 and 2007 bouncing leadheads for the spiky critters outta Snow Creek.

God the last few years have gone so fast. Whats happened to our little girls?

Beautiful little girl with a million dollar smile and she's a fishin' machine. You're a lucky dad Doc. Also, she is lucky to have a dad like you raising her.

Thanks Doc. I was wondering what you used to spice the fish up. I do like ginger and garlic is like fun - no such thing as too much.
Yep - kids grow up quick. I'm amazed when ever I see my 16 yr old Granddaughter.

OK here's the recipe....

2 small-medium rock fish... minus gills/guts/scales.
Score 3-4 times each side down to the spine.
Season with salt, MSG, fresh ground pepper.

Sliver up 3 cloves fresh garlic
Peel and thinly slice about a cubic inch of fresh ginger
Thinly slice 1/2 sweet onion
Chop 1/4 fresh red pepper into thin 1/2 inch chunks
Finely chop 2 stalks green onion, separate the fine greens from the crisp whites
Coarsely chop a handful of fresh cilantro

Place fish in a pie plate, stuff scores with thinly sliced fresh ginger and slivered fresh garlic.... scatter the remainder in the body cavity and randomly over fish. Scatter crisp green onions, red pepper, and sliced sweet onions over the whole works.

Place into your boiling steam pot and cover. Let steam for 8-10 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, heat a few tablespoons of peanut oil in a separate small skillet to just shy of smoking. Remove cover from steamer and turn off the heat. Scored meat will just start to separate from the bone and a nice sauce/broth will have collected in the bottom of the pie pan, formed from a combination of fish juices and steam. Drizzle a 3-4 teaspoons of soy sauce over the fish. Scatter fine green onions and cilantro over the top. Finish by drizzling HOT peanut oil over the greens to wilt them. It will crackle and pop, releasing even more of the fish/garlic/ginger/onion flavors.

Serve with steamed rice, spooning broth over fish/rice for maximum flavor.

Broke da mout, brah!

NOTE: Chop sticks HIGHLY recommended. Picking thru the bones while eating steamed fish is a breeze in the hands of skilled chopstick users. Much more efficient than a fork.