Fish Tales from 2007

 

Thursday 8 November 2007

Thursday 11-8-07

Friends,

Hope the fall season is treating you with pleasant times. Here at Dockside we continue to stay busy, and the availability of some really outstanding local fish is as strong as ever. So we wanted to take the time to let you know about them.

Our "Lobster-Fest weekend" with be back soon by popular demand before the end of the year. And the Dungeness Crab season is scheduled to begin on November 15. Depending on production they will be available in the Market, and at a couple of "Crab-Fest" weekends" in the restaurant.

The late summer/ early fall fishery for swordfish is at full stride in our local waters, with much of the fishing 50 to 100 miles offshore. Along with Swordfish there are often other fish harvested at the same time. Those include Bluefin Tuna, Opah, Mako Shark, and Thresher Shark. In addition a few Louvar are also taken.

The Louvar is a strange fish, oval like a tuna but compressed from side to side. The body is pinkish with dark spots on the side and reddish fins. It has a slender, narrow connection to a large, curved tail. The head is blunt with a tiny mouth and low-set eye. The Louvar's digestive tract is specially designed to digest its primary food - jellyfish and other gelatinous sea creatures. The Louvar can grow to over 6 feet and weigh in excess of 300 pounds. Females produce huge number of eggs. A 5 foot individual was estimated to contain 47.5 million eggs. This species lives its entire life in the open sea, and occurs in tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans worldwide.

So why tell you about Louvar? Well we have been blessed with the efforts of Capt. O' Brien of the "AGUERO" with some of his recent catch. Along with his Swordfish, and Opah, he also had a 70# Louvar that will be featured in both the Fish Market, and the Restaurant this weekend. For those of you that have been fortunate to have Louvar we need not say anymore, we will see you. For those that have not had the opportunity to try this fish you will find it as good as any fish you have ever had. A treat well worth a trip to see us. Also this weekend with really good Swordfish production going on we will be offering Swordfish at $8.50 a pound, and Opah for $7.50 a pound. You will find these both an outstanding value. Most all know about Swordfish, but Opah is another seasonal fish that if you haven't tried it you will be missing a wonderful fish only available in our local waters for 2 or 3 months a year. We will also have fish from Capt. Mintz of the "D.J." including some premium Bluefin Tuna.

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 11 October 2007

Hello,

I know we promised not to bother you much the next few months unless we had something special to let you know about, and we do!

We are happy to announce a Dockside "Lobster Fest" weekend! With the start of another California Spiny Lobster season we will be offering them for lunch and dinner by reservation only...... starting at lunchtime on Friday October 19th and ending after dinner on Sunday October 21st. These spectacular crustaceans averaging 1.4 pounds a piece, will be prepared traditional style with melted butter on the side, and served all the other regular Dockside fixings. The price of lobster went up this year from last season, but at $21.95 for a half lobster, and $31.95 for a whole, we hope you find them delightful, and a fun event! With the high cost of lobster, we will only be getting a limited amount, so please call early for reservations at (805) 772-8100.

As I write this Capt. Mark is making the final arrangements to receive the lobsters next Thursday in time for our "Lobster Fest." During this next week Capt. Norek of the "CRYSTAL PACIFIC", and Capt.'s Southern of both the "ALIE IVAR" and the "LINDA FAYE" (father and son) will be fishing lobster for Dockside and holding them in salt water live tanks until their journey from Newport Beach to Morro Bay next Thursday. Many of you will recall being blessed with lobsters from these fishermen in years past.

Capt. Mark had a slower week for Blackcod, but our Rockfish supply remains strong. I also saw Capt. Mark putting a 120 pound Opah in the walk in cooler, so you will see Opah in both the Fish Market and as a special in the Restaurant this weekend!

Remember lobster supply will be limited so the early bird gets the worm!

Sea you at the Fest!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 4 October 2007

Ahoy Friends,

Happy October!

Wow, can you believe winter is nearly here? Sad to say, but this is also the time of year when our weekly email postings come to an end. Many of you "Fish-List" recipients already know that Capt. Mark's typical fishing months are May 1st through September 30th. Although the last couple of years have been anything but typical! Our reduced seasons have been due to in-river issues on the Klamath, along with a northern shift of the Salmon. When you add to that a lack of Albacore here on the Central Coast, it has obviously put a dampener on our direct fish sales off of the "BONNIE MARIETTA". For those of you who ask if we are still doing dockside sales off of the "BONNIE MARIETTA", we want to assure you that as soon as conditions are more favorable, they will RESUME! Capt. Mark and I are both disappointed with the production during the last couple of seasons, but there was nothing the Capt. could have done different to change that. If the Albacore and Salmon don't cooperate, it is out of his hands. Not much different than a farmer with a failed crop. Just remember, it will change as it has before, and we will be waiting for that widow of opportunity.

Thanks for all the kind reviews of our "You-Tube" posting of Capt. Mark's Blackcod fishing! Again much thanks to Jeff Anderson of the Galley Restaurant, and soon to be completed Anderson Inn, for making it all possible. Capt. Mark and Deck-Hand Jeff are already planning on shooting both Salmon and Albacore footage for next season.

Here at Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market we continue to be blessed with tremendous local product. Fresh Vermillion, Blue, and Yellowtail Rockfish from Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-SEA". Grenadier, Chili Pepper Rockfish, and Petrale Sole from Capt. Rutherford of the "EXCALIBUR". The "EXCALIBUR" is actually from Oregon, but here doing some fisheries stock assessments in our local waters. They are currently tied up behind the restaurant on the Fishermen's Wharf, come on by and take a look at this vessel it is huge!

Here at Dockside October means "Lobster-Fest"! The California commercial Lobster season opened just this past Wednesday and although its to early for any confirmed reports on production, we anxiously await good news. As soon as we know, we'll let you know which weekend to mark your calendar.

Last, but not least, this is Harbor Festival weekend! Since we sit in the middle of the venue, we have been assured if you want to eat at Dockside Restaurant or Fish Market, it will not be a problem. Just get to the volunteer gate and tell them you're going to be eating at Dockside. If you find yourself experiencing any difficulties please call either Capt. Mark or myself at 772-8100. After the festival closes for the evening, both the Restaurant & Fish Market will still be open and you should be able to find some parking around the backside of the building (remember though this parking will not be available while the festival is open). Saturday & Sunday night from 6-8 pm we will be continuing our special $2.00 & $3.00 menu of beer, wine & food on the Patio along with some really fantastic live music. And of course, the Restaurant will remain open for dinner as usual. Hope to see you it should be a pretty fun and sunny weekend!

Once again, our weekly postings are finished for the year. We will however, still occasionally write when something special is available here at the Restaurant or Fish Market.

Thank you for your continued support and patronage. We truly hope you enjoy what we do as much as we enjoy doing it!

 

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 27 September 2007

Ahoy Mates!

T' was another good week of Blackcod fishing for Capt. Mark . As it stands he has been able to secure his weekly quota by only fishing one day a week! Even though he would like to be at sea more often, I am happy because we have him here at the Restaurant & Fish Market the rest of the week! Once again Jeff Anderson (Capt. Mark's life long friend and sometimes mentor), made the trip with him back out to the fishing grounds. By popular demand Jeff took more video clips while aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA". Just click on one of the http:/ links below and it will it will take you to the YouTube website where you can view them. Once you get to the link there are more video clips available if you want to watch them. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions or comments. Capt. Mark said it was a pleasure and very entertaining to have "Deck-Hand-Jeff" aboard, and I say "thank you Jeff" for doing something that I couldn't because I have no "sea-legs" to stand on, so to speak! Speaking of "speak" Jeff did a great job of narrating, and my "Capt." makes this very hard work look much easier than it really is! Seriously there is always so much more behind the scenes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSJSyvjQVo8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RqJBM1wqgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQsnvd52BRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFa5uTBa64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0jWB1EbL6I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PXsIDmGCwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0qlfQ01VI

It was another really outstanding week of local fresh fish and we have them available in both the Fish Market and Restaurant this weekend! Capt. Mark picked up some California Halibut from Capt. Evans of the "LUCY-L", and Capt. Ward of the "DANCING BEAR" brought us more Halibut. In addition they both had a few Angel Sharks. Angel Shark makes outstanding "Fish & Chips" so we will be featuring it at both the Fish Market and Restaurant. Capt. Williams of the "LYNDY" made his first appearance on the "Who's Who" list of fisher's here at Dockside, bringing us the seasons first local Opah, Swordfish, and Mako Shark. Welcome Aboard, Capt. Williams! Of course many other regular fishermen are still represented here including Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-C" and Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE", with their steady supply of Vermillion Rockfish and Lingcod.

Frequently we are asked why we never have "Red Snapper?" ...................
Did you now there is no "Red Snapper" on the West Coast of the United States? Although many restaurants and fish markets sell what they call local "Red Snapper" (or Pacific Red Snapper) the reality is that there is no such fish! There are true "Red Snappers" but they do not live in our coastal waters. Local "Rockfish" which includes about 60 different varieties, have and continued to be lumped all together and sold as "Red Snapper." It's a lot less effort, but untruthful at best. Here at Dockside we sell all the different Rockfish by their true common names, not a name made up to make marketing easier. So in answer to the question, we hope this sets the record straight and explains any confusion. Capt. Mark loves to talk, about subjects like this, so next time you stop by just ask him to elaborate!

Can you believe its almost October? And with October comes Harbor Festival which is next weekend already Sat the 6th & Sun the 7th. In the past, this weekend has been a bit difficult for us and our regular customers, but this year we were promised things have been resolved. So we just wanted to touch basis with you to let you know that we are still open during our normal business hours and if you want to go to the Fish Market or eat at the Restaurant, we have been assured it will be easy for you. All you have to do is tell them your are going to Dockside, and you are to be admitted free of charge and should be given parking access. If you have any difficulty please call us at 772-8100 and we will personally make sure you get to us. I'll touch basis with you more on this in next weeks update.

Did you get a chance to see the full moon last night? It was absolutely mystifying!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 20 September 2007

Ahoy Mates,

Black Cod fishing remains good and Capt Mark continues to reach his weekly quota by only fishing one day a week! Some fun news is that our friends who now calls himself "Deck-Hand-Jeff", is looking forward to making another trip out on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" so he can catch some more action on video. I'll be waiting to see whatever he comes up with so we can share it with you in next weeks e-mail ! And yes this one should be a longer clip than the first go around.

Well as summer comes to an end and things are starting to quiet down, many of the local fishermen are either already home or headed this way. To look at our display case in the Fish Market you wouldn't know things are winding down because we have a really nice selection including some fresh White Sea Bass from Capt. Sutton out of Santa Barbara, some pretty spectacular California King Salmon that were caught by Capt.'s French, Capt. Arnoldi and Capt. Blue. And we have several varieties of Rockfish including some Cabezon provided by Capt. Cunningham.

Did you know that the name “Cabezon” (which are sometimes referred to as Bullhead) is derived from the Spanish noun “Cabeza,” meaning “head"? Cabezon are big headed and stubborn fish, which perfectly describes their appearance and temperament! They can be found in Pacific waters ranging from Baja to Alaska. These bottom dwellers can reach up to 25 lbs and like Lingcod, their flesh can range from white to a turquoise green, which is primarily dependant upon their diet. Nevertheless when you cook them up the flesh turns white and they have a very delicate flavor. Come on by and let Capt. Mark show you one of these big headed stubborn fish. It takes one to know one if you know what I mean! Ha ha ha !

Until next week .......

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 13 September 2007

Ahoy,

Wow it's already Thursday again, where did the week go?!

Speaking of wow and week in the same sentence, did you know that this is also "WOW" week at Cal Poly? "WOW" is the acronym for "Week Of Welcome", which provides orientation for new students entering Cal Poly. Best of luck to all the students back in school this year!

Another WOW for the week was calm seas and successful Black Cod fishing for Capt. Mark! He said the ocean is still alive with lots of Whales, Sea Lions and quite a few Sardines. Do you remember in last weeks e-mail I mentioned that one of Capt. Mark's friends had gone out on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" with him and took some short video clips? Well "Deck hand Jeff", was able to put one of those video clips on the Internet for all of us to view! It is short, but who knows, this just may be the beginning of something new for us to share with you!

Albacore fishing up in Oregon has slowed down and what few Salmon that were being caught are also gone. Many of the local fishermen are starting to trickle back home now so we extremely pleased to have some of the last of these fish available in the Fish Market thanks to Capt.'s Jeff & John French of the "LANGOSTA II" and Capt. Arnoldi of the "ROSALENA MARIE". On the brighter side of things local Black Cod and Rock Cod fishing are going well and we have a nice selection available in the Fish Market and Restaurant to prove it!

Click on one of the links below and you will be able to watch the video on "You-Tube". It does not send any junk mail or share addresses with any site that does. It is a safe site and its free!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjcHjgN1Uos

YouTube - Captain Mark

Wow What a Week!

Capt. Mark & Miss Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 6 September 2007

Ahoy Mates,

What a fantastic LABOR Day weekend! It was beautiful in Morro Bay, and so hot everywhere else, it seemed like at one time or another everyone was here at the beach. This was one of the busiest and most fun weekends I can remember here at Dockside.

Good ole Capt. Mark has been having fun fishing Black Cod. As matter of fact just this morning he left port around 4:00 am aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back out to pull his traps. Curious to see what all this Black Cod fishing is about, one of the Capt.'s life long friends, Jeff Anderson (of the Galley Restaurant) accompanied him today and took some short video clips of the action. He may be able to get those clips to us so we can share them with you. I'll keep you posted on that. Anyways, the weather was a little chunky from the South West as they started out, but got nicer as the day went on. Luckily for Jeff, he has his sea legs and got to enjoy the trip a bit more than I did last week! By the way I did finally find my sea-bands, just a day late and a dollar short so to speak, ha ha! Once again the Humpback Whales performed and today they were accompanied by some Porpoises. Needless to say the guys were thoroughly entertained. Today was a successful trip with the Capt. bringing in just over 1,000 lbs of fish and reaching his quota for the week; so he will not be back out again until Sunday.

Not only did Capt. Mark have a good week so did several other fishermen, one of which was Capt. Evans of the "LUCY- L". In celebration of Capt. Evans' good luck and good fortune, we will be offering his fresh California Halibut at a special price of $9.95 lb. in the Fish Market this weekend. Capt. Smith of the "AMBER-C" brought us some nice Vermillion and Blue Rockfish, Capt. Jones of the "ST. JOSEPH" supplied us with some gorgeous California Spot Prawns, and Capt. Griffin of the "LITTLE FIN" brought in a variety of Rockfish including Vermillion, Grass, Yellow, Gopher & Kelp. And thanks again to Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE" for his steady supply of Ling Cod!

We are always proud to have spectacular fish right off the boats, available for you to enjoy.

Sea you again next week !

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 30 August 2007

Ahoy Mates,

What an adventure I had this week! I'm still not exactly sure how it came about but somehow Capt. Mark managed to talk me into going Black Cod fishing with him! Although, I don't have my sea legs, I did get up dark and early Tuesday morning (about 3:00 am) and boarded the "BONNIE MARIETTA" and we headed due west. Approximately 2 hours and 16 miles later, we arrived at the spot where his Black Cod traps were set. I am still amazed with all the electronic equipment on boats now days, it only takes the push of a couple of buttons into a navigational computer (which coordinates with the auto pilot) and whoa-la...the boat takes you right straight to the spot you want to be! Its really pretty fascinating!

Once at our destination, Capt. Mark started pulling in the first of several traps. If I remember correctly they were about 1400 feet down and it took about 20 minutes to get them to the surface. While we were waiting for the traps Capt. Mark pointed out a couple of Humpback Whales that were about 100 yards away from the "BONNIE MARIETTA". We watched them breaching, slapping fins and diving in and out of water, and it looked like they were dancing with each other. What a performance they put on for us!

Since I don't have my sea legs, it wasn't long before I started turning green. Although green is my favorite color, it doesn't feel good when your skin turns that color! So after kneeling over the rail and "feeding the fish" so to speak I went looking for my "sea-bands". The last time I went out on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" I used a pair of "sea-bands" that I bought at Rite Aid and they worked perfectly for me! Sea-bands are a wrist band that apply pressure on each wrist by means of a plastic stud (has something to do with acupressure points) that can eliminate nausea for some people. Unfortunately, we could not find them anywhere so I spent more than a little time in the bunk that day!

Back on shore we have a nice selection of local Rock Fish caught by Capt. Nungaray, Capt. Smith and Capt. Griffin, that we will be featuring in both the Restaurant & Fish Market over the Labor Day Weekend. Our Kitchen Manager, Joel Lopez, never ceases to impress the Capt. and I with his talents in preparing our seafood here at Dockside. Come on by and see what our daily specials are, one of which will be our popular Cioppino, yum yum!

Going out to sea with the Capt., reminded me how easily it is to take for granted all the hard labor involved in someone's every day job!

Cheers to all of us "Laborers", this is our weekend! Wishing you a nice and relaxing weekend. Have fun & be safe!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 23 August 2007

Ahoy Mates!

Some good news to share ......

Capt. Mark made it back out to sea earlier this week to set his Back Cod traps for the very first time! Its quite a different fishery compared to Salmon and Albacore so we will be sharing more about it with you as we learn.

Anxious to pull the traps from his maiden voyage, Capt. Mark was up and at em pretty early this morning heading the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back out to sea. Thankfully the weather was cooperative allowing the traps to be easily pulled and the catch yielded the daily quota making it a successful trip! A successful trip always puts a big ole smile on Capt. Mark's face. We all love it when he smiles because ....."when the Captain's happy, the crew is happy " Yea!

An interesting part of today's trip was when Capt. Mark had some difficulty pulling up one of the traps. At first he couldn't figure out what was going wrong, but when the trap neared the surface it became obvious that someone else's gear was tangled up in it! As it turns out that gear had been missing for a couple of weeks. Although the recovery of that gear was good news for the fisherman who lost it, it made Capt. Mark's 6-hour day quickly turn into a 12-hour day! All in a days work but whew!

We will be featuring the Black Cod Capt. Mark caught in both the Restaurant & Fish Market this weekend. Our kitchen Manager, Joel Lopez, does a fabulous special that we call "Mahogany Black Cod" in the Restaurant and in the Fish Market its one of the most popular smoked fish we sell! Come on by and try some!

Have a great weekend!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 16 August 2007

Hello,

Please accept our apologies for not getting out an email last week. Those of you long time "Fish List" recipients know that from May 1st to Sept 30th we send out weekly postings. While I was gone on my trip to Washington, Capt. Mark had to wear both out hats around here, which prevented him from getting to the e-mail. I guess I'll take that as a compliment knowing (or at least thinking) he just can't do without me?? Ha ha ha !!!

Well, on the more serious side of things, what few King Salmon being caught recently continue to be from Bodega and north with the main fleet working the waters above Fort Bragg. We are fortunate to have a few outstanding Morro Bay fishers still making a effort and are grateful to Capt. Arnoldi of the "ROSALENA MARIE" who just yesterday delivered about 200 pounds of fresh Wild California King Salmon to us here at Dockside! Although these fish are more expensive than we like to see, we will be able to offer them into the weekend. Capt. Mark also purchased a small amount of troll caught Silver Salmon out of Alaska, not as robust as our Kings, but they are a still a nice Salmon and are more reasonably priced.

Albacore fishing in Oregon has slowed but continues to remain steady with most of the serious "freezer troller's" on scene. Nothing much to report in local waters because there has been little effort due to all the NW winds.

Appears my trip to Washington also put Capt. Mark a week or two behind schedule with his Black Cod traps. Once again my apologies! Well now that I am back he is ready to go but just waiting for a break in the wind. Today we had gale winds (not my fault, I promise!) which kept him home, along with most all other local fishers. Hopefully this time next week we will have some good "catching" to report to you.

Drift Swordfish season opened today and we are excited to having access to all the different pelagic species that it will bring. As this fishery moves though the fall we look forward to purchasing and being able to offer Swordfish, Opah, Thresher Shark, Blue fin Tuna, etc. This is always a fun time of year because the species are only available locally for a few months.

We will keep you appraised as it all unfolds!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 2 August 2007
20:15

Ahoy Mates!

Good Evening!

Just a short posting tonight, as I am up at 1:00 am for another charter, and Bonnie is in Washington State, taking my daughters yellow lab to his new home with her. Leah had moved there recently, and we had been babysitting Beau (her lab) until she had settled in.

Salmon opener above Pt. Arena was reasonably good with scores up to 60 fish at Shelter Cove. Shelter Cove is about 48 hours one way for the Bonnie Marietta. Albacore fishing has slowed off the Oregon Coast but still remains good with scores around 250 fish a day. However the weather has been really windy and rough.

Good supplies of local lingcod, halibut, turbot, and sole to name a few here at Dockside. Haven't gotten the Blackcod traps in the water yet as the two charters this week have been a priority. This charter work for Cal Poly has included vessel support for the calibration of a radio system that will measure the speed and direction of ocean currents at up to 200 km away. Cal Poly in cooperation with other universities are developing a network of stations along the coast, and anyone will be able to access this information via the Internet. Pretty Cool!

The bed is calling! Until next week!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew
 

Thursday 26 June 2007

Ahoy Mates!

As July comes to a close the Captain and I hope your summer has been a great adventure for you and your family. Here at Dockside we welcome the summer even though it seems to fly by way to fast!

OK here is the fishing scoop .........
What little bit of Salmon that are being caught is taking place from Bodega Bay and north, but most of the commercial fleet are reporting slow fishing right now. Thanks to Capt. Cunningham of Morro Bay Fish Co., we have been able to get some of those Salmon because he sends a truck up there about once a week. Capt. Cunningham also has the vessel "MILLENNIUM" and has been a regular producer for us here at Dockside! There were a few Salmon caught here in front of home but with the exception of a couple of legal sized ones, the vast majority caught were well short of the 28 inches they need to be for a commercial fisher. Albacore catching has also slowed down in San Diego, but Oregon continues to report outstanding commercial catches. The small body of fish that were near the weather buoy in Monterey Sea Canyon seems to have dried up too.

In the mean while Capt. Mark has been working diligently on putting the finishing touches on his Blackcod traps and hopes to have them in the water by midweek. Over the past years he has participated in many different fisheries, but since we started our direct sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA" he has mainly concentrated on Salmon and Albacore. The past two seasons lack of Albacore in our coastal waters and the heavily regulated Salmon season has helped Capt.Mark make the decision to fish Black Cod and he is looking forward to learning something new.

Between fishing and all the work he does here at Dockside, Capt. Mark really enjoys the opportunity to do research charters. As matter of fact he had a charter earlier this month and has another next week. This next weeks charter is for Cal Poly and it has something to do with the MPA's (marine protected areas). With the all the attention the Central Coast is getting on this topic, we hope Capt. Mark has a successful charter that will lead to future research work. I anticipate he will have a full report for us in next weeks email!

Well here at Dockside Restaurant & Fish Market we are happy with all the White Sea Bass Capt. Sutton has kept us supplied with, along with Lingcod from Capt. Tobin and Rockfish from Capt. Terra. Come on by and pick some up at the Fish Market or have a delicious meal in the Restaurant as they will be featured in our daily specials!

Tonight Capt. Mark spoke with Capt. Evans of the "LUCY L" who said he would be trying for Halibut again tomorrow. If you recall Capt. Evans had some great Halibut fishing a couple of weeks ago but said things slowed down because heavy NW winds prevented him from getting far enough south of Avila. Lets all wish him a him a safe and productive journey tomorrow!?

Until next week......................
A safe and productive journey to you all too!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 19 June 2007

Good evening,

The salmon production that goes on in California remains North of Point Reyes. Too far from Morro Bay for an attempt at direct sales from the Bonnie Marietta.

Albacore scores still remain strong in the Pacific Northwest,and south of San Diego, with scattered fish offshore Monterrey. So as the summer wears on we hope the albacore that have eluded the Central Coast's waters for the past couple of seasons, still plan on making a stop here.

In the meanwhile to stay active with the Bonnie Marietta, the Captain has received a shipment of Blackcod traps from Astoria, and hopes to have gear in the water soon. Blackcod are readily available in our waters, and he will be able to fish the early morning hours, yet be here at Dockside later in the day, when we need him.

Blackcod, are not a member of the cod family, but resemble a true cod in appearance. Often sold as Sablefish, or Butterfish, they can attain weights approaching 40 pounds, but usually range from 5 to 10 pounds. Most of Captain Marks fish will be shipped, as we hope his production will exceed what we can use here at both the restaurant, and fish market. As he gets closer to putting the gear in the water we will talk more about just how it is done, and what it takes.

Blackcod long prized by Asians, are beginning to find a place with other consumers, although it takes special preparation compared to other white fleshed fish. Here at Dockside it has become popular freshly smoked at the market. And many have enjoyed it as a dinner special we call Mahogany Blackcod. Marinated in a combination of miso, mirin, and sweet sake, then roasted in a super hot oven.

Capt. Evans, continues to produce beautiful local halibut, starry flounder, and turbot. Capt. Sutton, has kept the supply of white sea bass strong, with the occasional Mako, Thesher, or Soupfin shark. All slightly different in flavor and texture, but all equally wonderful. Of course between Capt's Tobin, lingcod, and Capt. Dumong's, and Capt. Terra's rockfish we have an assortment to keep most everyone happy.

Warm regards,

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 12 July 2007

Good evening. Lots of good fishing news to talk about this evening, but it won't include dockside sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA". We touched on the problem with the logistics of where the Salmon are at this time, and it makes it very difficult to travel 30 hours one way, time the weather just right, have the fish bite in enough volume to justify a return run of 30 hours, conduct sales, and attempt to get back in step again with another run. No excuses just the reality of what happens when you lose a month or two to regulations, and have a northern shift of the fish. We will have dockside sales again, but certain things are really out of our hands.

So in the mean time we continue to try and have the very best fish available both at the Restaurant, and the Fish market.

The Salmon fishing from the Pt. Reyes to Bodega Bay, has improved as the fleet had a week of good weather, and good fishing. Capt. Arnoldi has kept us supplied with King Salmon, and they have been appreciated.

Albacore fishing has been outstanding both south of San Diego, and off the Oregon coast, but other than a little splash of them a couple of weeks ago, nothing in our local waters yet.

The really great local news is that Capt. Evans, our 85-year-old Halibut connection from Avila Beach has been very blessed, with fish. After several months of rough ocean conditions and slow fishing, the seas laid down and the Halibut cooperated the past couple of days. To help ease the pain of no sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA" we are going to do something very special and make Capt. Evans fresh, local, and premium Halibut fillets available for $9.95 a pound this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at Dockside Too Fish Market. Believe us when we tell you if you like local Halibut we think you would have a hard time ever finding this kind of value when it comes to these wonderful fish. The market hours are 10 to 8, Friday and Saturday, and 10 to 6 on Sunday.

Of course you will find a nice selection of other fish, including Lingcod, from Capt. Tobin, White Sea Bass, and Soup Fin Shark from Capt. Sutton, and others.

Also look for features in the Restaurant, using both Capt. Evan’s Halibut, and Capt. Arnoldi’s King Salmon.

We'll catch up with you again next Thursday,

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 5 July 2007

Greetings!

Capt. Mark limped home last week with a wounded BONNIE MARIETTA" and immediately went about trying to resolve her fuel problem. Seems that when we did a major retrofit on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back in 2002 (which included brand new fuel tanks, lines, filtration system etc.) a hairline fracture had occurred in the fuel line that brings fuel to the engine from the starboard tank. Over time this crack had been leaking small amounts of air into the system, but the Capt. was always able to deal with it. Apparently the crack finally severed the entire line and was only letting air pass, and no fuel. Of course diesel engines don't run very well on air, thus the frustration and problems occurred this past week. To add insult to the best of his trouble shooting abilities, the cracked line was hidden inside a fitting so he couldn't even see it! Such is the ongoing saga of keeping a commercial boat operating safely! The Capt. likes to say "no problems, only solutions".

The the much anticipated opener up above delivered vast amounts of NW winds but not a lot of catching. Looks like the Salmon are at least a 30 hour one way steam for the "BONNIE MARIETTA" right now which puts selling off the boat at jeopardy. Many of you long time Fish-List members know that we have been suffering from a Northern shift of fish over the years, that coupled with a shortened season and some bad timing makes our approach to selling from the "BONNIE MARIETTA" extremely difficult. Very disappointing!

How about some good news!? This morning Capt. Mark got in his pickup (at 2:00 am) and drove up to Half Moon Bay where he rendezvoused with another Morro Bay fisher, Capt. Arnoldi of the "ROSALENA MARIE". Capt. Arnoldi had also gone north for the opener, and had put together 40 fish for his effort over the past 4 days. Although it was not anything near what he was hoping for, he knew the catch would help here back in Morro Bay. So by 10:30 the Capt. Mark arrived back here at Dockside with some wonderful Wild California King Salmon. We apologize for the price being higher than we would like for it to be. These elusive fish are available in the fish market for $6.95/lb whole fish or $15.95/lb fillets and are really a nice product!

Sea ya again next Thursday

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Friday 29 June 2007

Ahoy Mates!

Well I'm running a bit behind schedule.... so here is a Friday night update instead of Thursday cause I didn't get a chance to send out the e-mail last night.

Capt. Mark left Morro Bay Wednesday morning aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" heading north so that he can be in place for Sunday's July 1st opener. Wednesday night he hit some rough weather around Pt. Sur and ended up anchoring at Lopez for the night. Again on Thursday they encountered more rough weather around Monterey Bay and spent the night just outside of Santa Cruz. As of today the weather was more forgiving and he planed on making it up to Drakes Bay where he would anchor for the night. If you 're not familiar, Drakes Bay is in between San Francisco and Bodega Bay which is his destination. Only a 30-36 hour trip from Morro Bay!

So far the trip north has had it ups and downs. There have been more downs than ups as Capt. Mark experienced unexpected problems in the engine room. On Wednesday night he had fuel problems which kept him up the entire night and by Thursday morning the "BONNIE MARIETTA" was dead in the waters just outside of Monterey. Well thank goodness for our mechanic, Nick, who came to the rescue via cell phone! Nick was able to walk (or should I say talk?) Capt. Mark through the mechanical stuff that was needed to get the "BONNIE MARIETTA" back in action! Like most fishermen, Capt. Mark is and must be a jack of all trades in order to survive out there! When your at sea you can't just pick up the phone and call a tow truck whenever you break down!

Anyway's the latest scuttle butt on Salmon is that the bulk of them have continued to move north during the past month. The majority of the commercial fleet is either already up there or heading up there for Sunday's opener. We will see how next week plays out and hope for the best.....

In the meanwhile the Capt. and I wish you all a happy Forth of July!

Bonnie, Capt. Mark Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 21 June 2007

Ahoy Mates!

By this time next week Capt Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA" will be pushing north once again. After a month of Salmon season closure north of Point Sur, the fleet is very anxious to get access back out where the bulk of fish have been. Although the season has been open in our local waters, the fish seemed to have stayed put up north just like in the past several years. This is making it extremely difficult to conduct our off the boat (direct marketing) sales happen! Some good news is that a few Albacore have shown up southwest of Morro Bay, but unless the scattering of fish increases we will keep focused on Salmon for now.

With the opening of White Sea Bass season this past week, we are really happy to have a nice supply of this beautiful fish from Capt. Sutton of the "AURELIA" who fishes out of Santa Barbara. The Sea Bass yield a large white flaky, yet moist fillet, and we are featuring it in both the Restaurant and Fish Market. Another nice bounty from Santa Barbara was some fresh Thresher Shark which we will also be offering as a special "Shark & Chips" or you can purchase fillets in the Fish Market. Capt. Tobin has continued to be our Lingcod connection, and we received a nice selection of assorted rockfish form Capt. Arnoldi and Capt DuMong.

Capt. Evans of the "LUCY L" has been waiting for some Halibut to show up in the Avila Beach area as are we. In the mean time if you want to watch something really neat tune in to the local PBS channel 2, there has been a really great piece showing this 85 year old fisher trawling for Halibut. He told us he thought it would show mostly on Thursdays and Saturdays around 9:30 PM throughout the month of June. Anyhow it really gives you a great idea of what our local trawling really is about. Once you see it you will get a better feel about so much of the misinformation of the local trawl fleet.

Only one more week before Capt. Mark heads back out to sea and I'm really going to miss him! . While he is on the beach he really helps make things happen around here at Dockside! Of course I don't tell him often enough, but I think we make a pretty good team!

Until next Thursday........

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 14 June 2007

Ahoy Mates!

A week of reasonable good weather and Capt Mark was out and about scouting around. Good weather to fishermen doesn't necessarily mean what it means to us landlubbers. To us good weather is clear and sunny skies, to fishermen it really only means calm seas with little wind. They don't care if its foggy, cloudy or rainy they just want calm seas.

He saw some good signs out there and even a few Salmon, but they were either the wrong kind or to small. The Capt did catch a few Coho's Salmon also known as Silvers and a few short King Salmon but had to toss them back. They are not allowed to keep Silvers and the Kings were short of the required 27 inches.

Did you know sub legal Salmon are called "shakers" by commercial fishermen? A "shaker" is exactly what it sounds like, too small to keep so it is shook off the hook and back into the ocean thus being a "shaker"! Both the commercial and recreational fleet fish with barbless hooks allowing a quick release which requires no handling of the small fish, reducing mortality.

Capt Mark said he can tell the difference between a King Salmon (Chinook) & Silver Salmon (Coho) like night and day and often knows which one it is by the way it bites and fights. For me I would have to take a long hard look at the two and would probably still get it wrong! Silvers have a greener back and a lighter colored mouth than Kings. They range from about the Central Coast of California up to Alaska.

Its been a very exciting week with lots of celebrations going on. Here at Dockside we have several Grads and Dads! As matter of fact we have three on our staff who graduated with the MBHS class of 2007 today! Congratulations to Angelina McKee, Cameron Ryan and Patrick Cirone!

Dad's your day is Sunday and we hope it is filled with love, laughter, lots of family, and that you enjoy every moment of it!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 7 May 2007

Ahoy and good evening to you!

Hope your June is off to a good start!

As of the 1st the northern portion of the state closed for Commercial Salmon fishing while the recreational fleet still has unlimited access up there. Reports indicate that the Salmon are becoming more cooperative, that is when the winds let the sport boats on the ocean. Meanwhile we eagerly await the July 1st re-opener above Point Sur so Capt. Mark and the rest of the Commercial fleet can get back out there! While waiting, Capt. Mark is planning to take another look around here this next week but we can't expect much unless the fish have set. One never knows, so like a fisher, he is optimistic about his chances.

The Salmon that Capt. O'Brien delivered to us last week went quickly, and we were pleased to have been able to offer them to you. Some of the other Capt's have been pursing other species, and as always we are thankful for their efforts especially with all gale winds the past few days! Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE" has continued to see that we have a fresh supply of Lingcod. Capt. Cunningham brought us some Barracuda, and Yellowtail from Southern California, and we have more Black Gill Red Rockfish caught by Capt. Stickel of the "REGINA". Vermillion Rockfish from Capt. DuMong of the "KING CODER", and Capt. Riley of the "LADY MAXINE" dropped off some local Halibut this evening! Right now we don't have a lot of any one fish, but we do have a nice variety, which should get us through the weekend. Oh, I almost forgot we also have some fresh Petrale Sole, and fresh Alaskan Halibut Cheeks that we will be featuring as specials in the Restaurant!

Good ole Capt. Mark was telling me about something I thought you might find interesting .........

Over the past couple of months an Osprey has taken up residence in Morro Bay and has decided one of the jig poles on the "BONNIE MARIETTA" is where it wants to perch! If you are not familiar with a jig pole, it is one of two poles that rise up into the air on either side of the boat. Anyway this silly bird had decided to take up residency on top of a jig pole on the "BONNIE MARIETTA". If your interested in seeing it, the best time would be evenings when it is looking for it's evening meal. You'll probably find it on the "BONNIE MARIETTA if not it may be on it's second home, a jig pole on Capt. Cefalu's vessel "BARBARA MARIE" just to the south.

Did you know The Osprey is one of the largest birds of prey in North America? It eats almost exclusively fish, and is one of the most widespread birds in the world found on all continents except Antarctica. The Osprey is a fish-eating specialist with live fish accounting for about 99% of their diet.!

It always amazes me when Capt. Mark speaks of what he witnesses daily. I should just kick him (or myself?) because he often dismisses his experiences aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" as "not a big deal"! I would never know all this fascinating information if I didn't pry! How often do you overlook what someone important to you has elected to do for a living when it has actually been a blessing!? Capt. Mark has witnessed and experienced stuff that you and I will never, and he has been blessed! Of course the job has it's ups and downs and rough spots, but the oceans have rewarded him with untold wealth!

The Salmon season is still young, and we are still anxiously looking forward to conducting our dockside sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA"! So we shall keep you updated until then!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 31 May 2007

Greetings Mates!

After all the wind we had this month, I thought it was going to blow the sails right out of Capt. Mark! On his long trip home from SF he stopped just south of Pt. Sur to take a long hard look at the area in hopes for any signs of Salmon. Results were that from Pt. Sur and south the water was clearer and colder which isn't good and didn't put any Salmon in the fish hold of the "BONNIE MARIETTA". But from Pt. Sur and north there were lots of whales and feed which is very good conditions for Salmon. As mentioned in last weeks e-mail, the season for fishing Salmon in that area will be closed starting tomorrow and remain closed for the entire month of June! Right now it doesn't look like the bulk of Salmon will hit the coast just yet but doesn't that just figure?!!

Although the overall fishing remained poor, we are happy to know that some of the fleet did catch a few Salmon! One of the lucky ones was Capt. O'Brien of the "AGUERO" and he will be delivering them to us at the Fish Market in time for this weekend! Supplies of these Wild California King Salmon will be limited and more expensive than we like to see, nevertheless we are pleased to be able to offer them to you.

In addition to the Salmon we have been receiving a lot of other great and locally caught fish thanks to Capt. Stickel of the "REGINA" for some nice Black Gill Red Rockfish, Capt. Tobin of the "PLEASURE" for a steady supply of Lingcod. Capt. DuMong of the "KING CODER" for an assortment of Vermilion, Widow, Blue and Bocciaco Rockfish, Capt. Smith of the "SUZY-Q" for Blackcod and last but not least Soupfin Shark provided by Capt. Cunningham. Come on by and see what else is in the display case at the Fish Market or what the "Fish of the Day" is in the Restaurant, were sure you will find something to your liking!

As soon as the season reopens Capt. Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA" will be back up in the areas that have been more productive. Let's just hope the conditions remain good......... or better yet lets hope they improve right here at home! Either way we are still optimistic about the balance of the season.

Catch you again next week!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crewheroes!

 

Thursday 24 May 2007

Ahoy Mates!

Not much has changed this week as compared to last week. Capt. Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA" have been in San Francisco for almost two weeks now waiting for a break in all this windy weather they've been having. The Capt. said either he is getting older or it's a much windier spring than usual.

Speaking of getting older, yesterday was Capt. Mark's 53 rd birthday, so he decided to catch the Amtrak bus to come home and celebrate. We were all thrilled to have him home and had a nice family get together here at Dockside last night. Just as we lit the candles there was a power outage in Morro Bay, good thing we had 53 candles, ha ha ha !!!!

Twas a pretty short lived visit because first thing today, he caught another bus back up to the "Windy City". The long bus ride back up there was all he needed to decide that tonight was the night to get a move on. Soon as he got back aboard the "BONNIE MARIETTA" he untied her and left port. At 7:00 pm tonight, he called to say that he was just passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Although the restrictions are lighter than last year, the areas that contain the most fish will be closing on May 31st. This only gives the Capt. 5 or 6 days to look around out there, so cross your fingers and hope for some good weather. The entire month of June we are only allowed to fish Pt. Sur and south, which so far has not been productive. We'll remain optimistic and hope the Salmon don't know about this restriction and follow us south!

The Capt. and I apologize for not having Wild California King Salmon available in the Fish Market at the moment, but wants you to know that what fish we do have is absolutely primo. Some samples include fresh local Rockfish caught by Capt. Smith of the "SUZY-Q" , live Dungeness Crab caught by Capts. French of the "NADINE" and fresh Petrale Sole from Pacific North West.

Have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend, never forget the fallen heroes!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, family & crew

 

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Ahoy There!

Wind, wind and more wind is pretty much how to sum up this week. After leaving local waters last week, Capt. Mark and the "BONNIE MARIETTA" made it up north just in time to get in on some of the catching before the wind blew up. Right now he is tied up at Pier #45 in San Francisco and hoping for a break in the weather so he can get back out there. Although a long way from home he is in good company as several other fishermen from Morro Bay are up there too. As matter of fact the Capt. is docked right across from Capt. Maharry of the "Mary F" and Capt. Blue of the "Morning Light".

Prior to being blown into port the Capt. reports having seen hundreds of Humpback Whales putting on quite a performance. He said they were so close to the boat that he could not only feel but smell their breath, which he described as smelling like "old shrimp"! For those of you who have not heard, the bay area news has been reporting that a couple of Humpback Whales that made their way up the Sacramento River. According to Capt. Mark, "as the crow flies" reports indicate those whales would be about 90 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully with some luck and a lot of coaxing they will make their way back out to sea without much further ado!

Besides the whales Capt. reported having interaction with some Salmon Sharks "Lamna ditropis". They are rarely seen because they are usually in epipelagic waters and I can only best describe them as a smaller version of the Great White Shark. Nevertheless they are a nuisance because of the amount of fish and gear they damage. Speaking of a nuisance, the Salmon Sharks don't even hold a candle to the problems sea lions continue to create for our fishermen!

Despite all these obstacles Capt. Mark did catch some Salmon, just not enough to warrant the travel distance, fuel and time to bring them back home. So I drove up to the "Windy City" and brought back enough of Capt. Mark's Wild California King Salmon to get us through the weekend. Take advantage of some of this fabulous fish available at the Fish Market for $14.95 / lb fillets or in one of our Specials here at the Restaurant.

Until Next Thursday,

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, Family & Crew

 

Thursday 10 May 2007

Ahoy Mates!

I just got off the phone with Capt Mark and have the latest information to share with you............

During the past couple of days he has been taking a long hard look in our local waters between Morro Bay and Port San Luis, and although weather and sea conditions have been favorable (with lots of dark water and literally tons of sardines, which the King Salmon adore) there just isn't the volume of fish for him to say in the area any longer. He did return to port late yesterday, but only long enough to unload his catch, get some food and hug the babies (our 2 dogs, Korea & Montana) then headed back out to sea. Oh yea, I think I got a hug or two somewhere in there! ha ha!

As most of you know, but for those of you who do not, it takes at least 500 lbs before we can even begin to think about selling off the boat. So, and unfortunately, we will not be conducting our dockside sales off the "BONNIE MARIETTA" this weekend, like we had hoped.

Capt Mark said it sounds as though the season is starting to look promising up north, around Half Moon Bay, as reports of better production have been coming in during the past couple of days. So after that short stop home yesterday, he began the long journey north in search of greener pastures.

Last night he made it as far as San Simeon and spent the night anchoring in San Simeon Bay. He was approaching Monterey Bay when I spoke with him last and was in some pretty rough weather. I shan't use his words, instead I'll translate....he is taking a whoop'n out there with lots spray and green water over the bow!!! His destination for tonight is Santa Cruz, and I'm sure he'll be pretty worn out by the time he gets there. In the morning, he will continue to push in a northerly direction looking for better production, so we can eventually do, what both you and we love best, direct sales!

Right now the supply of Salmon arriving on the docks in California is limited and continues to necessitate a higher price than we'd like to see.

Even though we will not be selling Salmon off the boat this weekend, the Capt and I would like to acknowledge "Mother's Day" by offering his Fresh Wild California King Salmon fillets at a reduced price of $12.95/lb (currently $14.95/lb). So come on by the Fish Market this weekend and take advantage our offer. We're pretty sure you won't be able to purchase local Wild King Salmon for less anywhere else!

Other fresh and locally caught fish is available in the Fish Market, and we always like to promote these fishermen. To mention a few, we have the fresh Vermillion Rockfish caught by Capt DuMong of the "King Coder", fresh Lingcod caught by Capt Tobin of the "Pleasure" and Capt Appel of the "Valco", Live Dungeness Crab from Capts. John & Jeff French of the "Nadine" and Live Morro Bay Oysters provided by Chuck Ramos of Williams' Shell Fish. By popular demand, we have received more Halibut Cheeks. All these and more will be featured in both the Fish Market & Restaurant.

In closing .............
I am excited to announce that we will be opening the Restaurant early this Sunday in celebration of Mother's Day! Capt Mark and I invite you to join us for Breakfast / Brunch, we think you will enjoy the special menu put together by Chef Joel Lopez, our Kitchen Manager, and Nancy Garcia, our GM. Please feel free to call ahead for reservations, or just drop on by. Breakfast will be available from 9:30 am until 12:00 noon. Our normal hours remain the same, Lunch from 11-4 and Dinner 5-8.

To all you fabulous Mothers out there, Happy Mothers Day!

Capt. Mark & Bonnie Tognazzini, family & crew

 

 

Friday 4 May 2007

Hello loyal customers:

Once again, I want to apologize for the error of our first e-mail of this salmon season where some e-mail addresses were visible for all to see. It was an accident. I can only assure you that it was an error on my part. We did not sell your e-mail address. We would never have shared your e-mail address with anyone intentionally. Let me assure you that we had every intention of streamlining our email process, but it backfired on us.

It has come to our attention that Giovanni's Fish Market has hijacked that e-mail and is sending out solicitation e-mails. Only a portion of our fish list was captured, so some of you will be spared this unsolicited spam. I repeat, we did not sell our list, or knowingly allow anyone access to it. Giovanni's took advantage of our error. The lack of professionalism Giovanni's is demonstrating is appalling to us and is unethical.

For those of you that have been long time fish list recipients, you will remember that Giovanni's fought our consumer direct sales vigorously. Due to Giovanni's complaints we appeared before the SLO County Board of Supervisors and received their blessings. Lucky for us and our customers, the Supervisors realized the value and safety in receiving a fish directly from the fisherman who caught them.

The Captain and I, as well, as our entire families will continue to be advocates for the fishing community. We will always be open and honest with our customers and attempt to bring you the best quality seafood through our sales off the BONNIE MARIETTA, in the Restaurant and through our Fish Market.

Please feel free to contact Giovanni's directly. In fact, if you are as outraged as we are, I hope you will do so. Or if you would like to respond to Giovanni's through us, drop us an e-mail and we will relay your message for you.

Your response to this violation of your privacy has been overwhelming. We are humbled by your continued patronage.

Warmest Regards,

Bonnie, Capt. Mark, Family & Crew

 

 

Thursday 3 May 2007

Ahoy Mates!

For those of you who received the e-mail that I sent out on Tuesday, which had many operator errors, my sincerest apologies. We are currently in the transition period of weaning off of AOL (finally!) and on to something more efficient.

Now let’s move onto the good stuff!

Our Commercial Salmon Season began Tuesday, May 1st, and Capt. Mark was up and at ‘em around 0400 hrs, leaving port aboard the “BONNIE MARIETTA” shortly there after. Along with the rest of the world, and as normal, I was still sound asleep, zzzzzzz!

Earlier this week, Captain Mark reported that some fish were being caught in front of Morro Bay & Avila Beach. Scores were 0 to 10 fish with an average of less than 5, making it a “slow opener” for the 2007 season. Now, on the brighter side of things, they have all been a pretty good grade.

The wind has a bit harsh on the ocean during the past couple of days, making fishing conditions hard to work in, and who knows what the upcoming days will bring?

Captain Mark ended opening day (Tuesday, May 1st) anchoring up in Port San Luis, and although I'm sure he was tempted to feast on one of the first caught Wild California King Salmon, he settled for Rockfish and rice for dinner. Ha ha ha… just thought I'd share that with y’all!

Capt. Mark returned home late this afternoon, however, his catch isn't enough to conduct dockside sales off the “BONNIE MARIETTA”, like we all have been waiting for. However, we do, however, have enough first of the season Wild California King Salmon to offer here at “Dockside Too”, the Fish Market, which is currently available for $14.95 a pound.

I'll continue to update you every Thursday with our weekly e-mail updates, and in the meantime, remain busy here at the Restaurant and Fish Market holding down the fort while the Capt is out at sea!

Capt. Mark, Bonnie, family & crew

 

Tuesday 1 May 2007

Ahoy Mates!

It’s that time of year again, the first day of our Commercial Salmon Season! As you might imagine, Captain Mark was up and at ‘em this morning around 0400 hrs and left port shortly there after aboard the “BONNIE MARIETTA”. Of course, I was still asleep along with the rest of the world, zzzzzz!

Earlier today Captain Mark reported that some fish were being caught in front of Morro Bay & Avila Beach. Scores ranged between 0 to 10 fish with an average of less than 5, making it a “slow opener” for the 2007 season. On the brighter side of things they have all been a pretty good grade so far..

The wind was a bit harsh on the ocean today, making fishing conditions harder to work in, and weather reports don’t indicate that it will be backing off for several days yet.

Captain Mark ended his day anchoring up in Port San Luis and I’m sure he was tempted to feast on one of the first caught Wild California King Salmon, but he settled for Rockfish and rice for dinner instead ha! Just thought I’d share that with y’all!

Looks like we are in for more limitations on the fishing again this year, from what I understand, its pretty much same as last year. Nevertheless, we remain optimistic and excited about conducting dockside sales off the “BONNIE MARIETTA”. Meanwhile, I’ll be busy here at the Restaurant and Fish Market holding down the fort while the Capt is at sea!

I am looking forward to keeping you all updated through our weekly e-mails every Thursday, beginning May 3rd.

Capt. Mark, Bonnie, family & crew

 

Thursday 8 March 2007

Ahoy Folks,

Some bountiful news from the Pacific! After being without live Dungeness Crabs for a couple of weeks, Capt. Cefalu of the “Barbara Marie” delivered some more Dungeness Crabs to us here at Dockside late yesterday afternoon.

As the crab production winds down in California especially here locally, the price to the fishermen increases as does the price to you the consumer. This always makes us cringe as both Capt. Mark and I do everything we can to keep premium local seafood reasonable. You can still get whole crab either cooked or live at the Fish Market for only $14.00 each, which equals approximately $7.00 lb for these 2 lb average crabs. Although the season lasts till July the local crabbers are "Stacking Out" because of low production and more than likely this will be our last delivery for the season so when they are gone they are gone.

Next weekend the weekend of March 16th, 17th and 18th, we will have our final Crab Fest here at the Restaurant. Starting at lunch on Friday the 16th and continuing through dinner on Sunday the 18th, you will be able to have a cooked, cleaned, cracked and chilled Dungeness Crab dinner (or lunch) with all the fixings for only $21.75. Please call ahead with your reservation 772-8100.

A little side note for those of you who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we will also be serving Chef Joel’s fabulous corned beef and cabbage on Saturday the 17th!

More good news is that Capt. Mintz of the “D.J.” (who caught all the beautiful White Sea Bass and Soupfin Shark) is out and about pursuing local rockfish. Capt Mark has been communicating with him on a daily basis and tomorrow morning Friday the 9th they will be unloading their catch of Bank Rockfish which we will be featuring in both the Restaurant and the Fish Market. They will be unloading right off of the Fishermen’s Wharf which is alongside the Restaurant, so come on by and watch the activity it’s really quite interesting!

Did you now that Bank Rockfish are usually caught outside 80 fathoms of water and range from Washington to Baja California. They are rarely caught by recreational fishermen because of the depth they live in. Here along the Central Coast their are commonly known as Red Widow, they are a dusty light red to gray in color and have black spots on their back and dorsal fin. Bank Rockfish are one of about 60 different varieties of rockfish that are often referred to as Red Snapper but there is no truth in that name. We like to call them by what they really are.

Bank Rockfish is a very delightful firm white flesh fish with a tremendous shelf life. You can pick up some of these fillets for $6.95 lb in the Fish Market and we will also be featuring it in the restaurant as fish of the day or in our daily specials.

Some early Salmon news includes a more liberal season this year than last year. When you look at what happened to us last year not being able to fish any of June or July above Pt. Sur, a more liberal season may still be fairly restrictive. Capt. Mark and I are anxious to conduct our dockside sales off the boat and remain optimistic.

 

Thursday 15 Feburary 2007

Ahoy Mates!

Capt. Mark and the "Bonnie Marietta" made it home safely from his research charter down in Santa Barbara, and with many interesting stories about the days spent on the sea. One day in particular while they were operating the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) they came upon a spectacular sunken boat! The ROV is flown by remote control and in the wheelhouse of the "Bonnie Marietta" they received a video feed which is displayed on a monitor. The Capt and research team has a fish's eye view of everything the ROV saw. While investigating this wreck site, which looked as if the vessel was actually blown apart, they came across a corner fitting porcelain sink that was perfectly intact with without a scratch on it! In addition Capt Mark spoke of numerous brass port holes and such. He also said that the wreckage field had become a beautiful habitat that supported hundreds of different rockfish. Oh and by the way he won't tell me where it was other than it was incorrectly located on the nautical charts, hummmm? Catch Capt. Mark around the restaurant or fish market and ask him more about the charter if you are interested it is really quite fascinating to hear.

Now for some great fish news........
We received a call from Capt. Mintz of the "DJ" yesterday advising us he was inbound with some of the first of the season White Sea Bass. Capt. Mark quickly made arrangements for Dockside to receive the entire catch and we are really excited to have these spectacular fish as well as some Soupfin Shark. We will be offering them here in the restaurant as our daily specials or you can purchase Sea Bass fillets in the fish market for $8.75/ LB. If you want to purchase a whole fish for $4.95/ LB and save a little money, we will fillet it free of charge just like we do on the "Bonnie Marietta". Do you remember back when Soupfin was often used as fish for some fish & chips? Well we are going to be serving a special 5-piece Soupfin Fish & Chips for $5.95 this week at both the restaurant and fish market. Or take some home and prepare yourself at a price you'll appreciate of $2.95/LB fillets.

If you haven't made it to the fish market yet come on by, we are dog friendly and have live music on Saturday's & Sundays. By the way don't forget to try our fantastic Pacific oysters BBQ'd & swimming in garlic butter for only $1.00 each yum yum!

Sea you soon,

Capt. Mark & Bonie Tognazzini, family & crew
F/V "BONNIE MARIETTA"