HALIBUT SPEAR, CLEAN & COOK: How to Spearfish CA Vol 21 

We gotta get back out in the water again soon man!

I like halibut with garlic caper butter! Thx Dr Kev

Have you ever tried it fried like U.K. fish and chips? Much better than Cod and I like Cod lol.

Thanks buddy! I thought you might enjoy seeing them in their element like that! Let's get out for a collab this year!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Much appreciated!

Thank you and thanks for watching!

Dang, what time is dinner? Sounds great!

Aloha. They don’t.

Thanks for the positive feedback! I agree that is is a fine eating fish!

Likewise! And thank you!

Thank you!

It is such an important subject and will absolutely be a part of theis series soon!

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 Hi Doc, I pole-speared my first fish yesterday, it was some type of flat fish laying around 5 meters of water.

Thanks! It was an epic dive. Stoked that the footage turned out!

If they did I don't think it would help since they love sand and sea urchins don't seem to like sand at all. But yeah, it would be awesome if something in CenCal and NorCal decided to start eating a lot more sea urchin. For now I guess it's up to us!

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 Good point... Do you ever use a Kayak to access different dive spots? I mostly shore dive as well but i been wanting to the ocena kayak thing for while.

Thanks!

That makes total sense! Thanks for chiming in. And I 100% agree about how incredible our natural world is both above and below the waves!

Nice!

Yep. Gotta dive when you can and the seas permit it. Lol make you think there's tons of flat fish at most beaches that we will never see since conditions rarely settle out enough for a hunt. Let's catch and cook something sometime!

Thanks! I really am no master, but I will own the title "Dive Bum!"

Honestly I kinda love this handle

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 you teach me science and local food, ur a man and then also I think u said ur a phd.. also you seem very kind🤘

Thanks! Closer to Monterey and Santa Cruz. This spot is only like this a few days a season. Its usually murky as heck and not divable.

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 That vis would be epic for the north side of the Bay. If we can see past the end of our gun it is a good day! Monterey is like Hawaii compared to SC.

These are common (and not dumb) questions. Truthfully there is no way to maintain 360 degree awareness as the mask-skirt is essentially working like blinders creating tunnel vision or predator vision. With lower visibility anything could be hanging out 20 ft away that you do not know about. The reality is that people dive and surf every day which offers some comfort. Sharks are definately out in the ocean though and we are the slowest seals on the block. I just try not to think about it just like I do when I am hunting in the woods. If a mountain lion wants to sneak up on me it will. It's a harsh reality that many do not like, but it is part of entering the wild food chain (not as an abserver but as an active participant). I try not to think about it but keep an eye out. I also trust my instincts and if I get an off feeling I move shallow or get out of the water.

@@catchncookcalifornia1574Well said, sir, and that rationale and acceptance of reality is commendable. You’ve certainly inspired me to take a deeper look at this. Separate note: you’re a fantastic advocate. Your genuine respect and appreciation for the bounty of nature paired with your personability and warmth are sure to positively impact those who come across your channel. Well done and thank you.

Likewise!

Thanks! Yeah they were pretty mellow this day. I though about soup stock as well but I prefer lower trophic feeders for making my stock since we eat a ton of fish.

Honestly I try not to think about it. They are out there and we are the slowest seals on the block. We do a lot of diving in the shallows which helps. But there are times where my insticts tell me to head back in when I am out deeper. I also remind people that we could have easily died on the drive to the dive or on the toilet like Elvis. We all gotta go some way some time. But I really would prefer that doesn't happen to anyone.

On the bigger ones I do

The underwater footage was shot on a GoPro Hero 8 black.

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 Thank you for the info.🌷🌷

There are hali's in abundance from Santa Cruz south but dive conditions permitting a hunt are rare north of the Monterey Area. My experience is that they are far more abundant in divable waters/visibility in SoCal.

My record was 6 minutes but that was just sitting on the couch. Most dives I do on the channel are between 1 and 2.5 minutes I would say.

There are spots up and down the CA coast that are loaded with halibut right now. Look for calm, clear waters and sand channels between rocks south of Santa Cruz all the way to San Diego and start diving the sand. Move very slowly and look for an eye or the edge of a fin as your first indicator. I do not give up specific locations to help safeguard the sustainability of the resources and spots. That being said, doing your own research and jumping in the water to scout is half the fun of the hunt and makes the payoffs that much more rewarding when you finally land that fish! Good luck, have fun and be safe!

Yes

These fish come in relatively shallow during the warmer months so these were only 10-15 feet deep.

I do not disclose specific locations in order to safeguard the sustainability of the resource. Thanks for watching!

I did not but it was less than three hours from SF

Iridescent seaweed. Pretty cool huh? It reflects all kinds of light spectra that we see as pink, orange, blue, green, etc.

I will keep it in mind next time

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 love your videos you definitely inspired me to start free diving

Thanks! My apologies if I did not reply. Please give the email a nudge as it likely got buried

Nice! Make sure the rope is not too flexible though. Some folks use thinner ropes that are sure to get tangled on divers on one end and the reef on the other end and you do not want that happening when you are headed to the surface out of air.

Its a darn good time!

Its what you said towards the end, "long drive back". This is what gets me Kevin. East Bay to a good spot is a journey 😅