Alaskan Pollock, great tasting fish (Homer, Metlakatla: home, schools, eat)

[gouligann]

Ok, dumb question I'm sure, but you fish for Alaskan Pollock with rods on or near shore in shallow water, way out deep sea fishing, or is it only commercially fished with nets?

We had some for supper tonight (packaged/frozen) and it was delicious.

[patwagon]

It is one of the least desirable of the ground fish. It is fished with nets in deep cold water.

[Metlakatla]

The commercial catch comes from the North Pacific and is caught by trawling.

Sports fishing for Pacific cod of any kind means going out on boats. You want to get your lure right along the bottom of the sea.

[gouligann]

Thanks for your answers, so can tourists go out on these boats to fish and what port/city would you take a fishing boat from?

Metlakatla, are Cod and Pollock related? We really like both of them.

[Metlakatla]

Pollock is in the cod family, yes. You'd want to take a charter out of Homer for them.

BTW, I wouldn't say that it's the "least desirable" of the rockfish, just that it's the most abundant.

[GnomadAK]

I can't recall going fishing specifically for any of the cod family, for the most part if we did catch one while halibut or salmon fishing we'd throw it back. The coastal ones tend to harbor a heavy parasite load, filet one, put the fillets in fresh water and watch them erupt with worms. They'd lust about crawl off in different directions.

[riceme]

Originally Posted by GnomadAK

I can't recall going fishing specifically for any of the cod family, for the most part if we did catch one while halibut or salmon fishing we'd throw it back. The coastal ones tend to harbor a heavy parasite load, filet one, put the fillets in fresh water and watch them erupt with worms. They'd lust about crawl off in different directions.

Dude, I'm eating dinner. Seriously.

That'll teach me to read while I eat. Criminy.

[Metlakatla]

Some of the charter guys are advertising cod more prominently because of increasingly strict halibut regs. I think Homer's about as far south as large schools of pollock go. Never see them where I'm at.

[gouligann]

AAK! worms? now that's creepy (sorry, couldn't resist)

(Riceme, if you're eating, don't read this) I've opened up Speckled trout from a smaller shallow lake and they were wormy too but just in the stomach/guts, not in the flesh. Same with Bass, but the worms were in the flesh. Gross.

Well that's a bummer. I don't like "fishy" fish like salmon, and I've even found Halibut slightly fishy, so looks like I'll be fishing for just sport and to feed hubby while we're up there this summer for a visit.

We're leaving home soon for our 2-3 month "trip of a lifetime" Can't wait! Please order us some nice weather and a poor crop of mosquitoes up there in AK, OK? lol

[AK76]

Caught plenty of pollock in Prince William Sound when I commercial fished there, both on the long line and in the trawl net. Not a big fan of such a bland and soft fleshed fish, basically tasteless and mushy. As to a fish tasting "fishy", that should never be the case, if a fish tastes fishy, then it was not cared for properly after being caught.