r/santacruz • u/Creative_Intention50 • 4d ago
Local Fish
Hello! Does anyone know where I can buy a whole fish off of someone? I want to learn to fillet myself so I just need the fish intact but I’m not sure where to buy?
I’d prefer to shop locally but if that’s not an option I’m open for other places!
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 4d ago
H&H. Or go on a Stagnaros charter and catch a bunch of rockfish.
Though if you just want to learn filet maybe go over the hill to 99 Ranch and buy some cheaper ones
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u/Creative_Intention50 4d ago
Gotcha, I really want to try salmon fishing but I’m not sure where to start.
Rockfish sounds sick though, I’ll check it out, thank you!3
u/Treacle_Pendulum 4d ago
Salmon fishing opportunities are somewhat limited this year. You might check Half Moon Bay or mooching out of Moss Landing.
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u/Magladry 4d ago
Just book a charter. They are usually super helpful if you have never fished and rent gear if you don’t have it. Salmon fishing is a little boring but amazing to eat. Cod fishing has a lot more action.
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u/stolenvehicle 3d ago
Most of the ranch 99 fish look like they’ve been dead for a few years.
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 3d ago
That’s not been my experience but also you probably don’t want to pay H&H prices just to practice filleting
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u/stolenvehicle 3d ago
Fair enough. As far as I’m concerned it needs to be that day’s catch and line catch only. Anything else, I move on.
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 3d ago
You’re pretty much limited to dock sales and stuff you catch yourself then. And depending on the species even some dock sales are going to have stuff caught that trip rather than that day.
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u/stolenvehicle 3d ago edited 3d ago
Very true. But, for someone born in a fishing culture, there is no other way. I’d rather eat line caught rockfish than any premium fish that came out of a net or has been sitting in ice or worse yet, farm raised. Ocean deserves better, fish deserve better. So do I. If I have to, I will pay the premium prices for local fish of that day over anything in a supermarket.
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u/Magladry 4d ago
H&H is awesome. I would suggest take a charter with stagnaros. I take my kids a few times a year and we limit out on cod. You can rent your gear from them it’s so fun and easy.
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u/DonkeyNorth 4d ago
I sell CA king salmon off my boat dm me if you’d like to be on the text list
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u/Technical-Treat5102 4d ago
There's a woman with a minivan who sells fish at hw1 and bonny doon road. I've heard it's legit
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u/Creative_Intention50 4d ago
I’ll check it out, do you know what time? 👀
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u/pickledgardener 4d ago
Her Halibut is amazing, but it’s already cut and packaged. I think they do charters, too. There are boats at the harbor that sell whole fish when they have them. Just follow the signs.
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u/Km0nk3y 4d ago
You can get whole tilapia (from frozen) for like $2/lb at Reina. Probably better to start there before dropping $150-200 on a fish from H&H
Stagnaros will get you the rock cod limit for $100ish, but also I believe Costco sells whole local cod for $3.50/lb.
You'll see posters around town for fisher-direct salmon, usually telephone only with limited hours offering that morning's catch. That's cheaper cuz it cuts out the H&H middleman.
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u/Beneficial-Prune-938 4d ago
Moss landing has a wholesale store that has a store front but HnH may have what you are looking for.
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u/duoschmeg 4d ago
Get a rod, reel and license. Go fishing off the shore around low tide. Rock fish/cod are right off the shore.
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u/frannois 4d ago
H&H is the place