Summer “surfcasting”… fishing by the sea in Italy!
by Cesare Zucca
Summer at the sea: the hot sun warms the surface waters, the fish approach the coast: dorado, amberjack, tuna, bream, sea bass, bream but also sea bream, bluefish and many other species…
What better than improvising a fisherman and to bring home a trophy to cook with your favorite recipe? So let’s venture into surfcasting (literally “casting on the wave”) a form of sport fishing that is carried out from the beach, with a float or with sturdy rods, capable of casting the terminal complex (bait and lead) at considerable distances from the shore. In the Mediterranean version of surfcasting, we make use of the help of the tides that increase or decrease and the waves begin to “swell” depositing organic food that attracts large and hungry predators.
In Italy it is known as shore angling, i.e. fishing from the beach which is mainly carried out in summer with a flat sea. Pay attention to the rules! Shore fishing is generally forbidden at night and precisely from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, furthermore it is not possible to fish in any sea, therefore avoid protected areas where fishing is is prohibited or that apply time and place restrictions.
HOW TO FISH BY THE SEA?
Equipped with a rod, reel and assembly, the hook is cast into the water and the fishing trip begins! This is probably one of the simplest techniques, starting with the bait: in fact, it will be enough to put a worm on the hook and cast and… wait.
THE “GOURMET” BAITS
Squids and cuttlefish, murex, are excellent “temptations” for sea bream and bream, crabs and razor clams while a morsel of triggered mullet can prove to be an excellent trap for sea bass, rays and bluefish
WHERE TO FISH IN ITALY?
Liguria: the sea of the Cinque Terre is full of sea bream, sea bass, bream, bream and conger eels, both for surfcasting bolentino or trolling, and for fishing on the rocks with floats and bottom fishing.
The hospitality of Emilia Romagna is not denied even on this occasion: no restrictions and you can really fish anything from red mullet, white fish, molluscs, mussels, clams and much more. Welcome to the Romagna coast!
Tuscany: Marina di Bibbona, Orbetello, Principina and Isola del Giglio, while in the Grosseto area and in Ansedonia you can fish all year round
Marche: inside the protected Natural Park of Monte Conero, while by boat towards Ancona or Fermo you will find lecce stella, lecce amia, croaker, sea bream and needlefish.
Abruzzo. awaits you with its romantic overflows, evocative stilt houses soaking in the water, traditional fishing machines from which long arms extend to support the nets that used to capture schools of fish. For a profitable surfcasting go south of Roseto, where you can find sea bass, but also gray mullet and sea bream.
Lazio: good sea bream and sea bass fishing on the Circeo and Sabaudia promontory, and the “old radar” spot on Fregene beach
Campania: The wonderful Gulf of Naples offers you sea bass, while Cilento enjoys a rich fish fauna of the fish fauna.
Puglia: in Salento near the Gargano, in the area between Ostuni and Brindisi and near Taranto.
Basilicata: in the marine area of Maratea and near the mouth of the Noce.
Calabria: focus on the marine area and the area close to Catanzaro. Good fishing!
Sardinia: the ”Badesi” beach and the locality of La Ciaccia offer plenty of sea bass and sea bream.
Sicily: its magnificent coast awaits you for a suggestive shore angling.
The beach of Maganuco (Marina di Modica) Santa Margherita (Messina) Ponente (Milazzo) and Sciacca with its wonderful sea bream…
In the sea of Taormina: lucky and starred fishing by Chef Pietro D’Agostino. But he must have caught it himself… It will certainly be cooked sublimely…
SUGARELLI, WHAT A GOODNESS…
Fishing for horse mackerel with sabiki is widely used in light trolling but also in spinning. You will be able to fish horse mackerel from the shore by mounting a bombard or a jig as lead, and using sabiki as leader. Taste them with typical regional recipes:: in Sardinia, in the smallest cuts, as an ingredient in the traditional fish garlic sauce, while in the Marche they are tasted leeward, in a kind of peperonata,, not to mention the superb preparation in Puglia, with white wine, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, olives and, in the most creative recipes, also caciocavallo cheese, tangerines and quinces, a real summer delight.
SEABREAM, THE QUEEN OF THE BEACH
If you fish for sea bream from the beach, you need sinkers and other powerful gear to try and extend the casting distance. The useful baits to use are shrimps, crabs and marine worms, but artificial baits can also replace the live one, better if they are imitations of shrimps.
HEALTHY AND PERFECT COUPLING: “YOUR” FISH AND PASTA WITH LEGUMES
How to cook your “marine triumph” ? and above all what to pair it with? No one better than Dr.Samantha di Geso of DnA Milano , nutritionist biologist and food expert could answer me.
Doctor, how did you approach the world of legume pasta?
I have to be honest: as a biologist I initially thought that yet another chemical and industrial product had arrived, a new-age invention and a rip-off for health.
I also went deeper into the manufacturing processes and I had to change my mind, discovering that with legume paste you can even avoid the toxicity of uncooked legumes in a good and appropriate way.
Are legumes part of historic Italian cuisine?
Sure, our ancestors had a diet that used legumes but, with love and care, they soaked them for 24-48 hours, then cooked them with laurel. using appropriately long times and correct temperatures. I did research on manufacturing processes and I discovered that, thanks to this type, the dangerous toxicity of uncooked legumes can be avoided.
What are the benefits of legume pasta?
The legume paste avoids belly swelling resulting from the difficulty of digesting the walls of the legume, without however losing the nutrients it contains. With the same calories (about 350 calories per 100 grams of pasta) and high protein and fiber content, it lends itself to being a perfect substitute for a complete meal. Furthermore, our bifidobacteria also like it very much, which hold the scepter of our immune defenses.Is it true that in a slimming diet you can eat pasta, if it is made with legumes?
Certainly and not only: its low glycemic index and its high fiber content are “gold” for everyone’s intestines and, above all, for those with intestinal or glycemic problems or simply for weight control. Its satiating power makes it possible to reduce the quantities and calories introduced, therefore it lends itself well to those who want to lose weight without giving up a good plate of pasta.
Is it a tasty pasta?
The taste is obviously that of legumes, so simple recipes help you enjoy this pasta better, especially those that pair it with fresh fish, caught on the day and seasonal vegetables. Try it with tuna fillet cut into cubes and lightly cooked in a pan with oil, capers and olives, a summer delight!
Felicia’s red lentil fusilli, served in a legume and sea bass broth
The champion of legume pasta is Felicia, the only allergen-free Italian pasta factory with an integrated multigrain mill, using organic and naturally gluten-free raw materials, such as buckwheat, brown rice and oats.
It is totally natural, low-calorie, high in protein and made only of water and legume flour and offers an infinite number of formats: spaghetti, penne and mezze penne, ditalini, fusilli. risoni with legumes and cereals, including red and yellow lentils, chickpeas, peas, mung green beans.
The interesting thing about this product, in addition to the calorie count, is the cooking time, which is much less than that of a classic durum wheat pasta.
Ready for your surfcasting adventure?
My wish is “good fishing, good appetite and good health at the table”!