Twin brothers, Matt and Zach Rose, headed out patty-hopping on Saturday morning with Connor Van Orden at the helm of their outboard powered vessel.
The goal was to search for kelp patties between Newport and Catalina Island, and check under each stand of kelp with the hopes of finding schools of Yellowtail. Even from the deck of a boat, you can often see the flash of a passing school of yellows swimming beneath you.
Having had success over the last several years on Sheepshead and Sea Bass, neither Rose brother had yet to take a Yellowtail. On this morning, not one but both Roses were able to seal the deal on fantastic specimens in open water, diving on separate kelp patties. 
The Roses were kind enough to contribute the Yellowtail Collars to our Quail Club feast last night. The collar being the fatty portion of flesh up near the gills. For their preparation they smoked the collars on the Traeger for 1.5 hours, and glazed them with an orange glaze for the final 30 minutes. The result was an incredibly tender and lightly sweet tasting fish that was shared amongst friends.
Experiences like this one are exactly why we get together to share a wild fish and wild game meal each month—to reinforce and celebrate these experiences, and to share stories like this one over a table spread with food that has been tirelessly earned.
We will be the first to admit that many of us are relatively new to this quest of harvesting wild fish and game—in all of its forms—but for every curiosity that exists there seems to be someone else with experience and wisdom to share—which is what makes doing all of this in community so valuable.
