Ep. 39: Pek Su of Slay Dirty on Fish as Food & the California Bass Community

Guest: Pek Su (Slay Dirty) Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Episode 39, recorded live on April 23, 2024, was the first time Time on the Water went into fish-as-food territory, and Pek Su of Slay Dirty was the right guest for it. The Slay Dirty community started as a fishing crew and expanded into bike clubs, food culture, and community events. Pek brought recipes for spotted bay bass and largemouth drawn from Cambodian family tradition — including one that appeared in Fishbone Magazine.

In This Episode

• First fish-as-food episode — a departure from pure technique content. The fish you catch are food. Pek’s angle: fishing is inseparable from eating, and the tradition of cooking what you catch connects to culture in a way gear talk doesn’t
• Cambodian bass recipes — Pek’s family recipe for local California bass: an 8 to 10-hour cook process depending on temperature. Featured in Fishbone Magazine. The recipe involving methods passed down through his grandparents, adapted for local species
• Spotted bay bass as table fish — the community joke that killing a spotty is sacrilege was addressed directly. Pek’s point: in the right environment, they’re excellent table fish. In Mag Bay they eat shrimp and the flavor shows it
• Slay Dirty origin — started as a fishing crew with the motto “Grave Fisher, Slay Dirty.” Evolved into something bigger — bike clubs, food culture, community events. The slogan shifted, the community stayed. Now six-plus years in
• Big calico and sand bass in the water — Pek hooked a 7-pound calico and an 8-pound sand bass in the same session with his son. The big bait approach: slow retrieve on a ned rig, then switching to bigger profiles when the small bait bite slowed
• Upcoming Slay Dirty events — Toxic Baits’ Caesar confirmed for a Slay Dirty community event. The food-after-fishing format: pull the boat out, food is ready. The community gathering organized around both fishing and cooking

Beyond the Rod & Reel on Spotted Bay Bass

The fish-as-food angle is something the show hadn’t gone to before, and Pek brought genuine cultural depth to it. Most fishing content treats food as a footnote. Pek’s take is the opposite: the recipe is the point. His Cambodian family recipe has been passed down and adapted for whatever is running locally. That kind of connection to the food chain is rare in the bass fishing community.

The Slay Dirty origin story is worth knowing. It started as a crew name and grew into something the community built around it. The slogan “Grave Fisher, Slay Dirty” captured a certain vibe that resonated — fishing hard, eating what you catch, not taking any of it too seriously. The bike club and food culture elements aren’t departures from fishing culture; they’re extensions of the same community.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.