My "Dream" Fishing Trip

After having my dream about a moose hunt and reading A Reel Lady's blog about her recent fishing trip, I have started thinking about what "dream" fishing trips I'd like to go on. 

What fish species would I like to catch? And where would I like to go? Oh the fishing memories we would have. I have always fished small lakes and rivers. I don't think I have caught anything bigger than 5lbs.

I guess my first trip would be close to home. I want to catch a big walleye out of Lake Erie. I have caught walleye before out of smaller lakes and creeks. But I wanna hook into a 15 pounder. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like on the end of my pole. Hubby has gone fishing in Lake Erie and caught a few big walleye. So now it is my turn and I will even let him come along. :)

My big fishing trip would have to be saltwater fishing.  I'm not sure what exactly I would like to catch, just something big! In A Reel Lady's blog, she talks about having Tarpon Fever. She says watching tarpon jump out of the water, really gets her heart pumping. That sounds interesting! Or maybe it would be fun to catch a marlin or shark. I think hooking into something that is going to jump out of the water would be amazing. 

My uncle does a lot of fly fishing around the world. He has seen some beautiful places and has  caught some amazing trout. So maybe someday, I will get to have my uncle take myself and my family fishing with him. However, eating trout is not one of my favorites.  That's ok...I can practice catch and release!

What's your "dream" fishing trip?

Friday Fish Recipes - Featuring my brother

Last week, I decided not to post my Friday Fish Recipes because I was on vacation and it was a holiday weekend. Sorry.

This week I want to share with you my brothers's favorite recipes. He has been cooking fish for about 15 years now.  His true passion is fishing. He is a great wealth of information to me. He sends me articles to read and recommendations on new lures to try.

Left to right: My dad, my son & my brother. My son's first fishing trip with his uncle and grandpa.

 James does love all things outdoors. He fishes all summer and hunts pretty much the rest of the year. I have even sparked his interest in bow hunting again.

Here are a couple of his favorite recipes for cooking fish.

Ameri-Chino-Citrus walleye

Ingredients

4 walleye fillets 1- 3 lb eyes optimal

1 stick of air temp butter

1 onion

4 cloves garlic super fine chop or minced or jarred minced works

1 generous shake of garlic powder

1 generous shake of onion powder

1 slight sprinkle of cumin powder

1 dash of cayenne pepper

1 generous sprinkling of black pepper red pepper mix

Lemon juice concentrate to taste

Lime juice concentrate to taste.

2 cups of cooked white rice.

Take four nice walleye fillets bone and prepared well. Take a large piece of heavy duty tinfoil not the cheap crap heavy duty tinfoil. Lay it out flat and rough butter with a butter knife your four walleye fillet area on the tin foil. Lay four fillets on foil and thin yet generous size buttered tinfoil. Then Lemon and lime concentrate walleye carefully as not to spill all over i like a good amount because this will make a sauce. Place 2 small pats of butter at each end of the fillets. Next chop and or mince garlic, cut onion into thin round ring's. Sprinkle garlic over fish, then place rings on top of fish season with all of the listed seasonings and powder. Cap and or fold over access tinfoil to form a packet. Run outside light your grill place packet on grill for 10 to 15 minutes depending on walleye size keep between 300 and 350 on your grill. Next make 2 cups of white rice. A good side for this is this packet grilling with everything minus the fish, but with asparagus or fresh green beans. When fish rice and asparagus is done place one inch of white rice on a plate put walleye on top, then cut asparagus to small pieces or place on the side. Then take fish juice at bottom of the packet and pour or spoon over fish and rice serve hot, and salt to taste but i rarely add anything. Tends to be perfect right out of the packet.

and

Chili-Dusted Catfish

This is Chili-Dusted Catfish with Cumin Rice. He got this recipe from the In-Fisherman cookbook. I know he substitutes pike and walleye in this recipe.

I hope everyone has a great fishing weekend!

Baiting Hooks

Over the holiday weekend, I overcame a baiting hook fear.

Throughout my life, I always baited my hook with either a worm or a minnow. It never bothered me to bait the hook. And once I was old enough to learn how to take the fish of the hook, I did that too.

When I started fishing with my husband, I developed a baiting hook fear.  Why? Because he uses grubs as bait. I have a fear of them. Just knowing what they really are freaks me out. So I have made hubby bait my hook for the past several years. (Granted I haven't fished much since our son was born.)

Since I had always baited my hook myself, this really bothered me to be dependent on hubby to bait my hook. Several times this year I would get the grub can to bait my hook myself, but then once I opened it ... I just couldn’t do it.

Until yesterday…

We were fishing for bluegill. We were hitting a lot of little fish, throw backs. They kept cleaning our hooks. After several times of needing my hook baited and waiting for my hubby to bait the hook, I was getting frustrated.  So finally, I flicked a few grubs out of the can with my hook and then put them on my hook. (There were a few faces and “yucks” involved.)

 After baiting my hook several more times like this, I finally just picked the grubs up out of the can and baited my hook. YIPPEEE!!!!

When we go out fishing again…I will bait my own hook! But as I sit here typing, I’m still a bit freaked out by the thought of the grubs crawling around in the can. But I have done it now, so I know I can do it again! 

YES, I overcame a fear!

Do you have any fears of baiting hooks? Hubby better not ask me to bait a hook with a leach. That will NEVER happen! Lol

Summer Family Fishing!

I have fond memories of fishing at a local reservoir and family fishing trips to Black Lake, NY when I was a child. This is a family tradition I want to pass on to my son and make new memories with my own family. (Oh, and invite my dad and brother to tag along too.) I want G to learn to fish and hopefully he will love it (or at least appreciate it) like hubby and I do.

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of June already. Even though the weather has not been great this month, we have been able to get out fishing weekly. I really look forward to our mornings on the lake. And getting our freezer stocked with fish. I have fished more this year so far than I have in the past several years.

Late spring fishing 

My lil fisherman

That is partly because G is 4 years old now and  is really starting to understand what fishing is about. He gets excited when the bobber goes under and when he gets to reel in a fish. He does not always fish with us, sometimes he brings his tractors to play with or pretends he is the captain of the boat telling us where to fish.  But he knows that we are on the boat to fish.

So far this year we have been blessed by the Blue Gill fishing gods. We usually catch 30 on average each trip They are soooooo tasty!

One of my catches (nice hair)

Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend and we can start to do some pike fishing. Don't get me wrong I love catching blue gill after blue gill. I just like to put some variety in my freezer. I can guarantee you that if the pike aren't biting, I will be fishing for blue gill.

UPDATE - I got a fishouflage tackle box instead of a pink camouflage. Love it! I'm still working on filling my tackle box.  Hopefully by the end of the summer it will be full.

Happy Fishing!