Fishing Feb 7, 2009

Well, I figured I would post some pictures from this weekend's fishing trip. My "Grand-pappy" went with me on Saturday. This is usually the scene every time we go fishing. I drive, and he sits up front and enjoys being retired. We always have a good time together.



And he always enjoys the bragging rights and rubbing in my face whenever he is ahead of me on the count of how many fish caught. I believe at this point, he was two up on me.


We always release our catch, unless they are ill-releasable (i.e. have damaged them in the process of the catch). In this case, they go in the live well, to be "et" at a later date. See yummy fried trout recipe at bottom.



This is a picture of my newest (and favorite to date) rig. This is last year birthday present, and last year's christmas present. I have a whole-nother rig for fly fishing, but this is my everyday ole faithful. My rig consists of:

Reel - Shimano Sahara 750FB
Pole - Bass Pro Shops BIONIC BLADE (Ultra Light, 5'6 length, 1-6 lb test, Fast action)
Line - Bass Pro Shops XPS Flourocarbon line, 6 lb. test (I use 4 lb. test line when using monofilament. But Flourocarbon is much more highly sensitive, is almost invisible when under water, and has a low stretch feel. This means more sensitivity, even on the smallest "bumps").
hooks - I prefer Eagle Claw brand hooks. They seem not to chip or break as easily as other brands.
Weights - The brand doesn't matter to me. But I prefer BB size split shots with removeable teeth on the back. To be more eco-friendly, I stear clear of Lead sinkers.
Bait - Depends on what the fish are bitin on that day. Usually stick with worms, powerbait, or lures such as the Trout Magnet.



One of my favorite places to be. It was so nice that morning. I had a feece pullover on, so I stayed fairly warm. The weather was around 50-55 degrees, so it was cool, but not cold. We launched around 7:30 and left around noon. The sun never came out while we were there, but on the way home, the sun came out and it started to really warm up.



All in all it was a really nice day. Since I had the camera, figured I would take a picture of myself....I'm a dork, I know.



Grandad seemed to enjoy himself. One of his favorite passtimes.



I don't have any picture of the recent meals of fried trout but you can look back at my camping trip in October of 2008 and see the "remains" of our fish fry.

Brandon's Fried Trout

1-2 clean Trout fillets per person (depending on size of fish)
1-2 cups yellow stone ground cornmeal to dreadge
1-2 Tbl cayenne pepper (more if you like the heat)
1 Tbl kosher salt
1 Tbl garlic salt
Peanut Oil

Mix together in large container cornmeal, pepper, salt, & garlic salt. make sure trout fillets are cleaned well and place wet fillet in meal and press down into cornmeal mixture. Flip and coat other side well.

Let breaded fillets sit for 5-10 mins. During this time, place large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come up half way up the side of fish. Heat oil to 360-375 degrees. Do not let oil get above 375! Also, while your fish are resting and your oil is heating up, you can clean your prep and breading station.

Once oil is heated, slowly place fish into hot oil. Depending on size of fish, cook between 3-5 minutes on first site, and 2-4 minutes on other side. place on cooling rack inside a cookie sheet.

Enjoy with your favoriate condiment. My favorite is to eat it with raw sliced onion and a little mild hot sauce, with fresh cole slaw on the side.