The Fresher The Better
Written: Oct 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great taste
Cons: cleaning them
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| disaggau's Full Review: Bluegill |
Reading djjazz773's epinion on Blue Gill and how her family enjoyed frying them up and enjoying a marvelous home cooked meal out of something they went out and caught together, brought back wonderful memories of my childhood.(NOTE: I use WebTV and cannot paragraph so I use dots.)..........................................................................................................................Ever since I was a very young child we would vacation every summer on Big Sand Lake just outside of Park Rapids, Minnesota. This is God's country in my book. It was even more beautiful when I was a child because there weren't as many homes on the lake and the fish were plentiful. My grandfather and grandmother, Heinie and Rachel, always took me fishing with them, as did my dad Tip. I have precious memories about heading out for the big part of the lake to troll for Walleye, Northern and maybe an elusive Muskie. The Muskie remained elusive but I know they are in the lake because one would pop up now and then on the ice display at Fuller's Tackle Shop. You had it made if your fish made it to this display..........................................................................................................................Back then all the lures were wooden or hand-tied flies. I remember the time I caught a Northern. I thought it would pull me right in the lake. They are quite the fighters. Walleye remains one of my favorite eating fish. Fresh Walleye rolled in flour, salt and pepper and fried up crisp is absolutely heavenly. Unfortunately it's rarely seen on the menu in SW Florida. ..........................................................................................................................The only problem with fishing on the big lake on Big Sand was if a sudden storm arose. This happened one time and I remember clearly the look of fear on my grandfather's face as we headed for the bay area and our summer home. We were in a small row boat with an outboard motor so the going was rather slow. We made it home before Mother Nature unleashed all her fury. I couldn't figure out why my grandfather had been so scared til my dad told me he couldn't swim...........................................................................................................................My dad was the one who would take us still fishing on either Big Sand of Big or Little Ida. He would regale us with tales as we made out way through the thoroughfare from one lake to another. The bottom of Little Ida was kind of murky and he told us it was quicksand and that if we were to fall in we'd sink so far we'd never get out. I was always fearful of making that journey in the boat, but I sure sat still. In reality I believe it was quick mud and you might sink a foot or so, but that would be all. ..........................................................................................................................It was on these trips that we would catch our pan fish, Bluegills, Crappie and sometimes a bullhead. If we caught the latter dad would have to remove it from the hook because I was afraid of being stung. We always used minnows as bait, minnows that we had seined ourselves. At first I thought it was cruel to stick a hook through their back, but dad assured me they had no feelings. Today I'm not sure of that. We always threw the little fish back and also the Sun Fish because they were wormy in Minnesota. But the Bluegills and Crappies that were of significant size went right on the stringer and were tossed alongside the boat to stay fresh til we returned home...........................................................................................................................When we pulled up to our dock after our fishing expedition there would always be members of the family there to greet us. Dad would clean the fish and my grandmother would fry them with her special seasoning and we would enjoy a feast fit for Kings. The fish I order in restaurants, while good, do not compare to the memory I have of catching our own in Minnesota. I suppose a lot of that is association. How lucky I am to have such great memories.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
disaggau
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Member: Di Saggau
Location: Fort Myers FL
Reviews written: 86
Trusted by: 11 members
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