I spent most of the day Tuesday on WalkerCountyLake trying to land some
super size gills. The weather didn’t disappoint with sunny skies warm temps; the
only downer was tremendous wind out of the south for the better part of the
day. In fact, the wind was so strong I spent the majority of my time fishing up
and down the levee where I could avoid the wind gust.
The levee had fish on it
in the form of the native Red-Eyed Bass, and some nice bluegill that wouldn’t
make the quest but provide some nice table fare.
I was not surprised that
there was activity on top in the 62-degree water because last year I landed Red
Eye Bass here in 58-degree water. They nailed the Bullet Boogle Bug popper often
throughout the day; a lot of fun on the 4 weight.
This is a beautiful lake
in the early spring, but it turns nasty and in fact, downright ugly when the
fertilizing starts. I only have 4 or 5 weeks to fish it before it turns slim
green like pea soup.
This was a colorful gill
but it won’t make the cut for the quest. I landed numerous bluegills today but
all were too small to count. I did bring home eight for a fish fry. The bluegill
above produced four fillets. (A future post on how to get four fillets from a
bluegill this size) Notice the rubber legs of the Bullet Boggle sticking out of
its mouth. This was the only bluegill on top, all the rest were taken on the Black
Gnat. Today was a good start for good things to come from this lake.
The following video will
explain how I fillet all the bluegills I keep for meals throughout the year.
Sorry for the angle on the video, I forgot to check the lens rim before I
started filming. It was turned slightly and caused the video to show up with an
angle. You can hear the video much better if you use a headset or earplugs; aside from my technical problems, I think I got the message across.
This is the recipe my
wife uses to prepare the fillets for a fantastic meal.
1. Mix fillets in
yellow mustard. Roll in Zatarain Fish Seasoning mix.
2. Place fillets on a cooking sheet that is sprayed with PAM. Spray the top of
fillets with PAM; bake on 450 for about 6-7 minutes. Turn fillets over and spray
again with PAM, bake for another 6-7 minutes. Time will vary as to how brown or
crispy you want the fish.
How to prepare French Fries
1. Cut up fries and place them on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with PAM. Spray the top
of fries with PAM and sprinkle seasoning salt and lemon pepper seasoning. Bake
450 for about 20 minutes. Turn fries over half-way through the cooking and
spray again with PAM.
How to prepare Slaw
1. Use a blender to chop the cabbage and carrots. Drain and add mayonnaise,
salt, pepper, and a little honey mustard mix and chill before serving.
2. Slice fresh garden tomatoes and slice can elope or banana pepper—all of these
items are optional, but they help add a zest to the meal. Of course all fillets
can be touched with tartar sauce and fries with ketchup.
The bluegills or crappie fillets have no bones left in them. One thing I like to do with the fillets
before they are either frozen or baked is to let them set in saltwater overnight. I have found that this will soak all the blood out of the meat and it
gives the fillets a fresher taste. The fillets the next day are
snow white. At this time you can either freeze the fillets in a ziplock bag
with water or prepare for a meal. The water is added to the
fillets to give them a fresh taste.
Fishing for me would not be nearly as much fun if my wife and
I didn’t enjoy eating some of the fish I catch. Give the fillets a try I think
you will be surprised how well you will like the baked versus the fried. By
the way for an added kick add a Coors Light to wash them down.
My son Jason and I spent
Friday afternoon fishing size 14 mini poppers on WalkerCountyLake. That was the norm all afternoon fishing tiny poppers
in super clear water landing some nice size gills. All were worthy of keeping for table fare.
Even the Red Eye Bass were into the tiny
poppers. I really enjoy landing these fish on a 3 weight. They never stop with
the acrobatic stunts
Good size for the fillet
knife; Jason’s 3 weight got quite a workout for the afternoon landing numbers
in this size. He will be leaving Sunday morning flying back to Sacramento for work Monday. Tomorrow will be his trip to the
Sipsey. He won’t make it back to Jasper again until Christmas. What a joy it is
for me to get to fish with one of our children when they are home; brings back so many
fond memories.
The little chartreuse
popper was perfect in the clear water, because of its delicate landing on the
water surface. We tried larger poppers, but they would scare the fish as soon
as they landed on the surface. The fishing pressure on this lake is heavy,
making the fish extremely weary.
Spring is here for sure as
this pine tree can attest to!!!
Guys believe it or not but
there is an Eagle in that mass of pine needles; we tried to get closer but as
we did it when airborne.
What a thrill to see our
first Eagle on WalkerCountyLake; a great way to end a successful bluegill outing.
