so many times in summers passed, as we're heading off in a float plane to a remote location on one of Ontario's many beautiful northern lakes, we've been asked, "did you bring your fishing rods?", and the answer has always had to be no, seeing as i didn't even own one.
my wonderful mom decided that should change, and for Christmas this year she got me all set up with a St. Croix collapsible rod with a really nice travelling case, and a fancy re-furbished reel from a friend.
after a visit with said friend to get a little tackle box, some lures that would be perfect for pickrel fishing, some line, and a run down of how the whole thing goes together and how to tie a knot, i was all set (and quite excited) to get out there and catch us some delicious pickrel dinner!!
so, having cought only a handful of fish in the past, and never really having had to hold it, take the hook out, or anything - i was definitely (and perhaps still am) what one would call an ammateur.
we were so excited about the first fish i cought, after only about three casts - and yes i was holding the rod upside down, with the reel on top (how embarassing) - that when my friend manders told me it had teeth so it must be a sleezy pike, i threw it back even though i knew it was a pickrel.. it all just happened so fast!! and i was so disappointed and mad at myself, cause he(/she) was really nice looking, and really big - i'd say > 17".
now, this is the next sucessful catch and he(/she) was a beauty - i say sucessful, because we had some serious difficulties following this effort and between dirty pikes and heavy pickrel, and according to blaine (said friend) my lack of knowing what to do when i'm reeling er in.. oh and a lack of net, this was the last success of the trip.
i'd say he was about 15 or so inches, and very not happy to be in that bucket.
here i am taking the hook out, yes i am wearing a glove, and yes that means i'm a wimp. this is my new Gerber "Bear Grylls" compact multi-tool - purchased soley for the purpose of this endeavour.
fishy was just about as long as our Estwing - Big Blue driller's hammer that we use to bash rocks.. we should have bashed his head to nock him out as it turns out suffocation isn't the best way to kill a fish, but i feel like either way it would have been cruel :(
had to wash off all the dirt, before we got to the cleaning.. belly up! ew.
this isn't quite as bad as my "ew that's gross" face in one of the other pics shot.. i'm about to make the first cut.. this is where a fillet-ing knife would have been handy.
it really wasn't that easy to cut this guy up.
make one cut down the belly, blaine said.. and one down the spine.. easier said than done.. felt like i was disecting a frog, like in 8th grade.
it was quite the struggle, not the best idea to try to take the meat off the skin without a fillet-ing knife.. better to just cook it in the skin, which is what we had to do for half the fish.
manders helped to get it all shaken up in the lemon-sesamee seasoning we got from the mine.
and then we fried 'er up in a little bit of olive oil on our not so working Coleman stove, there was some water in the fuel pipe and we had issues with it the entire trip.
at any rate, the fish was delicious.. some of the best tasting fish i have ever had.
will definitely be fishing more often, especially when on the remote and secluded lakes of northern Ontario - when with good friends and getting the job done!
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