Fitty's Angling Ramble 7.0

[Hartski]

That's how the rest of us feel about Florida, too!

[Nainoa]

Just 3 and a half more days until I leave for my 2+ day ice fishing trip up north.

Weather is supposed to be sunny and mid 30's while we're up there. Perfect for setting up your rods drinking beer and tossing the football around.

[Nainoa]

20 hours from now I should be deep in the wild, sitting on a remote lake, sipping a beer with my buddies and hooking into some dinner plate sized crappies.

Thankfully my parents came up and watched my daughter for 4 hours today so I could get my packing started and tie up some business loose ends.

With my new influx of free time I've taken on some new writing contracts that might be spreading me thin. Nice to get a breather to recharge.

[themuffinmann]

20 hours from now I should be deep in the wild, sitting on a remote lake, sipping a beer with my buddies and hooking into some dinner plate sized crappies.

Thankfully my parents came up and watched my daughter for 4 hours today so I could get my packing started and tie up some business loose ends.

With my new influx of free time I've taken on some new writing contracts that might be spreading me thin. Nice to get a breather to recharge.

haha I plan to do that some day, I just wish I had quality friends.

Have fun

[Nainoa]

Pretty good weekend.

Everyone had fun, hiked a lot, fished a lot.

We hit a bunch of MONSTER bass through the ice... Brought home enough crappies for a meal.

Probably the coolest thing was on one of our night hikes we found a MASSIVE frozen beaver dam, with a complex of ponds and flooded forest. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie.

[jason_bh]

Probably the coolest thing was on one of our night hikes we found a MASSIVE frozen beaver dam, with a complex of ponds and flooded forest. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Attention: This post is useless without pics.



In other news, the weather here is absolutely perfect. Sun out and cool.

[Nainoa]

Attention: This post is useless without pics.



In other news, the weather here is absolutely perfect. Sun out and cool.

One of my new friends that was with us, is a British expat with a love of photography. He took a ton of pictures so I didn't really even pull out my camera. He hasn't sent me any of them yet.

Since getting back we've all been running around like mad trying to catch up to our lives and family.

Funny how 10 years ago we used to do this stuff and you'd get back on a Sunday night, go to bed early and be ready for work on Monday.

Now if I leave the cabin up north at 9:30 am I don't even sit down and take a deep breath in my comfortable chair down stairs until 8:45 pm.

Today is another crazy packed day covering stories for the paper and magazine AT THE SAME TIME!

Wednesday night is my Friday night this week... Then Thursday is my "Weekend" and Friday is basically my "Monday" on a 9 day long week.

[Procta]

in for pics of beaver

[jason_bh]

in for pics of beaver

SurelyNainoaWillDeliver.jpg

[Procta]

SurelyNainoaWillDeliver.jpg

he prolly has a beaver jerky recipe he has been waiting to post

[Nainoa]

he prolly has a beaver jerky recipe he has been waiting to post

There is a French Canadian dish that uses stewed beaver meat in a sauce thickened with it's own blood... But I'm not going there.

The old pioneer trappers, like my great grand father would actually cure and smoke beaver tail as a super fatty jerky. Simply peel the tail skin off and chow down. Carries really well in a pack. They claim a single man could survive for an entire week off of one properly maintained beaver.

Take that however you want.

[Nainoa]

Well this is traditionally the coldest week of the year in MN... Right now it's only 18, but tomorrow it's going to get up to 37!

[jason_bh]

There is a French Canadian dish that uses stewed beaver meat in a sauce thickened with it's own blood... But I'm not going there.

The old pioneer trappers, like my great grand father would actually cure and smoke beaver tail as a super fatty jerky. Simply peel the tail skin off and chow down. Carries really well in a pack. They claim a single man could survive for an entire week off of one properly maintained beaver.

Take that however you want.

I am 12 and are we taking about how to prepare beaver?

Well this is traditionally the coldest week of the year in MN... Right now it's only 18, but tomorrow it's going to get up to 37!

Rode past a sign at lunch, that said 75 degrees. My kids wore shorts to school today.

[Nainoa]

I am 12 and are we taking about how to prepare beaver?



Rode past a sign at lunch, that said 75 degrees. My kids wore shorts to school today.

I have to admit the two previous winters beat me up pretty bad. They were long, brutal cold and my daughter devoured all of my free time.

If this winter would have been another monster I think I would have packed up and moved.

This winter started out ugly, hitting us hard and cold in early November. Since then it has been one of the mildest winters in years. Even milder at times than the downright pleasant winter of 2011-2012.

With so little snow pack (I have less than 2 inches in the yard) and the coldest week of the year passing through, there's reason to be optimistic for an early and mild spring!

[Procta]

That's how the rest of us feel about Florida, too!

Rode past a sign at lunch, that said 75 degrees. My kids wore shorts to school today.

70ish here

pine pollen season has started and very soon the oaks will blowing their loads into the air as well

[Nainoa]

Kind of funny...

I'm working on a series of fitness articles for the paper. One of the stories is on the community rec center. I needed a photo and I didn't want to go through another "Peeping Yoga" situation with security. So the director set me up to do a photo shoot for an aquatic fitness class in the pool complex.

When I got there it was a bunch of old women who were all self conscious. They were all trying to pull up their swimsuits afraid I would be able to see their hot 80 year old cleavage.

It's hard to find a nice way to say "Believe me ladies, I'm TRYING to avert my gaze as much as possible!"

[storm1507]

I have nothing to contribute, but thought I would stop by and sit a spell.

[Nainoa]

I have nothing to contribute, but thought I would stop by and sit a spell.

Hey I need some general small game recipes for a piece I'm working on.

Got anythings special for Coon, Beaver, Rabbit, Squirrel... I mean I've got the usual stuff, but I know you do a lot more of that stuff?

[storm1507]

Hey I need some general small game recipes for a piece I'm working on.

Got anythings special for Coon, Beaver, Rabbit, Squirrel... I mean I've got the usual stuff, but I know you do a lot more of that stuff?

I do not try anything fancy or special anymore.

For coon I will skin the carcass and leave it in the fridge overnight to cool (harden the fat). I then trim as much of the fat as possible and quarter the carcass. Next step is to put in pot, bring to boil, and simmer for a couple of hours until the meat easily falls off the bone. I usually tell my buddies "boil the crap out of it".

Then put in a crock pot and add your favorite BBQ sauce and let it simmer. If you like BBQ brisket sammiches you'll like this. If you prefer pulled pork then replace coon w/ possum and there you go.


Shelia has a different baked coon recipe and has been frying squirrels and then finishing them in the crockpot. I'll see if I can get details tomorrow. I've only fixed beaver twice. Nothing I recall as being special. One was young and tender and it just fell apart and melted in your mouth. Still tasted kind of fishy though. Rabbit we just fry. Just kidding about the fishy beaver.

[Nainoa]

I do not try anything fancy or special anymore.

For coon I will skin the carcass and leave it in the fridge overnight to cool (harden the fat). I then trim as much of the fat as possible and quarter the carcass. Next step is to put in pot, bring to boil, and simmer for a couple of hours until the meat easily falls off the bone. I usually tell my buddies "boil the crap out of it".

Then put in a crock pot and add your favorite BBQ sauce and let it simmer. If you like BBQ brisket sammiches you'll like this. If you prefer pulled pork then replace coon w/ possum and there you go.


Shelia has a different baked coon recipe and has been frying squirrels and then finishing them in the crockpot. I'll see if I can get details tomorrow. I've only fixed beaver twice. Nothing I recall as being special. One was young and tender and it just fell apart and melted in your mouth. Still tasted kind of fishy though. Rabbit we just fry. Just kidding about the fishy beaver.

LOL... Thanks

Good tip on the skinning and putting in the fridge to help chill the fat!

[WATCHAGAINCA]

I wish my scanner wasn't broken and don't have digi-cam. Just some picks of being in the colorado mountains and moutain climbing. There were these chubby little rodents that hid in the rocks and sometimes come out to watch us making a meep meep sound lol. It amazes me how flowers and lichen can grow so far up. At the base it was a heat wave and at the top of crystal peak, snow, ice and strong winds. We could see caves on the sides of some rocky areas where miner's dug during the gold rush and there was an abandoned miner's cabin around the base. And a huge crater on the way up where fish were supposed to be but we did not bother to go down the steep rocky incline. On top of the mountain was a scroll/book encased in a metal cylinder attached to the rock to sign that you made it. I was the first Canadian to sign it that year. Goooo Canada!!! inb4 negs or Canada jokes lol. One thing I noticed my legs felt rubbery on the decline and had to lay down in the cottage with a touch of altitude sickness.

[Curl Master]

Went ice fishing for the second time in my life. Caught more than I thought. Most people say bit is inconsistent

[Nainoa]

Went ice fishing for the second time in my life. Caught more than I thought. Most people say bit is inconsistent

Nice... Good to get out on the ice!

This time of year can be really hit or miss in general.

December is the best time to get out ice fishing... January can be rough... Then by Feb and March they are starting to move closer and closer to their spawning area, so if you find them you really find them.

[Hartski]

When I cooked up a coon a couple months ago, I put Dijon mustard and red wine in the crock pot with it. Turned out good.

[Nainoa]

This is my Friday!

4 days of writing and relaxing after this.

Doing an Asian Hot Pot (Spicy broth fondue) for Super Bowl.

[Nainoa]

Okay,

So writing wild game recipes while playing my Steven Rinella hunting DVD's in the background has been one of the most pleasant days of writing I've had in a while!

[Procta]

yeah I know...only in Florida


http://abc7chicago.com/news/4-men-4-...cooper/499075/

[Nainoa]

Well the squirrels have all been mating sooner than I've ever seen before and all my hens are officially laying again...

Two possible signs of an early spring!
:crossfingers:

[Nainoa]

Well managed to survive my daughter's 2nd birthday party!

Invited a lot of toddlers over and after all was said and done the pets are still alive and all the paint is still on the walls!

[Nainoa]

You know it's minus 4 million out right now... And until today I've been flat on my back with gut flu...

But today I'm back in the saddle going a million miles an hour as I juggle 5 different things and I'm straight up NAILING it!


There are some days in this life where you run your ass off and nothing goes right... And then there are days when you run your ass off and magic rainbows of good luck just start puffing out of your ass with reckless abandon!


How are you guys?