Fillets bigger than your face

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Weekday fishing is awesome if you can get out of the office. Weekday fishing when it's a little rainy and foggy is especially awesome. During the week there are far less people out on the water, so more fish for me (at least that's my theory). If the weather sucks, than all the better. Nobody fishes in crappy weather. Me, I don't care. The fish gotta eat, regardless. I'll suffer through some rain and cold, even wind to a certain extent, to catch fish. 

Speckled Trout

I was able to get out of work about an hour early the other day with my boss and we took the boat out for about an hour and a half and fished one of our lucky spots in the Southern end of the bay near Destin, FL where we kill it about 85% of the time. It was pretty foggy and there was a light rain. When we got there there were a few old-timers that were just leaving. They said they caught a couple keeper Redfish and Speckled Trout, but threw them back. 

I grabbed a live shrimp out of the live well and hooked him underneath his horn, around his brain and out his back and then threw him out in the water toward some docks about 30 - 40 feet in front of me. I had a 1/32 oz split shot a few feet above him for a little extra weight to cast him out a little further and to get him to the bottom quicker, about 14 feet down. BAM!!! Almost right away a 17-inch Speckled Trout hit him. In the live well he went. 

Sheepshead

Sheepshead

Not too long after that my boss had something nibbling on a second pole he had used to throw a shrimp out while he fished the other side of the boat. He set his rod down and set the hook on the other. He ended up pulling in a nice 18-inch Sheepshead. And if you've never looked inside a Sheepshead's mouth, well, lets just say you don't want to stick any fingers anywhere near it. They have these teeth that look like sheep teeth (hence "Sheep's head") except they have multiple rows going back into their mouth. Freaky. They use their teeth to eat barnacles and crustaceans. Next time I catch one I’ll take better pictures of its mouth so you can see. 

While we were screwing around with this fish another one took the shrimp on the pole he had just set down. It was another Sheepshead, but it got off. We didn't catch anything after that all the way until the sun had set and it was dark. That's when I pulled another, "hey, this is my last cast and then I have to get going," moment and, of course, that’s when I hooked into an 18 inch Sheepshead, myself. This was the first time I’d ever caught one. In the live well he went with the others and we took them back to the house. I can’t wait to taste him.

 

Fillets the size of dinner plates!

Beer-Battered Spanish Mackerel

A couple weeks ago I was out fishing with my boss in the Northwest side of the Bay near Niceville, FL. It was ridiculously slow that day. Their was a slack tide while we were out there, so their wasn't much water movement, which usually sucks for fishing. We couldn't get them to hit anything! I literally tried everything in my tackle box (which is just a milk crate with a couple clear Plano plastic boxes for my lures and hooks and such), but the fish wouldn't have any of it. We were fishing a hole back up in one of the bayous where we always have success, but nothing this day. So, just because I had tried everything else I had, I threw a sabiki rig out into the water, said "this is my last cast," and jigged it back in. Right as I was reeling it up to the boat, wouldn't you know it, this Spanish Mackerel actually took it! I pulled him in the boat and we went to another spot. Later that day I caught a couple Speckled Trout and a Flounder on a chartreuse DOA shrimp, but I was especially thrilled about the mackerel I had caught earlier. They're great on the plate.

Today I took this fish out of my freezer and decided to Fry It Up! Here is how I cooked it.

Beer-Battered Spanish Mackerel

Ingredients:

1 Spanish Mackerel - filleted
3 strips of bacon
1 banana
1 apple - quartered
2 cans of beer
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flower
1/4 cup corn starch
1 table spoon of cajun spices
coconut oil

Mix the 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cup flower, the corn starch, the cajun spices and 1 can of beer (I chose Busch because it's as clear and bright as mountain air) Mix until there are no lumps. It will take a few minutes. Then let the batter stand for about 30 minutes.

Dump enough of the coconut oil in a pan to cook your fish and heat at a medium-high heat. I used a pan that is shaped like a wok. I don't know what the hell it's called, but it's good for frying stuff.


 Pat your fillets dry and then submerge them into the batter. On a separate plate dump the rest of the flour. Hold the fillets out of the batter and let excess drip back into the bowl. Then coat with the flour on the other plate.



Once the oil is hot cook your fish. I couldn't tell you how long. Just cook it until it's done, flipping it a few times. When your finished with it place it on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.






Now once I made the batter for the fish, I realized I made WAY more than I  needed. So I stuck my head in the fridge and pulled out an apple and a banana (gotta keep it healthy). I also pulled out 3 strips of bacon (again, healthy. Plus I'm on a bacon binge). So I battered and fried them up, too. 





Now once it's all done and the excess oil removed, serve hot with hot sauce. Now your probably saying, "Hey, what about that second can of beer?"........drink it, silly!