Misadventures in Catfishing, part two

Misadventures in Catfishing, part two

All too often, my outdoor escapades seem to involve some sort of calamity. The embodiment of Murphy's Law in action. Bad weather. Lost car keys. Record cold temperatures during summer holiday weekend camping trips. Tackle boxes left behind. Capsized canoes. Damaged motors. In retrospect, it's often when things that went wrong that made those times more memorable. Misadventures in catfishing.

 

The legend of Old Blue

According to some old papers, $119 was all we paid for the brand new Appleby aluminum boat our family purchased in 1971. It was a turquoise colored lightweight jon boat that was easy to row and moved along quite nicely when powered with a trolling motor. My sister and I would ride in the back of the pickup truck when we drove out to the local Sportsmen's club lake a few times every summer. Over the years, we covered every inch of that place and had a lot of fun catching small bass and other species. We sure got a lot of enjoyment and good times out of that modest investment.

One of my earliest boating memories was falling out of the boat one time. I was probably about six years old, upon falling in I began thrashing about wildly in the water. My Dad, unflappable, just hollers "Stand Up!!!"
(I was only in about 18" of water.) Another unusual occurrence was when a big bass, apparently jumping at the drain plug of the back of the boat, ended up in the boat. Every time an angler talks about how the fish "were practically jumping into the boat", I'm reminded of that day one actually did!

I'll never forget when my great uncle Oscar and I took Old Blue out for a spin on the "New Hillsboro Lake" (later named Lake Glenn Shoals) one spring around 1980. The lake had only recently filled, I'm not sure if any of the access areas were even fully developed at that time. We put in behind an old tavern and powered the boat with his 10 hp Mercury outboard. Didn't really fish a lot that day, but we ran all over that lake. He let me "drive" most of the day and with his motor on the back of such a light boat, it felt like we were practically flying across the water!   
 
When I was old enough to drive myself, I bought an old (1953) Johnson 5 horse outboard to use several of the nearby lakes in central Illinois. All you had to do was load the boat in the back of the pickup and you were ready to go off for on an adventure. Whether it was fishing for cats at the lakes at Coffeen or Taylorville, bass in Hillsboro, crappies at Lake Shelbyville, or bluegills on crickets at Sangchris lake, my friends and I had a lot of fun in that little boat.

Several years later, my friend Terry and  I hauled Ol' Blue to a bridge crossing the Kaskaskia river. Call it youthful optimism, we weren't even sure there was a place to put a boat in until we got there! We carried the empty boat down to the water and loaded it up with gear. I rowed upstream until we got to a shallow and swift riffle where we either had to get out and drag the boat, or start fishing. We started fishing. Working our way back downstream, we spent most of the time fishing at a deep snag near midstream. We caught a stringer full of nice channel cats that day, then finished up and headed for home. I guess this was one of my last trips with Ol' Blue.

 
When I moved to northern Illinois, the boat eventually came with me. Not having a truck or a trailer, I wasn't really able to take it out. I still had my outboard to use with rented boats and my garage space was limited. For a few years the empty boat hovered above my car, suspended from the ceiling of the garage. We finally waved goodbye to Ol' Blue when it was donated to a charity auction.

 

 

Misadventures on the Mississippi

Savanna, Illinois is a beautiful old town situated on the east bank of the Mississippi river upstream from Clinton, Iowa. Northwest Illinois is fairly rugged country, similar to central and western Wisconsin. Huge limestone bluffs line the east shore of the river here, there's a beautiful state park there with great hiking and camping. I've camped at the park on a few scouting trips over the years. In two early nineties fishing trips to Savanna, we couldn't have had more different experiences.

For both fishing trips my friend Peter and I drove out and rented boats. We camped at the same spot, known as Santa Fe Island, both times as well. The island is a great camping site in the middle of pool 13. Even though you're only a mile or so from the launch and just outside of town, once you're out on the river it's as if you've escaped from civilization. With all the beautiful scenery around, you feel like you've entered God's country, for sure!






The first trip out, we had sunny weather perfect for a quick swim. A respectable stringer of small catfish was caught, cooked, and enjoyed. We were afraid to motor far downstream with my ancient Johnson Sea Horse 5 hp motor, which I had paid a whopping $35 for back in 1982. Still, its proudest moment had not yet come. As we were about to return to the launch, we ended up giving a rescue tow when a couple guys on the river were having boat troubles...
with a much newer engine! The rest of the weekend trip went downhill fast, after some car keys were misplaced.

Okay, fast forward to the same location two years later. Peter and I are sitting in a tavern impatiently looking out the window, waiting for the pouring rain to stop. Pondering whether we should stay, or should we just go. Finally, we became resolute enough and decided to just go launch the boat in the middle of the downpour anyway. We figured the rain must stop eventually, right?!? We get our gear loaded and start the mile long cruise out to the island for camping. As we get to the island to set-up camp, as if on cue, it slows to a light drizzle, the even sun comes out just a taste, and we're treated to a rainbow! We even managed to get a nice fire going (with all that wet wood)...things were looking up! Later, in the solitude of the quiet night, we woke to the sound of splashing along the shore. It was hard to tell in the dark, but we thought it was a river otter just playing around by the boat. Having poured down rain all day, it was so quiet on the river that night.



















During that entire trip, there was almost no one (except the occasional barge) else on the river. We fished several hours the next day, with only a bit of action the trip. I had a larger motor this time and we ran up and down the river pretty good. We got to cover some water and found some promising looking spots. With the cold front, the fish were less cooperative this trip. About all we managed was a small channel catfish and a softshell turtle the entire day. Still, having an island all to ourselves in the middle of the great Mississippi was a real treat! 

  

 

 

 

Canoe Tripping 

In college, during the late 1980s, my friends and I would visit the local state park on a number of occasions. Fox Ridge State Park was an expansive park with a lot of hiking trails, woods, and included a section of the park along the Embarras river. We often would hike down to swim in the river and sit around the campfire (with a cold beverage or two, of course). Sometimes we would even cook things like steak kabobs over the open fire. Good times. We talked about making a canoe trip to the park from Lake Charleston a few times, but for whatever reason that never happened. A few of us even camped out there the night after graduation, when I lost my keys down by the beach then hiked back down there backtracking my steps right to the spot where they were. Right at dusk.

In my last year of college, which was the spring of 1988, my college friend and I planned a canoe adventure on the nearby Kaskaskia river. Seemed like a great idea to go on a trip like this before graduation. Once we had everything mapped out, we checked out some canoe equipment from the school and took both of our girlfriends along for he canoe camping trip. We all met at my apartment for a hearty breakfast of homemade biscuits and gravy then headed out. Our plan was to put the canoes in the water at Cook's Mills on the Kaskaskia river. We would then paddle for a few hours and camp at the upper end of Lake Shelbyville. Cook up some dinner and maybe relax by the campfire. Well that was the plan...

Deteriorating weather conditions quickly quickly eroded our confidence and spirits. A recent ice storm resulted in more portaging than paddling. Then my wife and I got stuck on a big log in the middle of the river for a while and became separated from the other couple. Great. We paddled, carried, and pushed that canoe down the river in earnest for a couple hours trying to catch up with our companions.

Finally, we rounded a big bend (of which there were many in the river's circuitous route) and there they were. They were talking to a local couple that was bank fishing below the nearby bridge...just upstream from a HUGE woodpile that stretched from bank to bank and was yards deep. In that moment, and I'm sure it wasn't my preference, a group decision was made to get a ride to the car from the local folks and call it a day.

And to think how the trip started out so pleasant and promising. Of course, we did have quite the memorable adventure. And it probably comes as no surprise, but that was the last time I got my wife into a canoe. We did go on some future camping trips, but that's another story!

Good eats

My mom always said "hunger is the best sauce." A deeper understanding came to me on a Rock river canoe trip in July 2001. We had a very pleasant paddle to Castle Rock state park. The scenery was beautiful, but the fishing was slow. I had made a brief scouting mission a few weeks before and managed to land a few fine channel catfish. It was the first time that I had ever fished the stream. However, the river levels had drastically dropped during the week before the trip. I did land one nice catfish on the way to camp, but we decided to release it since it had a few leeches hanging on. Not exactly appetizing. 


After some more canoeing and a few more hours of fishing, by the time we were ready to set-up camp no other fish had been caught. We were famished. And catfish was the meal plan for that night. Guess we had spent too much time fishing the wrong spots, when dropping water levels had drawn the fish into different locations. Sure, we had ample provisions, but we really wanted a nice catfish dinner. Not cold sandwiches.

 Once camp was finally setup, we had a dandy little spot too, we decided to put some baits mid-stream in the side channel right in front of the tent. We baited up with Sonny's catfish bait. In about 45 minutes of fishing, we had 3 nice eater size fish to go with some fried green tomatoes for dinner (which we finally ate around 10 o'clock!). Back in business!!! We could have eaten the fish raw by then, we were so hungry! Was it worth the wait? You bet. Nothing beats a little fresh caught catfish, rolled in corn meal and quickly fried in hot oil. And enjoyed while you're sitting in camp watching the river currents drifting along.

I only have a few photos of this trip because my camera (that was supposed to auto-advance the film) didn't. There should have been pictures of rock formations, bluffs coming straight down to the river, an eagle's nest, all kinds of gorgeous scenery. Misadventures in catfishing strikes again! I've thought about going back there for a float trip with the boat, but except for a few holes, much of this stretch of river is shallow and rocky. The only way access to the canoe campsites is from the river, which makes for a lot of extra gear in the boat. Still, it would make for a great adventure sometime...

Camp Cooking!

Camp Cooking: Recipes and Tips 

While I don’t get to do as many overnight fishing trips as I would like, I’ve done quite a bit of outdoor cooking over the years. I’ve traveled and cooked with camp stoves, backpack stoves, charcoal grills, dutch ovens, and open fires. Being involved with scouting for many years, I’ve learned (and forgotten) a ton of great cooking tips and techniques. I generally like to keep things fairly simple, while still eating well.


 Nothing works like a plan...a meal plan! No need to be too formal about this, you could probably improvise a meal plan on the fly shopping at the store in a pinch. However, before you hit the road for a camping trip account for all the meals you’ll need during the trip. Your meal plan could certainly include a fast food stop on the drive out, or you could pack a sandwich in the cooler to enjoy later. As far a cooking on the trip, you can be as ambitious or utilitarian as you like. The real keys for a successful summer camping trip are being prepared for inclement weather and making sure you have plenty to eat and drinking plenty of water. As long as you’re good with those essentials, the rest is really up to you.

Looking at the way I meal plan, I make the same kinds of food camping that I would enjoy at home. Here’s a simple meal plan for one from an old Mississippi trip where I left in the morning and stayed over one night. Nothing fancy, but I ate pretty well:

Lunch: Ham sandwich packed in the cooler (eaten at my first anchor spot). Extra sliced cheese and sausage in the cooler with bottles of water for an afternoon snack.

Dinner: Burgers cooked on the charcoal grill topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes from my garden, etc. Probably had extra sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper too and I think I had a soft pretzel or something in the cooler for later and a couple cold beers.

Breakfast: Fresh coffee and scrambled eggs cooked on the camp stove with meat (probably eaten in a sandwich).
I did a quick clean-up and went fishing after. I’m sure I stopped for a burger or something on the ride home.

Generally, I prefer to pack foods that are easy to handle and prepare and which travel well. Firm breads like French bread/rolls, English muffins, soft pretzels and bagels travel much better than soft white bread. For dinner entrees, I avoid meats like raw chicken, safe handling gets too tricky when you’re camping. However, you can always pre-cook chicken at home to use in recipes later. To pre-cook raw chicken is easy,  you can poach it on the stove or cover and bake in the oven. Bag it up and you’re good to go. Sausages, burgers, and hot dogs are staples for summer camping trips and cook quickly in a pan or on the grill. Packages of flavored rice and pasta make easy side dishes. Single dish meals cooked in a pot are great, although they do require a bit more planning and take longer to cook.


Using quick cooking items on the stove you can get a variety of meals together pretty fast. You can even use your camp stove to reheat pre-cooked dishes made ahead of time such as pulled pork (pictured), sloppy joes, etc. Not only does this save time, but as noted earlier cooked meats are safer in your cooler on a hot summer day. Another trick is to save some individual condiment packages of mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and mayonnaise from hotels and fast food places. Packing these will save room in your cooler.


For breakfast, eggs cook fast and actually travel well with a bit of protection. If you have a stove and a pan, it's easy to brown some meat and cook some eggs. I like to warm pre-cooked bacon in the pan and cook scrambled eggs in the grease that renders out. If you like biscuits and gravy, not only can you pack pre-baked biscuits, if you're in a hurry you could even make sausage gravy ahead of time. Just heat and serve! If you’re feeling lazy, you can even warm those frozen breakfast sandwiches using low heat on your stove. I take them apart first and heat the contents separately. If you want a light breakfast you can always have a bagel or soft pretzel with cream cheese and take a snack for later. 

With a little creativity, you can adapt about any of your favorite recipes for camp cooking. This could be as simple as preparing red beans and rice using summer sausage and quick cooking rice. Chicken quesadillas can be made easily using pre-cooked chicken. Pre-cooked chicken or beef saves time for dishes like chili or cowboy cornbread. You're really only limited by your own creativity here. You can make a variety of creations if you've packed dried onions, tomato paste, chicken or beef soup base, potatoes, butter and/or oil, bread crumbs/cracker crumbs, eggs, cheese, a few spices, salt and pepper. If you start with a basic combination of proteins and starchy foods bread, rice, and pasta, it's easy to round things out with you're favorite fresh veggies. Celery and carrot sticks are great you can munch on them or use in recipes. 

For float trips and longer camping trips remember that good things come in small packages:
When I want to pack really light, I have an MSR isobutane back-packing stove. It’s ultra-light, convenient, and packs very small. The fuel comes in sealed lightweight cans. It cooks great, I just love
it. It was well worth the $55 investment some years back. You can make a lot of dishes in a single pot like a small sauce pan or sauté pan. If you’re packing a coffee pot you can also use it to heat water for washing dishes. For drive-in camping spots, I bring a larger two burner propane camp stove.

As far as food items that pack small, you can make a decent pasta sauce with water, spices and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. Also works for Chili. Red beans and rice made with summer sausage doesn’t require refrigeration. Firm cheeses like cheddar will last a day or so without refrigeration. Soft tortillas and pita bread pack very compact and travel well. Corn Meal, salt and pepper, and corn oil are all that’s needed for a quick fish fry. If you’re cooking, pre-measuring spices in plastic bags saves bringing them all. Finally, you can leave the boxes at home bring only contents and instructions if you need to save space.

 If you were looking for recipes, here's a few favorites:

Famous Skillet Breakfast
 
(you're only limited by your creativity with this one)
You'll need eggs, meat, potatoes (shredded or finely diced, fresh or frozen), and whatever else you
want to throw in there.

Thoroughly cook the potatoes in a pan, iron skillet, or dutch oven.
Add diced up cooked meat, maybe some diced onions. Cook a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add scrambled egg mix, and top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Cover and heat until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Easy enough!













Red Beans and Rice
1 Can Red Beans well drained;
1/2 med onion diced,
2 green onions, 1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder)
2 Tbsp Parsley, 1 rib celery, 1/6 cup ketchup,
1 cup water, 1/2 tsp hot Sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut-up and cooked with a few dashes of cayenne pepper

Sauté onions and garlic with sausage until onions just tender… add remaining ingredients except rice and simmer 30 min to 1 hour this is the gravy mix to serve over 3-4 servings of cooked rice… you can make vegetarian Red Beans and rice without the sausage and it's still great !
(don't sweat it if you don't have all the vegetables. Whatever you've got works, if you have the beans, spices, and ketchup).

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

(we’ll assume you pre-baked biscuits of some type)
Making sausage gravy is quite easy...
Brown 1/2 package breakfast sausage. Chop up with a spatula while browning so it's crumbled...I usually drain most all the grease once the meat is cooked.
After sausage is cooked add 4-5 tablespoons flour to meat in pan and stir until coated.
Cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. If mixture appears dry, that's okay. Just be sure to keep the heat low to avoid scorching.
After a few minutes you can add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Maybe a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper. 
Add some milk (enough to just about cover meat), stir quickly and cover. Keep heat low and allow mix to simmer for several minutes until milk is absorbed by the flour and begins to thicken.
Keep over low heat and keep adding a little milk at a time until gravy is the desired consistency. This is a good time to check seasonings, once gravy has simmered for several minutes you're ready to serve.


Cowboy Cornbread
(simply amazing recipe)

2 boxes Jiffy corn bread mix; 1 can cream style corn; 3 eggs; 1 Cup milk
Combine mix, corn, eggs and milk..brown 1 lb ground beef, drain (breakfast sausage works too…or even canned chili)
Mix meat with grated cheddar cheese (1 cup ?);  add some hot pepper (to taste) and diced onion.
Pour half of batter into pan then sprinkle with meat mixture.
Pour remaining batter on top and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven until done
(40-50 minutes)
I’ve also cooked this one a dutch oven with coals on the top and bottom. This is another recipe you could prepare ahead of time at home and then heat and serve in camp.

Mexican Restaurant Salsa
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1/8 tsp oregano, 1 thick onion slice
1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, 1/4 tsp Salt fresh cilantro

Sear onion on both sides in hot, dry skillet. The lower heat and cook until soft.
Blister jalapeno in hot skillet on all sides and set aside to cool.
After cooling, dice pepper and onion ( I remove most of pepper seeds and center "spine") and add fresh cilantro.
Drain canned tomatoes, put in blender and add remaining ingredients whirl quickly (a few seconds) until just mixed. (depending on size one small pepper makes for mild to medium while 2-3 small peppers adds a little burn) keeps up to a week in refrigerator.

Tip for handling Hot Peppers…you can freeze in sandwich bags for several months. I freeze them whole from my garden. Frozen peppers don’t need to be pre-cooked, I just dice them and add right in. I've kept peppers for up to a few years in my freezer

There you have it, my tips, suggestions, and recommendations for camp cooking. Is anyone else getting hungry right about now?!?
(here's a short video mixing up some of the salsa recipe)