The Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Gone Fishin'

Okay, this was last weekend, actually.  On Saturday morning Bill took the kids fishing.  It was raining and kind of cold at the time, so they didn't stay as long as they might have otherwise - the kids' hands were getting cold and it just wasn't an enjoyable experience.

However.

Julia caught the one and only fish - a very nice yellow perch.  She was very proud of herself.

 

Frighteningly proud.

 

And now, you may ask, how did you cook it, Jayne?  How did it taste?  Did Julia eat the eyes?

Well, since it was just the one fish, we figured we'd just let the kids eat it.  Bill started cleaning it while I took pictures of Alex being silly (I'll post those another day).  But when Bill began to fillet the perch, he noticed what at first looked like eggs that had burst from their sac.  But they looked flat...kind of like red pepper flakes, only without the red.  And the thing was, they were all IN the flesh.  Not in the cavity like eggs should be.

Upon closer examination (and if you're squeamish, or eating, right now, you may want to read this later, or skip to another blog altogether)....

Fishing on Carbuncle Pond - A Photo Essay. Okay, not so much an essay as a long and rambling monologue.

On the morning after Opening Day of Trout Season 2008, Bill and I took the kids to Carbuncle Pond so they could fish for trout (Bill, Alex, and Julia) and I could walk a trail and take pictures.  There's not enough room in the canoe for the four of us, and we can't exactly leave a kid behind, so I stay on land.  But that's okay.  I've had my turn.  And will again, eventually.

We parked right near the ramp down to the water, and while Bill and I carried the canoe and related stuff down to the shore the kids climbed up and down the rocks and amazingly remained scrape-free.

It was a beautiful morning.  Some clouds, but that was okay.  Fishing's sometimes better when it's cloudy or overcast.  Rain was predicted, but not until later in the day.

Once Bill had the canoe ready to go, he herded the kids aboard

and away they went.

(See the little giraffe dangling off the side, sort of right below Julia's hair?  It's for casting practice in the back yard, instead of using actual sinkers or lures.  Alex's is a frog.)

I took pictures as they headed away from me, and then I set off on the little trail that runs around the perimeter of the pond.  The little hike was nice, actually, as it warmed me up a bit.  I reached a clearing - looked like a little camping area, maybe, and had a better view of Bill and the kids, so I sat down on this stone bench and just took pictures of the water and canoes and sky and all that.  I had the telephoto lens on, so I was also able to track the progress of my three intrepid fishermen (or fisherpeople). 

First catch was Alex's - one of many sunfish.  Bill helped a bit.

   

Here's a slightly closer view...

I think Bill said they ended up catching (and releasing) about 5-6 sunfish.  Alex also had a trout on, but it got off before they could reel it in.

While they fished, I wandered around the area a bit and snapped a few pictures.

 

 

Eventually, and predictably, Julia grew tired of hanging out in the canoe, so Bill headed over to the clearing so Julia could hang out with me while the boys continued fishing.

Note the look of brave patience on our little martyr's face.

Their ride toward me provided me with a few more pretty shots.  Practically silhouettes - the sun, when not hidden by gathering clouds, was so bright.

They dropped her off, and then headed back to the other side of the pond.

I took Julia for walks in the area, and we kept an eye on Bill and Alex.  When they seemed to be wrapping things up, we started following the trail back toward the truck.

 

 

And that was our morning.  Not a bad start to the day. 

And after a quick trip home to switch vehicles and get something to eat, we were off on our next adventure of the day - a trip to Southwick's Zoo.  But that's another story.

Fisherman - The Next Generation

Bill took the kids fishing this morning.

I could have gone, but I stayed home to enjoy a couple hours of peace and quiet, and to start catching up on all the blog posts I've been meaning to write this week and haven't.

About 11:00 or so, Bill called to say they'd be leaving in about ten minutes or so, and could I start heating up the charcoal for the grill.

Alex caught a trout.

And apparently just as they were pulling in the lines, Alex's pole got a bite and so then there were two trout.

Bill cleaned them on site there, so all he had to do was rinse them off and slap them on the grill when he got home.

And so today we had fresh caught, fresh cooked trout for lunch, and some rice.

And,

of course,

Julia ate the eyes.  All four.

Bill told me the kids were kind of bored there until they got a fish on a line. 

They also lost one - it got right up near the shore and then got off.

Bill told Alex to tell me how hard the next fish fought while he was reeling it in.

And this is the picture I took of that epic struggle.

Fishing.

It's not a sport for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit.

"It was hard," he told me through gritted teeth, "but I never gave up!"