Saturday, November 3, 2018

Six Mile Halloween

The weather was going to be nice so I headed to Six Mile in search of Crappie.

We marked a ton of fish and structure but the fish were not hungry! I managed one tiny perch around the docks and one Spot around some structure. I did have a couple other takedowns but they only killed the bait.




Tried the pylons too.


Can you spot the bird? It was shy.

Not very happy with the guide!

Charleston 

Jim loading the G3


Topwater Striper action should be picking up any time now!

Monday, October 29, 2018

Bolding Mill Fall Camping

    Since my annual Bear Island trip was canceled, we decided to do a short trip to Lake Lanier for a few days of Striper hunting.

    I found a few pictures online of some of the hurricane damage to the island...







    We hope to go back next year although, we have been actively hunting a new saltwater trip that allows campfires.

    The other guys chalked it up as a lost vacation while my buddy Steve and his son came to Georgia for some camping and fishing on Lake Lanier. We decided ahead of time to get 3 nights with the option of leaving after 2 since the forecast showed cold nights.  Here is the site...

We were actually left of the red marker just into the mouth of the smaller cove.


    We got the truck all packed up Sunday evening and then hooked up the boat. We did not plan to leave early Monday since check-in is not until 3 if someone is on your site. We pulled out around 11 and headed to Hammonds for bait and a few topwater lures.

Heading out!



    The bluebacks were lively and of a good size so I got 2 dozen. We were hoping for a top-water bite so I did not want to overbuy live bait. While I was looking around at all the awesome stuff in Hammonds I ran into Captian Mac. He confirmed a few reports I had been watching and gave a few tips. Thanks Mac!

    I already had some poppers and Magic Swimmers so I picked up a few Bombers...



Once we arrived, we unloaded and set up camp.






     The boat ramp was just outside of the campground gates so rather than worrying about coming in too late and getting locked out, we put the boat in and tied it off near our campsite. The ramp was just across the cove so it was an easy task. There was a little bit of a bank/ledge to contend with but after digging some steps out with my trusty shovel, we managed to navigate it without breaking our necks.








    The worst of this plan was the sandy mud. We placed rocks to walk on to the boat but you could not keep the mud out. I do not mind the mud so much as walking on it while fishing after it dries. Needless to say, the deck has a bunch of tiny scratches all over it now ( you get a sample in the Bomber pics above). I guess you could say I finally broke it in. I may look into some Sea Dek!

    We went out for a bit after setting up camp but had no luck. We came in just after dusk to get started on dinner, Ribs!
    I precooked them at the house the day before so all I had to do is warm and sauce them. They turned out great!


We fried up some potatoes to go with them and we had some coleslaw.



The nights were cool which was perfect for a campfire. We also had a string of lights to see by.







Gotta love Funky Flames!




    Once the fire died down we settled into bed. The Big Agnes did awesome as usual. It is so small it tends to hold heat very well. I was also trying out the new Exped Down Mat I purchased for colder weather. This mat paired with my North Face Inferno -20 bag left no chance of getting cold. I actually had to climb out of the bag several times during the night. I learned that I could lay the bag upside down over me with my feet in rather than climb in the bag and this made it easier to regulate heat. Picture a quilt with a pocket for your feet (back on the mat rather than the bag). My biggest complaint with the mat would be the size. My first mat (SynMat 7) I ordered in long wide and it was just a tad long for my truck bed as well as the area I can use behind my front seats so I opted for the regular in this one. The small amount of extra you get with the larger mat is well worth it! I felt like I was falling off of it all night. Part of this was due to the slope of the ground in our camping area. I suspect it will be much better on a level surface. None-the-less it was overall comfortable and extremely warm. My spot for the trip...



  Up early the next morning for some breakfast before we hit the water, Half Smokes, Bacon, and Fried Eggs in the trusty Lodge cast iron pan. And, of course, coffee. The nice thing about campground camping is water and electric! Hello, coffee pot!




    Day 2, we fished from the campground area down to Little Hall without much luck. I did pick up a Needlenose Gar that was about 3.5 feet long. Once I got a good look at it, I did not bring it in the boat. I wish I would have taken a picture though. We came off of the water with just enough daylight to fix some Low Country Boil for dinner.



Once we had our fill we went back out at dusk to try some topwater.






    We checked out several areas without any luck. The wind was up a bit and I think that kept the bite down so we headed in to sit around the fire before bed.



    We actually used up all of the firewood so we decided we would head home Wednesday evening rather than Thursday morning. We had sausage, potatoes and egg skillet for breakfast with coffee. We used the leftover Low Country Boil potatoes and surprisingly, they were awesome fried up, even with the LCB seasoning soaked in!


    There was some fog on the water this AM!



    We trolled around Little Hall for a while as well as toss topwater without any luck so we headed down to Old Federal, Holiday Marina, then over to Six Mile. Again, windy and no fish. We had fun none-the-less. We marked fish here and there but just could not get a bite! We headed back to camp, stopping to throw topwater along the way.



    We spent the rest of the evening packing up camp, loading the boat, and then headed home.

     Backing the boat down the drive to put away until next time. (We did wash it before putting it in the garage)



I hope to get back out in a couple days, maybe the topwater action will pick up!

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Steve's Gar


Low Country Boil for 25-30

    


If you are planning on feeding a group of people who love shrimp, this may be the recipe for you.

    I had never made a Low Country Boil before this weekend and up until a couple of years ago had never heard of it. In Virginia, we had crab boils and seafood boils (Captains Catch). Living in Texas for a while, I was very familiar with a Crawfish Boil. so after some research, it all made sense. 
    So, for those who may stumble upon this page and do not know a Low Country Boil is basically a shrimp boil and has many different names depending on where you reside. In Georgia, the popular name is a Low Country Boil.

    I read a ton of recipes and watched numerous videos on many different variations of preparing this feast. Some as simple as letting the ingredients stand on their own, were as others had a fortitude of spices and various additions such as apples, mushrooms, and oranges.  Almost all had shrimp, sausage, and corn. One guy basically made a salt stew and added his stuff in afterward. Not sure how he ate that, maybe lots of beer?!

    If you are making a small batch it is possible to make this in your kitchen, stovetop. If like me, you are making it for a crowd, you will need large pots and propane burners. 

    As far as how much, this will vary depending on a lot of factors. How many are expected, what other foods will be on the table, how big of an appetite the guest will have. Men, woman, kids, or a mix of all will factor in how much will be consumed!

    I planned for 25-30. I did not factor in other foods although there were wings and a smoked butt as well as a couple side dishes. that being said, I had tons of leftovers. I would guess only half was eaten. So, could I have feed 50-60? Hmm, maybe. Better too much than not enough.

     Well, let's get to it.  Again, this was my first ever attempt at a Low Country Boil as well as feeding a large group (25).

What you may need or rather what I used. You do you.

1 Turkey fryer kit (pot, strainer, and burner)

1 Bayou Classic 44 Quart Pot with strainer and burner

I used the Bayou Classic as my main pot and the smaller fryer as my overflow. I split each ingredient into both pots, 1 third to the small pot and 2 thirds in the large. I will continue as if using one pot.

Leather gloves, pot holders or oven mitts.

Propane.


My two pots at camp.


Seasoning:

6oz container of Old Bay
4oz Zatarain's Condensed Shrimp & Crab boil
3 Bags Zatarain's Shrimp and Crab Boil
1 Elephant Garlic Head (peeled and cut into chunks)
2 onions (unpeeled, loose skin knocked off and cut in half)
10 Lemons-4halved, 6 Quartered (for garnish) Approximate: I just bought a bag of lemons.
1/2 cup cider vinegar


Food:

10 pounds of red potatoes( I bought two 5 lb bags)
8 Kielbasa Sausages (I used Carolina Pride)
14 pounds Shrimp (I used 2-pound bags of headless/shell on, deveined, jumbo, frozen shrimp from Walmart).
Corn- I used a 24 count and a 9 pack of the small frozen ears from Walmart. I would do a minimum of one per person.

Instructions:

    Fill the pot a little more than half with water and bring to a boil. 

    Add... 3oz of Old Bay, Zatarain's Condensed Shrimp & Crab boil, Zatarain's Shrimp and Crab Boil bags, Elephant Garlic, onion halves, 4 Lemons halved, and cider vinegar.  

    Mix well and let boil a minute or two.

    Then put 10 lbs Red Potatoes in your strainer, lower into the boiling water and boil 10-15 mins or close to done. I think ours took longer. You just have to keep checking them with a fork. 

    Once you feel the potatoes are close add the cut Kielbasa sausage and the corn. 

    Cook 10-15 minutes longer then mix in 14 pounds shrimp and turn off heat. Leave the lid on and the shrimp will cook without flame. Let it sit 15-20 mins.

    Pull your strainer out and let it drip a minute and then pour it all into trays or right onto newspapers on your picnic table. Be careful if using plastic table cover as it may melt!

Hint: Two people work best. One to hold the strainer by the handle and one to lift the bottom to pour. We used the handle grabber that came with the fryer,  to lift the bottom. Just run it into one of the holes near the bottom of the strainer.


Pouring the contents into trays.




Take the rest of the lemons and spread over the top, take Instagram photo and post!


Final product.


In addition to the stuff listed, I added a squeeze bottle of Land O Lakes Butter spread (for potatoes), the rest of the Old Bay and a bottle of cocktail sauce. I actually purchased 2 butter and 3 cocktail sauce but the extras were never needed. 

    I would like to take a minute and thank the guys that helped me cook and serve the Boil to our kayak group! I could not imagine doing it without help! I would also like to thank those who pitched in to help supply the food!


What it cost:

    If you do not have to buy any cooking pots and such, you should be able to make this group classic for just under 200 dollars. (2018) Note: I did not factor in the cost of the onion, vinegar or boil concentrate since I already had it on hand. Mine came in at 165.00, not including tax.

Bon Appétit 🦐

Monday, October 8, 2018

L.A.K.E. 2018 Fall Camp & Paddle

    Had a great time this year at the L.A.K.E Fall Camp & Paddle! We had an awesome turn out as well as good food. Watch the blog for the Low Country Boil recipe!


The launch was a little muddy but very accessible!

We even let the Bass boats in!

Darian in Chill mode.

Dave Man of the Year

Dave, Jerry, Cameron, Walt

View from camp.

Everyone enjoying the food and friendship.

My bounty from the raffle, a handmade lure already looking good on my office wall.

Nothing to see here, please move along.

Jerry, Greg & Pat in deep conversation.

Jim surveying the yaks.

Jim doing the taste test.








Kdogs Bass Boat.

Someone is keeping these guys attention.



LAKE Group Shot

Chris & Louis


Louis, Matt & kdog

Low Country Boil



Mess Hall



Pat


All packed and ready to go.