Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc.

Transcription

1 Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc. May 2017 Volume 24.5 Your Taste Buds Will Love It By Stan Fagerstrom I like to think I know a whole lot more about catching fish than I do when they are all ready for cooking. That s not to say I don t care for eating fish. The truth is there are certain species that always bring my taste buds to attention. One of those species is panfish. As far as I m concerned properly prepared crappies, for example, can be darn near as good as it gets. I ve always felt especially blessed in this regard. I spent a large chunk of my life living right on the shore of one of Washington State s best panfish lakes. That s only part of the blessing. The other far more import part of the blessing was I got to share that wondrous location with my high school sweetheart--who was to become my wife away back in Not the biggest but properly prepared they can be one of the best when dinner time rolls around. Anita, my wife, not only likes to join me for some of my crappie catching endeavors, she knows exactly what to do with them once I got em cleaned up and ready for the frying pan. Regular readers of this column may recall the series I did about this time last year on fishing for crappies. That series on how to catch crappies brought in some interesting comments and questions, including how best to prepare these good eating panfish for the dinner table. Actually, crappie cooking can be just about as simple as you choose to make it. I m not talking about something I just tried for the first time the day before yesterday. I know there are other procedures out there but I ve never found anything better than the two I detailed in my book Catch More Crappie. That book, long since sold out, was published way back in The fastest and most simple method is to clean and skin your crappie. Dry the cleaned crappies carefully. Once they are dry, dip the fish in milk or a beaten egg, then into flour or cracker crumbs. Salt and pepper to suit your own tastebuds. Heat your cooking oil until it s moderately hot. Cook the fish until they are a golden brown on both sides. Be sure when you use this method that you don t overcook the fish. Do so and they ll lose the delicate flavor that makes them so darn good in the first place. Be aware that you re 1

2 going to have to work around the bones when you prepare crappie in this fashion. That s no big deal as far as I m concerned, but I know others who dislike having to do it. There s another method of crappie preparation that s really special. It s one I often turn to when I prepare them for our own table. To follow this procedure, clean and skin the fish as before. Then use a sharp knife to fillet steaks from alongside the backbone of each crappie. Cut these fillets into bitesized chunks. Make sure the chunks are dry before you proceed. Now beat two eggs into three-fourths cup of milk. Add enough flour to make a medium-thick batter. This batter should be about the consistency of extra-thick cream. Salt and pepper to your taste. Pre-heat your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Dip the pieces of fish into the batter and then pop them into the deep fryer. You can use the cooking oil of your choice for the deep fryer. My wife, and she s cooked a heap of crappie over most of the past century, uses corn oil. Watch your fish carefully once it s in the deep fryer. It only takes a couple of minutes for the small pieces to cook. Once they turn that appealing golden brown, remove them from the deep fryer and allow them to dry. If you ve not tried this method of crappie preparation, you re in for one fine treat. I ve known folks who didn t particularly care for most fish. But even those hard to please types had to admit these deep fried crappie were flat our delicious. Anita (my wife) usually serves crappie prepared in such a fashion with French fries, a spicy cocktail sauce, coleslaw and warm French bread. The little pieces of crappie, each encased in its own crusty blanket, taste a good bit like a fine textured seafood 2 You're looking at a net full of crappies that we've invited to dinner. one somewhere on the Internet s used Add a chilled glass of Chardonnay or book sales. I ve seen them there from Chablis to top things off and you ve time to time. I ll be darned if just got just about as good a meal of panfish as you ll ever find. This recipe works equally well for either perch or bluegill. Back in the old days when I still killed bass I d have told you it worked equally well for them. No more. I hope you are turning loose every largemouth you catch. If you aren t you should be. That s about the size of it. Crappies are among the best eating of the panfish family. I hope you ll give what you ve just read a try. Incidentally, I welcome comments from readers who might have different ideas or opinions. Let me hear from you. I mentioned that my book Catch More Crappie had been out of print for a long time. If you don t mind taking the time you might be able to find writing about eating crappies doesn t start my taste buds getting a bit itchy. Better wrap this up, I guess. The next step will be to grab my panfish gear and get out there and do something about it. End

3 The Eastside Free Methodist Church want to thank the Lower Columbia Walleye Club for the wonderful supplies to help fill Joseph s Closet. Words do not express how thankful we are for your donations and help. Thank you very much for all your help! The trick is Always Use Fresh Bait. Crowes Bait provides the freshest bait on the mar- Nightcrawler Worms 1 dozen per cup Nightcrawler Worms 2 dozen per cup Nightcrawler Worms 500 per box Meal Worms 35 per cup Meal Worms 200 per box 3

4 A FEAST FOR THE FISHES!! FISH WILL LINE UP FOR A SHOT AT YOUR LURE LIKE HUNGRY LUMBERJACKS AT A BANQUET WHEN YOU RE USING OUR DEADLY EFFECTIVE PRODUCTS!! Available at your local sporting goods supplier in more than 40 different blends GUARANTEED to work better than any scent/attractant on the market! Choose from our wide range of Gels, Sticky Liquids and Species Specific FEAST blends. Catcher Company / Smelly Jelly Hillsboro, Oregon Dealer Inquiries (503)

5 JUNE 1 General Meeting Lamiglas 3-4 fishout to be announced Fishout Boardman 18 Father s Day JULY 4 Independence Day 5 Board Meeting- Wednesday 6 General meeting Larry Hutchcens,Lowrance 8-9 Fishout Multnomash Channel AUGUST 1 Board Meeting 3 General meeting Stacy Kalsey, WDFW 5-6 Fishout & picnic at Camas, Wa. SEPTEMBER 4 Labor Day 5Board meeting 7 General meeting 9-10 Fishout at Camas, Wa. OCTOBER 3 Board meeting 5 General meeting 7-8 Fishout at Camas 9 Columbus Day Tom Schindlbeck Memorial fishout at Boardman 31 Board meeting NOVEMBER 2 General meeting 5 Daylight Savings Time Ends. 11 Veterans Day 23 Thanksgiving 28 Board meeting DECEMBER 2 General meeting Christmas party 25 Christmas Day 2017 Lonnie Handsakrt Dan Tuinstra Cal Burkhardsmeier Nicole Murahashi John Murahashi Rich Ribar Frank Bryan Wyatt Hoffart Todd Siler Lyle Amundson Louise Moudy Caroline Handsaker Chris Schacht Don Adamson 14.00Pounds Pounds 9.20 Pounds 8.88 Pounds 8.50 Pounds 7.50 Pounds 7.25 Pounds 7.25 Pounds 7.25 POunds 6.75 Pounds 6.70 Pounds 6.25 Pounds 6.00 Pounds 6.00 Pounds Walleye Zone Lonnie Handsaker with a 14.0 pound walleye caught at Boardman, Congratulations Lonnie!! 5

6 President Lyle Amundson (503) Vice President Kevin Hollingsworth (503) Secretary Lonnie Handsaker (360) Treasurer Jim Gurtisen (503) Editor Larry McClintock (503) Membership Chairman Louise Moudy (503) Web Master Jim Gurtisen (503) Activities Committee Jerry Haase - Chairman (503) jhassejr@gmail.com Lonnie & Caroline Handsaker lonniehandsaker@msn.net Club Meeting Place Grace Baptist Church, 200 SE 76th Ave, Portland Oregon 2 blocks north of Stark on 76th 7:00 pm Club Dues are due January 1st and expire December 31st of each year. New Member Dues Individual $30.00 per year Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 Renewable Dues Individual $25.00 per year Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 Lifetime Member $ Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 per year for lifetime member Make all checks payable to: Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc., PO Box 30454, Portland, OR Our Members are our greatest asset to the Chapter. We welcome visitors to join the Lower Columbia Walleye Club. The very best batter mix on the market, You will Love it! 6

7 Zebra mussel infested boat stopped at Ontario inspection station Monday, May 8, 2017 ONTARIO, Ore A 41-foot yacht with Zebra mussels attached was intercepted at the Ontario Watercraft Inspection station last week. The boat came from Harrison Bay, Tennessee which is infested with the invasive mussels. Earlier this spring, standing water was found on a boat from Quagga mussel infested Lake Havasu, Arizona. That boat was inspected and decontaminated at the Ashland inspection station. Standing water may not sound like a big problem, but when it comes from a water body infested with Quagga or Zebra mussels, it spells trouble, said Rick Boatner, ODFW s Invasive Species Wildlife Integrity Coordinator. Boatner explained this standing water can have microscopic veliger the larva stage of mussels that can live several days in water trapped in a bilge or live well. This stresses the importance of draining and drying all standing water from your watercraft. An adult mussel can live on a boat up to 30 days depending on humidity and temperature. All watercraft entering Oregon must stop at an open watercraft inspection station. This includes non-motorized boats such as stand up paddle boards, surfboards, kayaks and canoes. Stations are located in Ashland, Gold Beach, Klamath Falls, Lakeview, and Ontario. Failure to stop could result in a $110 fine. In addition to Quagga and Zebra mussels, inspectors look for aquatic plants and New Zealand mudsnails. Boat owners always need to practice Clean, Drain, Dry before launching their boat: Clean the boat completely, pulling off any plant material, animals or mud. Drain completely drain any areas that could hold standing water by pulling all drain plugs and soaking up any standing water. Dry allow the boat to dry before launching again. Anglers should also clean and disinfect their waders, boots and fishing gear to prevent spreading aquatic invasive species such as tiny New Zealand mudsnails and aquatic invasive plants. Invasive species is one of the Key Conservation Issues identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as a threat to Oregon s native fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Invasives can also potentially cause millions in damage to Oregon s systems. 7

8 The May fishout at Maryhill The May fishout at Maryhill was held the 6th & 7th. Saturday's weather was extremely windy. Only 2 out of 8 boats braved the ruff Columbia waters to fish. Sunday's weather was great. The sun was out and 9 boats went fishing. Boats on Saturday Boat 1 Lonnie Handsaker and Lyle Amundson Boat 2 Jon & Nicky Murahashi Boat 3 David Dickey Boat 4 Shaun Gomnes, Kathy Gillis and Jacob Gillis Boat 5 Chris Schacht and Mike Stark Boat 6 Jerry & Harriet Haase Boat 7 Bob Hill Boat 8 Monroe & Pat Sherman Boats on Sunday Don Adamson with a nice 6.0 pound walleye. 8 Boat 1 Lonnie Handsaker and Lyle Amundson Boat 2 Jon & Nicky Murahashi Boat 3 David Dickey Boat 4 Shaun Gomnes, Kathy Gillis

9 and Jacob Gillis Boat 5 Chris Schacht and Mike Stark Boat 6 Dave Barnett Boat 7 Don Sonada Boat 8 Kevin Hollingsworth and Todd Siler Boat 9 Rick & Gjug Golden 9

10 Spin Drift Walleye rigs by Macks Lure These are fantastic for Walleye. Super Slow Death rigs for Walleye by Macks Lure These also work very well for walleye Pacific Power Boats, Inc. Lund dealer 2900 NE Marine Dr Portland, OR (503) Ask for Troy Ford 10