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Fishing for your Dinner
Fish & Game Recipes, Fishing Stories theangler PM
For many anglers, fishing for your dinner is all part of the fishing experience. Perhaps the fisherman may be camping in a remote spot where fresh fish is a welcomed addition to his supplies. Or perhaps he is fishing on a lake with his buddies and a hot meal is the perfect culmination to a successful day of fishing.
Popular places to go fishing for your dinner
Remote Beaches
If you want to play Robinson Crusoe, try it on a barren, big barrier beach on Ossabaw Island in Georgia. Take your sleeping bag and spend 4 days roughing it. For dinner, run a crabline, learn how to pull a seine, and throw a cast net. Cook your catch on the beach.
If you want to stay up and watch the moon and stars, you will probably also see loggerhead turtles as they lumber out of the ocean, dig a hole, and lay their eggs, before slipping back into the sea.
Ice Fishing
Only the hardy need apply. Serious ice fishers cut a hole in the ice and set up a shelter where they can build a fire after they have slipped in a line hung from a rod that will twitch but not get in when the fish strikes. No fights here: The snagged fish is simply hauled up and sometimes cooked on a portable stove. Most states have rules governing the size of the hole in the ice, how long your hut can stay up and how it should be identified, fish size and number limitations, as well as advice on how to stay out of the water.
Great Lakes Ice Fishing
Walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, and bluegill are ready to be caught under the ice on the Great Lakes and surrounding rivers. Ice fishing is productive here: in Wisconsin it accounts for 21 per¬cent of the annual catch, but only 13 percent of fishing activity. You will need a shelter, which you can rent, and a safe way of get¬ting your gear to the center of the ice, which can be a toboggan. Regular ice fishermen often get together to cook and eat the fish they have caught.
Ice Fishing in Alaska
The Wrangell/St.Elias National Park is a resort area in Alaska that offers northern lights and ice fishing as some of the attractions. The hotels will fly you to lakes where the ice is several feet thick. A warm lodge with a roaring fire is guaranteed after dark. The hotels will also cook the fish you caught for your dinner.
Spear Fishing
This has been called one of the most inefficient ways to fish: The average underwater catch per free-dive hour is less than 3 fish. But the sport uses all of your talents-holding your breath in a dive, you have to understand your equipment, your locale, and the fish you target. According to diver Bob Harding, “It’s the satisfaction of an approach so perfect and a shot so accurate that death has no violence.” Competitions are held regularly throughout the U.S. in dive clubs in lakes and the oceans. Spear fishing is outlawed in some areas.
Catching Lobsters and Conch in the Bahamas
Try your hand at catching lobster (crawfish) or conch while on vacation in the Bahamas. Lobster has made many Bahamians extremely wealthy. This should come as no surprise since lobster is one of the most sought after seafoods on the planet. It is delicious and healthy. You can find a local charter boat to take you lobster diving for your dinner or you can do it on your own. Lobsters are found around reefs and old ship wrecks. Conch catching will also deliver a luxurious meal for the dinner table. For clues on where to look for conch, simply look for big piles of conch shells on the beach.
Follow fishing regulations
Whether fly-fishing or deep-sea fishing, always follow the local regulations and laws. Read books or take classes ahead of time and follow all safety precautions as much as possible. It’s a good idea to make reservations for hotels and charter boats several months ahead of time.