Cook Trip

Fresh Water Bass

Gwen caught her record 6 lb, 8 oz bass off the dock at Otty Lake, Perth, Ontario. The bait? Forget flies and fancy lures, a worm ended up catching the fish. Wiggly earthworms and an old frog lure called Ole Faithful have given us our biggest fish.

My daughters have fished since they were old enough to hold a pole and catch sunfish through a knothole in the dock. The younger one used to run out in her pajamas to dip her rod in the water before the dawn mist burned off. Gwen has fished in Australia, snagging the biggest catch after enduring the owner of the boat showing her how to fish.

Once a Brownie leader said to to my youngest as she handed in her requirements for the fishing badge, "Girls don't go fishing." Holding back my anger, I remarked, "Queen Mother of Britain loves to go salmon fishing." Why is it other women who decide these ridiculous rules? My husband couldn't hide his delight at marrying a woman who liked fishing.

The fish in Otty Lake can be eaten. The Ontario government gives out a pamphlet telling which fish in the province are good to eat and which are limited. Fishing licenses are necessary for residents and none residents.

How to Fillet a Bass

A proper knife is key. A sharp filleting knife costs around nine or ten dollars. Set out newspaper. In Ontario, depending on the time of year, you often have to fight off black flies, mites and wasps. Gwen simply ignores them as she works.

Killing the fish creates the most difficult moment in fishing. It is a living creature and the animal does feel pain. We try to kill it quickly. Over the years we have tried rocks hammered on the brain, and a killing mallet. Some people put their fingers in the fish's mouth and snap back the neck. We've never found that to work. Gwen stabbed through the skull to kill her prize. But she says that it took her a couple of stabs. Even after the head is cut off, the heart of the fish will continue beating for awhile, a good biology lesson.

Squeamish? Feel we shouldn't kill the fish? It is more humane than the fish farming method used to harvest herring. A suction tube sucks a school of herring into a scaler then onto packing in salt. The fish are still alive during this process. When you open that jar of pickled herring, do you think about how they died?

The pictures below show the filleting of the fish.

Fresh Pan Fried Fish

Note that Gwen removed the skin when she created the fillets. If you leave the skin on, don't forget to scale the fish, using a scaler like you use a carrot peeler, dragging from the tail up. It's a messy job.

Shake the fillets in a plastic baggie filled with a half cup of flour and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Or beat an egg, dip the fillets in it then shake them in a baggie one quarter filled with bread crumbs.
Or shake the fillets in a baggie one quarter filled with Shake and Bake for fish.

Fry the fish in a quarter cup butter (not margarine) until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, fish cooks fast. Only cook until the flesh turns white and flakes. Too long and it gets dry.

Serve with mashed potatoes or those little round canned potatoes and a fresh garden salad.