Catch of the day
On a crisp, clear, sparkly morning on the Wanganui branch of Lake Waikaremoana the fish finder at 33ft, I finally felt the fishing flush.
This article has also been published in the 'Source' Magazine .
The Rainbow Trout
“What the hell is a fuzzy wuzzy” I spluttered, bent double with laughter at visions of those weird psychodelic singing puppets on Sesame Street.
I guess I had always considered fishing to be a bit well, macho. Once I knew the day’s fishing started with which fuzzy wuzzy to use, it made me warm to the idea immensely.
The World of Fishing has always seemed a bit foreign to me. After growing up in Northland, it would be fair to assume I was wrestling our scaled friends from the deep before I could talk. However I’ve always had an issue with killing things and the thought of pulling a poor gasping fish out of the water by its lip, just never really appealed. I’ve always enjoyed eating them, though.
A week or two ago this all changed. It was the final day of a spectacular four-day walk around Lake Waikaremoana. We were lucky enough on our trip to have the use of a boat. On the very last day, on a crisp, clear, sparkly morning on the Wanganui branch of Lake Waikaremoana the fish finder at 33ft, I finally felt the fishing flush.
Once hooked, the idea is to tire the fish out by letting it swim away and then reeling it in again. As I reeled, the Trout gallantly fought back. I am pleased to say I did not escape injury, getting my knuckles severely dusted by the spinning reel and the ‘lead’ part of the line in a horrible tangle. I, of course, won in the end.
When the trout was finally scooped out of the water and I was asked if I wanted to throw it back or keep it, there was no hesitation. “Keep it” I screeched, thinking only of the shining trophy I could show off to my friends. The thought of whipping it home straight into a smoker ready for the evening’s dinner was almost too much.
It wasn’t until a while later when the exuberance died down that I felt a sense of dismay at what I’d done. However there is a difference to eating a fish you have caught yourself and to show my respect to that Trout, not a scrap of that fish was wasted. The succulent smoked flesh was eaten with relish and even the bones were made into a tasty stock, ready for fish soup.
Finally, I can now say not only have I been fishing, but I now know how it feels to fight a flashing, flipping rainbow Trout out of the water using only a rod, a fuzzy wuzzy and a bit of nylon twine.
Bits & Pieces...
Recipe
I medium sized Rainbow Trout
4 Tblsp salt
1 Tblsp brown sugar
1 smoker
10 halved new potatos skin on
3 medium boiled eggs (about 4 minutes)
2 Good handfuls of rocket or watercress
1 Tblsp capers in brine
2 Tblsp good mayonaise (Best Foods)
3 drops of fennel infused (Village Press) olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Take the backbone out of the fish and sprinkle liberally with the salt and brown sugar. Place in the smoker for about 15-20mins.
Whilst the fish is smoking, boil the potatos until just soft and the eggs until the yolks are slightly runny. Mix the fennel oil into the mayonnaise.
Once the fish is done combine the potatoes with the mayonnaise. Add the capers, torn up fish (remove any extra bones first), rocket or watercress and top with quartered eggs and S&P.
The salad should be warm, succulent and delicious. My wine match suggestion is Champagne.