BOWFISHING FOR DELICIOUS SUCKER Bowfishing enthusiasts love shooting carp, buffalo, and other trash fish that most people consider inedible. There is another fish that most consider trash too, but when prepared properly, are delicious to eat—suckers. Suckers school together in the spring in great numbers and travel up streams and rivers to spawn. In some places, you can shoot from a boat, but in most cases you will be shooting from the bank. Polarized sunglasses are a must to help you see and identify suckers in the water. Find where they have gathered and you will have plenty of shooting opportunities. Once you’ve gathered enough for dinner, scale them, then filet the fish with the skin left on and score the meat side about 1/8th of an inch apart all the way down the filet. This helps dissolve all of the tiny bones when you cook them. Roll them in corn meal and deep fry for a tasty treat that will have you out shooting suckers every spring.
TRY THESE UNUSUAL FISH DELICACIES Some fish parts are seldom eaten by anglers, but when prepared properly they are unusual delicacies. Almost any fish of decent size has a tender scallop of meat located behind each eye on the cheeks. Those who have eaten fish cheeks agree they are the best tasting part of the entire fish. Remove by making two adjoining cuts then simply scoop the scallop out with your thumbnail. Dip in corn meal and fry in peanut oil for a few moments for a tasty tidbit. Scale smaller fish like bluegill and yellow perch, cut the head off, remove the entrails, and roll in corn meal. Fry the fish whole. The meat is always delicious, but the tail and fins are also a crunchy treat. Fresh egg sacks of almost any fish can be gently removed, rolled in corn meal, and fried. They can also be canned, baked, and made into dips. Fish eggs contain Vitamin D and Omega 3.
RING THE DINNERBELL FOR BIG FISH Big fish—such as bass, musky, or pike—will eat rats, mice, lizards, moles, shrews, chipmunks, young rabbits, baby squirrels, baby birds, and other small animals that sometimes fall from a bank, tree, or brush pile. Their struggles in the water are like ringing the dinner bell. Around boathouses, wharfs, pilings, docks, piers, bridges, and rock cliffs are other ideal places where an animal’s slip might make a big fish’s meal. Even animals that are used to the water, like baby ducks paddling around, are sometimes eaten by big fish. Use baits that imitate the struggling of these animals in the water as much as possible, even if you have to make your own, and use them like you would any topwater bait. Baby snakes skimming across the water are also favorite meals for big fish, so try using big floating plastic worms. Big fish also like frogs, so don’t forget to get out the frog baits before trying to capture those huge fish.
HOW TO CATCH A CAT To catch catfish in streams, creeks, and rivers, present your bait in a natural manner to catfish lying behind large rocks, boulders, stumps, brush, and points that break the current. Cast upstream with light, strong line so the bait can wash downstream freely and naturally. Keep a loose line as the bait drifts and watch for any indication of a cat taking your bait. On big lakes, a great place to look for catfish is in the grooves in tailrace areas below hydroelectric plants. A groove is where the current from two discharges collide. Put your bait on the bottom in the current and again, let it wash along the bottom naturally. Allow the cat to start swimming off with your bait before setting the hook. What do you use for bait? Since catfish depend on their sense of smell, try using worms, chicken liver, shrimp, prepared baits, homemade stink baits, and even hot dogs to attract the cats.
PLANNING A FAMILY FISHING TRIP When you plan a family fishing trip, the most important thing to remember is to have fun. The trip should be all about spending time with your family in the great outdoors. Catching fish is a bonus. All you need to plan an enjoyable trip is a simple, easy-to-use fishing outfit and some live bait. Have the kids help you dig worms or catch crickets as part of the experience. Kids get a kick out of carefully watching their bobbers—even the slightest movement gets them excited. They’ll love the experience, but they will also want to reel in something. After 10 or 15 minutes, if you are not catching fish, move to a different location until you find them. If for some reason the fish aren’t biting, stop fishing and teach the kids how to skip a rock, catch a crawdad, pick wildflowers, or take a hike. All of these things add excitement to the trip and create lasting family memories.