I’ve been getting some requests to cook fish over a campfire. I don’t have a an actual campfire but I can still give campfire cooking a try. I have all the ingredients ready to go… oh yeah, except one, the fish! Let’s see if we can catch some and cook them campfire style! See all the fishing equipment, recipes and much more in the notes below.
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced 12 ounces of onions sliced into half moon strips ¼ cup of butter (a half stick sliced into thin squares) ¼ tsp. garlic salt, pepper ½ tsp. dried rosemary
Combine mushrooms and onions in a large bowl. Spoon onto large piece of heavy duty foil. Dot with butter. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with rosemary. Bring edge of foil together to seal. Place on grill on medium heat (about 400°F) for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Place bass in aluminum foil, add butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary and sweet paprika for color. Wrap it up and cook it near the outside edge of the campfire in hot ash for about 20 to 25 minutes, or throw it on a 400° grill for 10 minutes.
THE LURE a 4 inch section of a 7 inch Zman Finesse WormZ in pumpkin color.
THE REEL The baitcasting reel is a Shimano Calcutta 50B, from about 2004. This model is no longer made.
THE ROD The baitcasting rod is a Shimano Compre, Model CPC68MC, 6’ 8” fast action, medium power. Suggested lure weight ⅛ to ¼ ounce. Suggested line weight 6 - 12 pound test. Purchased April 2016.
THE LINE The baitcasting line is Stren Original monofilament in 8 pound test.
THE LAKE: Was named Lake Ketchabigwon by the native Americans who sold me the property for a good amount of wampum. It is almost 6 acres, 12 feet maximum depth, and is located in NE Ohio.
FISH IN THE LAKE: largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS: We had biologists come out and do an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12 inches, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.
WHY I DON’T FISH FOR CATFISH Yes, there are channel catfish in the lake but I’m not knowledgable about how to fish for them. Rigging for them is confusing to me. Also, I don’t enjoy sitting and waiting for a bite. It seems boring. Last, catching the moment of strike on video is difficult. The camera runs out of ram and batteries!
LARGEST FISH CAUGHT: The biggest was a grass carp with I hooked and managed to beach. It weighed over 30 pounds. Next was a channel cat (accidentally caught while bass fishing) of 10 pounds. The largest crappie was 14¾ inches and 2 pounds 1 ounce. Finally, my largest bass was 6¾ pounds caught here at Lake Ketchabigwon.
VIDEOGRAPHY: The principal camera is my iPhone 6s Plus on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 5s as a close-up counter top camera when cooking. It is mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode microphone indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on my MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.
WHY WE DON’T DO TASTE TESTS: Lots of viewers have suggested this. But when Ms. Lulu is with me, she prefers to have dinner when the food is ready. She is not happy to let it get cold while we do taste tests and skits for my YouTube videos! It isn't her hobby, it's only mine. 😊 I hope you can understand!
