Can you freeze striped bass?

Striped bass with black bean sauce

It was probably round about when we caught our third keeper striper, earlier this season, that I reversed my long-standing policy of not freezing fish. Home freezing invariably damages food. As the food freezes, the water in it expands and breaks the cell walls. The slower the freezing, the worse the damage, and your average [...]

Mastering the cold fish

Stripers on ice

I’m guessing your patience with my fishing stories is wearing thin, so I’ll boil yesterday afternoon’s trip right down. I caught one striper, and Kevin and Bob both caught two (their limit), and then some (which they released). By a fluke, Bob also caught a fluke. The huge fish that I fought for a good [...]

My Glut Complex

Freezer-ready

What’s the best eating fish ever? If you were taking a poll, striped bass would most certainly be in the mix. It’s mild and moist, with a texture that walks the line between flaky and meaty. Before I started catching my own striper, I would eagerly anticipate the commercial season, when I could buy beautifully [...]

There’s fishing, and then there’s catching

Kevin and Bob

I’ve discovered the secret to fishing. I now know the key to maximizing your chances of finding and catching a fish. And not just any fish – the right fish. The one that’ll make a great photo, and then be dinner for several meals. I’ve discovered the Holy Grail of fishing. It’s Bob. Those of [...]

Stripah

The first keeper stiper of 2011

I had a lot to do today. I had deadlines. I had research. I had an interesting, engaging blog post on hydroponics to write. And it was all going according to plan, until Kevin called me at 12:30. “Where are you?” he asked. “I’m on the bus,” I said. No matter where I am, this [...]

First fish

Bob, me, and the first fish of 2011

The stripers are back! Last week, Kevin took the big boat out of winter storage and prepped the motor for the new season. When he was done, he took it down to Prince Cove to put in for a trial run. I didn’t even realize he’d left until the phone rang and I saw his [...]

Crayfish and me

crayfish

I’ve been coming to Cape Cod all my life. I was just over a year old when I first visited Peter’s Pond, in Sandwich, and my parents took us there every subsequent summer of my childhood. They still spend summers there and, before Kevin and I moved to the Cape ourselves, we were regular visitors. [...]

The equipment conundrum

The clam-diggin tines on my Ribb rake

For my birthday, Kevin gave me a new fishing rod. And not just any fishing rod – a seven-foot Shimano Teramar composite rod. If you’re a fishing geek, you probably know that a Shimano Teramar composite rod is an excellent fishing rod. If you’re not a fishing geek, you’ll have to take my word for [...]

Fishing in my sleep

Half of this year's catch.  Top is a rainbow, I think.  Bottom? Speckled?

We’ve been ice fishing for about a week now, and I’m happy to report that our trout harvest has already quadrupled our previous record, set two years ago. I’m less happy to report that our previous record, set two years ago, was one. One rainbow trout. Last winter we were skunked altogether, but that’s not [...]

Felony angling

Kevin, setting tip-ups

I find, to my surprise, that I’m feeling less cranky about winter. Maybe it’s because the days are getting longer, so I’m getting more sunshine. Maybe it’s because it’s about to be February, which means we’re only 28 days away from its being about to be spring. Maybe it’s because I’ve decided to throw economy [...]

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