Had wonderful time fishing, we even caught some. Nate has been crowned the new Carp King. I have to believe he could catch a carp on dry land. I never saw the likes of it in my life It was like the carp were lined up saying “me next, please take me next” The outing was relaxing and just all around fun. We kept a number of fish we caught, and they were all carp. I did catch a few catfish; I never have seen catfish that little. Honestly I caught two cats that were no more then 3 inches long. These little guys had been picking at our bait all morning long. This is the same place were another friend and I had caught some pretty good sized cats 6-7 weeks ago, but nothing this outing.

I got the carp all filleted out and I will smoke them next weekend. I make a basic brine of water sugar and salt. I soak the fillets for 24 hours give them a light rinse let them dry for an hour then begin the smoking process. You really only smoke the fish for the first 2 hours or so then the rest is drying the meat. That can take 12 or more hours. I soak my wood chips first, it makes them burn longer and you get more smoke flavor.

The bride has made plans for the next weekend. She and a girl friend are going shopping on Saturday. That should give me a kitchen pass to go fishing again. I just need to figure out where. I am leaning towards the mountains and catching some trout. What I could do is head for the place I wanted to go camping this weekend. Marsh Lake or I could stay in town and fish one of the community ponds. The fish and game department keep them stocked with all kinds o fish. With the price of gas this may be a great option. Something to think about.