Filed under: Hook Line & Skillet Episodes | Leave a Comment »
Super Bowl Food: Top 10 Best Super Bowl Party Recipes – ABC News
Posted on February 6, 2010 by hlskillet
Our Simon and Garfunkeled Crab Cakes made ABCs top ten recipes for your Superbowl party! Check it out at: Super Bowl Food: Top 10 Best Super Bowl Party Recipes – ABC News.
And of course – Check out the show.
Filed under: HLS News | 1 Comment »
Cool find at the Fly Fishing Show
Posted on January 28, 2010 by hlskillet
- Hand Made Lanyard
I had the honor and good fortune of attending the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset New Jersey this past weekend. I had a great time making some new friends and seeing a lot of interesting new items. I had a great conversation with the guys from the Jersey Shore Chapter of the TU (Trout Unlimited), hey guys - let me know if I win that raffle. I also seized the opportunity to speak with representatives of Ireland about fly fishing the Emerald Isle. My wife and I are going in August and I want to get at least one day of fishing in. I smell an episode cooking. :)
While perusing the many vendors and booths, I saw a lot of great items that I would love to add to my inventory, but found myself on the lookout for something unique. I have pretty much all the equipment that I need, my rods are fairly new, reels are all in good shape, lines are fine and I have enough flies to start the season, I was searching for something different, something rustic. My first thought was to track down an old fashioned leather fly case. You don’t see them much anymore as most fishermen prefer the less expensive fly boxes. I had been at the show for a couple of hours already and was about to give up when I found it.
What I found was a lanyard. I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw. The lanyard was part of the Grizzly Hackle display. That’s the Grizzly Hackle of Missoula Montana. I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you about Missoula but did you know that a river runs through it? Anyway, while gawking at the lanyard I actually met the owner of Goertzen Adventure Equipment, Joe Goertzen, he is the one who makes the lanyards amongst a ton of other great stuff, all hand-made one of a kind. He went through and explained about the product and I was sold. Also at the display Joe had another item that I was crazy about which was a combo creel style fishing bag. It was just a bit outside my budget though, maybe next time.
Now the lanyard has a couple of real cool features.
Lanyard Swivels
The first being the fishing swivels that were used to hold gear suck as your clippers or you a floatant bottle.
Next it had a great fold down wallet for placing flies that you are changing out. Joe included a set of foreseps with that. Lastly there is a bungee-like cord that is used to secure the lanyard to the body.
I haven’t used the Lanyard on the water yet but I’m sure that it will be great. Go to Joe’s website and check out his ware. And it’s not just for fishermen. There is camping equipment and bags for everyday use.
Thanks Joe — it was great meeting you and maybe one day Hook, Line and Skillet will make its way out to Missoula for a little of that classic Montana Fly Fishing.
The Lanyard
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More Pictures from Saranac Lake
Posted on January 16, 2010 by hlskillet
Check out some more pics from my trip back to Saranac Lake. I feel cold just looking at them!
My Friend Mark. Ready to do some Ice fishing.
My Friend Mark is a California boy, but is no stranger to the cold. He just did a tour of duty in Afghanistan and spent some chilly nights over there.
Back at Blue Line Sports to get a fishing License.
Although John Vargo had all the gear we needed for ice fishing, I realized that I didn’t have a NY fishing license. It was a bit of a shock to learn that a NY out-of-state fishing license is now $70. Ouch!
John checks the ice.
John led the way making sure that the ice was thick enough. He also made sure that we spread out enough so that if the ice started to crack that we all wouldn’t go in at the same time.
What a great dog!
While we were heading out on to the ice a big Old Black Lab followed us out. She was amazing and not afraid one bit to be out there. She was great company to have on the trip.
- John shows us how to set up a Tip Up.
Once we got base camp set up it was time to start setting up the Tip Ups. This is a bit rough in the cold since you have to take off your gloves to do it. That’s why we let John do all the work.
A Tip Up.
The tip up is a neat little device. It’s made up of three pieces of wood, a reel and a piece of flexible metal that has a flag or bell attached. After being rigged up, the metal piece is set to trip when a fish takes the bait. The flag raises, the bell goes off and Fish on!
Cooking in the field or on the ice.
Ice fishing is a lot of work and when you work hard - you get hungry, that’s why John and Mike brought hot dogs and chili. It was just about the best hot dog I ever had.
- Having a great time!
I’m glad Mark had a good time and even though we didn’t catch any fish we really had a great day. That’s what ice fishing is all about. Be sure to get out and try it some time.
Man it's cold!
Yes that’s me all bundled up. I’m covered in about six layers, and still I was cold. I could have covered my head a bit more. Live and learn.
Filed under: The Hook | Tagged: black lab, ice fishing, lake kiwassa, tip ups | 1 Comment »
Return to Saranac Lake
Posted on January 11, 2010 by hlskillet
Back again…
So last week I got the chance to return to Saranac Lake, New York. The great little town in the Adirondacks where we shot episode three, Perfect Pike Po’Boys. Another friend of mine from my days in the Army, Mark Lopez, was visting there from LA and I thought it would be fun to see him and maybe even do a little ice fishing.
As with episode three, Chef John Vargo of the Eat ’n Meet Grill was our guide. It’s alway great getting together with these two guys, who I have been friends with for over 22 years. We were Food Service Specialists working out of the Elvis Aaron Presley Dining Facility (Ray Barracks, Friedburg Germany) and we built a life long friendship there.
On Tuesday last week our friendship brought us out onto the ice. It was a perfect day for ice fishing… It was cold, the whole area had just received a foot or so of snow and was getting an inch or two each day since. The ice was about eight inches thick and was prime for fishing.
This time we made our way out to Lake Kiwassa which is part of the same river/lake system as Oseetah Lake (episode three). Man it was beautiful there. It’s a real winter wonderland up there.
Truth be told – ice fishing is a lot of work. You have to get to the place you want to fish (usually in the middle of a lake), setup your base camp area, drill your holes, rig the tip ups and try to stay warm… I think the thing about ice fishing is that you have to keep working to keep yourself warm.
After all that hard work… we didn’t catch any fish (and yes I did the dance). We were going after big Pike, but didn’t even get a bite. The only thing moving on our lines were the big shiners that we used for bait. After about three hours it started getting really cold and we called it a day.
Even though we didn’t catch a fish, it was great to be there with my friends in such a beautiful place. And you know what they say…
Check out our good friends from Eat ‘n Meet, John & Mikey, Mark and me trying to keep warm on the ice. It’s just a couple of clips from the frozen day on Lake Kiwassa.
-Pete
Filed under: The Hook | Tagged: eat and meet grill, ice fishing, lake kiwassa, oseetah lake, ray barracks, saranac lake, tipups | Leave a Comment »
Pike Po’Boy Recipe
Posted on January 7, 2010 by hlskillet
Straight from episode three, the long awaited Pike Po’Boy Recipe. Enjoy!
Perfect Pike Po’boys
Serves 4
1 large Baguette or loaf of Italian bread cut into 4 equal pieces
2 large Northern Pike filets (completely deboned and cut into thin strips)
4 large lettuce leaves
Dredge
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
4 medium eggs
¼ cup milk
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Coles Slaw
½ head of cabbage shredded
2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated onions
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons of chopped dill
¼ cup of chopped capers
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper
2 large sweet potatoes (cut into French fry sized strips)
4 cups canola oil for frying
4 lemon wedges
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients listed for the coleslaw. Set aside for sandwich preparation.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sea salt and pepper. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and milk together. Dredge each piece of fish in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture and then the flour mixture again. Heat oil and deep fry the breaded fish to a golden brown. When all of the fish strips are fried, lightly salt and set aside for sandwich preparation. Place the sweet potato fries carefully into the hot oil, while they are cooking start assembling the sandwiches. Cut the bread in half leaving one side still connected (should be like a pocket). Place a lettuce leaf in bread pocket followed by 4 to 5 pieces of fish. Cover with a fair amount of coleslaw. Serve the sandwich with the sweet potato fries and a lemon wedge.
To see how it’s done check out the clip below.
Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: eat n meet grill, fishing, pike, po boy, Recipes, saranac lake, skillet, slaw | 1 Comment »
Where are we going next? Contest Winner!
Posted on January 3, 2010 by hlskillet
Hello everyone,
So we finally picked a winner for our, “Where are we going next?” blog contest. Drum roll please. And the winner is…
Julie Johnson of Bonaire Georgia!
Big congratulations to Julie. She will be getting her very own Hook, Line and Skillet T-Shirt for the suggestion that we come down to the Georgia/Tennessee border and fish the Conasauga River. Julie’s email below really peaked our interest in fishing the Conasauga and has given us the info we need to start planning a trip to Georgia. Team HLS is looking forward to the trip and will make the Conasauga River an episode in Season 2.
Tell us what you know about the Conasauga. We would love to hear about your fishing experiences in the area.
Thanks again Julie and enjoy the shirt.
-Team HLS
Julie’s Email:
Hello HLS,
I’m not a fisherman by far but I have been asking the locals, “Where is the best place to fish?” Here is my story.
The Conasauga River is a river that runs through southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. The Conasauga River is 90 miles (140 km) long and is home to 90 species of fish and 25 species of freshwater mussels. The Conasauga River watershed encompasses over 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) in two states, multiple counties, and two ecologically different regions.
History:
There is a legend that Cherokee Indians hid much gold along the headwaters of the river – possibly along the Jacks River tributary in the Cohutta Wilderness. Many have searched but none have found it. The account I read mentioned “under a waterfall” but the only significant waterfall known is the one by Rice Creek Trail, and nothing has been located there.
River location and natural information:
The Conasauga River is the most westerly trout water on public land in Georgia. At its core is the 35,268-acre (142.72 km2) Cohutta Wilderness, located in Fannin, Gilmer, and Murray counties in Georgia and Polk county in Tennessee and managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. The preserve covers over 95,000 acres (380 km2) and contains approximately 15 miles (24 km) of the Conasauga. The waters yield wild rainbow trout and wild browns, with rainbows up to 20 inches (510 mm) and browns to 9 pounds (4.1 kg). The managed land is populated by white-tailed deer, wild hogs, black bears, and smaller animals. The only road access to the Conasauga is found via Old GA 2. Access via foot trail is located on FS 64 in Betty Gap. Three other trails descend from the west off FS 17 to intersect the river trail. From south to north they are the Chestnut Lead, 2.0 miles (3.2 km), Tearbritches Trail, 4.0 miles (6.4 km), and Hickory Creek Trail, 3.0 miles (4.8 km). Primitive camping is allowed all along the river.
It is considered by many to be one of the top 100 trout streams in the nation.
Thank you,
Julie
Filed under: The Hook | Tagged: chattahoochee, cherokee, cohutta wilderness, Conasauga river, georgia, jacks river, rice creek trail, tennessee | Leave a Comment »
Boats+Winter=NOT FUN
Posted on December 8, 2009 by hlskillet
It was about 3 weeks ago that I had a horrible dream that my boat sank.
The next day I was telling a friend about the dream and recalled early December of 2008, when I was taking a heavily problem-stricken Kilted Guinea out of the water for the season; It was a horrible mess, the engine was stuck down in the salt water for over a month – gathering barnacles as the salt ate away at the internal machinery. On top of that, the electrical cables were so corroded that there wasn’t enough juice getting to the starter motor to get her going.
A gracious fellow member of my boat club towed her on the almost two-mile trip from the boat slip to the launch – where we strapped her down to the rickety trailer, drove with the engine down at 5 mph (careful to not scrape the road) and brought her home to the boatyard to endure a cold winter without proper winterization and a very high probability of never starting again, or worse, becoming scrap in the Spring. (we had to dig a hole into the ground so that the engine wasn’t buried in dirt)
As April brought the Spring to New York, we were able to revive the feisty gal with the help of Grant, a highly recommended repairman.
I simply couldn’t afford what it would have cost for the recommended repairs – so Grant and I worked together on a solution.
Problem 1: Engine stuck in the water (salt water jammed the hydraulic tilt system)
Solution: Grant completely cut the engine from its hydrolic tilt system so that I was now a manual job to lift and lower it into the water. (being that it’s only a 70 HP motor, it’s not too heavy)
Problem 2: Starter wont turn
Solution: new cables
By May, the Kilted Guinea was back in full force and brought joy to so many people all summer long.
In late November, I was able to squeeze in one last fishing trip (no catches) on what was the last 60 degree day we had, and it was fantastic.
I was so confident in her stability – that we decided to leave her in the slip over the winter, since the trailer is such a pain.
Then came December 2009.
Thursday, I got a call from someone at the boat club, “There was intense rain over the night, and your boat is starting to sink.”
“How bad is it?”, I asked.
“The engine is just above water, but your starboard rails are about 10 inches below the water.”
Crap.
I rushed to the slip with my friend and co-owner of the boat, Drew. We were able to use our own weight and cinderblocks to counter-balance the water so that the Stern was above the surface to prevent the boat from taking on any more water – we then pumped out what was in there (I estimate several hundred gallons), and she was sitting back on the surface.
Phew!
We decided to call it a night, and come back over the weekend to trailer it.
2 days later, I get another call. More rain, it’s back under, and it’s worse.
Double crap.
Turns out, the Bilge pump gave out, and there is a drain hole that sits under the surface of the water – the seal around the bolt that keeps it from taking in water must have given way.
We head out at 6am, half asleep, and did what we had to do. The weather reports gave us 3 days before the next rain.
Last night, we prepared the trailer and got on the boat to start her up and drive over to the launch and put her away for the Winter.
She didn’t start. Problem was identical to last year – not enough juice to the starter motor to get her going.
It’s 8pm, and it’s dark.
We get on another boat, tow her to the launch in a cold and windy December evening. (special thanks to our buddy Rory for helping with all that)
This morning, she sits on her trailer in her spot on the boatyard. One less problem than last year, no headaches now till the Spring.
Lesson learned:
When she’s running well in the Fall – take her out while you’re ahead.
That said; I have a boat which has defied the odds and overcame so many problems. I have pushed her to her absolute limits, and she has given me so much joy.
People say that the two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
A true mariner will agree with me, the best days are when you are faced with a problem, find a solution, and beat the odds.
Next Summer, the Kilted Guinea will ride again.
Filed under: Boats and Bottles | 1 Comment »
Episode #3 – Perfect Pike Po’boys is here!
Posted on October 7, 2009 by hlskillet
In this episode we travel to Saranac Lake, NY to take on the infamous Nathan Vargo for some serious Pike fishing. After a beautiful drive through the Adirondack Mountains, we rest our heads at an amazing place right on the lake, get some great advice and equipment in town and cook up a succulent meal with an old friend.
Check out all three segments of our trip to the Adirondacks and let us know what you think.
Team HLS
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Filed under: Hook Line & Skillet Episodes | Tagged: adirondack motel, adirondacks, blue line sports, eat and meet grill, fishing, mepps, northern pike, pike, po'boys, shimano | 8 Comments »
Where are we going next? Submission Date Extended
Posted on September 16, 2009 by hlskillet
Due to popular demand we are extending the date for contest submissions. You now have till October 17th, 2009 to let tell us where Hook, Line and Skillet should go next. See below for more information.
Hey All,
Question for you, Where do we go next?
We’ve talked about it and we are going to leave it up to you. That’s right this post is a contest!
We want you to decide where we go next. If your location is the one we choose then we will send you your very own Hook, Line and Skillet T-shirt, post a write up on the site about you and give you a credit in the show that features your location.
In an email, tell us about a fishing location that you know, the fish you catch there and how you think that fish should be cooked. You can include a recipe, but if you don’t have one, suggest your favorite method of eating it. We are looking for little tidbits including history of the location, cool facts, stats, events surrounding the location or anything else that you might think of that will make the story more interesting.
This is your opportunity to get involved with HLS and become a part of the show. Send your email to hlskillet@gmail.com.
We will be accepting emails now through September 19th 2009 October 17th, 2009. Once we decide we will post about the winner.
Good Luck.
-Pete
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Filed under: The Hook | Tagged: contest, fishing, hook, line, skillet | 2 Comments »
