So, two guys went fishing. The goal was catch some fish and grill up some lunch.
Casey is a bass fishing enthusiast. Matt is a career chef. Seems like a recipe for success, right?
Let's hear the story as told by these two fishermen.
Casey
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I dreaded hearing that question growing up. My favorite hobbies were hunting and fishing, so when people kept asking, I just told them that I wanted to “get paid to hunt and fish”. I never really planned on working towards it, it was really just my way of avoiding the question. However, on one spring morning my dreams came true, if even just for a day.
Matt
I grew up living and fishing on the ocean. I didn’t have a bicycle, I had an inflatable dingy nicknamed the ‘de-flatable’, with a 2 hp motor. My sister Serena and I would take off after several hours of home school and go looking for fish. We were in the Caribbean, so fish were plentiful. At the end of the day we would return home where my parents would sort the fish and we would release anything unfit for consumption. I have fished a great deal, but never experienced any kind of lake fishing, until now.
Casey
Since bass season is upon us, I decided to search our recipe archives for anything bass related, I found nothing. I concluded that I needed to go fishing for largemouth bass, and who better to take than Chef Matt, who could cook up our lunch? Normally I practice catch and release, but have no problem keeping a few every now and then. The idea of cooking some up straight away seemed like a great idea too. Matt was all in.
Matt
We set off bright and early with a few supplies, our fishing licenses and Casey’s new boat, which was about to embark on her maiden voyage. We launched and set off, the electric motor hummed and pushed us through the flowering lilies. After a quick how-to from Casey, we started casting our lines. Several minutes later I realized what a rookie I really was. It seemed the key to being successful was to watch your line closely, at the first sign of movement jerk the line to set the hook. I had trouble with this concept and spent the majority of my time trying to retrieve my hook from the clutches of lily pads.
Casey
It was Chef Matt’s first time bass fishing and his first time on one of the smaller, beautiful lakes here in northern Idaho. It was my personal goal to help him land his first largemouth bass. Fishing is usually best around sunrise and sunset, and the best time to fish is early evening to dusk. We fished in the heat of the day, not ideal but we still got a few bites. I ended up with a handful of fish, but nothing big enough to write home about. Matt had several bites but was unable to get one to the boat.
Final Score
Casey – 11 Matt – 0
Matt
Luckily, I was still able to contribute. We took the largest bass, cleaned, filleted and grilled it up on our tiny kettle grill right on the edge of the lake. I took a fresh baguette, buttered it liberally, added the bass fillets and squeezed plenty of grilled lemon on it. Click here to see the recipe.
Despite my lack of focus and inability to watch my line close enough, I feel that I was able to do my part in the end. Lake fishing might just be a part of my agenda from here on out.
*A shout-out to local fish and game officers for checking things out, and for being courteous and friendly. Idaho is an amazing state for fishing and hunting, and these officers help to preserve our wildlife for future generations to enjoy.
