Bluegill fishing

I have been out fishing for bluegills a handful of times since school let out for break. Pound for pound, bluegill are my favorite fish I have ever caught, and I live them because they provide plenty of action and they'll take most anything you throw at them.

I learned to fly fish (and fish in general since I haven't done much of any other kind of fishing) on bluegill, my older brother and I would ride our dirt bikes down to a local pond on those calm, cloudless nights of my childhood and catch a stringer full of fish each. We'd ride home and my dad would fillet them up, my mom would cook up a gourmet meal and we'd use the carcasses for tomato plant fertilizer.

We have had some of those bluebird days and with the weather heating up, now is the prime time to get out on a float tube and catch some slabs.

My dad and I did just that and "found" a new lake that, although I am a lifelong Boise resident, I had no idea existed. Quinn's pond apparently used to be a lumberyard pond of some sort and it's deep, cool water and almost complete lack of other fishermen called us in for a relaxing afternoon of casting.

We caught quite a bunch and my dad fixed up a bluegill ceviche that was great! Here is the recipe he used. If you haven't had a ceviche before, you have to give this one a try. It is fabulous! Ours turned out a bit too lemony and not hot enough, but feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste. Also, a more crunchy-chunky type of ceviche is a little more traditional, but it would take away from the delicate flavors of the bluegill.

1 lb deboned fish fillets
1/2 medium white or red onion finely chopped
1 cup of pure lemon juice
1 diced large tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper
(Use these measurements as a general guidline.)
Place whole deboned fillets in a deep glass baking dish placeing them as flat as possible. Add the lemon juice, onion,salt,and sugar in the dish. Be sure that the lemon juice completely covers the fillets. Place the dish in the refrigerator for about 2 hrs. After 2 hrs, put the jalapeno, cilantro, and tomatoes into the dish and stir lightly ensureing to moisten all of the ingredients. After 1 hour your fillets will be fully cooked with the lemon juice. Stir the ingredients into a nice medley and enjoy with your favorite cracker or dipping chips.


Bon appetite!

Western States Traditional Rendezvous

Last weekend was the Jim Brackenberry Memorial Western States Traditional Rendezvous (WSTR) hosted by the Idaho traditional Bowhunters and held at Magic Mountain Ski Area near Twin Falls Idaho.

It was a blast. I had so much fun meeting new folks, wishing I had deep pockets to buy some (more) gear.... lots of goodies from several vendors.

There were three 3D courses set up and available to shoot at all times of the day "until your arms falls off." Two of these courses were set up to shoot on a nice walk downhill after a breathtaking trip up the chairlift.

I made some good shots and missed the target completely, but I enjoyed every minute of the experience. This was my first event like this, but it won't be my last.

There was a "water torture" shoot that I really enjoyed. Played head to head, the object was to shoot your jug of water thus emptying it, before your opponent empties his. Speed counts, but so does accuracy, and the trick is complete pass throughs at the lower 1/3rd of the jug. Yardage was about 10, and the action was quick and lively. I surprised myself and made it into the second round and almost past that as well!

I also shot my first "smoker" round, which was a blast! Only one arrow was allowed, and those not shooting wood arrows were playing just for fun. However, the winner that was shooting woodies got half the pot or a really cool "war" arrow that someone donated (1000 grains, 100# spine, this thing was a LOG!). Ten targets placed in very tough, brushy areas broke more than a few arrows. I was shooting carbons, but managed to shoot all ten targets, including the steel plate potato and sheriff which demolished my arrow. Lots of laughs on this course, you can bet I'll be playing this again!

Although the chances of any of the vendors chancing by here and reading this, I do want to thank the ones I can think of off the top of my head for showing up and for the conversation! I enjoyed meeting all of you!
-Archery Past
-Grizzly Bows
-Whispering Wind Arrows
-Spirit Longbows
-Knives By Victor
-Camp Chef
-And there were several more that I just can't think of off the top of my head, but thank you for coming, the event wouldn't have been as successful without you there!

Wow, so much packed into such a short amount of time. I took 70 or so photographs, so be sure to check out the slide show below!

Thanks for reading!

Been Busy

I have been busy these last couple weeks, fishing, shooting my new bow, working on the never-ending boat project and generally spending my time outdoors as much as I can.

In the next few days I'll be posting about the:

-Western States Traditional Rendezvous
-Centaur longbow review
-Bluegill fishing, along with a fantastic recipe
-Boat update
-Bowfishing for carp
-Axe sheath

So I hope you tune in, I plan to get it all done before school starts back up next week.

Thanks for reading!

Swan Falls

My Dad and I went on an impromptu fishing trip to the nearby Swan Falls dam area on the Snake River in search of a new fishing area. Although it was only one hour fifteen minutes away, neither of us had been there before and what a day to explore! Hardly a cloud in the sky, nice and warm at 70*, and a nice breeze every once in a while.

We got skunked though, due in large part because of the high water and not having any knowledge of where to go. The reservoir is a long, skinny and (relatively) not very deep body of water. We choose to fish the slack water just downstream from the dam. The banks are mostly choked with brush so back casting was mostly non existant and the channel became very deep very quickly so our options were limited. We decided to call it a day with no bluegill, no bass, no trout, and no carp in our creels. We figure the river portion would be much more fishable in August and plan to be back.

The drive in to the area took us through farmland, high desert (populated by a huge population of whistle pigs/ gophers), and all of the sudden the desert floor opens up into this massive gaping slash. The road down into the floor of the canyon hugs the wall and is, simply put, spectacular.

We saw loads of hawks, a vulture, this bluebelly skink lizard, a couple carp jumping, rabbits, marmots, whistle pigs, ravens, and redwing blackbirds.

In between homework

... and finals I have been exploring a couple things. Having been motivated by other blogs I have dug up a couple websites on Otzi the iceman. One is on clothing and equipment and the other is the actual Otzi museum.

I also "found" a couple schools with interesting classes. Scouting, bowmaking, flintknapping, traditional living and others are found at Practical Primitive. Slightly more geared to the military is onPoint Tactical, but they still have several courses that look like a hoot!

Next week is finals week, then I have three weeks off. I have several posts in the planning stage, as well as some fun adventures outdoors, but I most likely won't be getting anythiing posted until then (so have no fear, rumors of my death will be very premature).

Thanks for reading.

Camelback funk

I don't remember where I picked up this gem but I have been using it for more than year now and it seems to work really well.

After I use my camelback (or other hydration bladder) I clean it out and throw in a couple plastic practice golf balls. They effectively spread the plastic apart and allow it to dry properly. I picked up the golf balls from the dollar store and happened to have them before I saw the tip.

Backpacking wok.... 鑊

Many moons ago I bought a backpacking wok off the big auction site. It was terrific! The curved sides made cleaning easy, and could cook or boil anything in it that I wanted to.

The only downsides were a little more weight and not having a stable base to set it on. I solved the instability by placing three fist sized rocks on the ground and using those as a tripod of sorts.

If memory serves me right it was between 10 and 12 inches in diameter.

I ended up giving it away to a friendly backpacker I met in Joshua Tree National Park.

I have done some searching, but I can't seem to find something similar enough to justify giving it a try.

Anyone know where I can find one? It must have a long handle, not two short ones.

Bowfishing boat

I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on the "carp-e diem" bowfishing-flyfishing boat this last month, but it is coming along slowly and surely.

Several times I have had to solve problems simply because the plans I have are pretty simple, in many cases just the flat measurements.

The gunnels and chines were made of laminated slats of the 1/4 plywood instead of hardwood. That has taken quite a bit more time than if I had made them from hardwood, simply because I have to custom make each part four times.

Quite obviously I am still lacking one critical aspect of any good ship. The floor of the boat, a "deck" in proper sailor speak.

Once I get the deck installed in the next week or so all I will have left is the seat and the "knees" in the corners.

I am still debating on what finish I am going to use. I am leaning on chalking all the joints and an epoxy lacquer deck finish. I don't anticipate having the boat in the water for any longer than a day at a time, so I shouldn't need to go overboard on the finish.

"Survival Knife"

I am sure that like a lot of you I have always been intrigued by the whole "survival knife" concept. Ever since the original Rambo movie the hollow handle survival knife hasn't been hard to find. Unfortunately, in a "survival" situation, these knives would not last. I remember pretty vividly the summer festival when my parents finally gave in to my wants and let me purchase one of those made in China-plastic handle-with the saw back survival knives. With the compass on the top, loaded with three matches, some fishing line, hooks, sinkers and the saw inside the handle, it had the sharpener on the front of the pleather sheath. I went for the black instead of the camo...

I also remember in sharp detail the day I was cutting with it and it broke. Two pretty much worthless pieces. A blade with nothing to hold onto and a handle with no reason to be held.

But the concept has stayed with me. I am a four inch blade kind of guy, but a while back I bought a Cold Steel Bushman knife, well over my usual limit for blades I am interested in. But, at about $20, the price is nice. I bought it on that big auction site, sight unseen. I had only seen pictures of one side of the knife and I thought the handle could be sealed, but it ends up, it is just rolled. This isn't really a biggie, since I can still stuff gear inside the handle. I also had a Spec-Ops "navigator" sheath. It has a large pocket on the front... just right for some more "survival" gear.

Priorities during a survival situation are shelter, warmth, water and way down on the list is food. I think my kit covers all the bases.

Rope, snare wire, lighter, matches and a small ferro rod-magnesium stick combo, tinfoil (usefull for cooking, heat reflection, boiling water), a smaller knife for small work, a whistle, compass and flashlight combo (although I do not think a flashlight is "survival gear"), a small fishing kit, a feew safety pins, some rubber bands, a chunk of fire lighting wood-wax, and a ziplock bag for carrying water.

It all weighs about one pound.

Do I carry it into the woods with me? No. But it is an interesting concept, and one I enjoyed putting together just for a nastalgic ride.

New bow!

Holy smokes! The nicest looking bow that I have ever laid eyes on arrived at my doorstep today! I have coveted a Centaur longbow for several years now, ever since I first met Jim Neaves, bowyer extraordinaire, several years ago at a Traditional Expo West. Especially in traditional archery/ bowhunting circles, different types of bows, woods and bowyers speak to different folks and Jim's bows have spoken to me ever since I first shot one. I am going to save the actual review until I can get out for an evening of shooting, but I thought I'd tease you a little with the specs and a couple pictures.

58"AMO, 60#@26", very nice, dark cocobollo riser, extremely cool juniper limbs with a bamboo core. Stipped grip with a 6 point elk shed, a Centaur first.