Catfish Fried Rice??

I hope you all are having a great week. I am a Friday person myself and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere that Friday bring with it. The hopes for an amazing weekend whether on the water or just relaxing with friends and/or family. It's the anticipation.
As many of you may know I have 6 children (and a grandpie) and it has become apparent that the older 3 are going to have no problem cooking for themselves and some darn fine meals at that. I actually look forward to visiting them when they are old enough to live on their own and grandma and grandpa come to visit. I suspect the meals will be AMAZING.
We have an extremely large amount of catfish in our freezer and unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be) my wife and 2 of my daughters do not like fish. So my sons and 2 of my daughters and of course myself can eat all we like. I personally love fried fish but let's be honest there is only so much fried food a person eat before they start saying to themselves "you know I bet we could do more with this". With that in mind my son came to me this week and said "hey dad you know how we got all that fish in there? I want to try something". So I was totally on board and was actually looking forward to what he might do with it.
As a little background info about me. I love, LOVE, Chinese food. Even bad Chinese food is a good option if you are not sure what to feed me. You know those times when you say to your significant other "hey where should we go out to eat" and then they say "I don't care (which is a lie)" so you start listing things and with each suggestion out of your mouth they are like "nah, I don't feel like that tonight". Well whenever this happens to me and my wife I have a list of Chinese restaurants on queue and we usually end up at one of them.
So I am sitting in my office and my son walks in with a bowl of something that looks like we got it from a Chinese take-out joint. The bright orange colors of the carrots mixed with the bright yellow of scrambled egg and the light brown soy sauce tinted rice created a fragrance I can only describe as amazing. He said "I thought I would try something a little different." I can only remember the first bite as being well.... amazing because after that bite I do not remember anything else... maybe it was the soy sauce induced zombie state I was thrust into but I like to believe it was because I enjoyed the dish so much I tore into it as though it was the first plate of food I had been given after being stranded on an island for years. (have you ever fantasized about what it would be like to be stranded on an island for years and just wondered if you could survive .... eh maybe it's just me. let's move on...)
I could not get over how delicious the meal was. I asked how he prepared the fish and he explained that he had cut it up and sautéed it in soy sauce. From there he just made the fried rice as normal. (I will provide a few easy recipes below if you are interested.)
The whole experience got me to thinking about how many times we get stuck in the rut of doing the same thing over and over for no real reason other than the fact that it is easy and we already know how to do those things.
I personally believe "If you are not learning new thing then you are just waiting to die." and I am not ready to die. Yes I know Jesus as my lord and savior and yes I have done the best I could/can to be the best friend, father and husband I can be but I am just not ready to go yet. ya'll know what I mean I am sure.
Even as I am writing this it occurs to me that the principle of continuing to grow and learn and "step outside the box" applies heavily in fishing as well. One of the first things you learn when you are serious about fishing is to continue changing your game, your presentation even your bait until you find what works and what works today may not work tomorrow. This may be one of the reasons I love fishing so much, today is not the same as yesterday and tomorrow will not be today.

Thank you for reading, cast a big net and keep tight lines.
Until next week.

Catfish fried rice
- Jacub Bass

1. 1 Medium onion (we don't use onion but I know some do)
2. 4 to 6 ounces catfish cut into bite-size pieces
3. 1 can of mixed vegetables
4. 2 large eggs, beaten
5. 4 tablespoons soy sauce
6. some soy sauce and teriyaki (for sautéing the catfish).
7. 4 cups minute rice.

1. Saute Catfish in soy sauce and teriyaki until done (flaky). place to the side.
2. Cook minute rice as normal.
3. if you choose to use onion you can do this 2 different ways either mix the onion raw in step 4 or sauté the onion in butter first (however you like your onion is perfect for this).
4. Combine rice, catfish and mixed veggies (and onion if you choose) in a sauce pan. Mix in the soy sauce.
5. Create a small hole in the middle of the mixture and scramble the 2 eggs. Once they are scrambled to your liking mix the entire mixture together and remove from heat.
6. Enjoy

* For as many fisher there are out there, there are as many way to fry fish as well. this is the way I do it;

Fried Fish:

1. large eggs beaten (you can add buttermilk to the eggs for an added touch of flavor)
2. 1-2 cups of cornmeal (I like the buttermilk cornmeal myself). or Flour if you don't like cornmeal.
3. 4 to 5 good size fillets (the size of the fillets should be determined by the size of your fryer).
4. Enough to oil to cover your fillets while cooking. everyone has their choice of the best oil to use, I use a heart smart veggie oil but any kind will work.

1. Coat your fillet in the egg mixture.
Note!! if you use buttermilk in your egg mixture the final product will be a light shade of off white when complete.
2. Place the coated fillet in the cornmeal or flour mixture and gentle shake until the fillet is well coated. **Let this sit for a few minutes to allow the flour or cornmeal to stick.
3. Heat oil to 375 degrees before placing your fillet in. if it too cold the fillet will be soggy and um... yuck. if it too hot it will cook the outside and the middle will still be raw ... yuck as well.
once the fillet tarts to float it is almost done. watch carefully at this point for the fillet to begin to turn golden brown and she is done.
4. Place fillet on paper towel and lightly salt if you so choose.
5. Enjoy.

Hush puppies:

1. 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal
2. 1/2 flour
3. 1/2 tsp baking soda
4. 1 small onion diced (I substitute celery as I do not like onion)
5. 1 cup buttermilk
6. 1 egg beaten
7. Enough to oil to cover your hush puppies while cooking.

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2. Spoon out the amount of mixture you would like and gently place on hot oil and fry to a golden brown. make sure you turn the Hush puppies to allow even cooking.

3. Place on paper towel.  

4. Enjoy

Please share any recipes you may have, as well, in the comment section below.

To Dad

I would like to dedicate this post to all the fathers that take their children fishing or attend all those baseball games or .... whatever you do to spend time with your sons and daughters to teach and bond with them, this IS not about fishing, this is about being DAD.

For as long as I can remember whenever my dad went fishing I was going with him. Unless he was going with a friend and there was only minimal space I was right next to my father on the bank or in the boat. at times we would joke and carry on other times he would yell or get frustrated because I was not listening or paying attention. I annoyed him, I frustrated him but we built memories and lessons together.

At age 10 I told my mother I didn't like fishing with dad, this was for 2 reasons; 1. he got quite upset when I would make mistakes. He had a short temper. but most of all 2. I got bored really fast with throwing my line out and doing nothing (I had/have ADHD, but this was before they had heard of such a thing). I was definitely a handful and then some.

Now for those of you who are bleeding hearts, you can relax my father never beat me black and blue or locked me in ... anything. He was not abusive he just had a short fuse and apparently I was the human torch :).

Please let me take a minute for those who were abused, I am truly sorry that happened to you and I hope you realize that it was not your fault. That person has/had issues of their own that they chose to take out on you. This post is not meant to make light of that behavior. It is wrong, It is discusting and you have the opportunity to teach your children a different path.

Ok so the next time I am out with my dad he sits me down and says "listen I understand you don't like going fishing with me anymore, is that true?" so I explained that I just didn't like sitting doing nothing and trying to be quiet (because making noise scares the fish off). So he kinda smiled and said "ok, I'm gonna teach you something new today". I cannot give exact details of how that day went (it was, after all, over 30 years ago) but he taught me how to bass fish and it changed my view of fishing. Of course we always have/had lines out for catfish but I enjoy the constant moving of bass fishing (and Crappie fishing isn't that much off).

Over the years I have caught as many tree limbs as fish, broken my line and had to have dad fix it, run a fishes fin threw one finger and into the next. Although he may not have been the most patient about it, he was there and now we laugh about it as I am bringing up my own little crew of children.

I have 6 children and a grandbaby and I love each and everyone with every bit of my heart. I get impatient with them, I have been know to yell (ok a lot) but we all have fun and laugh and have great times with each other and together. I have laughed with them and cried with them and they are all my favorite (it just depends on who's asking the question).

My very favorite thing about my father now is that he and my oldest son are best friends (and my youngest son is right behind him). They hang out (even when I am not there), work on cars, fish and talk to each other.

My dads strength is not what it use to be and it makes it difficult for him to get in and out of the boat (and a few other things) and I tend to get very frustrated about the time it takes him to do things. This weekend while we were out on the lake I got frustrate and made a comment about getting out of the boat and he said something to me about feeling useless. Now I would not share this with you all (as that seems a very raw and sensitive thing to say, especially to your son) but the comment really hit me hard. I have never really seen my dad as useless, I have never felt that way toward him so it never occurred to me that he might feel this way. I will not go into the details of what he and I spoke about on the way home. Dad (mine and yours and you) you are not and never will be worthless, you spent your earlier years teaching me and now I can pass that on to my children. because of you I can exercise discipline over myself, because of you I can put food on my table when times are tough and even when they aren't, because of you I know who I am I know who Jesus is and I know why that makes a difference, because of you ... I CAN....

- Grandpas please relax and let your offspring do for you, you did plenty for us when we couldn't now it's our time to give back.
- Fathers respect and honor your dads one dad you will be in his shoes. be patient as he once had to be with you. If you don't have that to look back on then give it to your sons' and daughters be patient with them teach them in love and gentleness do not be their friends be their fathers (you will have time to friends later).
- Grandsons pay attention to what both of these men are trying to show you. One day you will not have the opportunity to ask anymore questions but you will need to pass these on to your children. and for pete's sake watch what's going on around you!!

Thank you for reading, cast a big net and keep tight lines.
Until next week.

***On a completely different note:

I am considering doing a series called "Guides of Truman Lake" wherein I will go out with guides from the Truman lake area and basically interview them. The idea is to increase exposure to those men and woman that make their living off the waters many of us take for granted. If you believe you would be interested in such a series please comment below. This may turn into "Guides of Missouri" if I do a series on the guides for Smithville Lake and such.

This weekend Cody Vannatten of Cody bait and tackle (and a guide on the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake) had a fund raiser for a friend (I do not believe I am liberty to give details so I will let him explain if he so chooses). They offered baked good and some AMAZING BBQ for donations. Below are a few pictures and I believe they are still taking donations if you can help.

Trying our luck (really trying actually)

Trying our luck (really trying actually)

I hope all my faithful readers have had a profitable 2 weeks. I apologies for not having posted a blog last week but I was in a state of self reflection <as it were>, you will understand if you continue reading.... :)

So on Sunday the 24th we (my dad, my son and I decided that we didn't want to take the trek to Truman Lake (our home away from home in the summer), so we decided to head to lake a little closer to home. I have been fishing Smithville lake for as long as I have Truman lake (read my previous blog) and tend to refer to Smithville as "Little Truman", I have caught many many fish from Smithville lake, everything from catfish to drum to crappie. So knowing the spawn was on I really wanted to hit this lake to test out my new found knowledge and understanding.

I have to stop here and thank my FB groups for all of the great knowledge I have gathered just from reading the posts everyday, I have learned more about crappie and catfishing in the last year than I have in my entire life combined, you guys are awesome and always willing to share your knowledge (as long as we don't ask where exactly you caught that fish :)) I would like to especially thank 4 guys that have really changed my game on the water Dan Huff, Jeff Faulkenberry, Cody Vannattan and Nate Daniels. All the guys on our groups are incredibly helpful and a fount of useful info but these 4 guys go out of their way to assist and provide tips whenever others get stuck. Thank you guys keep doin' what you're doing it is truly appreciated. 

Now back to the story... 
My father has never been a big fan of Smithville lake, he doesn't dislike it but in his words; "I've just never caught much out there is all". Challenge accepted. I tend to look at a lake and pick out bridges right off as I have found they produce really well. I am sure there are a lot of very good reasons for this but I won't go into that part. I also happen to know that there are a ton of MDOC (Missouri Dept. of Conservation) placed fish attractors and beds throughout Smithville. So we pulled out of the dock around 7am and headed directly to the bridge. This turned out to be a very good idea. I was fishing with minnow tipped jigs and I noticed many fish running about 10ft. down so I cast my jig out, count to 8 or 9 and begin reeling .... bam the bite was on. After the 5th fish we pulled in, in about 15 minutes, my dad said "ok guys I'm a believer" and we continued this way for a good portion of the morning. Many of the fish we caught were to small to keep but we ended up cleaning 17 fish even though we probably reeled in about 3 times that many.
But my catch isn't really what this weeks blog is about.

Today I want to talk about the laws and appropriate behavior on the lake.
As we were fishing a boat began to bear down on us and for a few minutes we all 3 believed they were going to ram right into us, just at the right time the boat turned sharply and as it approached us we could see that the 2 men were wearing MDOC uniforms. They asked us how the fishing was going and who was catching the most fish etc. and to be honest they were very friendly. They asked to see our Fishing licenses and I showed them my lic. using the MDOC app (This app has your legal fishing lic. and it is very convenient. It is strange that they called it "MO Hunting" but it makes it very easy to buy your license and have a copy at all times). Unfortunately they could not find my son's lic. on the app or in their system. My son had bought his lic. on the way and had a text from his bank to show that he had paid for it so the officer told him to make sure he contacted the MDOC office on Monday and clear it up. They then took a look in the live well and measured a few fish (we don't keep anything under 10in. anyway so we were good). Then they told us something that blew our minds. The officer then asked if we had all caught them and just tossed them in the live well to which we responded to the affirmative. He then told us that we Must either keep our catch separate from the other fisherman on the boats catches or have a way to specifically identify our catches against one of the other guys on the boat.
At first I thought he was teasing us, then I thought that is the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard until he explained the reason. See apparently once you have caught your limit you're not supposed to help the rest of the guys on the boat catch theirs. I had never ever heard that but I suppose that makes sense. He gave us some great tips on how to follow this law by clipping left or right fins with each person having a designated fin to be clipped. The 3rd guy then does not have to clip anything and knows those are his.
The officers went on their way and the three of us marveled at the many ways such a rule could be skirted without anyone being the wiser .... but I digress. We are not interested in poaching or lying about our catches so we took the rule to heart and I clipped left for my son, right for my dad and no clipping for mine.
The point I want to make is:
1. Not all of the MDOC Officers are or feel a need to be arsholes about their job and actually most that I have met are extremely cool and understanding. They are more interested in protecting our resources than catching bad guys but when the 2 duties cross you bet you will be cited for it.
2. Know the rules, if they had been so incline they could have written us a ticket and it would have been our own fault. It is our job as fisherman to understand what the rules are.

We had completed our fishing for the day and had a proud mess of 17 Crappie over the 10in mark so we decided to take the boat over to the main marina and clean our fish. This was an amazingly BAD idea for 2 reasons. #1 we used far more gas driving over there than we need to. and the 2nd reason leads me to my final story and one of the most important lessons I have ever learned on the water.
We pulled into the dock and I asked the young lady at the marina where the nearest bathroom was. She pointed up a hill and I knew there was no way I was going to make that. I stepped out to where the boats were slipped, found a secluded spot, looked around to make sure no one was watching and relieved myself off of the pier. My son was already at the fish cleaning station and we began cleaning the fish to complete our day.

My father was in his seat and ready to depart, I was in the drivers seat with the motor running and my son was reaching down to pull the final rope so we could leave when..... yes... you already know don't you?..... up walks a SGT from Missouri Water Patrol. He has his ticket book out and was ready to write a ticket... it was a done deal.... so he says to us "I understand that one of you guy had relieved yourselves off of one of the piers down here and I am just wondering which one of you guys had done that?" I instantly knew there was no trying to avoid the inevitable so I simple stated that it was me and that I could not make it up the hill so it was either off the pier of in my pants. He kinda smiled but he said "Listen I came down here to write you a ticket and I probably should but since you were honest about it I will let you go with a warning" and he took my information. He then explained that if anyone had seen us (other than the person who had reported it) we could be looking at indecent exposure or if it had been a child that we could be charged with sexual misconduct or the like and asked that we be careful to find a bathroom the next time we are out in the open like this. You can bet I will.

On the way back to our dock I found myself getting more and more upset but with each wave of fury I felt, it continued to occur to me that this was actually my fault. He was doing his job, the job "we pay him to do" and if my daughter had been with me, and we had seen that, I would not be happy about it. So to all of you that have ever been on the water and seen a guy peeing off of his boat or the bank or whatever, I just want to say, for me, I apologize.

We will be returning to Smithville very soon and look forward to all it has to offer but if you choose to head out there please, please make sure you have all your stuff together and have a way to relieve yourself discreetly. It's our job, it our responsibility to know the laws and respect one another while on the water.

Thank you for reading, cast a big net and keep tight lines.
Until next week.