A little fishing and a lot of flashing

Flashing, as in photography, of course!  Chris bought me a great new camera for Christmas and I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to learn how to use it at some of our favourite fishing spots.  Today the three of us headed for the Gold River, long before the crack of dawn.  We have never had much luck on this River but the stunning scenery, remote locations and third-party tales of beautiful Steelhead keep us returning year after year.  The day was a chilly -5. The frosty trees and occasional sunny breaks gave me some great opportunities to see what the camera could do.  We tried 5 different spots on the River and although I wet my hook at each one, I was a little more focused on the camera this trip.  The boys valiantly threw combinations of gooey bobs, artificial worms, trout beads and some special Chris-concoctions, but alas the fish won out this time.  So, instead of pictures of beautiful fish, I give you pictures of the beautiful surroundings and my fishing buddies.

                                          

                                 

                                  

                                

                                   

                                   

Gnocchi with Prawns and Brown Butter

Time for a new prawn recipe.  I recently began making home made gnocchi and these little potato dumpling go so well with prawns, and of course prawns go so well with butter. A perfectly heavenly dish.  

Making gnocchi is a little time consuming, but the process is pretty simple. I find that using left over mashed potatoes that have been refrigerated for at least 24 hours is the best.  They are nice and dry, but flavoured well.  Put 1/2 cup of flour on the counter, next add 2 cups mashed potato and make a well in the centre.  Crack an egg into the well and then add 1/2 cup flour.  Use your hands to mix everything together into a loose dough.

Knead the dough for a minute or two, adding a little more flour if it is too sticky, and form a ball.  Take a small amount of the dough and roll out a long rope.  Cut into inch long pieces.

Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water.  They are done when they rise to the top, this only takes 1-2 minutes.  

To make the sauce, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large non stick fry pan and add a chopped small onion and a chup of chopped mushrooms (I have also made this with asperagus or peas).  Cook low for 10-15 minutes until the butter begins to brown, stirring often.  Add raw prawns, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.

 Add cooked gnocchi, 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill and salt & pepper to taste.  Toss together to coat gnocchi.

Tea and Flies

Sending out 2013 the way we welcomed it.

Chris and I spend New Years Eve day fishing in our favourite Steelhead spot on the Stamp River.  This section of the river closes January 1st so we wanted to give it one last try.  No steelhead today but a few Coho were caught and Chris caught a nice little Cutthroat Trout.  It was an absolutely gorgeous west coast winter day and we had a great time.

This is the video link to the Cutthroat Chris caught.  He was a pretty one!

http://youtu.be/VogZDSE6JzY

Coho

First outing with the new GoPro Hero.  Still editing the longer fish catching video, but here is a look at a Coho near the shore of the Stamp River.

Absentee blogger but still fishing!

I have been very negligent blogging our fishing adventures but some new camera toys and new fishing gear should inspire me to begin posting with more regularity.  Here are some pictures of a few recent trips as a quick catch up so I can start fresh with the next adventure.

Steelheading 

Pinks

Chinook

Crabs!

Trout

Steelhead season has begun

Yesterday we went on a Steelhead hunt down the Stamp River with Ian 'The Rambling Fisherman'. The day started out sunny and clear as we cruised the upper portion of the river. We tried a number of spots but finding the elusive steelhead among the thousands of Springs was no easy task. I hooked into a few old boys, and one of these hookups ended in a dramatic comedy of errors that is typical of a day on the river for Chris and I. There was a rod overboard, a rod rescue, the release of a monster Spring! And a sudden torrential downpour within minutes. All this was accomplished with the good humour and nerves of steel of our guide.
Shortly after this episode Chris quickly hooked up one monster steelhead and then another. It was his lucky day as both were Hatchery males! We played a few other Steelies that day but these two beauties were the only ones landed.








To save face I will add a picture of my first Coho, caught a couple of weeks ago (on a day Chris was skunked). So I am calling us 'tied' for Stamp trips this year. We are heading out again tomorrow morning to see who will be victorious!