1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. I'm your host, Brent Rieves 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: my stories and the country skills that will help you 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: beat the system. This Country Life is proudly presented as 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: outdoor podcast. 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 2: The airways have to offer. 9 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: All right, friends, pull you up a chair or drop 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: that tailgate. I think I got a thing or two 11 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: the teacher. Brim fishing. Brim Fishing is an absolute hoot, 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: and when you're done fishing, the best part is still ahead. 13 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: When I'm shooting ducks, even after I've shot a limit, 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: I always want one more group. 15 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 2: To work in the decoys. 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Fifteen minutes after the gobbler stop flopping. I want to 17 00:00:59,120 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: do it all over. 18 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. 19 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: A successful elk, deer or bear hunt, it's the same. 20 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: I'm kind of sad it's over. I love it, and 21 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: eating all those critters is a definite reward. But catching 22 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: a mess of brim man, while it is as fun 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: as a bush of basket full of puppies, catching brim 24 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: and eating a mess of those jokers is my absolute 25 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: favorite I'm gonna tell you how easy it is for 26 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: you to enjoy this, and it's one of the best 27 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,759 Speaker 1: ways to spend time with your family and friends. And 28 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: you get to eat. But first, I'm gonna tell you 29 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: a story. Located in south central Cleveland County, Arkansas, and 30 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: four miles north northeast of our house was Crane's Lake, 31 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: a small ox bowl lake formed eons ago when the 32 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: planets aligned and the heavens gave birth to the perfect 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: blue gill brim Factory and the Canary Hole. Oh well, 34 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: it was the perfect spot on the perfect lake. We 35 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: named it after the small, brightly colored yellow birds that 36 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: we called canaries. They lived all over that lake during 37 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: the summer. Later I would learn their real name is 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: prothonotary warbler. Ben Batten would call them Prodenaria citria. Ben's 39 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,119 Speaker 1: my friend and the assistant director of the Arkansas Game 40 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: and Fish He's got a master's degree in animal smart ology. 41 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,639 Speaker 1: He's hander than a pocket on a shirt, and he's 42 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: always grading my pronunciations of the Latin names for animals. 43 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: Last week he scored me eight out of ten on 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 1: the bullfrog. Anyway, these pretty little bright yellow birds with 45 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: the dark wings spend their summers mostly in the eastern 46 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: half of the United States, and the winter in Mexico, Cuba, 47 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: and South America. If I had wings, believe I would too. 48 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 2: Well. 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: That summer in nineteen seventy eight, there seemed like a 50 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: gillion of them around the edge of the lake, concentrated 51 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: particularly on the east side. It was within easy paddling 52 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: distance of the dirt boat ramp where we'd lost our boat, 53 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: and always the starting point of where we liked to fish. 54 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: Our plan was to fill our brim basket with supper, 55 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: armed with nothing more than a john boat, a couple 56 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: of fly rods, and two buckets of crickets. Spring rains 57 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: had caused an overflow of water from the Slain River 58 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: that filled the slews and boughs beyond capacity. Now, when 59 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: the water goes down, that rich fertile bottom land and 60 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: the soil and the nutrients found within them always to 61 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: make the summer lake fishing better by boosting the growth 62 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: of all the critters and what they fed on within 63 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: the confines of the lake, especially bluegills. I sat in 64 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: the back of the boat and watched my dad paddle 65 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: us across that lake, and the air was slapped full 66 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: of those yellow birds and the sweet sounds that they 67 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: were singing. As we fished down the east bank, the 68 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: bites were few and far between until we reached the 69 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: area that would be remembered and talked about for the 70 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: rest of my father's life. There were four or five 71 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: dead sweet gum trees that stood at the water's edge. 72 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: The trees have been dead for several years, making some 73 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: real good fish structure. The snags that were left standing 74 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: had been the home of countless woodpeckers over the years, 75 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: and the canaries had taken advantage of it and were 76 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: nesting in every available hole. They were everywhere and buzzing 77 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: all around us. Dad dropped his cricket near one of 78 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: the tree tops and his cork disappeared immediately. He pulled 79 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: him in, and we were surprised at how big he was. 80 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,679 Speaker 1: He tied his end of the boat, rebaited and caught 81 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: another one before I could get my end tied. He 82 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: pulled in his third fish before I finally got my 83 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: hook in the water, and no ciner had the slack 84 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: gone out of my line. I was taking the line 85 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: back in and catching my own big blue gill. The 86 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: canaries sang and flew around under our boat, and huge 87 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: brim continued to bite. With every fish we pulled out 88 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: of the water, another one would take its place. It 89 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 1: was like they were fighting amongst themselves for a chance 90 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,039 Speaker 1: to eat crickets. Taking them off the hook and dropping 91 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 1: them in the brim basket that hung over the side 92 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: of the boat was repeated until fish would no longer 93 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: fit in that basket. It was constant, and it didn't 94 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: last an hour. All the brim we'd caught seemed to 95 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: have been made from the same mold. They were the 96 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: biggest dash that he'd ever seen, and it only took 97 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: fifty five to fill that basket. Putting my thumb on 98 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: his back, keeping that dorsal fin locked down in my 99 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 1: fingers under his belly, I could barely hold one secure 100 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: enough to take off the hook. That's how big they were. 101 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 2: Now. 102 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: I don't know how many we could have caught that day, 103 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: there's no telling, but when number fifty five hit and 104 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: filled that basket, they were still biting as hard and 105 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: fast as they had. 106 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 2: When number one went in there. 107 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: We went home clean fish froze b we wasn't going 108 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 1: to eat that night, and had one more good supper, fish, 109 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: fri tators, fresh onion, and hush pubbish man. I can 110 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: taste it right now. The next day we went back 111 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: to the Canary Hole, but it wasn't nearly as good 112 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: as it was the first day. 113 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 2: It never is. 114 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: Sequels seldom surpassed, are even equal the original. It's hard 115 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: to catch lightning in a bottle twice. And even though 116 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: the original cast of Canary Hole, Brent and Buddy Reeves, 117 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: had returned for a Canary Hole too, it just wasn't 118 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: the same. Instead of filling the basket with fifty five, 119 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: it took fifty six. 120 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 2: And that's just how that happened. 121 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: Now. I'd run into a few folks through the years 122 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: that liked to fish, whole bunch of folks, I'd have 123 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: to say, and we'd get to talking about what we 124 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: like to fish for. 125 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 2: And I like to fish for just about anything that swims. 126 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 1: And that asked me what my favorite was, and I 127 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: tell them brimfishing some but never had the opportunity to 128 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: brim fish. And others were somewhat dismissive of it, like 129 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: it was a waste of their time or beneath them. 130 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: And I don't know that I'd let those folks borrow 131 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: a drink of water. How could you look down on 132 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: the greatest tasting fish that ever swum a swim? Name 133 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: something that you like to eat, and give me the 134 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: choice of that or fried brim, and I'm gonna pick 135 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: brim every time. 136 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: I could eat it every day. 137 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: But before we eat them, let's talk a little more 138 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: in depth by what we're fishing for. Bluegill, brim, green 139 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: sunfish also known as rice paddy, slicks, red ear sunfish. 140 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: That's the government brim. They didn't invent them, but they 141 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,119 Speaker 1: were preferred in the early stocking efforts around the South 142 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: and earn that moniker. The last one is the brightly 143 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: orange colored long eared sunfish known as the punkin seeds. 144 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: They're all sunfish and in the sun charcoty family of fish. 145 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: Locally we call them all brim. And our favorites that 146 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: we target to catch and eat are blue gills and 147 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: punkin seeds now red ears they grow the biggest, followed 148 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: by blue gills and then the slicks, and in the 149 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: punkin seeds. The punkin seeds they are the absolute fiercest eaters. 150 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: They nearly always hit your bait like they're starving and 151 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: pull way beyond what you'd think. I've always said that 152 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: if they weigh a pound, they'd crawl out on the 153 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: bank and take over the world. Get a little current 154 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: in the river when you're catching them, and you'll think 155 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: you're about to set some kind of record, And then 156 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: you pull up a fish that you could lay in 157 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: one hand and cover it up with the other. They're fighters, 158 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: and they taste so good. Now during the early summer 159 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: here in Arkansas, you'll find them bedding up to lay 160 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: eggs in groups called brim beds or colonies. The male 161 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: fish will go to the bottom and dig out a 162 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,600 Speaker 1: divid about the size of a fat hit pitching wedge. 163 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 1: The female will swim by, checking out the new digs 164 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: and hang around for a little light cording with love 165 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: figuratively in the air and literally in the water. She'll 166 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: drop off anywhere from twelve to sixty thousand eggs and vamoose, 167 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: leaving the house and the young's for Pappy to look after. 168 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 2: That have for ought to be ashamed. 169 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: The good thing is all his single dad. Next door 170 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: neighbors are doing the same thing, literally next door. The 171 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: whole cul de sac is a literal donny brook a fisticuffs. 172 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: That colony can host dozens of beds, and all the 173 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: fathers are in town duking it out with anything and 174 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: everything that tries to get in there and snatch the 175 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: babies out of the crib. Now, that's when you find 176 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: them bedding up and the bites are so aggressive. That's 177 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: what will shake it down at the Canary Hole when 178 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: me and Dad were stacking fish in that brim basket. 179 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: Like cord wood, they don't cotton the trespassers and will 180 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: square up with just about anything until they run it off, 181 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 1: eat it, or eat eats them. I know of three 182 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: ways to find them that are successful. First, let's narrow 183 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: it down where we're gonna find our potential bed in areas. 184 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: Go to the shep, usually near the edge of the bank, 185 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: out to as much as twenty feet deep. My experience 186 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: has found that anywhere from three to six feet is 187 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: pretty normal. Now, I'll talk about the two old school 188 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: methods that we've used over the years. The third one 189 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: is a cool way to do it, and it will 190 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: get you on the fish quicker, especially if you're fishing 191 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: in an unfamiliar area or time is a limiting factor 192 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: for your fishing trip. It's also more expensive by requiring 193 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: some equipment that wasn't issued to you at birth. Old 194 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:36,959 Speaker 1: school way number one, use your eyes. Just fish along 195 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: until you find them. If you come upon the spot 196 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: and see that your cricket supply is going down add 197 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: or near the same rate your basket is filling up, 198 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 1: stop the boat for you have arrived. If you think 199 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 1: back a few minutes to that Canary whole story, that's 200 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: how we did it. We started fishing down the edge 201 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: of the lake and weren't catching anything until all at 202 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: once we started loading. The number two is to use 203 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: your smeller, your probosis, your nose when conditions are optimal, 204 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 1: like little to know when you can actually smell and 205 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 1: pinpoint a brim bed. It's much harder when there's a breeze, 206 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: but you'll immediately know that you're in the right area. 207 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: If the wind's blowing, you'll just have to start drawing 208 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: the crickets till you find them. The fragrance is aromatic, subtle, 209 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: and it's not unpleasant at all. Some folks describe it 210 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: as having the fragrance of a fresh cut watermelon. Now 211 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: I can't argue against that. Description, but I can't say 212 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: I never thought to describe it that way. It smells 213 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 1: like we fished and to eat fish to me. My 214 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: dad pointed it out to me several times when I 215 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: was a kid, and I've never forgotten it. It's one 216 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: of those things that if you ever get it cataloged 217 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,719 Speaker 1: in you'll cranium, you'll immediately recognize it, regardless of how 218 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: long it is between encounters. It is there to stay. 219 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 1: The number three is one that I've never done, but 220 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: I've heard it about it and watch some real interesting 221 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: videos on YouTube demonstrating the technique. Side image and sonar 222 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: will give you a real time picture displayed on your 223 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: depth finder that you can watch as you crew slowly 224 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: along the bank looking for the neighborhood of brim beds. 225 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: The bottom will be slick as a whistle, and then 226 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: all at once you'll see a brim bed that looks 227 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: like little craters on your screens showing you where they are. 228 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: You can market it as a GPS point or float 229 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 1: close enough to drop off a marker buoy. Then you 230 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: need to back off a little bit and commence to 231 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: send it in the crickets to see if any single 232 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 1: dads are down there looking to run. Sometimes you can 233 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: even see the fish gardening the nest. It's pretty cool. 234 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: Coves and protected areas of lakes and slow moving portions 235 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,599 Speaker 1: of rivers are good places to start looking for beds. 236 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: The water temperature needs to be bumping close to seventy 237 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 1: degrees for the fish to start bedding. And if you 238 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 1: can add a full moon in that mix, I know 239 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: you better send somebody to the store for the You 240 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: what you're all about to load the boat? Okay, we 241 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: know what we're after, We know where and how to 242 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: find them. What were gonna catch them with? Now, if 243 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 1: you listened last week, you heard me say how inexpensive 244 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: it was to gig frogs. Well, catching the brim is 245 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: no different. You can cut your own pole, catch your 246 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 1: own bait, and fashion your own hooks from wire. Heck, 247 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: you could even make your own fishing line from thread. 248 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: You can catch brim from the bank or by waiting. 249 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: You don't need a boat. You could turn this into 250 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: an amazingly fun DIY project with the kids this summer, 251 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,959 Speaker 1: teaching them survival skills that are enjoyable, have them make 252 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: their own fishing rig, catch one, and then show them 253 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: how to cook it. They'd love it and it would 254 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: get them eyeballs off the video screen. Brim are just 255 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: about everywhere there's water, so accessibility can't be a reason 256 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: not to go. You just heard me say that you 257 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: don't need any money to do this, so what's stopping you? 258 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: If you look hard enough, you can always find a 259 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: reason not to do something, but brim fishing. 260 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:14,199 Speaker 2: Come on. 261 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: Here's my setup and I have two one I use 262 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: most of the time, and that's my fly rod. It's 263 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 1: a nine foot five weight made for fly fishing. Ideally, 264 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: a smaller three or four weight rod is better. They're 265 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: more limber and you can get a lot of good 266 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: action playing the fish after he's hooked. My setup has 267 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 1: a real spoon with fly line that matches the weight 268 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,040 Speaker 1: of my rod. If you're building your own rig, just 269 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: look at the weight listed on your rod and match 270 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: it with the package of line that it's indicated for. 271 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: It'll say on there, and believe it or not, it 272 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: makes a difference. I like floating line, and on the 273 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: end where my hook goes, I'll tie a leader line 274 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: that's marked appropriate for my fly line and real and 275 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: then add a short length to smaller line. Maybe two 276 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: pound test, and that's called tippet. Maybe I don't know, 277 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: three feet long, and that's where I'll tie my hook 278 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 1: and place my spit shot. Now, for years, I use 279 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: nothing but a small cork that had my leader threaded 280 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: through a hole in the middle and held in place 281 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: with a separate peg inserted in the same hole preventing 282 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: the cork from moving up and down. There's lots of 283 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: different styles of corks and bobbers, but they're all doing 284 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: the same job of maintaining your bait at a constant 285 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: depth and giving you a visual clue that your daily 286 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: limit is about to be reduced in number by one 287 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: more fish. I could do a whole podcast on different 288 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: types and styles of corks and bobbers, plastic foam, porcupine quills, 289 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: turkey feathers, There's all kinds of items that folks use. Also, 290 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: I don't want you fly fishing purists to be left out, 291 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: so I'll talk about strike indicators too. Well. Guess what, 292 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: mister fancy pants fly fishermen. The difference between a cork 293 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: and a strike indicator is the same difference between a 294 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: fiddle and a island. It's the cat using it. However, 295 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: I have a new favorite that I was recently introduced 296 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: to by my bar grease render brother and fly fishing guide, 297 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: josh Spielmaker. Y'all know josh it looks like he could 298 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: do stunts for Yukon coornelias with that red beard and 299 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: handlebar mustache so big it's got its own zip code. 300 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: But Joshua and I were flyfishing for trout recently and 301 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: he handed me an in line strike indicator. That's cork 302 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 1: for the rest of us, made by the folks at 303 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: Ouros Flyfishing. That's O r S Flyfishing. These folks are 304 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: based out of Montana, and as far as I'm concerned, 305 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: they have created the world's most perfect cork. It's a 306 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: two piece foam bobber that has a short threaded stud 307 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 1: on one side and a threaded hole on the other. 308 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,120 Speaker 1: The stud is slotted, and as luck would have it, 309 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: you just lay your line in that slot, put the 310 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: two halves together and tighten the side with a threaded hole. 311 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: Keep and you were lying straight, unkinked and held in 312 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: place with tension. Need to change depths. Just loosen the 313 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 1: whole side a bit and slide that unit to where 314 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: you want it and retighten. I'm convinced, without a shadow 315 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:15,919 Speaker 1: of a doubt that if we hadn't already gone to 316 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,880 Speaker 1: the moon, the Oiro Strike the Indicator design team could 317 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: get us there. Good job, folks, Now hooks. My dad 318 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: liked a long shank number eight wire hook, and I 319 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: do too. We fished around a lot of old tree 320 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,679 Speaker 1: tops and structure, and if you happened to snag a 321 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: limb or something solid on the bottom, nine times out 322 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,440 Speaker 1: of ten you could pull that hook and it was 323 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: straightened out enough to come loose. Then all you had 324 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: to do was re bend it and keep on fishing. 325 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: A stronger hook would dig in and you'd break your 326 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: line trying to free it up, or require you to 327 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: cut it off, losing your rigging. And while I was 328 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: retying my dad to be catching fish and keeping score, 329 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,679 Speaker 1: you can't be in the game sitting on the bench. 330 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: That long shank on the hook was easier to get 331 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: a hold of and remove from a fish then a 332 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,919 Speaker 1: shorter one too. Now all you need is a small 333 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: split shot, put it about two or three inches above 334 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: the hook, and you're ready to get busy giving them 335 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: brim the sore mouth. My other rig is an ultra 336 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,159 Speaker 1: light fishing rig with a spinning riel attached to a 337 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: five foot rod. It's easy to rig and cast accurately, 338 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: and it's fun to rill and fight those clowns to 339 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: the boat. Some folks will go with a jig pole. 340 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: It's up to nine feet. It's just whatever you want. 341 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: The advantage of being able to cast into a brim 342 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: bed instead of setting over it, especially if the fish 343 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: or shallow, will keep your boat further away from where 344 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: you're fishing, so you're not as likely to spook to 345 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: fish off. Now, the last method is the tried and 346 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: true cane pole. It's probably the image that most folks 347 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: have when brim fishing is mentioned. And I could build 348 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: a house and a good sized barn from all the 349 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: cane poles I made and fished with growing up. A 350 00:18:57,560 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: fella could use the tube before if that's all he had. 351 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: For that matter, you don't even need a rod, just 352 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: chunk of line with a baited hook out amongst them, 353 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: and well rope their little fannies in when they get 354 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 1: the chomping on your bait. It's so easy to catch them. 355 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: I wonder sometimes how we didn't catch them all, because 356 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 1: we sure tried. Now, we got a rod rigged up 357 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: and we were ready to fish except for one thing. 358 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 1: We need bait. You can use artificial or natural. Artificial 359 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 1: baits include brim flies, jigs, beetlespins, rooster tails, man. The 360 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,360 Speaker 1: list just goes on and on. They'll bite anything they 361 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:33,719 Speaker 1: think they can get the jaws around, even more so 362 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: if it's trespassing in their bed during the spawn. Oh yeah, 363 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: don't forget about gummy bears. My son was six years 364 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:43,439 Speaker 1: old and him and my dad were sitting on the 365 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: pond bank fishing one evening with a few crickets that 366 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,479 Speaker 1: was left over and eating gummy bears. He didn't take 367 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: them long to run out of crickets, but Hunter wasn't 368 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: ready to quit fishing, so he handed as grandpa gummy 369 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: bear and sit here, Paul put this on the hook. 370 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: Being a good grandpa. My dad did what Hunter asked, 371 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: and they caught fish with gummy bears until they were gone. 372 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 1: Dad said he didn't know who ate more of them, 373 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: the brim or the boy. Bait to taste good to 374 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: the fisherman too, well, that's a bonus. A few years later, 375 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: that boy and I were fishing on the White River, 376 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: with a guide. We were floating with the current for 377 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: a trout, using cooked shrimp for bait that the guide 378 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 1: had brought. And after a little bit, the guide gets 379 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,199 Speaker 1: to grumbling and digging around in the boat looking for 380 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,720 Speaker 1: that second bag of boill trimp, and he can't find it. 381 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,119 Speaker 1: I started helping him look under boat seats, in the 382 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: live well, behind the tackle boxes, everywhere, no luck. Finally 383 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: I told Hunter look under his seat and see if 384 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: that shrimp was there. Man, he looked at me like 385 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: he'd just been sentenced to life in front of a 386 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: B B gun fire squad. When he stood up, the 387 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: missing bag of bull trimp was located, and it was empty, 388 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: but natural bait. That's my favorite growing up here. It 389 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: was worms, crickets. Some folks would raise the worms in 390 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,679 Speaker 1: old chest type freezers or a junked out ice box 391 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,360 Speaker 1: laid on inside. My wife and kids, and probably most 392 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 1: of humanity would call that refrigerator. Anyway, You fill it 393 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: with dirt and meal scraps and cut a double handful 394 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: of worms loose in there, and they'll do their thing 395 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 1: making more bait. Me. 396 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 2: I prefer crickets. 397 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 1: They're less messy than worms, and boil those brim will 398 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: wear them out. Now, we'd stop by the bait shop 399 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:27,640 Speaker 1: and get a couple tubes of crickets, that's a hundred 400 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: crickets each, and. 401 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 2: Hit the lake of the river. 402 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: There's a million ways to put a cricket on a hook, 403 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: but there's only one right way. Catch one cricket out 404 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 1: of the bucket and looking at his back, job the 405 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: point of that hook under his shirt collar. That's his thorax, 406 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: which is right below his head, and run it through 407 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: his body that's his abdomen, and have the point just 408 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:51,160 Speaker 1: barely poking out of his exhaust pipe. You know what 409 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: that is. It's important that you only bring one cricket 410 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: out of the bucket at a time because he can 411 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:05,400 Speaker 1: get dangerous, dangerous. Check this out. Dad and I were 412 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: on Clean River one afternoon, after fishing most of the day, 413 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: soaking crickets till they plumb fell off the hook with 414 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 1: very few bites. We were fishing for our supper or 415 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: we'd already quit. We were running low on bait, and 416 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: all of a sudden we started smashing the brim. Those 417 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 1: big fat rascals, squirters we called them, you know, big 418 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:27,719 Speaker 1: blue gills that pee when you pull them up out 419 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 1: of the water. You know why they pee a stream 420 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:31,160 Speaker 1: when you take a hold of them. 421 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 2: Well, me neither. 422 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: And I asked my friendly neighborhood master's degree of Animal 423 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,959 Speaker 1: smart Ology Assistant Director Ben Batten, and even he didn't know. 424 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: Brim Pin and stone ends two of life's greatest mysteries. Anyway, 425 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,720 Speaker 1: back to the fishing. It was like they'd flipped a switch. 426 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 1: They started biting like crazy. So with only a few 427 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: crickets each, we had to make every one of them count. 428 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: If one got out of the bucket while you were 429 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: grabbing another, you had to catch the loose one and 430 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: dicking back in the bucket and then baite your hook. Now, 431 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: my dad was in a cricket and fish catching frenzy 432 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: when he accidentally grabbed two out of the bucket. He 433 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: was like a wild man in front of the boat, 434 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: trying to run the hand steer, troll the motor, get 435 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: his hook baited and back in the water. I watched 436 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: him stick that extra cricket he'd caught in the corner 437 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: of his mouth, holding it gently but firmly like a 438 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: mule wood eating a cactus, and at the same time 439 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,719 Speaker 1: bait his hook and make a perfect roll, cast between 440 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:34,359 Speaker 1: two cypress trees and immediately catch a fish. It was 441 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: a moment in time that stood still. When he set 442 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: the hook, he slowly turned and looked at me one 443 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,439 Speaker 1: eyebrow raised and I know it all smirk on his face, 444 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: all the while holding that cricket in the corner of 445 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: his mouth like Clintie's woodheld a cigar. One tick of 446 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: the clock later and he was cussing and spitting the 447 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,399 Speaker 1: cricket out, trying to get his fish in the boat, 448 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,359 Speaker 1: and wiping blood off his lip where that cricket had bit. 449 00:23:58,240 --> 00:23:58,919 Speaker 2: A hole in it. 450 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: Try this at home, kids, you'll mess around and get 451 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: a hole in your lip and. 452 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:12,880 Speaker 2: A boat ram named after you. The only thing left 453 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 2: to do is to clean them and cook them. 454 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: Lay one of them fat rascals out on a table, 455 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: grab yourself a tablespoon and get the scraping against the grain, 456 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: pulling all those scales off. Your fishing partner can get 457 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,399 Speaker 1: his pocket knife and start gutting and taking the heads 458 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: off while you scrape. Be sure you get them all, 459 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: because nothing looks nastier than a cooked fish with scales 460 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: left on it. Somebody's gonna say, oh, just flay them, 461 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: and when they do, I'm gonna say, oh, they ought 462 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: to be in jail. Now, shalt not deprive brint of 463 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: the fried brim tail. What you should do is have 464 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: the pocket knife man making a cut along each side 465 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: of that dorsal fin and removing it before you cook it. 466 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: Once you get it out of the hot grease and 467 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: it gets cool enough to chow down on. That's always 468 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,399 Speaker 1: when I first bite brim backstrap. 469 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:03,719 Speaker 2: You can't beat it. 470 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,199 Speaker 1: And we talked about how to cook fish back on 471 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: the Catching Catfish with Troutlines episode, and I shared our 472 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,239 Speaker 1: family recipe with the meal that we mix up. Go 473 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: back and give it a listen if you want to 474 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: use that one. But there's lots of premade mixes or 475 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: just about any grocery store to have one, and they're 476 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: good too. But really all you need is yellow corn meal, 477 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: hot grease and salt and pepper. Those fish they got 478 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: a flavor of their own that can't be beat. The 479 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 1: main thing is just get out and do it. Grab 480 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 1: your young's or your neighbors, some old folks. Get them involved, 481 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: whether it's catching them or just eating them. Catching and 482 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: preparing your food is a joy and It's multiplied when 483 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: you share it, just like sharing these stories. I can't 484 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: tell y'all how appreciative I am from all the encouraging 485 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: messages and reviews we've been getting. You folks, just keep 486 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 1: sharing it and posting those reviews, and maybe someone that 487 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,919 Speaker 1: wouldn't have normally across it, we'll see it and they 488 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: can enjoy it too. You ain't got to be from 489 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 1: the country to bee country. This is Brent Reeves signing 490 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: all y'all be careful