Redfish Hunter Hunts Redfish!

[Redfish Hunter]

This is almost one of those non-ride ride reports. It was not much of a ride and I did not ride it, Pop did. I did not know where else to put it so...

Lately Pop has been frustrated. He cannot ride his FJR anywhere. He has had obligations at home, he has had responsibilities, he has had fishing charters. What he has not had is a destination, an excuse, and TIME! He gripes and fusses to me everyday about his FJR just collecting dust at home. Like I said, frustrated.

He had about a week and a half of charters lined up on the coast and Mom could not go with him. AH HA! He packed everything on the FJR and headed south. It is only about 2 and a half hours for him and the roads are not very interesting for a Sport Tourer, but it was a chance to ride. He made the most of it and took every curvy road he could think of between his house and the camp.

I had to work.

But... I got the weekend off. So, I rounded up Mom, my son, and stole Dad's truck (his is newer and nicer than mine) and we headed to the coast for the weekend. So, Dad did the ride portion of this report. I get to share a little bit of how I picked out my forum name. Enjoy.

This is Dad's FJR parked next to salt water. Dad is not worried about resale value, the FJR just needs to last as long as he does. We are confident both he and the bike will be with us for a while.



This is the boat and the FJR. I was only allowed to ride in the boat. Dad did not share the FJR.



Daybreak from the camp



This is me "hunting" for redfish



Sorry for the photo angle. Redfish Jr. was operating the camera. He does not like to fish. He loves the boat, the camp, and watching us fish. He is fairly useful. I am trying to get him trained on the camera.

This is me catching redfish



Always nice to make Dear Old Dad work a little bit



To kind of semi keep this at least Yamaha related



I like to put the boat in very shallow water and sight fish when I can. The polarized glasses are a must and it takes patience. It is much more like hunting than fishing. You have to see the fish and then place the bait accurately like a rifle shot.

Pop and I "hunting"



Pop and Redfish Jr. with our supper



Getting close to a limit



Since we got our limit by 9:30, we were able to go back to the camp for a late breakfast. Dad decided we were having begneits. For you Northerners, those are sort of a New Orleans style doughnut. They are covered in powdered sugar which makes them perfect for Redfish Jr.

New Orleans style coffee at the bar



Dad making begneits

 

[Redfish Hunter]

After breakfast it is time to clean our catch. Dad is supervising this process and he is never satisfied that I am doing it correctly. With fish the size of these it is often more like butchering an animal than cleaning a fish. I was targeting larger fish because I LOVE to grill redfish. In fact grilling redfish is one of the few things I am really good at.

The cleaning



Dad getting tired of me doing it wrong



The inline 4 Yamaha 150 horsepower 4 stroke. This is a 2.6 liter, twice the displacement of the FJR



The V-6 250 Horsepower. I see no way to shoehorn that into an FJR



The night before I did some fishing under the lights. I caught a few white trout for us to cook for supper and Dad pan fried a few. I think this would almost be like fish and chips...



So, Dad has been able to ride his FJR and I was able to go fishing. I'd love to tell you more but I have to go put some filets in the freezer. Tomorrow night I am grilling redfish. Meanwhile Dad is down on the coast with his boat and his FJR.

 

[lonerider]

Nice pics and RR. I'm not into fishing myself, but it looked like a lot of fun.

 

[dcarver]

Nice, yes, to spend time with Pops?

 

[gregory]

Nuthin better then time with the family. thanks for sharing

 

[Tyler]

Nice to see a bit more of RFH up close and personal... and Pops too. B)

 

[HotRodZilla]

Sahweet...Glad you guys had some fun.

 

[Bugnatr]

Thanks RF. Cool report with some insight on your form handle. Getting out with your Dad and son at the same time is the best!

Do you know about how much per hp those Yamaha motors cost?

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Very nice report & pictures Redfish!!

Thanks!!

 

[lnewlf]

Very nice post, Redfish..

Before he left, my Dad had a place on the Peace river in Florida and we used to "hunt" redfish . Actually, you never knew what might come over the side and some of them would hunt you. Wifey hauled in a really pissed pygmy rattler one hot afternoon. She thought it was an eel...not.

20 degrees here this morning..won't be hunting redfish but maybe whitetails.

 

[Fred W]

Cool!!

You know what? I think I envy you guys being able to fish in the winter months even more than being able to ride without snow.

I wonder how smoked redfish would taste?

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Man I haven't fished in soooo long. That looks really fun & peaceful! Looks like a great time & good eating. You lived up to your name Redfish Hunter!!!

 

[Top_Speed1]

Very nice RFH, how cool to take all that in w your Dad

 

[DennisJ]

I used to fish with my Dad for salmon off Point No Point in Puget Sound back in the late 60's thru the mid 70's.. North end of the Kitsap Peninsula at Hansville. Some of the best meals I ever had were salmon caught in the morning and cooked over an open alder fire on an old piece of steel drilled full of holes. Salmon and a salad with Dad while watching the sun set over the Olympics. Doesn't get much better than that.

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

Redfish Hunter and Jr.

I can only hope you put on a Ride to Fish, I will so be there with my alter ego from the Pacific, the Rod Buster.

The report was fantastic, the fish looked delicious and I also have a Yamaha pushing my boat. we are kin!

FWFE

 

[hppants]

Well done, RH. Looks like ya'll avoided that strong north wind nicely. Tell your dad I miss him - we need to get together soon.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

My friends, thank you all for your kind words. Most of you already know that Dear Old Dad and I are very close. Time on the bikes, time in the boat, or even time with the chainsaw is good when you have a friend like Dad. I am trying very hard to cultivate that "friendship" with my son. It can get difficult.

Fred W, I grill lots of redfish over charcoal with a little oak thrown in. I use mostly butter and lemon, but whatever seasoning appeals to you will work. Redfish has a mild flavor and takes the seasoning very well. It also holds together and firms up nicely on the pit. Sometimes we leave it "on the half shell". This means that we filet it off the bone but leave the skin and scales on. It adds a different dimension and a different flavor. It also looks very "Cajun" to out of state visitors.

Regarding a ride to fish, Hppants has floated this idea about before. I think it would be a great idea, working out the logistics would be the thing. I don't have enough of a camp to hold a large group but there are work arounds for that. The heat of summer is best for speckled trout, the fall is best for redfish. Of course, a combination of the two is always a real possibility.

Our limits are very generous, our marsh is loaded with fish. 5 redfish per person per day, minimum 16 inches (only 1 can be over 27 inches) and 25 speckled trout per day, minimum 12 inches.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Fred W, I grill lots of redfish over charcoal with a little oak thrown in. I use mostly butter and lemon, but whatever seasoning appeals to you will work.

I'm one of those guys who doesn't really like to eat fish, and also therefore doesn't like to fish. Excellent report though for sure. I HAVE had fish that had me licking my fingers asking for more. My uncle is a big fan of fishing for Snook in Florida. One time he grilled up a bunch of it with the same butter and lemon sauce. Having also enjoyed the redfish at the fish fry at the BBQ4U the night before your SS1K I can say your description of grilled redfish with the lemon and butter had me drooling. Well done sir.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

While cooking redfish on the half shell makes for a lovely presentation and is my preferred method for out of state guests, when I cook for the family I go for flavor not looks. I cut the filets into pieces of assorted thickness to provide a variety. Just like a beef steak, some want it rare and juicy, others prefer well done. I have to use foil to cover the grill or the fish will fall apart before it has time to firm up.

I soaked these filets in milk while waiting on the coals and the sauce. My sauce was butter, lemon juice, salt, Tabasco, and paprika. Very simple, adjusted to my taste. Tonight I went for a sweeter taste and used more butter and less lemon juice. Sometimes I use red pepper and more Tabasco. It depends on how I feel at the time. If I really want to make points with Mrs. Redfish I will whip up a hollandaise sauce.

This is not pretty to look at but it was fine to eat. I wish I could have shared this with many of you.