CATCH N COOK!!!!!

Been 3 weeks since I was able to get out on the water last but I was able to get out there yesterday and Dad came along with me.

We had nothing but Crappie on our minds with the exception of one summer time Bass spot to hit in the heat of the day but that's all we were ready to tackle yesterday. As we launched the boat and Dad was parking the truck one of the local guides came over and talked to me a bit. I wont repeat what he said but he said something that immediately deflated my expectations for the day as soon as he said it and I knew it was going to be tough!

Not willing to give up before we even got started we hit the first Crappie spot and I think Dad caught one little one there and that was it. Made a short move and didn't do much better there either. Decided to make a longer run in hopes of better water conditions but that didn't pan out either. At that point I said we needed to hit a multi species spot and hope for the best.

As I pulled up to the spot there was nobody there despite it being a pretty well known spot. I didn't care because it couldn't be much worse than what we had seen so far that morning. I dropped the trolling motor and of course I broke my transducer earlier that morning so couldn't really graph the spot real well but I didn't need to. Turns out there were quite a few Sandies and a few Hybrids mixed in and we proceeded to pick on them for the next several hours. It took a little while to figure them out but once we did it was pretty steady. Before long we had about 10 boats around us but there was really only one sweet spot and it was only big enough for 3 boats. Me and Dad knew why they were there but Im not sure if anyone else did and it all had to do with what the guide had said about the lake earlier that morning.

We ended up catching probably around 125 Sandbass and smaller Hybrids. I had zero plans to bring any home but we hooked a ton of them deep so we tossed 30 along with a few Crappie in the live well.

About 1pm I told Dad it was time to go hit the Bass spot. I was expecting 1 or 2 Bass off that spot but we got 7 really solid fish super quick and missed 3 others.

The day started off terrible but we kept at it and was able to turn one of the worst Crappie trips ever into a great Sandbass and Bass trip! Really wish I would have got some on the water pics of some of the Bass but I didn't want to put my rod down long enough to do that.

Ended up bagging the Sandbass for the freezer and just cooked the Crappie for lunch/dinner just awhile ago.

Looking good! You really cleaned up on them!! Lots of good eating for a few weeks to come.

You have just been a fishing machine lately.

What an awesome day!
Fish looks really good!

Oh Hell Yes

I dig that frying setup.

Looks awesome!

That's actually the best fish fry cooker I have ever used and it was an accident that I even figured out how well it cooks. I have always used the turkey deep fryers but It seemed like I had to buy a new one every year because the burner would clog up, the hoses would crack, or the regulators would go bad. A few years ago at the deer lease the turkey fryer I keep down there rusted out at the base of the burner making it useless. I already had the fish out and ready to go so I dug out my little $18 camp stove and gave it a shot. I didn't figure it would get hot enough but it will get to 350 degrees at less than half throttle. And one little propane bottle will last about 5 fish frys as well so its pretty darn efficient.

Looks fantastic!

Looks dangerous to me.

Fit for a King. nice mess of fish.

Love fried Crappie. That looks delish.

That is living right!!! Outstanding day

A day on the water with your Dad. Can't think of anything better. The fish are an added bonus. Great job you two.

I was under close adult supervision at all times. And I was wearing my helmet too.

Fish looks great but I will not be in same room as that pot of boiling oil sitting on a fence post stob balanced on the counter top That little cooker was never meant to do that. Way to top heavy. It just wants to kill you.

I keep the same stove in my camping rig for backup and use it once in a while. It is a little top heavy with a coffee pot on top, didn't think about that. But, for just frying a mess for a couple people I'd use it. Definitely not in a crowd of beer drinkers though.

Be easy to build a little base for the bottle to sit into to make it much more stable.....

Sac-a-lait.......! Yummmmm!

I guess I don't see what all the fuss is with it being dangerous. That pot has a 48oz bottle of vegetable oil in it which makes it about 1.5" deep. That's all I need to fry 5 fillets at a time. Its enough oil to make them float. I could do the same thing with a skillet and yall probably wouldn't think anything about it. I only use the deep pot to prevent the splatter from getting everywhere.

And if weight is a concern of yalls I assure you a pan of Hamburger Helper weighs more than that pot of grease.

Could it be knocked over??? Sure it could but its far more stable than yall think. Been doing it like this for 2-3 years now and haven't killed myself one single time! I would even say that lighting the stove is the most dangerous part of the whole thing. Propane aint exactly as safe as electric.

Its probably not the best set up if there are kids around or if there are drunks around either. In this case only one beer was involved and it was the 1 can of Bud that the Crappie were soaking it.

I actually have a wider base for the bottle but its not needed. That pot will come off the top of there long before the stove and bottle are in danger of being knocked over.

I like you guys, but sometimes I think I could post a picture of a gorgeous naked woman on the beach and all some of yall would see is the pretty blue water behind her.



Thanks for looking out for me but I assure you I am not a danger to myself or others around me.

yummy!!!

Yummzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Way to get it done man!

Looks tasty! Nothing beats fishing with your old man. My dad texts me from work all the time a lyric from and old song something about wishin we could go fishing but instead I’m just layin in jail.

I always wondered how people got diesel trucks to run on cooking oil, then one time after a fish fry I dumped a gallon or so of cooking oil on a camp fire and lost a lot of hair.

Wow! I've never thought of soaking them in beer.......

That would be Waylon Jennings "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang". Good song.
JCB-The only issue I can see is that can of Bud, lol. Why that particular brand of beer, if you don't mind me asking?

I really wish you wouldn't have asked because its a long story. But I think Buds story needs to be told so I will tell it.

You see me and old Bud we go way back! I don't know when he was born but I would guess it was some time around mid 2018. Shortly after birth he ended up in a Walmart in Sweetwater Texas where my Dad purchased him along with 23 of his closest BUDdies around the October/November time frame. From there he was loaded in my truck and hauled back to deer camp where he was placed inside the fridge inside our camper.

As deer season moved along one by one his 23 BUDdies met their demise around the campfires and smokers where we all shared our hunting stories with one another. As the supply ran low I am sure Dad replenished the fridge with various brands including Shiner, Modelo, Miller, etc. Somehow old Bud was never the chosen one and he survived over and over again as his fridge mates perished one by one until he was the last can standing.

At the end of deer season in January of this year I had the job of cleaning out the fridge in the camper. As I was cleaning it out I ran into Bud and tossed the little feller in the ice chest with all my other stuff. The next morning he was loaded up into the truck and hauled back to DFW with me.

When I got home I emptied the ice chest and placed old Bud up on the top shelf of the fridge. Day after day, week after week, and month after month he was there to greet me every time I opened the fridge. We got to know each other so well that we were on a first name basis before long. He always looked so comfortable up there on that top shelf......almost like a king sitting on his throne. That's when I realized that he was in fact the "King Of Beers" just like they say.

Fast forward to this past Sunday morning. I got up and went to the grocery store to get what I needed to cook my fish. On my list of things I needed was Coors Light which is my beer of choice. I am not a heavy drinker but I had run out of beer and was in no hurry to get anymore so I figured it could just wait until Sunday when I got everything else. Well that proved to be a problem. You see there is this silly law in Texas that I cant buy beer before noon on Sunday and it was only 10am. As I stood there looking at the beer in the store contemplating how to handle this I saw some Budweiser there and that's when it hit me...….I could use old Bud for my fish!!!!! I mean he was already bought and paid for and just chillin in the fridge so why not!

I got home and got everything ready for the fish fry and then retrieved old Bud from his throne. I shared a few thoughts with him and then popped the top and poured him over the fish. I could tell he was happy......he was bubbling with joy as he swam with the fish!! That's when I knew I made the right decision.

I am not sure what the life expectancy is of a beer in deer camp but I bet its not more than a few days. He lived waaaaaaay longer than that!

Some may say he was just a beer, but to me he was my best Bud!! Heres to you old friend!

True story but maybe slightly embellished for yalls entertainment!

HAHAHAHA! Good story! Glad he served you in a way that wasn't displeasing to the palate. However, I drank one once. And that's about all I got to say about that. I've never tried fish battered like that, but I will soon. Thanks for this afternoon's entertainment

greatness