8-27-13

Today I guided Scott Seidenstricker and Andrew Havens of Reno, Nevada for Salmon. We launched in Hamilton City and headed down to where I had fished a few days prior. Right off the bat Andrew was hooked up and soon had a nice fish in the box. Scott was quick to follow and he too had a nice fish in the box. We stayed after it and ended up hooking 7 fish in 5 passes, and putting 4 silver bullets in the box! It was a great morning on the water and the guys had a nice load of salmon to take home with them. The fish are still hauling ass up stream but as soon as they slow down it should be lights out!

Casey 

8-23-13

Today Rick Sr. and I headed out on a recon mission for salmon. I have been so busy working on the wetlands that I haven't had a chance to fish and was chomping at the bit! We launched out of Hamilton City and headed South. At the first stop my lure wasn't in the water for more than a few minutes and it was fish on!! I handed the rod off to Rick and he battled in a beautiful 28 pound silver bullet.We continued working our way down river and could see plenty of fish rolling but they were on the move and didn't want to bite. I knew eventually we would get in front of some more that wanted to play. Before long Rick had another fish on, but it came unhooked. A little while later it was my turn and again the fish came off. We fished another hour or so and Rick managed to box a 15 pounder. We figured we had better get back to work so we headed in with 2 in the box and 2 lost as well as a few more bites. The action should pick up soon!!!

Casey  

Salmon Dinner!!

Wow! I just logged into the blog and I am going to have to razz my hubby a bit about not having blogged anything for over a month now!! ;)

I wish I could say that Casey and I spent the last month vacationing in the Cayman Islands, relaxing on a white sandy beach with a drink in each of our hands, but that just wasn't the case. Not so is the life of a hunting and fishing guide's wife. Haha!

We have been busy for the last month, but I will let Casey fill you in on all of that. I am excited to post about the fact that Salmon Season is finally here!! I absolutely LOVE salmon time!! and sssshhhhhh, don't tell Casey, but I am pretty sure the fact that he was a salmon guide when we met and he supplied my college roomies and I with an endless supply of fresh beautiful fish to eat, has got to be one of the main reasons I chose him!!!

Anyhow, this year we have been excitedly awaiting the season that is now upon us. We both have been reading reports and chatting at least weekly with our guide friends who fish the ocean runs. All signs were pointing in the direction of a banner river run right from the get go. As it turns out the opener came and went with not much action to ride home about. Many of the river guides are fishing long, hot days and only producing one fish per rod on average. Casey has always targeted the second week of August as his "Go Time" date for booking clients and this year we have even pushed it back further. The fishing is certainly picking up now and becoming much more consistent. It can only get better from here on out.

Casey and his good friend and fellow fishing guide, Raith Heryford hit the water this week in search of schools of fish that might be holding in certain areas of the river. They had a few good days of fishing and Casey is now confident with the fact that he can provide his clients with the quality trip they deserve so we are looking forward to finally fishing with guests starting next week!

Nonetheless, my favorite part about these scouting missions is the fact that I get to keep all the fish that are caught! Usually clients are gifted Casey's catch, so my freezer only gets full if I beg to go out on a trip or two myself during the peak of the season, or if scouting missions are successful. I am so glad that this week's scouting trips were a success!!!

When Casey called the office to let me know that he was filleting fish, I was anxious to get to fix some up for dinner right away, so I asked him to keep a steak in the fridge and not freeze it. My stomach growled all day long waiting to get home and get to cooking! Then of course the clash of the crazy busy life we lived reared its ugly head! I was just about to walk through the door from soccer practices and gym time for myself, when Casey text me a reminder that we were needing to change trail cameras!!! I was heartbroken. I didn't want leftovers for dinner! I wanted that fresh salmon!!! My best friend, Jami was with me when I read the text and she knew I was disheartened. She had actually come by the house to get some of the fish to make herself for dinner and in her best friend fashion offered to cook the fish in trade for some of her own!!! That's why she is my best friend!! Win, win for me!!! We exchanged a couple cooking tips and recipes really quick, picked some from rosemary from my herb garden, dug out some lemons from my crisper and off she went to get to cooking!!!

It was late by the time we got back from checking trail cameras and I was so thankful for my best friend for  cooking my family's dinner! And an AMAZING dinner it was! I would highly recommend taking a trip out with Casey this season if you have time! You don't want to miss out on the opportunity to eat such an amazing delicacy!

Recipe is posted below!
Side Note - Jami and I are both Paleo and this recipe follows those guidelines for clean eating.

LEMON ROSEMARY SALMON

Casey leaves the skin on one side of the filet for easier cooking. A good tip, is to always make sure that the skin is cooked crispy so that the meat easily falls from it when ready to eat.

Prior to prepping the fish I throw about a quarter cup rosemary ( I would suggested dried, but fresh works too) and a couple tablespoons of sea salt into the food processor and blend it together.

1. Preheat the oven to a low broil setting.
2. Spread coconut oil in a baking dish where you will place the salmon.
3. Place the salmon in the dish and sprinkle with the rosemary salt blend you made from abve. Place more small chunks of coconut oil or drizzle, if its in a liquid state, on top of the salmon, then top with slices of lemon.
4. Broil on low for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. A thicker piece of fish may take closer to 15 minutes while a thin piece will take just around 10.

Basic Caveman Style Eating!! But so very good!