Being that cooking is one of my other hobbies, let me offer you a lighter weight alternative to the canned milk for flouring up fish. Mayonnaise. Yep, good old mayonnaise. Remember that the two primariy ingredients of mayonnaise are oil and egg. Get the little Mayonnaise packets that HiBC mentined (save them from your visits to the local hamburger joint). You don't need much - just spread it onto the fillet. I use a little silicone pastry brush that weighs next to nothing and cleans easily. It makes a nice film that the flour coating will stick to. The mayo melts instantly when it hits the hot oil but the coating stays on the fillet.
How do you carry longarms in your canoe?
- Thread starter Vt.birdhunter
- Start date
Being that cooking is one of my other hobbies, let me offer you a lighter weight alternative to the canned milk for flouring up fish. Mayonnaise. Yep, good old mayonnaise. Remember that the two primariy ingredients of mayonnaise are oil and egg. Get the little Mayonnaise packets that HiBC mentined (save them from your visits to the local hamburger joint). You don't need much - just spread it onto the fillet. I use a little silicone pastry brush that weighs next to nothing and cleans easily. It makes a nice film that the flour coating will stick to. The mayo melts instantly when it hits the hot oil but the coating stays on the fillet.
buck460XVR
New member
We took Crisco Shortening and a seasoned iron skillet that could be cleaned with sand. Anything liquid can and will spill/leak. The skillet and Crisco were carried separately from everything else in their own plastic tub. Found that fresh fish seasoned with salt and pepper was all one needed. If you want a crispy coating, scale the fish instead of skinning.
Again, if one is truly canoeing the BWs, every little bit adds up and halfway thru the week, you realize that the basics are all you reallyneed and first aid/survival tools/items are more important than tartar sauce and the correct wash for breading. Fine bread crumbs/corn meal if you need them, will stick to any wet fillet. If you are only going in to the first campsite, then weight/bulk are not an issue.
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Condiment packets.
http://www.minimus.biz/default.aspx
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Vt.birdhunter
New member
For battering fish I carry a pancake mix that is add water only.Only needs a shallow volume of grease.
Crisco will be our fat for cooking.
2 men, one 18' cedar stripper (625 lb cap.)and a good bird-dog. Grouse and woodcock are the target birds; but I think goose will cross our plates if opportunity presents itself.
Primary reason for trip: 2 weeks without wife/kids/boss
I enjoy fishing more than my buddy. I figure between the 2 of us we should be eating a nice mix of natures bounty.
Crisco will be our fat for cooking.
2 men, one 18' cedar stripper (625 lb cap.)and a good bird-dog. Grouse and woodcock are the target birds; but I think goose will cross our plates if opportunity presents itself.
Primary reason for trip: 2 weeks without wife/kids/boss
I enjoy fishing more than my buddy. I figure between the 2 of us we should be eating a nice mix of natures bounty.
buck460XVR
New member
Sounds like a fun trip. There are several sources of information .....http://www.bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.home..... http://www.bwca.cc/activities/hunting/grousehunting.html.....http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/canoeing/bwca/index.html.
Northern Minnesota(along with Wisconsin) hit the bottom of its ten year cycle of grouse populations in 2013-14. It peaked in 2009. Woodcock populations in both areas also continue to drop slightly just as in the past 20 years. Logging has been outlawed in the BWCA since Jimmy Carter, so finding areas of good grouse/timberdoodle cover means looking for areas where some natural cause opened up the cover for regrowth. There was several large areas of blow-down during 1999(4th of July derecho) that should be considered and the Pagami Creek fire in 2011 opened up about 150 square miles. There are several EPs close to the Pagami Creek area. The blow-downs were very extensive in the Arrowhead area. Woodcock hunting, unless the flight is on, will be primarily on native birds, If the flight is in(probably late October) it should be a pointing dog heaven. Remember, in Minnesota, they are considered migratory, but can be harvested with lead shot and do not require waterfowl stamps. Guns are restricted to three shells or less. I believe Minnesota has a blaze orange requirement for hunting small game. While the mosquitoes should be done with by the time good grouse and woodcock hunting is going on, bear ticks in the area are going to be thick. To deter the chances of contracting Lyme, repellent for both you and the dog should be brought.
Northern Minnesota(along with Wisconsin) hit the bottom of its ten year cycle of grouse populations in 2013-14. It peaked in 2009. Woodcock populations in both areas also continue to drop slightly just as in the past 20 years. Logging has been outlawed in the BWCA since Jimmy Carter, so finding areas of good grouse/timberdoodle cover means looking for areas where some natural cause opened up the cover for regrowth. There was several large areas of blow-down during 1999(4th of July derecho) that should be considered and the Pagami Creek fire in 2011 opened up about 150 square miles. There are several EPs close to the Pagami Creek area. The blow-downs were very extensive in the Arrowhead area. Woodcock hunting, unless the flight is on, will be primarily on native birds, If the flight is in(probably late October) it should be a pointing dog heaven. Remember, in Minnesota, they are considered migratory, but can be harvested with lead shot and do not require waterfowl stamps. Guns are restricted to three shells or less. I believe Minnesota has a blaze orange requirement for hunting small game. While the mosquitoes should be done with by the time good grouse and woodcock hunting is going on, bear ticks in the area are going to be thick. To deter the chances of contracting Lyme, repellent for both you and the dog should be brought.
Vt.birdhunter
New member
Fine intel there Buck460, much appreciated.
With tandem canoes and 2 persons. If you use the J stroke you should be able to reduce the amount of water to accumulate in the bottom of the canoe. I have a floating case but it is loaded at the end. My partner also has a floating case but it zips up the full length witch is great when the case dose get wet you can dry it out more easily. Ware as I have to place mine on a boot dryer over night to get it dry. You can also avoid the water in the bottom by placing the guns in the boat after the deks... are in the canoe so the guns are off the bottom. Also I had put D-rings on the sides of the canoe but not too high and string loops on them so you can keep the cases up out of the water. Know how to break down and clean your shotgun when it gets wet. I like the spray from Beachwood that coats with a light waxy film. There are other types of coatings. A Rig Rag in a plastic bag works well also. My biggest concern would be with the choke tubes, trigger assembly and ejector. keep them clean and lubed. If you have a air compressor handy it can make cleaning a wet gun a snap. If you want to keep your shot gun in like new condition give up on hunting with it and leave it at home.
buck460XVR
New member
I can see explaining that one to folks as you portage deep into the BWCA.......