After a good weekend on the water we like to reflect on the good times and new experiences. We had pleasure of taking out some very good friends out this weekend for a fishing excursion and a little R and R. Deputy-Deacon we will call him, and the name explains it all, His lovely wife and our buddy Eric. (We have left out certain names as a professional courtesy)
Keeping in mind the extremely high tides and very low tides that we encounter during this time of the month, corresponding with our notorious shallow channel. We had limited time to get out deep or get down and messy with the Mackerel. We started out possibly looking for trout, but this seemed to be futile do to boats sitting on most of our holes.
We ventured out towards 23 feet of water for a little Grey snapper action. Not a bad turn of events while we were out there. A couple small grouper surprisingly enough, some Black Seabass, lots of Grey Snapper and a mess of Squirefish.
The funny thing of the day was, “we are always conscious of what the poles are doing” and sometimes you just get a feeling of something is going into the water. After mentioning this once or twice, we here a ca-plunk and an Uh’Oh………………. Well the water was very refreshing and I only had to go down about 9 to 10 feet when I grabbed the pole. Knowing the pole dropped out of someone’s hand and not something large pulling the pole into the water of course. On the other hand I was in 23 feet of murky water and decided to get back into the boat as quick as possible.
This sort of thing actually changed the mood of the day. Everyone wanted to go for a swim from that point. We wound up in 3 foot of water off of Calidisi Island for some R and R.
The meaning of the day
After heading out and watching everyone handle them selves on a unfamiliar boat or for some, their first boat trip on the Gulf. We knew it was going to be a nice and relaxing day.
We had a extremely good time and welcome DeputyDeacon and his family back anytime.
Written by admin on August 26th, 2007 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Salt Water Fishing.
Florida Flounder
Other common names: Fluke, flat-fish. Distribution: From North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico and up to Texas.
Size: The usual size of this species is 12-20 inches. IGFA All Tackle: 20 lb 9 oz Nassau Sound Florida.
General: The southern flounder is similar to the summer flounder of the great North East coast. They are caught on the bay and along the coast. They will take all live baits and artificial bait fished deep. We catch them all year long but some times we have concentrations of them on the offshore reefs. Southern flounder is one of the best eating fish in the Gulf. We also have a smaller flounder that is called Gulf flounder and is not as common in this area as the southern flounder.
Fishing: Flounder can be caught all over the Bay and Gulf but when they are running, all of the reefs will hold flounder! The reefs are listed on our website, and is generally the only place to catch large flounder. We use live bait and fish the edges of the reef on the sandy bottom. It takes a feel for flounder. Unlike grouper and snapper, it takes a slow, steady pull to hook a flounder and it may feel like you’re snagged at first. They have a very subtle bite and may not move until you pull them out of the sand. Flounder will take artificial baits that are fished close to the bottom and also moving cut bait. You can catch them on the grass flats but I have found them in large schools in eight to eighty feet of water.
Bait for Flounder
The bait I use will vary, but by far we prefer a finger mullet between three and four inches long. Smaller mullet are too small for the hook, and larger ones are too large for some of the flounder to get a hold of easily. As the migration moves from September, these finger mullet get hard to find. We have seen Flounder hit everything from Squid to Cut pinfish so just because you don’t have shrimp of shiners or finger mullet don’t get discouraged.
The pic’s on this article were caught off of squid in 14foot of water off of Honeymoon island.
Here are some recipes for Flounder fillets, stuffed flounder and whole flounder
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Written by admin on August 19th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Flounder and Salt Water Fishing.
Florida Flounder Sandwich With Lime and Sweet Onion Tartar Sauce
Description
A pan-fried fish sandwich is a beach shack favorite in Florida, often made with native grouper. In other parts of the country, flounder fillet works just fine. The crunchy crust made from Japanese panko breadcrumbs holds in moisture so the fish is juicy inside. For those who love lime, increase the amount to the juice of two limes and don’t forget the sweet onions, which add their own sweet, mild crunch to the sauce.
Ingredients
- Tartar Sauce
- 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley, green olives and pickle relish
- 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
- Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup finely diced Oso Sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Fish
- 2 1/2pounds lean, firm white fish fillet, such as flounder, fluke, halibut, grouper or cod, cut into (2- to 3-ounce) pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Japanese panko breadcrumbs or other breadcrumbs
- 1 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
- 2 long French baguettes or Italian breads, split open with some of soft insides removed
- 1 Oso Sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- Green leaf lettuce, separated into individual leaves, washed and dried
Preparation
Nutrition
For tartar sauce, stir all ingredients together and refrigerate.
Season fish with salt and pepper. Lightly beat together eggs and milk. Set up three bowls: flour, egg mixture and half the panko. Dip each piece of fish into flour, shaking off excess. Next, dip into egg mixture, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Finally, dip in crumbs, coating well on all sides. (Add second half of panko to bowl as needed, so crumbs stay dry.) Arrange fish on a waxed paper-lined baking tray and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
In large, heavy skillet, heat half the oil until shimmering. Lay fish pieces in oil without crowding, turning pieces as they brown. Fry until firm and well-browned, about 6 minutes; repeat with remaining fish. Drain and keep warm in 200° F oven. Spread baguettes with tartar sauce on both sides. Arrange fish in single layer on each bread, top with onion, tomato and lettuce; close, cut in portions and serve.
Serves
Serves: 6
FLOUNDER WITH BLUE CRAB STUFFING
6 servings
1 4-pound Florida flounder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Florida Blue Crab Stuffing
1 pound Florida blue crab meat
1/2 cup chopped onion
a cup chopped celery
a chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
a cup butter
2 cups soft bread crumbs
3 Florida eggs, beaten
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Remove scales, head and viscera from flounder. Rinse then cut flounder, using a sharp knife, lengthways down the middle of it’s dark side*. (The cut should be as deep as the back bone will allow). Tilt knife sideways and cut horizontally along each side of the backbone to make two pockets.
Place fish on an oiled baking pan and loosely fill both pockets with Blue Crab Stuffing (recipe below). Brush flounder with oil, making sure the fins are well coated.
Bake at 350º F for 30 to 40 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. *A flounder has one dark side and one light side and the backbone goes down the middle of the flat side.
Florida Blue Crab Stuffing
Remove pieces of shell or cartilage from crab meat. Cook onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in butter until tender, but not brown. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Stuffing for six 3/4-pound flounder or one 4-pound flounder.
Broiled Flounder with Mustard
1 1/2 pounds flounder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons prepared brown mustard
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 lime, sliced
Preheat the broiler. Arrange flounder on a baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper, then brush with olive oil. Spread prepared brown mustard evenly over the fish. Broil about 3″ from the heat source for 2 minutes, or until golden brown, but do not overcook. Serve with chopped green onions and sliced lime. Serving Size: 4
Cheesy Broiled Flounder
4 (6-oz.) flounder fillets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 finely chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Preheat broiler. Place fish in a greased, shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, green onions, salt and hot pepper sauce; set aside. Broil flounder for 4 to 6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from oven and spread cheese mixture on top. Broil an additional 30 seconds, or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm. Serving Size: 4
GRILLED FLOUNDER
Filleted flounder steaks
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. white wine
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/2 lemon
Mix one part each: white wine, olive oil, soy sauce. Marinate flounder for 30 minutes.
Place flounder on grill and season. Cook for 20 minutes covered, 5 minutes uncovered on grill.
Juice of 1/2 lemon is poured over cooked fish immediately before serving. Garnish with parsley.
FLOUNDER STUFFED WITH CRAB AND SPINACH
Approximately 1 lb. flounder (4 nice pieces)
1/2 bag fresh spinach
1 can crab legs or fresh crabmeat
1/2 stick cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
Garlic salt
Pepper
Paprika
Oregano
Butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain crabmeat, rinse with water and squeeze 1/2 lemon on top. Clean, de-stem and slightly chop spinach. Grate the cheese, then melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in saute pan. Add spinach and cook until melted. Season to taste with garlic, pepper and oregano. Add crabmeat and cook until heated thoroughly. Let mixture cool slightly and then add grated cheese. Stir enough to be able to mold mixture when needed. Set aside.
Take cookie sheet or other flat pan with sides. Place 2-3 tablespoons butter on pan and allow to melt in oven. Pull out pan and rub both sides of flounder in butter. Line up flounder next to each other, skin side up in pan. Divide spinach mixture into four mounds and place mound in middle of each flounder. Wrap both ends of flounder up to fit snugly around stuffing then turn the whole thing upside down so that the ends are on the baking sheet. Place dabs of butter and sprinkle paprika on top of each piece. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Fish is done when it is white and flakes easily when pried with a fork.
Fire Roasted Whole Flounder with Yellow Tomato Vinaigrette
2 yellow tomatoes, quartered, seeds removed
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons basil chiffonade
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Two 2 pound flounder, scaled, gills removed, head on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar and basil in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in squeeze bottles
Preheat grill. Brush flounder with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill on each side for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through
Written by admin on August 1st, 2007 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Recipes and Salt Water Fishing.
