Food for Thought

Really Easy, Yummy Tartar Sauce

This recipe was discovered at my Lubbock neighbor and fishing mentor's annual backyard New Mexico trout fry. The Fall Fish Fry always took place after Bobby had spent two weeks fishing Northern New Mexico in September...obviously, before the days of catch and release....and after the game wardens had abandoned the trout streams. As an avowed Miracle Whip hater, I never would have tried this if I'd known the ingredients, but fortunately I didn't—so I did. Honestly, I have never truly measured this when I've made it; so here's my best guesstimate.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Miracle Whip (No substitutes here)

3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

3 Tablespoons dill relish

A squeeze of lemon

If you like it hot, you can add a finely chopped jalapeño.

Mix together and let sit for an hour or so to marry. Adjust portions to suit your taste.

Contributor: Susan Dymond

Source: My Lubbock neighbor and friend, Bobby Dorman...or maybe it was one of his friends who brought it to the party!

Why Do We Fish?

By Karla Grimwood

Why do we fish? Fishing began as a way to obtain food, but even after food became easier to obtain, people still fished. Why? Because they liked it. So, what is it about fishing that people like? What keeps them going back to the water in pursuit of those elusive, piscatorial creatures?

Well, there are still those that love the taste of fish. I admit that I’m one of them, though I usually practice catch and release. It’s not always a duty of conservation. It’s actually one of convenience, since I’m not overly fond of a skillet or deep fryer full of splattering grease. However, if someone else is willing to fry up the catch, I’ll gladly contribute my share and give my compliments to the chef!

Competition seems to be a common motive in all sports, including fishing. We usually think of fishing tournaments or competition between friends for bragging rights. However, there is also a competition that can exist between the fish and the person fishing for it. I think nearly everyone who fishes can identify with this one. We are always trying to determine where the fish is most likely to be found, when it is going to be there, what it will eat, at what depth, etc. Sure there is some science behind the answers, but even then, we could be incorrect at any point. So fishing is actually a well-researched treasure hunt with no guarantee.

Fishing can be a wonderful way to spend time with friends and family too. Long-standing traditions of children fishing with parents and grandparents help to perpetuate the sport. Fish stories that grow with time and their re-telling are symbols of how much those interactions mean to us….they measure the years you’ve been fishing together, and they are beautiful memories of time spent with those you love.

There’s also a science to fishing, particularly fly fishing. Learning to form a loop and cast properly, understanding some entomology, perhaps even learning how to tie the flies that you cast are all intellectual challenges. You can’t help but feel smug satisfaction when you finally catch a fish on a fly you’ve tied yourself. Knowing that you figured out the right combination of colors to use on the correct pattern and cast it to just the right spot for that particular fish is success indeed.

I suppose the main reason that I fish is because I love being outdoors. I enjoy fishing with friends, but I’m also content to fish alone. While I love the thrill of catching fish, it’s not imperative for a good day of fishing. Fishing gives you something to do so you don’t look suspicious just standing there enjoying the birdsong and gentle breeze. I hope that everyone who spends time fishing also takes in some of nature’s beauty and wonder. It’s the icing on the cake of a good day out fishing.

Yellow Squash Casserole

4–6 medium crooked-neck yellow squash, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

1 egg

1-2 Tbs. butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Slice squash and onions. Boil til tender. Drain in colander. Put in baking dish and mix in egg, butter, salt & pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30–40 minutes until egg is cooked.

Contributor: Karla Grimwood

Source: My mom!

Fly Fishing – Pass It On!

By Susan Dymond

I first remember fishing on a family vacation at a dude ranch in Colorado. I was 5 years old, and my dad got me up at the crack of dawn to fish a little pond....and I caught a trout! It was magic, and I was fascinated but had little opportunity in Houston to go further. Flash forward, just post college, my parents moved to Utah for a few years, and I got to visit on vacations; trout fishing up the canyons from Salt Lake City, Henry's Fork, Jenny Lake. I had no idea where I was or what I was doing with my spinning rod, but I loved it. I tried to get the guys I dated to take me fishing but no bites. Then there was the brief sojourn in Missouri fishing Bennett Springs on opening day, and a move to Lubbock. Not exactly a fishing Mecca, but they did stock the playa lakes in the winter. A new neighbor there would take me with him.

After my dad died, I wanted something to do with my mum, and my neighbor had given me the bug to try New Mexico. Mum was game, so off we went with all of Pop's fishing gear. Unfortunately, his split bamboo fly rod with the agate ferrules had ended up in the bottom of a Utah lake, but we had the spinning gear. Picture two totally clueless ladies wandering the streets of Santa Fe trying to find somewhere to fish. The fishing kachina steered us into the High Desert Angler. The shop was owned and run by a wonderful woman who politely looked past the spinning gear and signed me up to learn to fly fish in the spring. The charter members of She Fishes! were quick to help anyone and everyone with an interest. Every Memorial Day Weekend, there was a two-day clinic on ponds to get the hang of it, then a glorious summer of outings in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. Michael set me up to learn to tie, and I recruited ladies in Lubbock to fish the mountains. Off we would go to beat the heat and have such a great time. Great and generous friends were made. Mum would come every fall, and we would just set off to explore.

Then the move to Austin. My mum's health would not allow her to travel. New jobs. No time. Lost again. Enter TWFF. I think I joined a year or so before I could ever get to an outing, but when I did, it was worth the wait. I found that spirit of adventure, fishing, and camaraderie that I had left in the mountains. No pressure, no agendas, just great folks, fishing, and fun. Now I almost never travel without a rod and have found fishing wherever I go. There is a string of wonderful women who have helped make that happen for me....and that's why I pass it on!

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