Chuck said he was glad he didn’t catch a duck. I thought, What? You went fishing, dear darling husband. Fishing with Amigo.
It seems a small family of rather assertive ducks chased after his line and stole the worm right off the hook.
Hungry Ducks
They decided to move to a new location. There was a rails to trails bridge nearby, a space that had been railroad right of way until recently. Now it’s part of the Ahnapee Trail and will eventually connect with the Ice Age Trail. For now, it’s a good place for fishing.
Amigo fishing
Amigo wasn’t the first to find this bridge and decide it was the perfect place for fishing. A quick search found historical record of the same bridge more than 100 years ago.
Old Postcard
The rest of the story is this: they brought home perch for supper.
They walked in and I asked if they’d already cleaned the perch, since I honestly don’t know how to clean a freshly caught fish for cooking. Amigo stated firmly, “The perch is already cleaned. It’s cleaned, Mom. Don’t worry.” Something in his voice clued me in, though, told me there was more. “Um, did you catch the perch or buy it?”
Darn, I wish the fishmonger’d had duck, too.
I filet all of my fish. If my wife is around she is an expert in filet’ing fish. As far as wild duck is concerned, they are wild. Our duck group has sausage made from our wild duck and geese. There is always the danger of steel shot with duck and geese. They make a horrible sound as they shatter existing crowns. (I have experience)
When buying frozen fish be very careful the package does not say China on it. Their “farm fish” are raised in conditions that are dangerous to us. If fish is at a super good price, beware.
Ocean fish are the best as they sweat through their scales. Inland fish
LiKe we have here do not sweat and therefore do not have that cleansing process.
Fish are best caught in the spring and fall because the water is cooler.
Beware of little duckies and geese when by the water. Their mothers are never far away. When they peck at you it hurts. I have seen geese fight large dogs, not a pretty sight.
Don’t try to scale a perch unless you are very patient. They have the tightest scales I have ever encountered.
Duck hunting starts in two weeks.