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| It was a dark and stormy night...but at least the redfish was biting! |
You won't find redfish in Southern Illinois or Tallahassee (at least not live ones still in the water), and Secret Aging Man was sure chomping at the bit to catch one after our Christmas visit with Daughter and her husband. As soon as we dropped anchor (the Lance camper) at our spot in Navarre's Santa Rosa RV Resort, SAM hightailed it to the end of the fishing pier so he could drop some bait (live shrimp) in the Sound and try his luck. A few other hardy souls (including yours truly) joined him there as it began to rain. The rain held on and so did his luck. He caught the only fish of the evening and asked around if anyone had a cleaning table? No luck there, so he took matters into his own hands and used the bed of the trusty Dodge truck to filet the fish.
After our tasty supper of pan-fried fish, I asked him what he intended to do with the bloody remains on the bed of truck? Surely not let the rain wash it off? This RV resort is kind of classy. We felt like the Jed Clampetts (in reverse) of the camping world with our crater-dashed Dodge truck and little Lance truck camper. I'm surprised they even let us stay, what with all of the fancy rigs parked there. SAM just smirked a little and left me to tidy up our tiny camper kitchen. He was back a few minutes later and assured me that there would be no tell-tale signs of the redfish slaughter for any of the other campers to see come morning. This kind of camping comes with the convenience of a car-washing place nearby. My Secret Aging Man--what a catch!
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| A view of Navarre Beach from the fishing pier at Santa Rosa RV Resort |
Hi W2W ... fresh fresh fish is delicious .. your redfish must have tasted good - looked it. Clever lad .. working out how to clean it up ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThe fish was wonderful, Ms. Hilary, to catch and to eat. For some reason, fish do lend themselves to storytelling. You know, the stories about you should have seen the even bigger ones that got away. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteYum! Fun trip! I've been The Clampetts, and it can be fun! We used to hit up these spots in our little white camper van! Such memories! XO
ReplyDeleteWe have decided that if we ever do take the camper as far as Florida again, we will travel on the lesser highways and stay off the interstates. The way people zip in and out of the multiple lanes and around you is nerve-wracking. The back roads take longer, but some of the small towns you pass through on the way can be interesting. Speaking of camping memories, I'd love to read some of your stories about those trips.
DeleteI'm with you on the backroads! I never drive the interstate highways. I guess I just have a backroad mentality, love the rural scenes and the small towns. Haven't had fresh fish in ages. Yum.
ReplyDeleteMarnie, I guess the rest of the world is more interested in life in the fast lane. Not me, at least not anymore. I'd rather be the tortoise and not the hare.
ReplyDeleteI just clicked on the link to Navarre--wow, what a fancy place! I'm not a fan of camping, having spent many a vacation growing up in a pop-up camper with my parents and brother. We thought a classy campground was one that had toilets that flushed:) Good to hear from you again, W2W! I haven't been blogging much lately either, and reading other blogs has been hit or miss whenever I have a few minutes in the morning. My mother passed away in early January, and though I'm getting used to her absence, I'm spending a lot of time helping Dad get through this.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your mom's passing, Rose. SAM's mom passed away a little over a year ago, and it hit me harder than I thought it would. Her mind was so far gone that she didn't recognize us on the few visits we could manage over the past several years. I will pray for you and your family.
DeleteDear Walk2write, your husband (whose name is adorably thought up!) had very good luck at fishing - I'm sure such fresh fish must have been delicious!
ReplyDeleteBritta, he's a very shy sort of guy except when it comes to showing off a "red-keeper" (our grandson's name for redfish) because of the wonderful memories he has of fishing for them with grandson when we lived in Florida. The fish was the best tasting I've had in quite a while.
DeleteThat is quite a catch! I'm impressed that you guys managed to gut and cook it up in a camper. Sorry to be offline for so long. It's good to reconnect!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I'm glad he filleted it outside on the bed of the truck. I don't think I could have eliminated that raw fish smell if he had tried it inside. As for cooking, the smell was gone fairly quickly because the camper has a very effective ventilation system. It works better than the one we have in the house over the stove! I'm glad to see you back online.
DeleteThat is one great looking fish! Love it! I bet it tasted really good too. Hope you guys are doing fantastic!
ReplyDeleteIt was very good, Tina. And we are doing as well as can be expected of two old farts in a crazy world. I know for a fact that you haven't quite reached that diminished level of expectation yet:)
DeleteGreat catch indeed. Actually we're shortly on our way to your old haunts in The Big Bend. I'm even brining my fishing pole...:)
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you need to "brine" your fishing pole, haha. Can't wait to see what you catch, TB! Just don't let it be a cold.
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