Smoked Trout Recipe - (How to smoke trout)

It was my anniversary yesterday and being a seafood lover I had to order the smoked trout on the menu. It was absolutely delicious and is the inspiration for todays post.

Many people don't consider trout when it comes to smoking and they tend to stick with the more traditional smoked salmon. While I consider trout to be one of the best fish to smoke, I find that almost any fish can be smoked and this recipe could also be used on a variety of fish species.

This recipe takes quite a while to cook, but is simple to prepare. The ingredients are as follows:

• Whole Trout
• Brown Sugar
• Rock Salt
• Table Salt
• Your favorite seasonings (curry, teragon, lemon etc.)
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic Salt
• Lemon Slices

The instructions for this recipe are in the following video


Most good quality smokers can be used for this recipe.

Fishing Knots: Berkley Braid Knot

For quite some time now I have had emails from readers asking which knot I thought was the absolute best for braid fishing lines like fireline, finns, suffix etc. For years now I have personally used an improved clinch knot with increased wraps on braided lines and have not had many problems. Early this year, for some reason, I went through a period of mysterious knot failures and decided to test a new braid knot to see if it made any difference. The knot I tested was the Berkley Braid Knot.

The Berkley Braid Knot is a knot that has been tested (and I guess invented) by the research and development team at Berkley. It is tied by doubling the braid and this has increased knot strength in braided lines. Fortunately it is very simple to tie and is basically a clinch knot tied in the doubled line (see instructions below). I have been quite happy with the performance of the knot and I am sticking with it for now.

(Click to enlarge)

Biggest bass ever caught

Bass are one of the most iconic freshwater sportsfish in the world and the stories of monster bass caught and loss continue to echo around the lakes of the United States.

The biggest bass ever caught was captured in 2006 by Mac Weakley at Dixon Lake in Escondido. The bass weighed a massive 25 pounds 1 ounce (11.4 kilos) and looked like it had a slight overeating problem (see photo). However, the angler has decided not to claim the world record as there are a few problems with the capture:

• The fish was not weighed on a certified scale.
• It was unintentionally foul-hooked.
• No measurements of length or girth were taken.
• It was released.

While none of these would have technically disqualified the fish the angler has chosen not to pursue the world record and the million dollar prize. The current record stands at 22- pound, 4-ounce bass caught by George Washington Perry in 1932.

I support catch and release and I was very happy to hear that a potential record fish was released. That means that the monster bass might just still be swimming around Dixon Lake waiting for someone else to catch it, imagine how much it weighs now!

Fishing Knots: Turle Knot (and double turle knot)

The turle knot is a little known snare knot used to attach hooks to a leader. It is one of the most simple knots to tie, but is unfortunately quite a weak knot and is not usually recommended unless targeting very small fish. However, the strength of the knot can be significantly improved by tying the double turle knot, which I will also explain below.

Turle knot

1. Pass the line through the eye of the hook and make a simple loop.

2. Carry the end of the line on to make a Simple Overhand Knot upon the loop and pass the loop over the hook

3. Tighten into shape










Double Turle Knot

1. Pass the line through and make two simple loops. Then make a Simple Overhand Knot around both loops.
2. Pass these loops over the hook.
3. Tighten the knot.

Biggest marlin ever caught (with video)

There can be little argument that marlin are the true icon of saltwater sport fishing and a big marlin is on most anglers fishing wish list.

The biggest marlin ever caught record is slightly sketchy and there are certainly many reports of fish that would easily beat the record by up to a whopping 1000 pounds that were lost next to the boat, never recorded or that swam off with the camera etc.

Largest marlin caught on rod and reel
The biggest marlin caught on rod and reel that I can actually validate with some form of evidence was caught in 1970 in Honolulu and weighed in at a whopping 1805 lbs (or 820kgs for people like me)! It is pictured below and it is certainly a monster (click to enlarge).

Largest commercially caught marlin
The largest commercially caught marlin bottomed out a 1000kg scale meaning it weighed in excess of 2200 lbs! It was apparently caught on a handline which, if true, is one amazing feat - it is pictured below (click to enlarge).


Big Marlin Video
Below is a video of a 1026 lbs marlin and although it isn't a record it is one impressive fish!