Wassup wit Fish Cakes

For those who know me, they will know that I don't cook very often. I believe this is for the most part caused by my lovely wife (who besides being a great cook) has a strange aversion to my creations.

• Kahawai surprise
• Mac'n'cheese
• Spaghetti with an egg mixed in (delightful orange colour)
  

I believe a starving man would be glad to eat my creations. I know my kids chomp them back when my wife is at work and i'm on cooking duty. In saying this, I haven't busted out the Spag / Egg combo on the kids yet :)

Changing the subject slightly. I went out on a mates boat for a days fishing and relaxing recently. Such a great day. Big work ups of Kahawai bubbling up the sea greeted us as we motored right around the point from Tutukaka Mariner. Hooking into one of these monsters on light gear is like playing a game fish. Line peeling off as you slowly tighten the drag. Leaping out of the water, and finally when you have him next to the boat one last zoom staight down. Good fun.

Me and the kids ate a feast of pan fried Kahawai perfectly cooked (my wife declined). It was a big fish and we had a heap left over. So I decided to try my hand at making fish cakes the next night. Mashed spud was quickly cooked and put in the fridge to use in my upcoming masterpiece.

The next night after yet another day at the beach, Whananaki South (beautiful, uncrowded) it was out with the Edmonds Cookbook and into it. Check it out.

I would show you the plate afterwards but it looked cleaner than when I started...a Boucher trait :)

Check it out.

Wassup wit Fishing Competitions?

I've always dreamed of catching the biggest fish at a fishing competition and winning the major prize.


A mere 7 years ago a bunch of us Guys and Gals from Zeal Church embarked on our annual Fishing Competition. We had some sponsors with a shiny new reel up for grabs.


The Venue: Kauri mountain Beach


Prize: For the biggest Kahawai (quite prolific at Kauri Mountain)


We spread out across the beach and began hurling our baits out as far as they could fly. Seaweed littered the sand at the hightide mark and many a cast reeled in hefty clupms too add to the smelly piles.

The going was slow and heads began to drop and murmers could be heard from the less stallwart amongst us.

Some waded out into the cold surf to gain a few important metres on their cast. Hours later they were seen stuffing as much newspaper, smelling suspiciously like bait, down their jacket to protect themselves from the bone-chilling cold. Full marks for perseverance.

A whooping shout could be heard from down the beach. The first of the long awaited Kahawai had been caught. It's shimmering silver form coming with a promise of a brand new reel.

Heads perked up and casts seemed to sail out with renewed vigor. As time went on several more Kahawai were harvested from the sea. Runners kept up a commentary as these 'non-fishers' ran between contestants shouting and comparing fish sizes.

Almost as a surprise a Schnapper was caught, not very big mind you, but all the same it was a Schnapper! Suddenly it was like the windows of Heaven were thrown open. Hoots could be heard up and down the beach as one after another the sea gave up Schnapper in increasing sizes.

I was watching this spectacle, enjoying my comrades success, but dreaming of my turn, when my line rapidly peeled off out to sea. My drag had been fairly loose so I tightened it a notch or two with no effect. As my heart began to beat faster I tentatively wound my drag tighter and tighter. The steamtrain on the other end began to tire and after three strong runs straight out to sea against almost full drag this monster was beat.

I hesitantly reeled in my prize with comrades searching the waves for a glint of scaly silver. Shauny leapt into the frey with a long handled Gaff and secured my prize! Thanks Shauny, I owe you one.

I could scarcley believe my eyes as a Schnapper as long as my fully extended arm flopped on the sand. Wooooo Hoooo!

Shauny 'Gaff Man / Hohepa / Honey Boy C. was having an absolute shocker of a night. Having borrowed a rod from his mate he promptly broke it and later injured himself (quite how I can't recall). Turns out the rod was his mates Dad's...oops.

In any case, with the promise of even larger Schnapper with the next cast, I selflessly baited my line and handed it to Shaun. "Catch a monster Mate"

Unfortunately Shauny had other plans and turned my reel into a fish mish ending birds nest of all birds nests :(

I don't know who I was more sad for...Shauny and his shockingly memorable night or myself for not having another crack at those once in a life time MOOCHERS!

At prize giving my mighty Schnapper dwarfed the competition. I was all smiles until I remembered the prize was for the biggest Kahawai. I wasn't worried, I already had my prize!

Good times all round I say. Here's a picture of the one that didn't get away :)

Wassup wit Schnapper prices?

At more than $33 per kilo for a fillet of NZ goodness, I think it's high time we all went for a fish and caught our own!


It's been so long that I can barely remember the feeling of reeling one of these delicacies from the ocean depths.


Having inadvertantly put our fishing spot in the Northern Advocate for all to see (here) I thought I would try and inspire myself and hopefully my good fishing buddy to clean our gear and head out for a fish mish.


So here goes...

'Never A Dull Moment' seems to encapsulate our fish mish's over the years.

We've caught: Schnapper, Kahawai, Trevally, Mau mau, Rays, Eels, Koheru, Piper, Sea weed, Rock Cod, Red Cod, Leather Jackets (Butterfish) and some weird stuff that Syms ate.


We've seen: Sharks, Sting Rays, Dolphins, Killer Whales, Sunsets, Sun rises and smiles galore.


We've experienced: Broken Rods, Flying Spools, Shattered Fry Pans, Scraped Skin, Falling Torches, Schnapper Dances, Stormy Swells, Sideways Rain, Busby Frogs and all with best mates giving thanks to the One who made it and holds it all together.


Thank you Jesus!

Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

By the way...cleaning your gear is optional :) Woohooo...Schnapper time, Da da da da, wo o wo o o oh!

Spot X

'Hey let's stay the night in the cave' suggested Mandrake. And against my better judgement I agreed.

So a plan was hatched, permission gained from DW's and the preparation began. We packed our rods, tackle, warm clothes, sleeping bags, water, gas burner, fry pan, cell phones and sunblock and hit the road. 'Nah, we won't need food...we'll catch all we need' Mandrake again.

A thirty minute drive, followed by a 25 minute walk and we were there. (Check out the photo at the half way stage)

Mandrake always gets his line in the water 1st, and today was no exception. I was just about in the water when the heavens opened and it pelted down. 'Oh no! My sleeping bag' - i like to be comfortable. If we're going to stay in a cave overnight the least I want is a dry sleeping bag. So I stash my pack in a little cleft about 3 metres up the rock face. It'll never get wet there...heh heh back to fishing.

Crash!! My pack had tumbled down the 3 metre drop - oops! I hope nothing's broken. A quick check revealed that something had in fact broken...my frying pan...my pyrex frying pan. I know, who would take a glass frying pan to the rocks!!! 'We'll be alright, we'll cook the fish on sticks' Mandrake again.

Hmmm, back to fishing.

We ended up with 5 nice sized Kahawai and a good sized Trevally.

Cooking fish on sticks?? Hey lets ring Tim, he's just crazy enough to want to come out at short notice and stay the night in a cave.

'Hey Tim, watcha doing? Ahh, waka ama practice...whatcha doing after that? Nothing? Sweet, wanna come out and spend the night in the cave with us? Yeah, awesome. Oh, hey, can you bring a frying pan? Shot bro, later.'

Long story short...we met Tim and his frying pan and made our way to the Cave.

We hastily set up our sleeping spots and then proceeded to clean and fillet the fish...all the fish (5 kahawai and a large Trev). We were absolutely starving. Out came the gas burner and the New frying pan (on ya Tim) and the cooking began. Mandrake had a secret ingredient...Lemon pepper! Oh yeah. Fresh fillets lightly sprinkled with Lemon pepper and fried in oil...deeeeeelicious.

3 blokes ate the whole lot...all gone in one sitting. Yep, undo the belt a notch and lay back looking at the stars. Mandrakes ADHD qualities wouldn't let him lie back. He prefered to chase a sting ray around the encroaching tide...good times.

Despite myself bringing a blow up Lilo matress to sleep on and the boys pulling up a few rocks for theirs, I had the worst sleep listening to a couple of logs snoring all night. Such is life in the Cave.

We fished the next morning with not much success, but we were still full of the previous nights glory to let that bother us. We trooped home feeling blessed to be able to have had an adventure such as the Cave provided. Nice one Mandrake.

As a finishing comment I might add that the photo heading this blog ended up in our local paper. I sent it in with a little blurb about the Cave mish unable to keep such a wonder to myself. Low and behold if the next time we went out to our Spot X it had decidedly more people there, with one of them yelling out, 'Hey weren't you the bloke in the paper? Where's this cave you talked about?'

Oops, sorry Mandrake. We might have to find another 'secret' location.