Uploaded October 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
A subscriber asked me to make Tex-Mex bluegill pot pies. I thought “how absurd!” He sent me a recipe for chicken. Maybe I could do it, and make it low carb! I need only one thing, bluegill! Click on SHOW MORE for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - - INFO ON THE EQUIPMENT, FISH, LAKE, VIDEOGRAPHY, ETC. - - - - -
THE BOAT: Bass Hunter EX purchased March, 2018. It can be ordered here: basshunter.com/bass-hunter-ex.html.
THE MOTOR: Minn Kota Endura C2-55 Trolling Motor (36" Shaft), 55 LBS of thrust. It runs on a 12v, deep cycle battery. Purchased on amazon, September, 2018.
THE LURE: a 2½ inch Shad Grubs from Action Plastics (currently out of business, but its website indicates it may be reopened).
LURE TWO: A 1½ inch Bassin’ Assassin. It is attached to a 1/32 oz. jig head.
THE SPINNING REEL: A black and red Abu Garcia REVO2SX10, purchased 04/26/2018.
SPINNING REEL TWO: is a Pflueger Trion GX-5. This model is no longer made.
THE SPINNING RODS: Daiwa SMD401ULFS Spinmatic-D SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 pound line test recommended). It can be found on Fish USA, and other places.
THE SPINNING REEL LINE is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 LB test, 2 LB monofilament equivalent.
THE LAKE is called Lake Ketchabigwon (named by native Americans). It is almost 6 acres and is located in NE Ohio. It sits on 37 acres of property. The lake is private. It has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The small pond is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12 feet.
FISH IN THE LAKE are largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp.
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS AND RETURN LARGER BASS: We had biologists perform an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. There is only so much biomass to go around, and there are too many mouths to feed. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12 inches, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.
WHERE TO GET A CAP LIKE MINE: You can get a “Juanelo Bait & Tackle” baseball cap here, inkpixi.com/by-clothing-type/baseball-hats. In fact, you could put your own name on it!
VIDEOGRAPHY:
The principal camera is my iPhone X on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 6s Plus as a close-up, counter-top camera when cooking. It is mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode microphone indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on my MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Driving Through Dallas,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GUACAMOLE (MY WAY)
INGREDIENTS:
2 Large Avocados
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of ground pepper
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ large sweet onion chopped
1 teaspoon of lime juice
10-12 cherry tomatoes sliced into 4 pieces each
4 oz. can of chopped chile peppers
1 TBS. of sour cream
4 sprigs cilantro chopped (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Mash avocados and mix in all other ingredients
MINI TEX-MEX LOW-CARB BLUEGILL & CHEESE PIES
Recipe inspired by this one: tablespoon.com/recipes/mini-tex-mex-chicken-and-cheese-pies/4612b1d6-7042-4fe7-81b8-98f65b95c171
INGREDIENTS
1¼ LB bluegill fillets (or any smaller white fish like tilapia)
1 teaspoon of McCormack’s Mexican seasoning
1½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chiles
¼ cup peppercorn ranch dressing
¼ cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
½ cup Carbquik low-carb baking mix
3 oz. heavy cream mixed with 1 oz. of water
2 large eggs
1 cup salsa of your choice
1 cup of Guacamole
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray and add bluegill fillets.
Microwave the fish fillets for 7½ minutes, remove the bluegill and pat them dry.
In a large bowl, shred the bluegill and add Mexican seasoning.
Add cheese, green chiles, peppercorn ranch and cilantro. Mix well to combine everything.
In another smaller bowl, whisk together the Carbquik, cream and eggs.
Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
Pour a tablespoon of the egg mixture into each muffin cup. Then place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bluegill mixture on top of the baking mixture.
Then spoon over 1 more tablespoon of the baking mixture on top of the fish. (Continue for the remaining 11 muffin cups.)
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick is clean when inserted.
Serve garnished with more cilantro and your favorite salsa and / or guacamole.
A subscriber asked me to make Tex-Mex bluegill pot pies. I thought “how absurd!” He sent me a recipe for chicken. Maybe I could do it, and make it low carb! I need only one thing, bluegill! Click on SHOW MORE for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - - INFO ON THE EQUIPMENT, FISH, LAKE, VIDEOGRAPHY, ETC. - - - - -
THE BOAT: Bass Hunter EX purchased March, 2018. It can be ordered here: basshunter.com/bass-hunter-ex.html.
THE MOTOR: Minn Kota Endura C2-55 Trolling Motor (36" Shaft), 55 LBS of thrust. It runs on a 12v, deep cycle battery. Purchased on amazon, September, 2018.
THE LURE: a 2½ inch Shad Grubs from Action Plastics (currently out of business, but its website indicates it may be reopened).
LURE TWO: A 1½ inch Bassin’ Assassin. It is attached to a 1/32 oz. jig head.
THE SPINNING REEL: A black and red Abu Garcia REVO2SX10, purchased 04/26/2018.
SPINNING REEL TWO: is a Pflueger Trion GX-5. This model is no longer made.
THE SPINNING RODS: Daiwa SMD401ULFS Spinmatic-D SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 pound line test recommended). It can be found on Fish USA, and other places.
THE SPINNING REEL LINE is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 LB test, 2 LB monofilament equivalent.
THE LAKE is called Lake Ketchabigwon (named by native Americans). It is almost 6 acres and is located in NE Ohio. It sits on 37 acres of property. The lake is private. It has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The small pond is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12 feet.
FISH IN THE LAKE are largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp.
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS AND RETURN LARGER BASS: We had biologists perform an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. There is only so much biomass to go around, and there are too many mouths to feed. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12 inches, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.
WHERE TO GET A CAP LIKE MINE: You can get a “Juanelo Bait & Tackle” baseball cap here, inkpixi.com/by-clothing-type/baseball-hats. In fact, you could put your own name on it!
VIDEOGRAPHY:
The principal camera is my iPhone X on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 6s Plus as a close-up, counter-top camera when cooking. It is mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode microphone indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on my MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Driving Through Dallas,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GUACAMOLE (MY WAY)
INGREDIENTS:
2 Large Avocados
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of ground pepper
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ large sweet onion chopped
1 teaspoon of lime juice
10-12 cherry tomatoes sliced into 4 pieces each
4 oz. can of chopped chile peppers
1 TBS. of sour cream
4 sprigs cilantro chopped (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Mash avocados and mix in all other ingredients
MINI TEX-MEX LOW-CARB BLUEGILL & CHEESE PIES
Recipe inspired by this one: tablespoon.com/recipes/mini-tex-mex-chicken-and-cheese-pies/4612b1d6-7042-4fe7-81b8-98f65b95c171
INGREDIENTS
1¼ LB bluegill fillets (or any smaller white fish like tilapia)
1 teaspoon of McCormack’s Mexican seasoning
1½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chiles
¼ cup peppercorn ranch dressing
¼ cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
½ cup Carbquik low-carb baking mix
3 oz. heavy cream mixed with 1 oz. of water
2 large eggs
1 cup salsa of your choice
1 cup of Guacamole
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray and add bluegill fillets.
Microwave the fish fillets for 7½ minutes, remove the bluegill and pat them dry.
In a large bowl, shred the bluegill and add Mexican seasoning.
Add cheese, green chiles, peppercorn ranch and cilantro. Mix well to combine everything.
In another smaller bowl, whisk together the Carbquik, cream and eggs.
Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
Pour a tablespoon of the egg mixture into each muffin cup. Then place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bluegill mixture on top of the baking mixture.
Then spoon over 1 more tablespoon of the baking mixture on top of the fish. (Continue for the remaining 11 muffin cups.)
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick is clean when inserted.
Serve garnished with more cilantro and your favorite salsa and / or guacamole.
