Uploaded October 2018 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
I bought a cookbook just for lake fish. In it is a recipe for bluegill. So, I picked up all I need for the recipe; ah ah, except the bluegill! Let's shop for some at our own open-air fish market! 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 2 inch twisty tailed plastic grub in chartreuse with silver flake.
THE SPINNING REEL: A black and red Abu Garcia REVO2SX10, purchased 04/26/2018.
THE SPINNING ROD: 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 “Cajun Jam,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
RUTABAGA CHIPS
Rutabaga chips inspired by Emeril Lagasse here: marthastewart.com/936930/napoleon-rutabaga-chips-and-sauteed-shrimp; and the recipe here: freshpicks.com/recipes/recipe-rutabaga-chips.html
INGREDIENTS:
1 large rutabaga peeled (1 LB or more)
Cooking oil to fill a deep fryer
Cajun seasoning (to sprinkle)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat cooking oil in a medium size pot to 375°F
Peel rutabaga and quarter it
Thinly slice rutabaga on a mandolin to about 1/16 inch
Pat slices dry to minimize moisture
In 4 or 5 batches, deep fry chips 6 minutes, or until golden brown but not burnt
Remove to paper towels and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning
HOT FRIED SUNNIES (bluegill) WITH PICKLED ONION CHILI MAYO
Recipe from the book: Lake Fish: Modern Cooking with Freshwater Fish by Keane Amdahl
Available on amazon here: amazon.com/gp/product/1681340283/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
INGREDIENTS:
1 TBS of granulated Splenda or equivalent artificial sweetener
⅓ cup of apple cider vinegar
¾ cup finely chopped onion
⅔ cup mayonnaise
1 red chile, finely chopped
2½ cups almond flour
3 TBS of cayenne
4 large eggs
2 TBS of Sriracha sauce
1 LB of bluegill fillets (I used almost 1½ LBS)
Cooking oil to fill deep fryer
4 green onions chopped on an angle for garnish
Lemon wedges or slices for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Place the vinegar and Splenda in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the Splenda dissolves. Stir in the onions and bring back to boil. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, stir together mayo, cooled and drained onions, and chopped chiles. Season with salt to taste. Refrigerate until needed.
Set up a basic frying station. Stir together almond flour and cayenne, then divide the mixture equally onto two casserole dishes. Crack the eggs into a bowl, stir in the Sriracha, and beat until smooth. Dredge each fish fillet through the first casserole dish of almond flour to coat, then dip in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip away, and then re-dredge using the second casserole dish. Place fillets on a large plate.
In a deep fryer, heat the oil to approximately 350 - 360°F. Add in 3 to 4 fillets at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel—lined plate. Season with salt.
Place fillets on a serving platter and garnish with lemon and / or green onion along with the pickled onion chile mayo.
I bought a cookbook just for lake fish. In it is a recipe for bluegill. So, I picked up all I need for the recipe; ah ah, except the bluegill! Let's shop for some at our own open-air fish market! 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 2 inch twisty tailed plastic grub in chartreuse with silver flake.
THE SPINNING REEL: A black and red Abu Garcia REVO2SX10, purchased 04/26/2018.
THE SPINNING ROD: 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 “Cajun Jam,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
RUTABAGA CHIPS
Rutabaga chips inspired by Emeril Lagasse here: marthastewart.com/936930/napoleon-rutabaga-chips-and-sauteed-shrimp; and the recipe here: freshpicks.com/recipes/recipe-rutabaga-chips.html
INGREDIENTS:
1 large rutabaga peeled (1 LB or more)
Cooking oil to fill a deep fryer
Cajun seasoning (to sprinkle)
DIRECTIONS:
Heat cooking oil in a medium size pot to 375°F
Peel rutabaga and quarter it
Thinly slice rutabaga on a mandolin to about 1/16 inch
Pat slices dry to minimize moisture
In 4 or 5 batches, deep fry chips 6 minutes, or until golden brown but not burnt
Remove to paper towels and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning
HOT FRIED SUNNIES (bluegill) WITH PICKLED ONION CHILI MAYO
Recipe from the book: Lake Fish: Modern Cooking with Freshwater Fish by Keane Amdahl
Available on amazon here: amazon.com/gp/product/1681340283/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
INGREDIENTS:
1 TBS of granulated Splenda or equivalent artificial sweetener
⅓ cup of apple cider vinegar
¾ cup finely chopped onion
⅔ cup mayonnaise
1 red chile, finely chopped
2½ cups almond flour
3 TBS of cayenne
4 large eggs
2 TBS of Sriracha sauce
1 LB of bluegill fillets (I used almost 1½ LBS)
Cooking oil to fill deep fryer
4 green onions chopped on an angle for garnish
Lemon wedges or slices for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Place the vinegar and Splenda in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the Splenda dissolves. Stir in the onions and bring back to boil. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, stir together mayo, cooled and drained onions, and chopped chiles. Season with salt to taste. Refrigerate until needed.
Set up a basic frying station. Stir together almond flour and cayenne, then divide the mixture equally onto two casserole dishes. Crack the eggs into a bowl, stir in the Sriracha, and beat until smooth. Dredge each fish fillet through the first casserole dish of almond flour to coat, then dip in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip away, and then re-dredge using the second casserole dish. Place fillets on a large plate.
In a deep fryer, heat the oil to approximately 350 - 360°F. Add in 3 to 4 fillets at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel—lined plate. Season with salt.
Place fillets on a serving platter and garnish with lemon and / or green onion along with the pickled onion chile mayo.
