Uploaded November 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
I have a guest coming for dinner who is crazy about curry dishes. I’d love to learn how to make a curry dish, especially a bluegill curry. I think I can do it. All I need are the bluegill! Click on SHOW MORE for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - - INFO ON THE EQUIPMENT, FISH, LAKE, VIDEOGRAPHY, ETC. - - - - -
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: 1/32 ounce lead jig head with a live mealworm, or with a 1 inch Johnson Beetle Spin body attached.
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.
LEARN HOW TO FILLET A FISH HERE: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM.
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. We purchased it in 1987. It has a maximum depth of 12’. The small pond uphill from it is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12’.
FISH IN THE LAKE: largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp.
LARGEST FISH CAUGHT: a grass carp that weighed over 30 LBS. A channel cat of 10 pounds. A crappie of 14¾ inches weighing 2 LBS and 1 oz. I did not measure the largest bluegill, but it had to be at least 10 inches. A bass of 6¾ LBS all caught in Lake Ketchabigwon.
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”, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes. Here is a well-known biologist explaining the need to cull small bass from ponds (21:00) youtu.be/toWlvfg-6mQ.
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 mic indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on a MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Rollin On,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
YUMMY ONIONY CAULIFLOWER RICE
Recipe taken from here: foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/healthy-cauliflower-rice-3363582#reviewsTop
INGREDIENTS:
24 oz. of riced cauliflower (one large head)
enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of a large skillet
1 lg. onion, finely diced (8 to 12 oz)
1½ tea. salt
3 to 4 TBS fresh parsley or cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, and stir to coat. Cook and stir until the onions are golden brown and soft, about 8 mins. Add the cauliflower, and stir. Add the salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the cauliflower has softened, 5 mins. or more. Remove from the heat.
Squeeze on the lemon juice. Stir in the parsley (or cilantro), test for salt, add more if needed. Spoon the cauliflower into a large serving bowl.
EASY BLUEGILL & SHRIMP CURRY
Recipe was inspired by this one: lexiscleankitchen.com/easy-curry-shrimp
Ingredients
1 LB of bluegill or other small fish fillets
1 LB large raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
Curry Sauce:
2-4 TBS butter (enough to cover bottom of very lg. skillet)
8 oz of diced onions
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS finely grated and minced ginger (2 inch knob)
1 or 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 TBS curry powder
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 14.5 oz can light coconut milk
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 lime, juiced
1 tea. salt, more as desired
¼ tea. freshly ground pepper, more as desired
1 TBS Sriracha
Serve with cauliflower rice (recipe above)
Directions
In a skillet, heat butter, then sauté onions, garlic, and ginger for 3 to 4 mins. until fragrant.
Add in coconut milk, diced tomato, sliced red bell peppers, curry powder, cardamom, cinnamon, lime juice, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in shrimp and let simmer for an additional 5-7 mins. until shrimp and fish are cooked through. Don’t over cook.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
Serve hot over cauliflower rice.
I have a guest coming for dinner who is crazy about curry dishes. I’d love to learn how to make a curry dish, especially a bluegill curry. I think I can do it. All I need are the bluegill! Click on SHOW MORE for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - - INFO ON THE EQUIPMENT, FISH, LAKE, VIDEOGRAPHY, ETC. - - - - -
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: 1/32 ounce lead jig head with a live mealworm, or with a 1 inch Johnson Beetle Spin body attached.
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.
LEARN HOW TO FILLET A FISH HERE: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM.
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. We purchased it in 1987. It has a maximum depth of 12’. The small pond uphill from it is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12’.
FISH IN THE LAKE: largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp.
LARGEST FISH CAUGHT: a grass carp that weighed over 30 LBS. A channel cat of 10 pounds. A crappie of 14¾ inches weighing 2 LBS and 1 oz. I did not measure the largest bluegill, but it had to be at least 10 inches. A bass of 6¾ LBS all caught in Lake Ketchabigwon.
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”, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes. Here is a well-known biologist explaining the need to cull small bass from ponds (21:00) youtu.be/toWlvfg-6mQ.
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 mic indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on a MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Rollin On,” purchased from audioblocks.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
YUMMY ONIONY CAULIFLOWER RICE
Recipe taken from here: foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/healthy-cauliflower-rice-3363582#reviewsTop
INGREDIENTS:
24 oz. of riced cauliflower (one large head)
enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of a large skillet
1 lg. onion, finely diced (8 to 12 oz)
1½ tea. salt
3 to 4 TBS fresh parsley or cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, and stir to coat. Cook and stir until the onions are golden brown and soft, about 8 mins. Add the cauliflower, and stir. Add the salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the cauliflower has softened, 5 mins. or more. Remove from the heat.
Squeeze on the lemon juice. Stir in the parsley (or cilantro), test for salt, add more if needed. Spoon the cauliflower into a large serving bowl.
EASY BLUEGILL & SHRIMP CURRY
Recipe was inspired by this one: lexiscleankitchen.com/easy-curry-shrimp
Ingredients
1 LB of bluegill or other small fish fillets
1 LB large raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
Curry Sauce:
2-4 TBS butter (enough to cover bottom of very lg. skillet)
8 oz of diced onions
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS finely grated and minced ginger (2 inch knob)
1 or 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 TBS curry powder
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 14.5 oz can light coconut milk
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 lime, juiced
1 tea. salt, more as desired
¼ tea. freshly ground pepper, more as desired
1 TBS Sriracha
Serve with cauliflower rice (recipe above)
Directions
In a skillet, heat butter, then sauté onions, garlic, and ginger for 3 to 4 mins. until fragrant.
Add in coconut milk, diced tomato, sliced red bell peppers, curry powder, cardamom, cinnamon, lime juice, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in shrimp and let simmer for an additional 5-7 mins. until shrimp and fish are cooked through. Don’t over cook.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
Serve hot over cauliflower rice.
