How To Clean Gizzards

I know most American hunters throw out many edible portions of the bird.  That is too bad as the liver, heart and gizzard are all good eating.  I used to throw out the gizzard only because I did not know how to properly clean it until last season when I was shown how.   This is how it's done:

The gizzard has two halves split by a hard cartilage-like bone. It's easily recognizable by a diagonal line running through the gizzard.  Cut along this bone like material but not all the way through.

Split the two halves.  Inside will be the grit that the bird uses to help digestion and grind seeds.

Take the spilt open gizzard and clean it in a bowl of water.  Make sure to get all the grit out.  DO NOT do this under the sink. It will clog your pipes very quickly.  Also when you are done do not throw this water down the sink, just dump it in your backyard.

Split the gizzard in two now.  Start trimming all the edges and silverskin material and anything that doesn't look like meat.

Now remove the grinder plate, the hard cartilage-like material.  Slice along side it and try not remove too much meat with it.

 Repeat on the other half.  Remove the silverskin.  You can start by taking the tip of the knife cut some of the silverskin off and then peel it off.   The gizzard should look like a roundish pink meat. 

There are gizzard recipes throughout the web so find one that looks appealing.  If you're worried about eating innards try a fried recipe to make it easier to start.  I use the same marinade I use for ducks and cook it with the bird.  If you have concerns remember a gizzard is just meat.  It is harder but it does not have any gaminess or ironiness that other innards have, so it is an easy entry meat for the nasty bits.  Textually though it is harder than flesh but its quite edible.  Give it a shot.  

This Documentary Needs To Be Made

This is a trailer for a proposed documentary about an interesting old British chap and his last African hunt.  I would watch this in a heartbeat.  I'd even buy the DVD.  They need to get it done.

Great Heym Double Rifle Video

Great video from Heym, although the title is misleading.  I was staring to get excited as I thought Heym made a new double barreled bolt like Blaser and Fuchs.  Nonetheless this is great video and illustrates why the double is the choice among dangerous game PHs in Africa.  Ivan Carter has balls of steel.  I think I'll have to watch my Craig Boddington dvd with Ivan tomorrow.

Clearly Not California

Thanks to blog reader Nathan from Colorado who sent me this, clearly not a California commercial. If it were a California commercial, it would be totally different.  Instead of the stranger hugging a hunter it would be an anti spitting in a hunter's face and calling him a murderer.  Some states have enough sense and realize hunters are a value to their states economy.  If it weren't for dove hunting how would the Imperial Valley and surrounding areas survive?  We'll see how those people make it when nonlead ammo becomes law for all hunting in all areas.  This commercial is cool but please don't hug me, I have intimacy issues.

Another Good Mauser Marketing Video

Mauser is now owned by Blaser.  And like Blaser's, this Mauser promotional video is awesome.

Nothing Impressive On The Last Day

Day 3.  November 3rd.  Some Cast, No Blast.

With the bad taste from yesterday, I was pretty confident the Lower would lift our spirits.  The Lower at one time could have been considered my "homewater" despite being over five hours away.   I haven't fished though in years.  The last time I can recall fishing this river was 5 or 6 years ago.  It has changed somewhat from my heyday.  First in the wild trout section you no longer can drive to the river as the road is now fenced off.  This is a shame as I always liked parking beside the river and having lunch.  Second the tules and surrounding brush has dominating the banks much more than I recall.  The water still is a zoo, every turnoff had a parked car and every bend had a fisherman.

We parked and started fishing I took a bend and fished on a 4 foot bank and casted ahead of an overhanging tree limb allowing my nymph tandem drift underneath the mess.  Every 5 or 6 cast I managed to hookup.  Unfortunately most of the fish would come off before I had to figure out how I was going to get down and land the fish.  Most of these fish were small so I didn't really care.  I finally hooked up on a legit brown about 14 inches so I fought the fish dragging it upstream until I could reach a slightly lower bank and jumped down into river.  Since this section was at a rather fast bend I had to manipulate the fish so that it wouldn't run downstream while at the same time trying to get my net off my waist pack.  The fish ended up coming off when I missed netting it and the brown ran in between my legs.

After losing more and more flies in this section I decided to move downstream toward Tuck.  He let me know that he was finally catching fish too.  I hopscotched to the next section and fished this area without any luck while Tuck moved past me to the next bend.  I caught up to him and once I did he was on a fish, I dropped down to the water from the bank and helped him land his fish.  Afterwards I moved past him to the next bend.

At this section I managed to land my best fish of the day.  Nothing impressive maybe 10 or 11 inches.  I manage few more small fish when Chul reached me and since he was rigged with a dry I told him there was sporadic rises at the tailend of the section of tules.  I left him to noticed there was a group of fishermen ahead of us.

Chul had no success trying to get the rising fish to take his fly and I suggested we drive down and see if could find some free water and left the wild trout section.  I was hearing gunshots while fishing and decided I wanted a duck so I traded my fly rod for a shotgun and headed downstream.  I hiked down river and saw no duck but did see some rising fish and called the group to come over. 



When they came I showed Chul where the fish were raising and he managed a few on the surface.  He finally broke off on most likely the 16 incher I saw rising.  I moved down with shot gun in hand and saw no ducks and headed back to the group and swapped the Model 12 for the 5 weight.  I couldn't get any fish to take my fly.  I even tried a dry when I saw a fish rising in a back eddy.  None of those surfacing fish were willing to take my fly.  Tuck managed several upstream of this area.


Having to wake up beyond early on Monday, Chul and Erika left before Tuck and I.  We said our goodbyes and Tuck and I moved to other waters downstream.  We finally found a promising spot.  I left him there while I went off hunting.  The wind picked up so Tuck stopped fishing.  He was done. 



Since Tuck was done I decided I wanted to check a cannel that usually holds at least one duck.  We
drove to the area and I left Tuck with the Rover to relax and drink himself silly with some Pale Ale.  I walked down the cannel for a few minutes before a single mallard flushed out of a bend but it was too far for a reasonable shot.  After that it was game over and time to head home.  It was not quite the weekend we were hoping for but that is the life of a sportsman.  Its not always a winner.  At least the company was good despite the poor fishing and hunting.  I will be back with the dog and those ducks (and quail) that eluded me will be seeing me again very soon.

Bad Luck Continues

Day 2: November 2, First Full Day

This weekend was a partial work weekend for Tuck so we left him in the morning at the condo while we headed off to the Upper.  Before we left, I remembered that Tuck told me he thought he may have left his fishing license in his saltwater bag.  So he checked his waist pack and after pulling out 15 different expired fishing licenses from several different states, he realized he didn't have the one he needed.  Way to go buddy you have a card deck full of license and not one of them makes you legal in this state.  More bad luck.  He debated whether or not to go rogue and risk it.  I told him the local warden is not a pushover and he could get a duplicate for something like $5 and he rightfully agreed.



After leaving Tuck, we made it to the river.   As with any blue ribbon stream, the river was already stating to crowd before we got there.  After finding a stretch that appeared to be somewhat free of fishermen, we made our way to the river.  I rigged two rods, a tandem nymph rig and another with a streamer.  I never had any luck with streamers for trout in a river.  When I met a member of a local forum during a fly tying night in the summer, he was showing me all the Sierra hogs he pulled out of various rivers with a streamer.  So I wanted to give it a shot despite the fact I have little to no confidence in what I am doing.  Since Chul has also had success with it also I could see what he was doing and try and mimic his technique.



I never had much love for the Upper and this day didn't change my mind.  Time passed and I didn't have so much as grab.  Chul was the first to get on fish and decided to try his luck at streamers.  He managed a few using the dip and strip method, stripping the fly through the undercuts.  Being as shallow and clear the river was, he could see the fish come out and attack the fly.  By lunchtime Tuck made it to us and he rigged after telling me his duplicate license cost him $16.  I was shocked but I didn't realize he was still paying for and out-of-state resident fees.  He had gotten some insider scoop at the fly shop and it was contrary to what Chul taught were the regulations.   Tuck was told the to fish the lake to monument.  Chul had taught all that section was already closed off for the season.

After a streamside lunch and cigar, we waited for Tuck to rig up and we headed back out.  The high sun was beating down on us and despite the 60 degree reading it felt like 85.  After see Chul use the dip and strip technique with success I tried doing the same.  I could not get any fish to stay on.  I missed a few and so did Tuck.  As the day went on and the infamous Upper wind started to blow I was getting awfully fed-up with this river that has always frustrated me.   Using my rerigged nymph rod I started noticing how difficult it was to cast, I blamed it on the wind until I noticed that I missed a guide when I rerigged.  Frustrated I decided to forget the fly rod and look for some ducks in nearby waters that maybe sheltering from the wind.  With a hour of light I left them and told them to call me when they were done and we'd meet up on the road.

I checked out a nearby piece of water and glassed from high above trying to find me a few table ducks.  I saw none only shorebirds and cows.  I drove down and did find a doe and her offspring in the creek feeding on the weeds.  This sight alone was the best part of the day.  With no birds here I moved to the closed off section of the river hoping to see a bird or two.  This was the section I nearly got stuck last year in the snow, so I wanted to see this piece of water since I've never seen it before.

I drove to monument and saw a pair of fly fishermen fishing.  Perplexed I reached the sign and sure enough it was still legal to fish from monument to the lake.  I decided to grab the streamer rod and try my luck in the last few minutes of light.  When I reached the water in the distance I noticed a duck like silhouette.  Since I did not have my binoculars with me I could not tell what type of duck it was,  I headed back to the truck for the shotgun and binos.  When I made my stalk close enough to glass them I saw that they were coots.  Are you kidding me?  I just waste more light to go grab a shotgun for nothing. 

I made a few casts when Chul called me and let me know they were waiting for me at the bridge.  I told him I was just about leaving and made one last cast.  Fish on!  It felt hefty and was most likely one of the hogs coming out of the lake to spawn.  The very ones we were targeting.  Finally after all this frustration, success...Until my line went limp.  I stripped the line in and saw my fly line fluttering in the wind like a limp dick and I knew the leader failed.  Typical for the weekend so far.

I drive out meeting the group at the bridge and we headed off to Mammoth for dinner.  One of Tuck's new roommates is from this area and suggested we hit up Giovanni's for pizza.  Having made no right decision all weekend, I took what seemed like an eternity to order.  I was not about to make a wrong choice for dinner.  Finally I made up my mind and had the Gio's pizza which was just a copy of the old Wolfgang Puck style of pizza made with pesto sauce instead of tomato.  The choice proved to be a good one my very few of the weekend so far.

Not Our Weekend

Friday, November 1

Cast and Blast Weekend?

I got an invitation a couple weeks ago to hit up the Owens Valley as Tuck had access to a condo in the Mammoth area.  I debated up to the last minute whether I wanted to head up before the group and hunt ducks with Kaiser.  I choose against it since I didn't want Kaiser messing up the condo since he'd be dirty from hunting all day.  So I decided to leave him home and leave with the group on Friday.  The thought of hunting without my dog is something I need not explain to gundog owners.  But since this trip was to be more a cast trip than a blast trip, I sucked it up and reluctantly left the dog with the folks. 

Not A Good Start To The Weekend

Before Tuck arrived at my house and in need of a haircut , I went to the barber shop.  When I arrived I noticed my regular barber was not working.  I debated whether I should let another barber cut my hair.  Knowing I would not have enough time or likely the energy to get a cut  before my meeting on Monday I choose to let a Chong (from Cheech and Chong) lookalike cut my hair.  Bad decision. Note to self do not let anyone else but your regular barber cut your hair.  I knew that but I risked it anyhow.

After cursing myself for not just waiting until Monday, I went back home to get ready for the trip.  I rigged up all my rods the night before and placed them in the Rod mount.  I decided to remove one of my reels and replace it with another that was lined with a better line for nymphing.  When I tried to remove it, my reel seat came apart.  Son-of-a-bitch.  I built this Sage 5 weight XP years ago and I love it for my nymphing rod in the Sierras.  I could have epoxied it and let it cure during the 5 hour drive and throughout the night.  But I was worried since the Mammoth area evening temperatures were in the low 30s, it might not cure all the way in time.  My favorite T&T 5 weight would be rigged for streamers so I replaced the XP with my Sage DS2.  I was not too happy about it. 

Tuck finally arrived and we set forth on our trip.  Chul and Erika had already made their way about 40 minutes before us.  We met up later for lunch and Chul was not in a good mood as Erika had left her purse at home and they had to turn back 20 minutes into the trip.  More bad luck.  It worked out though as we were able to reach a lunch stop roughly at the same time.

Arrived on the river at 4:30 with about hour of light.  The Tuck, Chul , and Erika rigged to fish while I set up to go after ducks.  After only 5 minutes of walking I flushed a covey of 30 quail.  I thought of taking a shot but decided against it since I had $3/round number 4 tungsten shot loaded in my Model 12.  Too expensive for quail and too big a shot.  Also I was only a few yards from the river and if there were any ducks loafing on the water I did not want to tip them off.  I was right when I reached the water I looked downstream hiding behind cover I saw a group of about 8 or 12 loafing in the water.  I peeled back to circle them to intercept them.  In my hast I must have made too much noise as I heard them flush off the water only to see them fly off out of shotgun range.   I continued downstream and a few bends over a group of four flew off.  After seeing that I knew I would have to walk quite a bit before I would see another duck so  I head back to the truck.  On the way I saw three mallards fly in my direction.  I kneeled down and watched, they came within 40 yards and I took a shot at them.  Probably not wise at $3 a shot but in my excitement I took the shot.
 

Questioning myself for taking a foolish shot I headed back to the group.  When I got back to the truck I asked how they did and Chul had a carp on but lost it.  Chul did tell me there was about 5 ducks at the bend where we had parked.  Figures.  I hike a half a mile and all I could have done was walk 50 yards to see ducks.  I unloaded and while we stood there watching the river while Tuck was finishing a cigarette, three more mallards few directly overhead within shotgun range.  Of course my shotgun was already disassembled and in the truck by then. 

 A Text Exchange With Tuck And I Earlier This Week.  I Don't Think He Was As Amused As I Was.

We headed to Mammoth where we had a rather unimpressive dinner that would last in my stomach even as I write this post.  How the hell do you screw up fish and chips?  More bad luck.  After we were off to the condo for a well need rest.  Hopefully the next day would pan out better.

California, I Have Two Words For You

Can you figure out what those two words are?  I'll give you a hint, the second word is YOU.  The first word starts with a F.  Many of my sportsmen buddies come from out of state.  I have yet to figure out why anyone would want to move here.  This place is a dump.  Don't be fooled by the glitz, it's a true shit hole whether your a hunter, fisherman or not.

The People's Republic of California recently passed a law outlawing all lead shot for hunting by 2019 despite the urging from the Game Wardens Association to veto the law.  The price of admission now is starting to get ridiculous.    Its now costs a resident $90.40 for all the stamps to hunt upland and waterfowl.  At this rate we'll have European-style pricing and this sport will be left only to the wealthy few.

I recall buying a hunting license in Utah and the dealer was complaining of the pricing for in state residents.  I laughed and told him despite the fact I was to pay out of state fees its was still far cheaper than my CA license. 

Rant off.  I have a lot more to rage about California but I'll leave it at this for now.

Today's Appetizer

Beef Carpaccio.

Recipe:
USDA Prime New York Strip (other cuts work as well) or Venison
Baby Arugula
Capers
Shaved Parmesan
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon
Salt
Pepper

If I Had This In College, My College Life Would Have Been A Lot Different

How is it that there was no such program when I was in University?  I went to another UC school and I'm shocked that any UC school would allow a hunter's camp.  Kudos to California Waterfowl and UC Davis for making this available to students.  Programs like this should be available to all students from grade school to University. 

Fall Colors In Our Local Mountains

Fall is here even though it doesn't feel like it.  It's still hot and I'm waiting for it start getting cooler.  Despite the heat the local mountains have started showing fall colors.  Chul and I hit up one of our local jaunts to see how the water faired after our hot summer.  The water, while still low, has been slightly recharged by the storms we had a few months ago. 

The fishing was much better than I expected.  I haven't thrown a fly in what seems like eternity and I didn't have high expectations for today's outing.  How wrong was I.  While we only fished a few hours we had some legit fish at the end of line.  We started with several dinks and Chul was the first to land a nice fish. 

Fishing was enhanced with the fall colors and being rained on with falling leaves.  If only it were cooler it would have actually felt like trout fishing.

I managed a 12 inch fish that fell off right before I tried to land it.  This was the same fish I tried so desperately tried to catch the last time we fished here.  The fish took an emerger fly I came up with last summer.   After the disappointment, I moved to the pool ahead and managed a fish not as nice but the best fish I managed to land all day.

We moved upstream to some of the "nicer" pools that proved to be a bust.  Surprisingly these holes produced no fish.

A spectator from above that kept an eye on me while trying to get some fish to rise.  We finished before three and headed out for dinner at Rounds Burgers.

C&F Design Rod Rack

This is a post I wanted to write a couple months ago but never got around to doing so.  I received a C&F Design Rod Rack from a friend in Japan who sent me this package.   Anyone who knows me or reads this blog regularly, knows that I am a big fan of C&F products.  Not long ago I saw this product on the  C&F Design's Japanese website and thought that was an interested product and wished they imported it here.

 

The Rod Rack is just one of many products in their line that don't make it stateside.  Because of a change in direction in my business, I haven't been able to fish or hunt or even post a entry.  I finally decided to try out this product to see if its any good.  Up until I bought the Rover, I have been using a sedan to go fishing.  I still use a sedan for local fishing just to save my LR3 from wear and tear so that I can save it for the hunting season or for longer trips.  Using a sedan is a pain if you are moving from spot to spot since you need to breakdown your rod every time or if you don't want to waste time setting up once you arrive on the water.  So when I saw this product I wanted to check it out.

This C&F product uses the same foam found in their fly boxes.  It is firm, dense and high quality.  Unlike my Rod Loft Pro in my LR3, the grip portion holds the rod firmly and given its 12 o'clock insertion point, its unlikely to drop a rod, So I don't think I need to tether it like my LR3 setup.

There are two main sections and to me this should be enough for most fly rod applications.

There is a third "tip" section if you care to use it.  For this auto and for 9 foot rods I don't think its necessary.

Connection of each section is done by webbing straps and tighten adjusted by side release buckles. 

The system allows for four semi disassembled rods to be held without removing your rig's flies or other set ups.  The video posted toward the end of this post with show how that is accomplished.

A close up on there second section. 

A close up of the handle section holder.  The grip is firm but allows for easy insertion and removal.

I sat in the rear to see how annoying it would be for a passenger sitting next to it. 

I did drive around the block to see if the rods would get in the way of operating the vehicle.  It did not seem too obtrusive although I didn't log enough miles to really test it out.  

 

Here is a short video from a German company showing the system in action.

Having not truly tested this product I'm not sure if I really like it or not.  I wanted it for my local fishing where I use my sedan rather than the Rover.  We'll see if this system is any good. 

A few things I don't like already is, while its not terribly difficult to install I not as easy as my Rod Loft Pro.  There is a lot of adjusting and tightening require to get it right.  I found placing the webbing straps directly on the head rest was unstable and would pop out every so often.  I began tethering it to the posts instead.  Also in this Benz there is a middle head rest in the rear seats, it interferes with the system.  I tried removing it but I couldn't.  Of course this is not a problem of the C&F but if that is going to become standard in sedans in the future it will cause problems.  I did mange to work around it but still a pain.  All in all I'm still debating whether this system is worth it or just a nice gimmick.

Dove Season Starts Today...

...and I'm sitting at home staring at old hunting photos.  I'll see if I'll be able to get out before the two week season ends.  With all this crazy weather I'm pretty sure I didn't miss much but at any rate it would have been nice to get out with the dog.

Blaser F3 Video

I've said it before, Blaser makes the best promo videos.  I've posted them here on this blog in the past and I've always commented on how well produced they are.  They have finally come up with one for their F3 shotgun.  While this is a decent video it is not nearly as good as the ones produced in Germany, this one is clearly made in the US.   That said it is informative and worth a view.

It does make me regret selling my Blaser F3 years ago.  At the time I was far more interest in hunting doubles than clay guns so I sold it to a friend.  I made a neat little profit on it but would have made a hell of a lot more had I kept it and sold it at todays prices.  I guess I'm stuck watching videos of it and thinking what could have been.