I was not sure what the catch was going to be but I was happy to be invited to go fishing at Lake Macquarie (that’s the largest coastal saltwater lake in Australia) if only for the weather being so warm, bright and cheerful after a La Nina weather pattern, had produced unseasonal wet Sydney summer and it’s not over yet. The weather outlook for longer periods of extreme rainfall, such as those that caused flooding of the Darling, Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers and which made the Warragamba Dam to overflow a fortnight ago, still hold a threat to many residents living downstream.
It was a big day out at the Lake Macquarie, an aquatic playground, perfect for a relaxing day! Needless to say birds of all kind seemed to descend together on the same spot; a long line of eager anglers waiting in their 4WDs for other early birds taking their turn to launch their watercrafts, sharp-eyed terns circling in the clear blue sky and lazy seagulls with a flotilla of penguins waiting for a feed from fishermen gutting their catch of the day.
Soon we found ourselves floating and trolling lazily on the lake and occasionally interrupted to check on the moving lines with their metal lures. I was the first in the group to pull in a catch but luckily for the fish, it was just millimetres short of its legal size and I had to let it go back to the water to see another day.
My good deed was eventually rewarded with a combined catch of five taylors and an Australian salmon for the crew. Everyone on board was pleased with the catch of the day and for the next half an hour of homeward bound trip we were already planning for next fishing outing and collectively decided what was the best fish recipe for lunch. . Please stay tuned for the recipe.
Fantastic! The fish looks big and delicious!
ReplyDeleteWe are trying to learn how to fish. Caught one pinky last weekend :D
Felix and Elaine
Hi Felix and Elaine,
ReplyDeleteYou guys definitely caught a good eating fish. Did you go fishing with Uncle John?
Cheers!
Hi! Uncle Phil, Thank you very much for sharing so many receipes with all of us. I live in Canada and loves to eat Salmon, especially the sockeye. I do not know if Australia has sockeyes. Did you ever try baking the salmon with sambal spread on top of the fillet and wrap in the foil. If not, try it, it is very delicious. You have to make sure that you fry the sambal paste first before you spread it on. After it is done, squeeze some calamasi on it, wow, there you go! Let me know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
I 'll definitely try out your recipe! Thanks for the contribution to this blog. I hope to visit Canada soon and try your favourite Canadian sockeye salmon.
DeleteCheers,
Phil
Hi Uncle Phil,
ReplyDeleteThe five fishes laid out on the grass in your photo are the taylors, yes?
They remind me of the local kambong (more compact) and selar (broader) 'mackerels'.
We don't cook kambong or buy selar at mixed-rice stalls nowadays, despite their being sold everywhere.
But I still remember a younger me enjoying them deep fried, after they were scaled and gutted, and the body cavity salted to counter the bitterness.
Substantial crispy delights!
The biggest fish in the photo is the Australian Sea Salmon and the smaller ones are the taylors. They are good eating and they are finer in texture as compared to the selar or kambong at home.
ReplyDeleteAustralian good fortune then!
ReplyDeleteThe kambong/selar and kuning (smaller ones with yellow stripe for nasi lemak), when fried to a crisp, are already so delightful.
How blessed then, the abundance of taylors over where you are! :-)
Over here, I also feel lucky to have experienced the pompano or golden pomfret, which has become common, e.g. in FairPrice supermarkets.
You might know that it's good for both steaming, like the white pomfret, or deep frying with sambal added, like the black one.