SUMMERTIME SEAFOOD IN NC

[cmpd1781]

Alright, folks....It's high summer and soon to be the wonderful Fall fishing season. The clamming and shrimping at the coast is smoking hot right now...and wondering if any of y'all have been getting in on the action. For the record, I made a couple of recent trips to the coast where my brother lives and got into the flounder gigging, clamming, and a little shrimping (during the nighttime gigging) and did Okey-dokey. Anyone else? Hey...post what you did this Summer so far, or what you plan to do in the Fall and Winter. I'll go ahead and throw out a good clam chowder recipe I've gotten the privelege to cook fresh recently. Anyone who's tried it LOVES it. New England Style Clam Chowder. 25 LARGE clams in the shell 1 large onion Diced potatoes (canned is fine---and easy---3 or 4 cans) 1 lb bacon 1 pint half/half 1 stick real butter 1/4 to 1/3 cup corn starch Pepper to taste ***Steam the clams until just opening so as to easily remove. Do not overcook...You're just creating clam juice and getting the clams open for now. Set the clams aside and reserve the juice. 4 to 6 cups water to facilitate the steaming should be plenty. Cook, well-done, 1/2 to 1 lb bacon. Set aside the bacon to cool and reserve the drippings. Chop the onion fairly fine. Use half the bacon drippings and sautee the onion in the drippings until softened. Add ALL to crock pot. Do not drain. You WANT the bacon drippings in the pot. Also add the clam juice (should have close to a quart) to the crock pot. Crumble the bacon into the crock pot. Chop the cooled clams into small to medium sized pieces. Sautee the clams using the rest of the bacon drippings and add entire mix to the crock pot. Cook on high setting for a couple of hours. Add the diced potatoes (drain first) and cook for a couple of more hours. Add the stick of butter about 1/2 hour before finishing. Then add the half/half, and turn the crock pot on the low setting. Add small amounts of corn starch (mixed with a small amount of water to smooth) to the pot until slightly thickened. Do not add too much! Pepper to taste and enjoy! You do NOT need to add salt. Plenty in the clams and clam juice, and in the butter. Note: You can add sliced or diced carrots if you wish. You can also use whole milk if half/half is too rich. C'mon NC fishermen. Add your .02 cents! Steve

[ncheavymetal]

Been fisihing a good bit this summer. Both locally and down east. We've been catching plenty of fish just nothing to write home about.

Freshwater: Been catching a ton of bream and crappie. A few bass.

Saltwater and Brackish: Caught alot of spot and croaker. A few small trout, small drum, puffers. No big hook-ups. Been fishing mostly in Dawson Creek and the Neuse around Oriental. We'll tie up out by the channel and catch as many spot as we want.

Just bought 40lbs of freshly caught Pamlico Sound shrimp from our friend that runs two shrimp boats out of Georgia. He said the shrimping up in the Pamilco has been super productive this summer. He moves with the shrimp/fish. He'll work anywhere between south Georgia and North Virginia. It's pretty cool to walk up to the docks in Oriental and get your shrimp right off the boat. Our shrimp were about three days old when we got them. Took them home and de-headed them and put em up in the freezer. Delicious.

Looking forward to the fall as well. Hope to hook up with some bigger drum and get some flounder and trout as well.

A few photos from the phone:

My youngest daughter is a fishing machine. Note the Pink Zebco. Fish never knew what hit em. She's caught all kinds of different fish from the local ponds to the blue water at Bogue Inlet. (Her older sister is a cast net throwing master. She can work the net like a pro. She's our bait fish catcher.)


My brother in law working the shore line:


Freshwater Sunset:

[cmpd1781]

Great pics and narrative.

[fuzzy1626]

Good fishing ncheavymetal and cmpd1781. It's just been to hot for me and the wife to take the boat out on Lake Hickory. Haven't even been up to Kerr Scott this year. Guess we'll just leave the fishing to you youngsters for now.

[cmpd1781]

Hey, Tony. I'll bet it's even to hot to hit Fontana or Cheoah too......

August is definitely the doldrums....THAT'S for sure.....

[RedEagle58]

The wife and I love to fish, but HATE the intense heat. Haven't done any fishing this summer as family matters have taken priority. Don't know if much fishing would've happened because of the heat. Get a call from my son down at Southport, every couple of days that goes something like this:

cell phone rings.....
Me: Hello
Son: Hey, what are you doing?
Me: Working, sweating like I'm drowning and trying to stay cool. What are you up to?
Son: Fishing
Me: Thanks, call me up and RUB my nose in it.........lol

But the plan is when things calm down around here and the weather cools some, we'll be wetting a line every free minute we have.

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Vic
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