In a past post I mentioned Virginia sausage. Well now I'm going to give you some details on one of my pleasures. I use a pork butt, grind it up using a small to medium plate. You want the pork to have a good fat to lean ratio, I like it to be about 40% fat. The exact seasonings I can give you but the amounts are give and take according to you taste. The sausage has course salt, sage, ample black pepper and cayenne pepper. As the creator of this sausage relayed to me and I quote "you can never have enough pepper in good Virginia sausage"....a patty is made, fried in a pan. Another must is it has to be browned and have crispy edges. I put a slice of American cheese, but you can put whatever you like on it. Place it on a nice biscuit and enjoy.
Out and about on a nice spring day.
A stream where I was asked to leave. A new neighbor and a couple of convincing dogs made the request.
Before the request to leave was made I photographed several "trout lillies" in bloom.
Where there are trout lillies there are trout.
That's a fine looking stream, Alan. Any chance of a reconciliation with the new "neighbor"?
ReplyDeleteBill Shuck
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Bill I'm a pretty good judge of people and I have to say this area of stream will not be fished. I have to do a little more checking as to owns the land on the other side of the stream.
That's a real shame, but that VA sausage will serve as some consolation. Boy, does that look/sound good!
DeleteBill you have to stop by and I'll fix you a sandwich.
DeleteAlan
ReplyDeleteYou have a unique way of making food have smell-a-vision---- a nice brook trout taken!!! Thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill what a nice way to wake in the morning. Sausage and biscuits.
G'Day Alan,
ReplyDeleteThat looks like fine breakfast fare in the first photo.In OZ,your biscuits are our scones--learned that many years ago after watching "Jeremiah Johnson" starring Robert Redford. Still one of my favourite movies.
I hope you are able to get on good terms with your new neighbour. New owners often have that "Git off mah land, pilgrim!" attitude to begin with. I have friends who own small rural properties and they've had similar encounters with new neighbours, especially if they are urbanites adopting a lifestyle "tree change". Be friendly with the new neighbour as I'm sure you would without saying. Maybe welcome them with one of your gastronomic wonders!
A nice looking piece of water and beautiful brook trout. Coming over to the US and fishing for brook trout is definitely on my bucket list. After Easter I'm hoping to fish a stream about a hours drive from where I live. It has had a number of brook trout escapes from a trout hatchery and judging by the smaller sizes of recently caught brook trout, I think the original big brutes have reproduced naturally in the wild. I hope so.
Yesterday afternoon I fished the Badger that flows past my back garden. Very low and clear but I managed to spook a couple of decent trout at a couple of spots. I might try your downstream drift approach as the trout were spooked when approached from downstream--even with me moving like a heron!
Happy Easter to everyone,
Kindest Regards,
Steve.
Steve
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Johnson said "I make good biscuits", it is a great movie. As I mentioned to Mr. Shuck the landowner is one who will not be changed. I got a good read and my instincts say find another place to fish.
If your going to make the long journey to the states you must fish for the wild brook trout. So much public land has been protected and is available to the angler.
The downstream approach has always worked for me. Happy Easter.
Alan, does Connecticut have a Public Trust Doctrine as regards to water access? I don't know if that stream can be argued as 'navigable' but it certainly bears more research. We ran into the same type of landowner in NH but the law is black letter stuff and we continued to fish, albeit within the boundaries of the stream.
ReplyDeletemike
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I believe no one can own the water, but the access to it is another thing. With the abundance of streams I have to fish I don't think the hassle that would be created is worth it....
Your tact, diplomacy, and discretion is a wonderful thing to possess. I wish I had more of all three in my arsenal. As Mr. Love reminds us below, your dedication to conservation is appreciated by everyone who follows you around Brook Trout forest. Thank you!
DeleteHey Alan,
ReplyDeleteI hope you continue your prolific posting since I fell and screwed up my casting shoulder in Cabo MX. I'm probably looking at first fishing again this fall. :-/ I need reading material and yours is great.
billp
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Bill sorry to hear of your injury. Wow the whole summer on the shelf. If it makes you feel better I slipped on my a&& the other day and wound up getting soaked.
Lots of good stuff here so stop by.
Alan, It's always disappointing to lose access to a stream, especially a nice one like this one. In many states, the water and fish are a public resource. However, access across private land is not guaranteed.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the new landowner did not grant you access. In defending his private property rights to keep trespassers off of "his personal trout stream," he probably didn't realize that he was denying access to an individual who does as much, and perhaps more, than anyone to advocate for the protection of native brook trout in these tiny streams. (Sorry for the run-on sentence.)
Sometime you have to catch (and release) fish in order to save them. Your frequent blog postings oftentimes do more to create an awareness for this native fish species than scientific articles and academic lectures. Your style of displaying a handful of photos interspersed with a few words illustrate the delicate balance required for brook trout to thrive in clean, cold, connected water. Without one, you won't have the other.
Your conservation ethic to protect this valuable resource comes through loud and clear. Your willingness to share your story is appreciated by your readers.
Thanks and keep the blog going. Hopefully you'll be welcome on that stream sometime in the future.
Bill Love, President, Idaho Panhandle Chapter - Trout Unlimited
Anonymous
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Bill I can understand someones reluctance to allow a stranger on their land. Maybe if they knew that I was not going to do any harm they may reconsider.
Thanks you for your kind words. I try to bring to my readers my perspective on the finer things in our lives in as simple a way as I can. I truly enjoy everyone's comments for they add so much to this blog. I hope you'll continue to read SSR's and add your thoughts.
It is hard to believe that someone would ask a fine fellow like you to leave your fishing. Hunting would be one thing, but fishing a small native trout stream, what harm is there in that? The new land owner must be a total jackass.
ReplyDeleteSam
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I'm sure they have a reason for not allowing me to fish the stream. I have encountered this several times in the past. Most times I'll wait a few weeks-months and then attempt to revisit the stream. I have had success doing this in the past and have received permission.