nwsportsmanmag.com | AUGUST 2019 Northwest Sportsman 103
COLUMN
CHEF IN THE WILD
By Randy KingI
t was a hot
summer evening
and the setting
sun gave off hues
of gold and purple
as it faded. A
slight breeze was
whitecapping Lake Lowell at Idaho’s Deer
Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Created for
farming, the lake allows for agriculture
in what would otherwise be a sagebrush
plain. I grew up around here; this is as close
to home waters as I have.
How To Take The ‘Muddy’
Taste Out Of Catfish
My brother, father and I had our
backcountry camping packs full of gear and
were on a practice hike when we noticed a
young angler with a tight line standing on
the lakeside rocks. His head was cocked to
one side for some reason and he looked
like he was genuinely struggling.
We stopped and watched. It turned out
the young man was on the phone trying
to get his father, who was somewhere
down by the dam, to show up with the
net. He was trying to call him instead of
just yelling.I had a “kids these days” moment.
But he fought the fish well and after
about five minutes he landed a 10-pound
catfish. We all cheered for him as he
banked the fish, sans net.
I took his phone and snapped a pic for
him. He was clearly a little dumbfounded
by the catch, still a bit shaky after the fight.
Then he let the catfish go.
I asked if he ever ate them.
“Yeah, we took one home last week,
but it tasted like mud,” the angler replied.
A common refrain. I know how to fixCatfish make a great meal when filleted correctly. Author and
chef Randy King shines a light on how to do so. (RANDY KING)