Welcome to Week XLVI of 'Fishing Parkland Shorelines'. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I'll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don't have access a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
I have to start my reading suggestions this week with Bamboo Fly Rod Suite by Frank Soos.
Sub-titled 'Reflections on Fishing and the Geography of Grace' this is a quirky little book.
And I do mean little weighing in at only 72 pages, several of those taken up with artwork, and type well-spaced for easy reading, this is a quick read.
Realistically you slip this one in a pocket, and when there is a lull in the action at the lake this spring, just pull it out and devour it with a cup of thermos-warm coffee.
Soos writes about an old bamboo fly rod here. He uses a healthy dose of romanticism in discussing the rod, and then jumps headlong into taking a fly fisherman's draw to bamboo as a backdrop for several interesting views of the larger world, the one we fisherman inhabit when we are away from the streams and boat seats we prefer.
This is not a great work of fishing literature, in fact I'd rate several recent reads as better, yet this is one of those pesky little offerings which plants seeds in your mind.
In about 60-pages of actual words, Soos manages to make the reader think.
No I do not mean thoughts about bamboo fly rods and fishing, after all that would be the easy thing to do. We are afterall fishermen, so when a moment allows we tend to think about some rod, lure, or fishing spot. It's in our nature.
No Soos go beyond the expected, and that is where the book is a winner.
Whether Soos goes off on a tangent about the imperfections of things, or discusses the idea of materialism, he gets the thought process going.
As you might expect in a small tome, the details are not encyclopedic in nature. Instead the author sets out an idea he himself has mulled over. He shares it with his readers in a rather straightforward manner, and then trusts as a reader you will do the idea the service of considering it.
It is this subtle discourse between writer and reader over ideas which leaves an impression, and makes 'Bamboo Fly Rod Suite' a solid read.
Well with thoughts of bigger things rolling through your mind you might want to keep your lunchtime fair a bit simpler, so it's off to the kitchen to make a really simple, but tasty, fish dish.
Start once again with a pike fillet.
Rub the fillet down with a combination of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Give the fillets a quick sear on both sides using a high heat frying pan, then set aside for a few minutes.
Take out a good sized baking dish in which you will combine a can of creamed corn, a red pepper diced small, a can of wild rice, a cup of cooked pearl barley (this will need to be prepared ahead of time), chopped ham, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and spice with coriander, caraway.
A little side note here, I like using caraway and coriander when possible as they are spices which can be grown in Saskatchewan on a field scale.
Caraway is a member of the carrot family, and is a biennial spice crop.
Caraway seed is used to flavour foods such as bread, cheese and sauerkraut, where it's amazing, but don't be afraid to try it in other dishes as well.
Caraway is cultivated from northern temperate to tropical climates, including northern Europe, Russia, Jamaica, India, Canada and the United States. Caraway production in Saskatchewan ranged from 2,428-8,093 ha (6,000-20,000 ac.) from 1999-2011, according to a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture fact sheet.
"Most commercial production of caraway in Saskatchewan is the biennial type. In the first year biennial caraway produces a bushy green plant. In the second and sometimes the third year, the plant grows to its full height, produces flowers and sets seed. Plants that have flowered and set seed will die, while plants that have not yet flowered will produce seed the following year," detailed the sheet.
"Yields in Saskatchewan can be variable, ranging from 350-1,100 kg/ha (300-1,000 lb./ac.). The average yield of the biennial caraway in Saskatchewan is 800 kg/ha (700 lbs./ac.), whereas, yields of annual caraway are lower."
It is the same with my interest in using coriander.
Coriander is an annual spice crop and is also a member of the carrot family. It has an erect, branching stem growing to a height of approximately 0.6-1 m (2-3 ft.). The fresh green herb is called cilantro, or Chinese parsley. It is used in southeast and southern Asian, Chinese and Mexican cuisine, and for flavouring salads and soups.
"The mature, round fruit contains two fused seeds. The market requires intact fruits, as the essential oil can volatilize from split fruit or individual seeds. Mature seeds have a pleasant, spicy aroma. Coriander powder is made from ground seeds and is used to flavour many products such as curries, gin and prepared meats," detailed another Agriculture Saskatchewan document.
"There are two types of coriander: large seeded (fruited) and small seeded. Large seeded coriander (seed diameter three to five mm) is grown as a spring crop in northern temperate climates like Saskatchewan, or as a winter crop in areas with a Mediterranean climate. The most common type grown in Saskatchewan is large seeded, which has an essential oil content of 0.5 to one per cent. It grows to a height of approximately 0.6 m (two ft.), and has a growing season requirement of approximately 100-110 days.
"Small seeded coriander is produced mainly in more moderate temperature zones. It has a longer growing season requirement of approximately 115-120 days. Small seeded coriander is somewhat taller, approximately one metre (three ft.), and contains more essential oil. Small seeded coriander grown in Saskatchewan has an essential oil content of 1-1.5 per cent. Volatile oils such as linalool are responsible for the aroma of coriander. The essential oil of coriander should contain 60-70 per cent linalool.
"Immature seedlings of small seeded coriander (cilantro) are harvested as a spicy addition to salads or for flavouring of meats, soups and stews.
"The 10-year average area of coriander planting in Saskatchewan is approximately 6,900 ha (17,000 ac.). The average yield of large seeded coriander in Saskatchewan is approximately 900 kg/ha (800 lb./ac.). Small seeded coriander yield can be slightly more, if growing conditions allow it to mature. The bushel weight of coriander is 22-25 lb. depending on quality."
But back to the dish.
With the corn mixture in the baking dish, lay the fillets into the corn, and slip the dish into the oven at 350F, until well heated. Remember the fish has been seared, and the rest cooks easily, so keep an eye on it.
Serve with chopped chives as a garnish.
And now that you've had a good meal, you might as well relax with another fishing book.
'Astream: American Writers on Fly Fishing' is a collection of stories brought together by editor Robert Demott.
Among fishing techniques fly fishing holds a special place with more legend, lore, myth and wonder tied to it than any other form of fishing out there.
So it is no wonder it is also the vein from which the richest fishing stories are mined.
Thirty-one writers offer up their stories centering on fly fishing, and as you might expect, it's a pretty diverse range of material.
And therein lies the great strength of an anthology, and its biggest weakness, all rolled into one.
I tend to find multi-author anthologies a bit of a roller coast ride as a reader.
One author, their style, the story they are telling, will completely resonate for me as a fellow fisherman. I may not be a fly fishermen yet, and that will change soon, but I can relate with the place of being on the water. I can appreciate the joy of the solitude of fly fishing, and rejoice in the thrill of a strike and catch.
In Astream there are many stories which had me smiling, and daydreaming. There are fine moments in fishing literature here.
And then there are stories here which left me shrugging my shoulders. The kind you read because page 200, follows 199, and you plow on through. The cadence of the story didn't work, or the moment in time which inspired the author was simply lost on me.
That is not to suggest poor writing. These are all accomplished authors and they can write a tale.
But some styles and stories did little for me.
I expect if you took 10 readers and polled them, their favourites in Astream would be varied, as would the stories we would rate the poorest, such is personal taste and the variance within the efforts of 31 writers.
That all said, the good exceeded the not so good, tipping the overall experience of reading Astream to the positive side of the scales.
And as a collection of short stories, it's ideal fare for the camper, or cabin, for a read during a shower, or just before climbing into your bedroll for the night.
