Throughout our visit to Norway, I have seen many people catch mackerel as fast as they could cast and reel. At one such place, I went fishing in hope of finding similar luck. Just as I arrived, a Norwegian hooked two large mackerel and his son another one, all of which they landed. I was sure I had found the right place.
It was not until just over a half hour of fishing had passed that I caught something. My two lures flew through the air in a smooth curve hitting the water ten meters out. I counted to five, flipped the bail, counted to five again, and began to slowly real in. Suddenly, the rod bent and line began whizzing off the reel. It was almost a full minute before I could gain any line on the fish. As quickly as it had started, the fight died down, almost to a stop. It was easy to haul it in and I regained the meters I had lost at the beginning.
The Norwegian man came to help me land my fish, telling me that it was a lucky day when he saw a rod bend so far. As the fish came out of the water, I saw that it was not a mackerel but one in the cod family. The man picked up the fish by the tail and walloped its head on a rock, knocking it out, if not killing it. It was about two feet long. When I asked if he knew what fish it was he said yes, just not in English, but that it was very good to eat. I thanked him and headed back to the boat, thrilled to have caught something so large.
Jack met me part way around the harbor, having come to tell me that dinner was at seven. When we got back to the boat, Daddy showed me how to clean the fish. With my unpracticed hand, the cleaning was messy. Pan-fried, it made a delicious appetizer and encouraged me to continue fishing. Hopefully I will get the chance to write about more fish in the future! -Porter
The messy job of unexperienced gutting.
Later, I caught another two fish. Here is one of them
Supper from my second fish!
The third fish. We were given this suggestion by one of Daddy's friends. You hang the fish after gutting it and chopping its tail off to let the flesh stiffen up, before filleting.
Here, I am being taught to fillet by Roar (pronounced roo-a-r), Daddy's friend.
The breaded fillets being cooked!
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