Memory of great meals from the past

Through my 25 years of outdoors writing and years prior to that as an avid sportsman, I've enjoyed some memorable meals while on hunting and fishing trips.

Other than the actual experience of being there hunting or fishing, it's the flavor and smells of those tasty meals that that are forever etched into the memory banks. I thought it would be fun to share some of the experiences with you in this week's column.

Country Cooking

As a youngster, I often tagged along on hunting trips with my brother-in-law, Billy Joplin.

I recall a cold fall morning back in 1960 when I was 10.

Joplin and I were guests of one of his Red River County friends, James Wooten. Looking back, Wooten was as close to a mountain man as anyone I've ever known. At the time, he lived in a cabin in the back country in the northern part of the county with his grandmother. During the morning hunt, Joplin had shot a deer that left a sparse blood trail. Wooten had several good Walker hounds back at the cabin, so we headed back.

"It won't take long for Ma to cook us up a big breakfast," I remember Wooten saying as we bounced along the rough country road in my brother-in-law's 1956 Ford. "We've got some cured ham hanging in the smoke house."

After arriving at the cabin, Ma proceeded to send her grandson to the smoke house to carve off a generous piece of the ham while she worked the dough that, once in her big wood stove, became the tastiest, fluffiest biscuits I've ever eaten. Our breakfast consisted of fresh yard eggs, real country ham, red-eye gravy, fried potatoes, homemade grape jelly and butter. They even allowed me to swig a cup of coffee, diluted with plenty of fresh cream of course.

It's been 50 years since this breakfast, but I'll never forget it.

We never did find that buck. It probably survived the shot. The dog's barking disappeared a mile or so back in the bottoms. Wooten later told us his hounds came home later that afternoon.

Early Fish Frys

I was raised on a poultry farm in rural Red River County.

Every eight weeks, when the chicken houses were emptied, my dad would load everyone into our 1950 International truck and we'd head to Long Lost Lake in southeastern Oklahoma for three days of camping and fishing. My job the day before these outings was to catch enough perch from our farm pond to bait the trot lines. My dad's goal was to have camp set up and the trot lines baited in time to catch enough of those tasty little 1.5- to 3-pound channel catfish for an evening fish fry.

Since those bygone days, I've enjoyed many tasty meals in fishing and hunting camps across much of the U.S., Canada, Mexico and even parts of Asia, but nothing comes close to the smell of those fresh catfish frying in a Dutch Kettle nestled over a hot bed of oak wood coals.

German Cooking

For several years, I made a hunt to North Dakota, not far from the Canadian border.

There are some mighty big whitetails up in that country and upland birds and waterfowl were always in good supply. The outfitter and his wife were of German and Norwegian decent. Hunters were served a huge breakfast and light lunch, which always included fresh baked bread and one of many German soups the lady was an expert at preparing.

But those evening meals were the stuff great dining memories are made of.

Old world recipes are passed down generation to generation up in that region. Even then, I couldn't begin to pronounce the names of the dishes. They varied from sausages and cabbage to wiener schnitzels, which are a thin, very tender, well-seasoned veal or pork steak. I miss the excellent hunting I enjoyed up there and I've yet to find a German restaurant that comes remotely close to the great foods I enjoyed with my friends in North Dakota.

Japan Food, country style

A couple decades ago, I went to Japan to cover a fishing match between a U.S. bass pro and the reigning Japanese bass champ. We dined that first night on what was billed as traditional Japanese food in downtown Tokyo. The next day, we drove to a remote little lake on the northern end of the main island where the fishing match was held. The mayor of the village invited the anglers, journalists and camera crews to enjoy dinner at his restaurant.

Our waitresses were his daughters and, dressed in white Kimonos, they did a splendid job of showing us what true Japanese hospitality was all about. We ate sitting on mats on a low table and the meal, as I best remember, lasted at least a couple hours. The Japanese focus as much on the dining experience as the food and the waitresses kept bringing dish after dish of perfectly prepared Japanese cuisine. I remember sitting with these most excellent hosts thinking that just a few decades earlier my country was engaged in mortal combat with the Japanese.

Rest assured good will abounded halfway around the globe that evening during a dinner I'll never forget.

Alone in the Woods

Companions are great to have around to enjoy an outdoor meal with, but not a prerequisite.

Back in the 1980s, I managed a big hunting lease up in Jack County.

My buddies and I had a little shack built on the place, nothing fancy, just a 10x12 building with bunks, a wood-burning stove and gas burners for cooking. I was off work during the week, but couldn't find anyone to join me for a few days hunting and living off the land, so I spent a total of four nights and five days up there by myself. I never left the property, spending the entire time hunting quail during the middle of the day, and then deer and turkey early and late.

One sunny day, I killed a good mess of quail, dressed them and let them chill until supper. Seasoned well with salt and pepper and dredged in flour, I fried the birds in my cast iron skillet until they were done to a turn and then added a can of crème of mushroom soup and a chopped onion, put a lid on my skillet and set it on top of the wood-burning stove. In another pot, I cooked a cup of rice. It's tough to beat smothered quail with rice and gravy. I remember cooking a can of biscuits in hot oil on top of the stove to use to sop up the gravy.

If you've spent much time in the outdoors, I'm betting that you too can recall enjoying some very tasty meals.

I hate to cut this column short, but I've got a one-gallon zip lock bag of catfish fillets that have been marinating in Louisiana hot sauce and buttermilk for a couple hours. The grease is getting hot.

Fishing Hot Spot of the Week

Lake Tawakoni guide Michael Littlejohn reports channel catfish are making the move to deeper water.

We're still catching a few fish shallow, but most are coming from around timber at depths of 12-28 feet. Blue catfish are hitting fresh cut shad fished near bottom at the end of main lake points. They're often under schools of feeding white bass and hybrid stripers.

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