Camping is a great way to spend time together with your family especially after a long hectic week. I love camping because it offers great opportunities for venturing and involving in some great leisure activities like fishing.
Why should I even think of fishing? Imagine yourself away from home/normal environment sited beside the lapping water edge in a chilly morning as the sun breaks through a very gentle breeze, as you listen to different birds passing out their songs as they keep you company.
Who will not forget their stress in such an environment?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re going to pitch a tent or park your RV because countless campsites are close to fishing lakes to choose from. Just be sure to check out for the best that appeals most to you.
Satisfaction is essential in anything that we do. Camping and fishing is the most affordable way to enjoy your weekend. Some campsites are located very close to lakes; streams and ponds open for fishing that are easily accessible on foot.
Fishing is one of the best leisure activities or hobbies that do not discriminate whether you’re disabled or able-bodied, young or aged, male or female it doesn’t matter. Anyone can enjoy. You can do it alone, with your family or as a group as you share your experiences.
How to be safe
Whenever I am going for camping which many at times is accompanied by fishing, all I need is common sense and my right conscious more so to those lonely places where there is no one to keep watch over me. There might not be any pre-set rules in these campsites. Rules are meant to help us to be safe.
Some of these sites have rules. Ensure you abide by their rules.
All water is potentially very dangerous, and there are so many organisms living in water, some are not very friendly and could harm you if you’re not vigilant. A lot of care should be taken when fishing to avoid any injuries or damages.
Be friendly to the fish, handle them with wet hands and with a lot of care and release them back if you do not intend to go with them.
Leaving the rod at the bank unattended with bait may attract birds or other animals. And try as much as possible to avoid those toxic substances that might cause harm.
For a safer disposal-don’t leave any litter around the fishing site. Most importantly, familiarize yourself with the rules of the fishing site that you’re planning to visit to avoid any clashes.
How to pack for fishing
Whenever you’re going out for any occasion or event, you must make sure you’re relevant in terms of your dressing and even what you carry to that place. It would be very sarcastic to wear a pajama to your office for instance.
When going out to fish in the campsite, it’s very important to carry with you some fishing gears to enjoy being close to nature as you give yourself a break from the daily routines. How you pack your gears matter because you’ll have to pass through some checkpoints, which may result, into losing or damaging your stuff.
Packing your gears wrongly could waste your time at the security checkpoints, which may be very inconveniencing. To save myself such embarrassment and losses I have learned to sort the items into containers and bags. Generalizing items will only get them mixed up which might make it very hard to remove them when you want to use them.
After fishing, you’ll want to cook your fished fish. The stove intended for cooking must be perfectly clean and free of any fuel vapor otherwise, it can be hazardous and might result into an accident, the security will not allow you to go in with such stove.
The best thing to do is to organize on how fuel can reach ahead of you up to the destination because most likely you won’t be allowed to go in with them. While traveling, be sure to keep all the accessories safe.
Some of the items or accessories you’ll be using are very fragile and needs extra care lest they get damaged on the way.
Do some little inquiry of the place and organize well
Before setting out to a camp, you should at least do some inquiries about the fish species that you should expect. This will help you know exactly what to carry with you, the right type of rods, lines, and reels. When going to a place with big fish, carrying a stronger rod will be the best option. Otherwise your enjoyment might be short-lived.
My first time of going for camping and fishing things turned bad on me when I inserted my hands into the bag only to be surprised by the hooks which I didn’t give much attention when packing. Fishing hooks can be very dangerous to you if you don’t keep them well, they might cause wounds to your fingers!
I wish someone had advised me on this I would not have lost my cell phone. Extra bag, which is waterproof, is essential to carry with you when going fishing. It’s ideal for carrying your valuable items like cellphone and wallet among others.
A tight container can serve better to protect your valuables from getting lost or being damaged.
Acquiring the right tools is a great way of preparing for your trip. However, organizing them is another thing altogether that will make your trip and camping very enjoyable. Being organized will help you keep track of every item and ensure that each arrives at the right intended destination.
Fishing Equipment
You certainly have to arm yourself with the right equipment that will make your fishing possible and enjoyable. Some of the most common equipment to look for may include fishing tackles, hooks, lines, fishing rods, fishing lines, fishing baits, spears, indicators, traps, fishing nets, tackle boxes and fish stringer amongst others.
Fishing with Boat/inshore fishing
There are a variety of fishing boats to choose from, but there are some features that you should consider before deciding on which one to use. One of the determinant factors that you need to prioritize is safety. Boat fishing is full of fun, and you can actually try it out with your family, friends or as a group.
All that matters to me is having great fun and sharing with my family that’s why I would a times opt for boat or kayak fishing. Speed is another factor to consider and let me not forget about comfort, which is essential.
Fishing from shore
Offshore fishing or deep-sea fishing is normally done more than 30 meters deep and some good distance from the land. If you want to try it out, you must have in-depth knowledge because it is very scary and dangerous as compared to shallow water or lake fishing.
Boats used in offshore fishing are larger compared to those used in inshore fishing, they’re sturdily built, and the fishes found in such places include tuna and marlin, which are very heavy and very large.
Cleaning and cooking fish properly
One of the challenges I have seen many people go through is how to clean and cook fish that they enjoyed catching. Fishing is one thing, cleaning and cooking it is another thing. Cleaning and cooking might be very tricky especially if you are not prepared with the right items and skills. Don’t worry no rocket science is required here.
Most of the fishing camps I’ve been to do not offer specified cleaning areas. As an adventurer, you need to have some basic resources to help in cleaning and cooking these water delicacies.
To achieve your great desire of feeding on these delicious creatures, you’ll need to have a knife, water, container or bucket source of heat (wood or stove), plastic storage bags and aluminum foil if there is any need.
Having said that, let’s get to the cleaning part. The fish you just caught must be having some slim. These slims normally contain a lot of bacteria, growth or parasites that’s why you must begin by washing your fish.
Some fish have scales while others do not, if the fish you caught have scales, then you surely need to remove the scales. Scrap off the scales using the other blunt edge of the knife. Be sure to do this on both sides of the fish and should be against the direction of the scales, that’s from tail to head. Rinse the fish when you are done.
After cleaning the external body, you go to the final step, which is the removal of the entrails, do this with your fingers. Remove all the internal organs like the liver and intestines. Rinse it with a lot of water to remove all the blood from inside.
I love grilled fish, but of course, everyone has their own unique way of preparing fish. There are several methods that can be used to cook fish in the campsite. You can boil it, fry it, skewer it over coals or grill it in a foil.
Choose any method, cook and enjoy your catch!
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