So, today I was actually able to do some "subsistence" fishing. Tim and I went down to the village he used to teach in and met up w/ one of his best friends to do a little fishing. The weather and water was considerably nicer this time around, which is why we were able to actually get a net in the water. And that's how we did. Tim's pal brought his net along, we boated a little way into a big open spot in the river, dropped the net (a gill net, I believe) in, and then waited to fish to get caught in it. Using a net isn't quite as thrilling as going w/ the ol' rod & reel, but it sure works a lot better. Drop the net in, count the strikes (I got better at this over the three drops we did), and then haul the net back in when you're ready. We ended up w/ 32 or 33 fish altogether. They were all "Silvers" as they call them up here, but from what I've read they're Coho, which I'm sure is a lot more recognizable/meaningful to most of you reading this. If I'm to be completely honest, I'll have to admit that Tim and his friend really did most of the work. I just kinda helped out where I could I tried to learn a few things. They did most of the net dropping, and getting the fish out of the net. They also did most of the gutting & filleting. I gutted a handful and tried my hand filleting one, but my fillet job was pretty sad. I'm hoping to get out again and try my hand at a few more and start to become competent at filleting a fish. It seems wrong that I can't do it well.
Of perhaps a more interesting note, however, is that I got to try what is known as a "Stinkhead." Those of you who don't like seafood, or fish in particular, should probably stop reading right about now. A Stinkhead, for thsoe of you unaware of the term, is a fish head prepared in a pretty special way. When gutting the fish up here, you cut off the head & then pull out all the innards. And then what some of the natives do is take the heads and the guts, put them in a hole in the gound, and then let them ferment for a couple weeks or so. Once they're good and fermented, they pull 'em out and you get Stinkheads. I helped Tim's friend clean his recently fermented fish heads, so I got to try a little bit, and he also gave a few pieces of some fish he's dried (very tasty!). I was given the eye of one of the Stinkheads, which I guess is considered the best part, so that was really really nice of him and his family. The way to eat a fermented fish eye, in case you were wondering, is put a dash of salt on it and then pop it in your mouth. I have to be honest, it wasn't the best thing I've ever eaten. It was very salty, very fishing, and a little "rot-y" tasting. The consistency was very much like a wad phlegm, if you then added a pinch of rubber to it. Swallowing it was the hardest part. My gag reflex was definitely ready when it came time to swallow. But I managed to keep myself composed. Although it isn't something I'm going to seek out in the future, it was surprisingly not bad. I half expected to not (or barely) be able to eat it. But it really gave me no problem. Like I said, the swallowing was a little tough, but that was mainly because of the texture.
I do have some not so good news as well though. I first noticed it last week, but I can see my breath sometimes up here. It's early August, and I have been able to see my breath on numerous occasions. Not cool. At all. I also learned the price of gas in my village. So, in an effort to make all of you guys "Down States," as they say up here, a little more happy about your gas prices here is the price I have to pay for gas when I want/need some: $7.06. Jeepers....it looks worse when written down. But anyways, to end on a more positive note, I have some nice salmon in my freezer, and it sounds like I might get to tag along on a moose hunt next weekend (very exciting!). So, until next time I hop on here, God Bless!
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