One of the many pleasures of boating life is the chance to meet new people. The water draws an immensely varied assortment of folks and each is unique and very often, a lot of fun to get to know.
Some are fellow boaters, either live-aboards or day sailors, but we’ve also met many who come to the water just to look about, and others to indulge in a favorite pastime on the beach, or on a paddleboard, kayak etc.
In this case, a friendship began with a fishing pole! Several years ago, Carl the Fish Whisperer appeared at our marina. Friendly and outgoing, he walked the docks with rod, reel, and stringer, and managed to coax from the water sheepshead, black drum, mangrove snapper, and other delicious eating fish. This occasional visitor to our dock was more successful than any other angler. Hence the moniker of “Fish Whisperer”. Naturally, I was curious, as my best efforts over 5 years have only yielded catfish, which are fun to land, but a chore to skin and filet, although Tommy does enjoy blackened catfish nuggets.
Carl and his wife Nadia have come to St. Augustine from LaPorte, Indiana for 21 years. They make the trip about twice a year to stay with nearby landbound friends. Since they are houseguests of folks not set up for fish cleaning, Carl kindly offered us, as live-aboards, the fruits of his daily catch, only ever accepting a glass of ice water in exchange. Such generosity fixed Carl firmly in our minds as we enjoyed the fruits of his labor, blackened, grilled, or pan-sautéed.
Under his tutelage, Tom and I went to the specific area of shoreline where he gathers his bait, tiny live fiddler crabs, and did the same. Largely due to Carl’s advice, I once caught a legal-sized black drum. I was screaming with excitement and fear that I would lose the fish before landing the prize.
We look forward to Carl’s bi-annual visits and featured him in a photography blog post. Carl enjoys fishing in freshwater lakes in his home state of Indiana for freshwater bass, blue gill, and crappie. Nadia and he have retired from many years of working hard in land-bound careers. This allows them to come and enjoy St. Augustine. It affords them the chance to see their friends who live here, to visit the attractions of our city, and if weather permits, venture upon a deep-sea fishing charter.
Carl’s visit this year was dogged by blustery weather which kicked up 8-10 foot waves, preventing his planned deep-sea fishing trip. We were disappointed for him, but it was our gain, as he visited our dock nearly every day. We were the excited recipients of a mangrove snapper, three sheepshead and one beautiful black drum (featured picture) One day, to our delight, Carl brought Nadia to meet us. Nadia and he came aboard. We found her as open, personable and friendly as Carl, and we really enjoyed their visit. We gave them a tour of our beloved C Ghost and had a great chat. We pressed upon them a galley-baked cherry crisp as thanks for Carl’s fish.
When Carl returned my baking dish and bag a day later, he and Nadia had filled it with fresh produce from County Line Produce in Hastings!
We feel our lives have been enriched by meeting and and spending time with Carl and his wife, and not just because of the wonderful bounty of fish filets fresh on the table and waiting in our freezer! When they come to town next, we hope to provide them with a good meal and a longer visit. I would be honored to provide a home cooked dinner from C Ghost’s galley, served at the cockpit table if weather permits. Equally fun would be to treat them to a meal at of the many delicious eateries of downtown. Thank you again, Nadia and Carl! Fair winds and following seas to you and yours.
4 Responses
I always enjoy hearing about the many people you and Tommy meet and can share boat hospitality with. You always seem to have new sea related stories to tell and they are true ones. This one includes better fishing locations, enjoyable fresh seafood dinners, and special new friends.
Love you both,
Mom
They seem to be great people! And any fisherman who gives my sister fishing advice is ok in my book!
As a random question based on the post, how are you skinning the catfish? The traditional way that I was taught how to do it was to cut the skin around the “neck” and then nail it to a tree by putting a 16 or 20 penny nail through the head. Once it is secured, use locking pliers to pull the skin down. I have also had success by using a short length of 2×4 instead of a tree, nailing the fish on the far end and standing on the near end to pull.
Hello, Donald, and so glad to hear from you! How are you guys doing? You ask a great question as catfish are a hot mess to skin! The technique you use is very similar to mine. However, since there are a dearth of trees on the pier and at anchor, I have to stabilize the fish’s head another way. If it is big (more than 2lbs or so) I wrap the fish’s head in a dry rag and just kneel on it just at gill level on the dock or on the cockpit floor (needs lots of hosing off after!) If it is small, i just hook my fingers in the gills with one hand, pushing the head against the dock/deck and strip the skin with pliers held in the other hand.
The angle of pull is tricky, since you have to pull laterally instead of straight down as in the tree method. So to help myself and make the start of the pulling easier I cut the skin just at the “neck” with a sharp knife/scalpel/razor blade like you do. I also take some time to use my fingers and blade to undermine about an inch and a half of the skin at the edge where I plan to grab it, so it’s loose and separated from the white strands of connective tissue beneath. This starter piece is now big enough to get a really good grip on it with the pliers-so that hopefully they won’t slip! Then a slow, steady lateral pull and hope the skin doesn’t tear. If it does, I just re-undermine at the spot where skin tore and go at it again.
Maybe TMI? But worth it, as blackened catfish is the bomb! Yours, Paula