Ice Fishing for Cheesy, Onion-Crusted Bluegill

I found a recipe on line that made my eyes pop! Creamy cheesy onion crusted salmon. Maybe the recipe will work with our Lake Ketchabigwon fish. Let’s see if we can catch a fish through the ice! Click SHOW MORE for info on the equipment, fish, lake, and recipes.

- - - INFO ON THE EQUIPMENT, FISH, LAKE, ETC. - - - - -

THE LIVE BAIT: mealworms fixed to a 1/64 oz. generic panfish ice-fishing lure.

THE ROD: is a Fenwick, EliteTECH Ice, ETI23UL, 23”, Ultra Light (2-4 lb. line).

THE REEL: A Frabill model P-10 Sub Zero Ultra Light has been discontinued.

THE LINE: Trilene Micro Ice 4 LB test monofilament in solar green color.

THE LAKE is called Lake Ketchabigwon (named by native Americans). It is almost 6 acres and is located in NE Ohio. It is 12’ at it’s deepest. It sits on 37 acres of property. The lake is private.

FISH IN THE LAKE are largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp

WHY KEEP SMALL BASS AND RETURN LARGER BASS: Biologists did an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. There is only so much biomass to go around, and there are too many mouths to feed. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12”, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.

WHERE TO GET A CAP LIKE MINE: You can get a “Juanelo Bait & Tackle” cap here, https://www.inkpixi.com/by-clothing-type/baseball-hats. In fact, you could put your own name on it!

VIDEOGRAPHY:
The main camera is my iPhone 6s Plus on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 5s as a close-up, counter-top camera when cooking mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode microphone indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on my MacBook Pro using Final Cut Pro X.

BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Old Ways,” purchased from audioblocks.com


Cheesy, Onion Crusted Baked Bluegill

Recipe from http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/main-course/cheesy-baked-salmon/

INGREDIENTS
1 to 1½ LB of bluegill fillets
1 large onion, diced
salt, ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 heaping TBS Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 1½ cup fontina cheese, finely shredded

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.

2. Place the bluegill fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chopped onion, lemon juice, mustard and garlic so as to be easily spreadable over the fish fillets. Top with the finely grated fontina cheese.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then broil for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.