We fry a lot, air fry a lot, and blacken a lot. An important part of the ritual of fishing is eating the fish, and we usually eat fish a couple of times a week, so I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. I've developed a microwave recipe that works very well with crappie or bass fillets, and it's quick and easy.

One of my favorite dishes is fish and shrimp stew, and that makes enough for several meals. I often make it before going to the camp and then just have to warm it up for a great meal during hunting season.

David Rainer wrote a column a couple of weeks ago about the winning recipe for a contest. It was blackened bass and grits with crawfish cream sauce. I tried it and it was pretty good, but too much trouble. I made it a second time and just used shrimp and rice instead of grits, and I liked that better and it was much easier.

I don't make it to the Sipsey often, but the best way I found to cook those 1.5 lb rainbow trout was to stuff them and cook them on the pellet grill about 12 minutes. But that's a much different sort of fish from what we usually eat.

Nothing beats a 10" redeye that's fried whole.

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.