Trout

I could wake up to this for the rest of my life!  We took a rest day and hung around the campground.  I made bacon and eggs for breakfast, we did some organization, and then had steak for dinner.  While we've had a great time on our adventures so far, this was the first day of pure rest.  It was awesome!  

After resting, we headed out for trout fishing at Grandfather Mountain.  This was a must do for me as I raise rainbow trout from eggs every year in my classroom.  Trout aren't usually found in the midlands of South Carolina because the water is too warm; however, the water in the Saluda river is actually colder than it would be naturally because it is fed by the Lake Murray Dam.  The water at the bottom of the lake is very cold because it is so deep.  Every year my students and I release the trout that have survived 7th grade into the Saluda.  

To catch and eat trout, just like the ones I raise was definitely an experience!

Our lines were set and baited with corn and bacon.  The race was on!  Who would catch one first?  

Okay- so maybe I had a slight advantage.   I have specific knowledge of how they eat and knew to pop my bait across the top of the water.  I caught this fish within minutes of being there.  

The tension mounted...

Landon was next heading my advice and caught this cutie pretty quick.  

Then Kyndale, but we had a hard time getting her hook out.  Because we took so long getting it out, we frantically got the guy on ice so he wouldn't die right away. In the hustle and bustle, we somehow missed getting her picture

Then Maya!

And finally Kirkland got his!  He was beginning to get nervous that he wasn't going to catch one, but I believe he ended up snagging the biggest of them all!  

Naturally the filleting came next.  The kids found this part of the process a little disturbing.  

When it was all said and done, we caught 11 pounds of trout!  The guys at the trout farm iced it up for us and we went on our way.

Back at camp, maya and kirk took fire duty while Kyndale helped me finish preparing the fish.  We had to peel the skin off each fillet.  

We sliced some into nuggets which Kirkland battered and fried.

And we wrapped some in foil with a little garlic butter and seasonings to cook directly on the camp fire coals.  

It was delicious!  Everyone was surprised at how much they really liked the fish.  We didn't do a great job getting all the tiny bones out, but we managed to eat almost half of our catch that night.  

Well.. Everyone except maya.  She still wasn't a fan, but managed to choke down some of the nuggets drenched in ketchup.  

We ended the night listening to kyndale's native bird calls and laughing around the campfire.  I guess the whole "hunting for your food and then eating it" brought out the feral side of her.