I heard there was a hot tub over here.

[Minnesota_boy]

lw
I think you are talking about the Eelpout festival in Walker MN, just 60 miles down the road from me.  It's not really a tournament, more of an excuse to party.  I've avoided it so I have  a chance to avoid the drunks driving around town.  I'm not sure how they heat the tubs there, could be generator and electric heaters.

[L. Wakefield]

   yeah, yeah, that's what he said it was- now I've seen hornpout, and I've seen eel- but what the h##* is an eelpout?!
   lw

[Minnesota_boy]

Known locally as Lawyers or Smileys, Eelpout are supposed to be freshwater Ling Cod.  Cooked properly, they taste a lot like Lobster.  Boil the chunks in water with hebs and dip in drawn butter.  Mmmmmm.

[ADfields]

Hears a Ling Cod I got last summer in the Gualf of Alaska off Point Cape Clear. 8)   83lbs and the bigest fish I ever hooked!   On the same trip out a frend hooked a 158lbs Halibit, Great trip!!
Andy


The dock is made of 4X12's and he was 39 and a half inches long. ;D

[Mtnjack]

L Wakefield go to the post above with the funny piture and check out the link. this co has been in bussiness for a while, i always thought it was an idea. If you get a spark in your hair you just hold your breath and dunk ha ha

[L. Wakefield]

   Now back to the eelpout (we call them cusk here)- Mike has been SLAYING them this year- his biggest was 6 1/4 lbs, 29 inches- female, of course- and I am about to try the great eelput steamoff and serve with melted butter- so I need some hints. What we always do is fillet them. When you steam them do you do the whole (incredibly slimy) fish- and do you scrub them first? Or do you fillet them and then steam the fillets? I need to know.. :P   :P  lw

[Minnesota_boy]

I remove the meat one either side of the backbone and just save that.  I guess that would be a filet, but a funny looking one.  Remove the skin from that and cook.  It takes a large eelpout to have enough meat to be worthwhile, but boy are they tasty.  Have you noticed the amount of "innards" this fish has?  Huge liver, from which is/was pressed "cod liver oil".  Solvay Pharmaceuticals in Baudette, MN got its start with this fish.

[L. Wakefield]

   Oho- I wondered which cod it was, but always thought it was the seagoing one.

   So you prep them the same way we do. OK, I like that. Such a huge slimy thing is best cut down to the useable parts before going in the cookpot. Thanks for the good word! I have to take Mike out to the eelpout festival some year!  lw