Fall days in Stuart

Isn't much like fall at all. It's been 90+ here for the last week and there's no end in sight. We're not complaining because whatever the weather's doing is keeping the hurricanes from forming. That's a really, really good thing. 2 more weeks to go till the official end of hurricane season; which also means the beginning of tourist season. Already we are seeing lots of Canadian flags flying. The fall brings the migration of snowbirds.

Speaking of migrations... We stepped out the back door of the boat Saturday and were very surprised to see a swarm of bees had decided Istaboa was a good place to hang out.

They hung around on the deck for a while then decided the kayaks on the upper deck was a better site for their plans. My Pop was a hobbyist bee keeper for a while when I was a kid so I had seen this type of thing before. They are pretty much harmless at this stage unless threatened. So keeping with our, "friends of honest and harmless creatures attitude", we let them be. (no pun intended)

We are hoping they soon find a better place to do their thing or we must have them removed by a bee keeper. They are in short supply these days, for some reason, and we understand they are quite important partners in the local agriculture industry.
But, we don't think they'll enjoy going to sea. So, bees, be gone!

The days are hot but, in the end, we're rewarded with some beautiful fall sunsets.

Adios,

Istaboa

Update: The Stew Fish Repsipee

It was excellent.

Tings to do wit fish

Today I was on the internet looking for an authentic Bahamian Stew Fish recipe and I came across this on a message board. Truly authentic Bahamian narrative that led me to, what we hope will be, a great recipe.

I carn fin it man. I need it soon terreckly hear.
Da stew fish recipe can be found here:

http://bahamasissues.com/showpost.php?p=274582&postcount=2
Enjoy!

How come a matoor Bahamian woman needin dis "foreign" Bahamian's stew fish repsipee entyways? Tings dat make you go hmmmmmmmmm!

The repsipee:


Stewed Fish

2 lb Fish of your choice
2 Limes
Pinch Thyme
1 Sweet pepper (chopped)
2 tbsp Flour
½ tsp Salt
1 Onion (chopped)
1 rib Celery (chopped)
2 Hot peppers
2 lg Tomatoes (chopped)
1 tsp Sugar
Oil for frying fish

1. Wash and season fish with hot pepper, salt and limejuice. Fry fish in hot oil until nearly cooked.
2. Remove fish from pan. Fry onion, sweet pepper and celery for 5 mins. Add tomatoes cook 2 mins.
3. In a separate pot, brown the flour over a gentle heat, stirring continuously until dark brown but not burnt.
4. Add flour to tomatoes and mix well, add thyme, hot pepper, sugar and salt, stir together. Gradually add 4 C water, bring to the boil. Add fish, cover pot and simmer for 15 mins.
5. Serve with Johnny cake or sweet potato bread.


will let you know the outcome soon.


Adios,


Istaboa

Gone fishin' part 2

It was a beautiful morning, though the "red sky at morn" thing was in the back of my mind. The winds were light and the run out to sea was smooth as glass.

With the sun coming up on our bow and the moon going down on our stern we made way out the cut and started fishing for bait.

Waterspout as the sun rises.

Then out a few miles in the ocean we spotted a waterspout. It seemed to be heading away from us so, no big deal.

We had a tough time catching bait but finally did put a a few Cigar Minnows and Sardines in the bucket.

Turned out to be a very interesting day of fishing. We added it up and we had caught 11 different species of fish... including 2 different kinds of sharks. But we were after Black Sea Bass.

Rock Fish? ... very peculiar what ever it is.

Our first drop and we found them. We caught them by the dozens but returned most because of size. They are really a delicious fish. A few Vermilion Snapper, a few Black Sea Bass, and a nice Strawberry Grouper made for a nice catch, all before noon.

We love these little Bass and Snapper but they are a chore to clean.

But clean them you must. Pull up a bucket, grab a knife and a cold beer, and get to work. The fruits of our labor proved to be delicious and well worth the effort. We are still eating them... never freeze good fish. Eat till they're gone.

Another good day amongst many.

Adios,


Istaboa

R.I.P. Captain Ben Buchanan

With much sadness we post... We have lost a very good friend.
We will always remember Ben, on the dock, waving with a smile, and a twinkle in his eye as we returned from our many trips up the river. He was always as interested in the tales of our travels as we were his and Sadie's.
He and Sadie were probably our only friends that truly understood why we do, what we do.
Though a very fine and talented surgeon in his earlier years, I think he may have been proudest of his days at sea aboard his beloved boat, "Lady Sadie".
We will miss Ben very, very much.

Adios, my friend.

Istaboa

Eatabout Stuart

We have found the Stuart area to be very cool. Lots of good restaurants; good fishing; pretty sites to see; nice folks. Not much around here not to like.



One of our favorite restaurants so far is 11Maple Street. It's billed as “Casual Dining in a Quaint Old Florida Home,” and it is that. Step inside this old-Florida home and you will be pleasantly surprised by a series of cozy dining rooms and a covered patio surrounded by gardens.
Our friends, Will and Tara, turned us on to this little bistro and the food was very, very good.
They offer small plates which are appetizer size and large plates with entree portions. Duck, Elk, Wagyu Beef, and Scottish Salmon are examples of their eclectic fare. We ordered a couple each, then shared. They were all delicious.
If you find yourself in the Jensen Beach area you really should try this restaurant. You will never forget it.

Another one of our favorites is the Pelican Cafe. It's a funky little place right on the water that's a short walk from our marina. Outdoor seating allows us to bring Radar along. They are very dog friendly and there's always treats and water brought to the table for the pups. The sunset usually brings a nice summer's evening breeze off the St Lucie river. That, a cold beverage, a good burger, and your pup... could it get any better?

Then there's Mrs Peter's Smokehouse . The best smoke fish we have ever tasted! You can't sit down to eat but go in and they will give you samples of everything. You will leave with some.
Our favorites are the Smoked Wahoo Dip and Spicey Smoked Salmon Strips.
Good Stuff!

Damn!  I've made myself hungry.

Adios,


Istaboa

Update: Dalai Lama's gift to Memphis

It seems we were wrong about our fellow Memphians. The house was packed to hear His Holiness speak.

Clipped from The Commercial Appeal:

People skipped work, traveled long distances and one couple even cut their honeymoon short to sit in the presence of the Dalai Lama.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Jackie McNamara of East Memphis.

Sitting in the nosebleed section of the packed 2,100-seat auditorium, the criminal investigator took a day off to hear the author and spiritual figure.

"If any city in the U.S. needs healing, it's Memphis," she said.

The Dalai Lama accepted the 2009 International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum on Wednesday, showing his appreciation by donating his $50,000 honorarium to the museum.

The Dalai Lama blesses the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

A good day for Memphis.

Adios,

Istaboa

Good day for fishin'

A good day indeed...
Got up with the sun and was catching bait at first light.
The day was perfect. A bit cloudy, which prevented the sun from baking us and just enough breeze to keep us cool; still winds were light enough to allow the ocean to remain calm with just a nice easy swell to remind you that you're in the ocean... not a lake.
The Albury Bros 23 did well in the ocean as we ran it out St Lucie inlet to our designated spot which was about 10 miles away. Sweet boat! 
The action started quickly and, with Will's guidance, I landed the first fish, a nice Mutton Snapper, good eats. Then followed that up with a good sized Trigger Fish.... also good eats.

My philosophy is, catch what you can eat, then quit. But Will had yet to catch a fish so we kept dropping bait.
Things had slowed a bit when all of a sudden Will's second rod started bending like it was hung on the reef. But it wasn't the reef. He grapped the rod and and started cranking. We had no idea what was on the end of the line but we new it was big. I thought shark, Will thought turtle. We were both wrong.

 

As you can see from the picture it was a huge fish. A Goliath Grouper (also known as a Jewfish in politically incorrect circles... not sure why it's not PC to call it a Jewfish?)

Will was both extremely excited and exhausted after fighting this monster for 15 minutes or so. He said it was his largest fish ever. Will is a very tall fellow and that fish is almost as big as he is. We think it may be close to 200 pounds.

Since it's a protected species in the US, we let it go after we took a few pictures. The fish swam away a bit slowly -but surely-  back to the depths from whence it came.

After that we ate the lunch Mel had packed for us , laughed about how excited we got, and then caught a couple of Vermilion Snapper. All of this by 12:30. We cranked up the Albury and ran home.

 

A good day for fishin'.

We've had fresh fish for the last few days. Tonight Trigger Fish is on the menu. Recipe 

Should be good.

Adios,

Istaboa

Surreal...

Natalie Cole, and Dalai Lama in Memphis

 

 

Time to start fishin'

Capt. Will, one of our friends from Compass Cay who lives here in Stuart, came by yesterday. It's always good to see Will. One of the kindest people we know.
He also came bearing gifts. He had just returned from Compass and Tucker had sent us a bag of Hogfish.  Great eating fish.
You may remember Will from an earlier post... He is the resident Shark masseuse on Compass.

Will and his favorite shark, Squirt.

Will and I are rigging out the Albury to do a little fishing. The weather is right and Snook season has started. He has lived around here for years and has fished these waters since he was a kid. So fresh fish should be on Istaboa's menu soon.

Came across this YouTube video today and thought it was funny. This critter is called a Slow Loris
This has nothing to do with fishing. but... enjoy.



Hopefully we have a few pics of some fish to post soon. Don't expect large catches as we only catch enough to eat as a rule and we don't like to freeze them; we go out and hopefully catch dinner and come on back in.
Fresh fish!


Adios,


Istaboa