Fishing For A Cause

By Captain Phillip Loughlin 

Conservation Efforts While Angling and Best Way To Prepare My Catch

I donate a few charter trips yearly for some of my favorite causes, like Ducks Unlimited, NC Conservation, and Plastic Ocean Project. They sell the trips at auction to raise money. Ducks Unlimited is an American nonprofit organization that manages, restores, and conserves wetlands and related ecosystems for waterfowl in North America. At the same time, NC Conservation works to save North Carolina's environment and stimulate resolutions for a safer, healthier North Carolina. The long-term objectives of the Plastic Ocean Project are to actively and jointly develop five solutions for the reduction of marine plastics both on and offshore. I cared about marine life and wanted to prevent overfishing. Military Appreciation Day, or MAD, is another cause I support. There are several events each year around the state, and I participate in the one in Southport, North Carolina. MAD events are designed to bring in active duty service men and women for a day of free fishing. Local captains, both professional and amateur, sign up to take these folks out, inshore and offshore. I just learned about it a few years ago, and since then, I've participated every year, except for the COVID-19 shutdown, where gatherings have been prohibited. Many of our service members, especially the enlisted ranks, can't necessarily afford to spring for a charter trip, much less buy their boats. MAD is an opportunity to do something special for them out of respect for all they do for us. The fishing experience becomes remarkable, especially if you do fishing for a cause.

Katfish Kayak and Fishing Adventures will help anglers ignite their passion for fishing. Those interested in spending a day fishing can book a fishing trip with Katfish Kayak and Fishing Adventures. We'll make sure to take great of you and share our knowledge about fishing. Our fishing charter will help you target the top Topsail Beach fish species, including king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, Greater amberjack, mahi-mahi, cobia, red drum, black drum, summer flounder, sea trout, and bluefish.

Fish is a significant part of our diet. I eat a lot of fish. When I say fish, I mean a wide variety of fish species. I probably start to sound like Bubba from the Forrest Gump movie. I’m not good about following or writing down recipes, but that’s the cool thing about fresh fish. As long as you took care of it right when you caught and cleaned it, and as long as you don’t overcook it, it’s probably going to come out pretty good. Some of my go-to meals include wrapping a filet in tin foil to poach in butter and herbs and topping with pickled ginger and bleu cheese dressing. Of course, no proper Southern fisherman would turn up his nose at some deep-fried filets.

One of my “secrets” for a fish fry is mixing some grits with the flour and corn meal. It gets a nice crunch. But then I also go for the more exotic, like a nicely browned filet of mahi-mahi over rice, topped off with a spicy Thai green curry. A thick slice of king mackerel panned up in butter and lemon goes well with an Indian korma sauce, especially if you remember to add in almond slivers and golden raisins. Finally, there’s ceviche. It’s hard to beat ceviche with some fresh wahoo. There are a million recipes out there for this wonderful treat, but my favorites are the ones that include orange juice along with lime or lemon. The orange adds a nice hint of sweetness. The other trick with ceviche is always to give the citrus enough time to cook the fish thoroughly. I love sashimi, but some folks are offended if the fish is still raw.

One of my favorite, easy ways to prepare fresh fish is in a Hawaiian-style poke. I started doing this with blackfin tuna and Atlantic bonito. They are similar to tuna in terms of flavor and texture, but then I learned that it's excellent with Spanish mackerel. You'll need to skin the fish and cut it into cubes, maybe ¾" to ½ in size. It is a simple task if the fish is cold and your knife is sharp. Be patient, especially when working with a thin-skinned fish like Spanish mackerel. The Food and Drug Administration also recommends that you freeze most fish, except tuna, for at least 24 hours before serving it in any raw preparation. Let's say you'll prepare about a pound of fish and put it in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. For that amount of fish, I would get about 1/8 cup of sesame oil, about the same amount of soy sauce, and a couple of tablespoons of rice vinegar. You'll probably want to experiment a little bit with this sauce to get it how you like it. Once you have the proportions to your liking, you may put this in a bowl over diced green onions, chives, and a little bit of minced garlic and let it sit for a while to infuse those flavors. I like to cut up a couple of dried cayenne peppers for heat, but that's completely optional. I also want to cut some cucumber into small cubes or thin slivers. Avocado is good as well, along with some diced bell peppers. You can mix just about any veggies you like here, but you'll want to adjust the amount of sauce to compensate. I like to keep it basic, though, because the fish should be the show's star. Anyway, mix the veggies and the fish, and after letting it sit, pour.

I love to share these recipes with my charter clients as much as possible. Our Facebook page is updated and filled with fantastic fishing trips we previously conducted with past and repeat clients. Katfish Kayak and Fishing Adventures will take care of all the fishing gear clients need for the trip. You can also find more information about our fishing charter on our website.