Okay I knew this already, but I went catfishing last night. My niece is graduating High School and her Uncle Geoff (me) is the headline cook for his famous fried catfish and Fried Sweet Pickles in Bowling Green KY. Anyway, I lit my Therma-cell about 20 minutes before dark... no bugs on me. An hour after dark, they were nearly toting me off, I am talking SWARMING. It seems my butane bottle was empty and the flame went out. Stupid me, I didn't check it first. Anyway, mosquitoes were everywhere. I quickly changed the bottle and put in a new card and re-lit it and within ten minutes there were zero mosquitoes again. I use it all the time but that was the most definite proof of its effectiveness I have seen. Great product if you don't currently use one, I, for one, can highly recommend it.
Had the same thing happen the other night hunting in Ft. Pierce, FL. It ran out just as it got dark and I had to quickly change out the butane then after about 5mins it was like a wall around me of mosquitos buzzing but none coming in. Their great when they work.
Only time I've had trouble when the wind kicks up, other than that I've had good luck w. mine. I am also a firm believer in pretreating my clothing w. Permethrin.
I have 5 or 6 of them. I love 'em. We leave for Canada for 8 days of fishing in a couple weeks. The place we go is great and on an island just 150 yards off the mainland. Normally with a little breeze our island stays pretty misquito free... but not totally at times. I'll line up 3 Thermacells on the deck railing and we'll sit out and party and tell lies etc. Some years the bugs have been on our island. Everyone complains about the bugs. Usually we end up with one or two cabins full of people on our deck enjoying the thermacells. If need be, I fire up another or two. When out in the boats the bugs usually aren't a problem. EXCEPT... we have a couple prefered spots where the walleyes come in to feed at last light right up close to shore. I'll put 3 thermacells in each boat and watch the bugs hover about 5 feet out. LOL We've taken some folks to our favorite spots who haven't been catching fish... but they get eaten up before the night bite starts and leave for the cabins. LOL
Catfish House? Confused by this statement. But Thermacells are a savior...I'm so spoiled by the use of one I literally pass on fishing sometimes if I don't have one with me.
My niece and her family live in Bowling Green KY. A couple years ago her brother graduated and I carried some catfish up and fried them up for the family and guests which was about 50-60 people. The friends still talk about how good it was and keep asking for us to come cook fish again. Now, my niece is graduating, she wants a catfish meal for her guests too and Uncle Geoff's catfish is on the menu for the after graduation party. She actually put that on her graduation announcements. I didn't have any fresh, so the past two nights I have gone catfishing until 11:00. I caught 15-20 pounds Tuesday night and went back last night and caught about 60 more pounds. One was in the 30-40# range. Its funny, I was bragging about my thermocell but had to move to the back of the boat to fight the fish for about 20 minutes and the mosquitoes tore me up during that time. I can't imaging being out there without it but I think I am going to get a holster so no matter where I go in the boat, I am still covered.
So are you or aren't you going to give us this world famous recipe? P.S. Put a second thermacell in the back of the boat.
I had an issue with one that I had to send back twice after it died on me during some damp hunts and would never turn on again. Up till then they've been fantastic. Note: very important! Don't buy the new ones with the turning knob for the butane. They switch themselves on very easily and run your butane dry. I went through three bottles before I ever used it in the woods. If you have one leave the butane bottle out till your ready to use it. I retired that one to my backyard practise sessions and have two of the older ones I hunt with.
Thanks for that tip Afflicted. I just ordered my second Thermacell today. Will arrive just in time for the GTG!
Not really a good recipe as much as it is proper cleaning. I catch rather large catfish averaging over 10 lb to around 50 lb that I first filet' and then remove every ounce of red meat. Its difficult to remove all the red meat from smaller fish and usually either throw back anything under 3 lb or give them away. Once filet'ed, I cut the pieces as uniformly as possible to 1" X 3" by about 3/4" thick. Soak them in buttermilk, then dip in egg and finally a corn meal, spice mix.(Season All or Tony Chachere is great) Also, I fry them in a "Fry Daddy, Grandpappy" which has a very well maintained temperature (375 F) that limits that burned oil taste. It's really the cleaning that makes them so good, not the recipe. With the fish, we serve grits, baked beans, hushpuppies and deep fried bread and butter pickles sprinkled with confectioner sugar for an appetizer. All this, and I usually only have one or two pieces. I am definitely either going to put another Thermacell in the back of my boat or buy a holster. P.S. I added this pic from yesterday's catch. The largest fish was probably in the high 20- to low 30 range. The smaller ones are fileted and going to a co-worker. I got 7 quarts of filets after all the red meat was gone, which is around 15 pounds of pure fryable meat with no further trimming needed.
Yellow corn meal I assume???? And you see, your recipe goes against everything I always thought. I always thought the smaller would be better. I can catch some big catfish over where the Barge Canal empties into Oneida Lake in NY. I'm going to catch me a big one and do you thing. I know what you mean about the red meat. I scrape all the brown crap of salmon too. LOL I've got the hush puppy recipe down pat( I was married to a South Georgia girl) I also use the buttermilk, egg etc and corn meal for a lot of fish.
Yellow corn meal I assume???? And you see, your recipe goes against everything I always thought. I always thought the smaller would be better. I can catch some big catfish over where the Barge Canal empties into Oneida Lake in NY. I'm going to catch me a big one and do you thing. I know what you mean about the red meat. I scrape all the brown crap of salmon too. LOL I've got the hush puppy recipe down pat( I was married to a South Georgia girl) I also use the buttermilk, egg etc and corn meal for a lot of fish. I also have a Cajun recipe that when I make a batter I reserve some to make a bit tangy batter for those with the taste.
Honestly I've had mixed results with Thema-cell. Sometimes it seems to work great and others just okay. If it is windy the results are not as good.
I actually like the smell. I have to use one sometimes when I'm working in my garage with the doors open and the smell give me the feeling of being on stand. I know the smell makes some of my friends sick but maybe I'm just still green.
Yeah, I hear that a lot. I thought the same thing until I went to Mill Creek Landing on Lake Marion South Carolina and the owner showed me how to clean the large catfish. One thing to remember though, is there is some fat on the large yellow cats' belly that can be really strong. I make chowder with the belly from yellow cats. Find a clam chowder recipe and personalize it to your taste. I use a lot of onion and green peppers in mine, just don't add the meat until the last few minutes or it will cook apart. I use either yellow or white cornmeal. I like them both. Try adding some Jalapeno and green onion tops to your Hush Puppies. MMMMMM
I'll try the Jalapenos in the puppies. I love jalapenos and use them a lot. Sounds like a good addition to one of my favorite Southern tastys.
