Field and Stream - Cleaning & Cooking Bass RSS

The CatchFeed: 50 Top Photos from Catchbook, Field & Stream's New Social Fishing App

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:43:40 -0400

These 50 photos are our editors' picks for the best shots posted so far by users of our new Catchbook app!

About Catchbook Fishing Reports
Catchbook is a free social fishing app we built for the iPhone to help you share photos of your fish while recording the spots where you caught them. Check out more great fish photos from around the country (and start posting your own catches) by downloading the app from iTunes! Visit fieldandstream.com/catchbook for details on how the app works, and why it'll help you catch more fish.

Catchbook Photo Contest
We're giving away a Columbia PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap, for the best photo posted each week (as chosen by our editors) from now until then end of July. At the end of each month we'll pick our favorite overall shot and run it in the magazine! Each monthly winner will also receive a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve (men) or Ultimate Chill™ Long Sleeve (women). Click here to learn how you can enter this contest. Click here for the official rules.

The Best F&S Online Record Fish Stories and Photos

Online Editors — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:57:23 -0400

Catchbook Contest: Photo of the Week!

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:41:44 -0400

Congratulations to Austin Bockwinkel, whose spring Iowa largemouth bass takes top prize in our weekly Catchbook Photo Contest! Austin gets a PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap from Columbia, and also qualifies to win our monthly prize, a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve fishing shirt and his mug in the pages of our magazine. Click here to learn how you can enter this contest by. Click here for the official rules.

Catchbook is a new fishing app for the iPhone that automatically turns photos of fish you've caught into detailed fishing journal entries that show up on your map, then shares those entries exclusively with trusted friends. Our goal is to help you and your buddies learn more about the spots you fish. You can download the app from iTunes here.

Wild Chef's Best: Fish and Turkey Recipes

Online Editors — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:16:11 -0400

Holy Mackerel: 2nd-Grader Hooks 68 lb. King Fish

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:10:38 -0400

Andrew Quinn, a spirited Michigan second-grader who wrestles in the 77-pound weight class at his school, is no stranger to grappling with heavyweight foes.

But even Andrew almost met his match when he hooked this 5-foot king mackerel during a deep sea fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico in late March. At the end of a 30-minute fight, Andrew had just enough strength left to boat the giant king, which weighed 68 pounds, 3 ounces—a touch lighter than Andrew but 4 ounces heavier than the current Alabama state record.

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

Catchbook Contest: Photo of the Week!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:21:10 -0400

Congratulations to Connor Brazell, who's early-season pike photo takes top prize in our weekly Catchbook Photo Contest! Connor gets a PFG Blood and Guts™ Ball Cap from Columbia, and also qualifies to win our monthly prize, a Columbia Airgill Chill™ Long Sleeve fishing shirt and his mug in the pages of our magazine. Click here to learn how you can enter this contest by. Click here for the official rules.

The Toast: A Review of Crown Royal Black

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:22:33 -0400

By Colin Kearns

Draper and I have been talking about adding another regular on the blog — something to help wash down all of the great game and fish that’s served here. So, we present The Toast. Every now and then we’ll bring reviews, recipes and stories of our favorite drinks (and, no, not all will be booze) to enjoy with a meal or just to celebrate a good day outdoors.

I’ll kick The Toast off with some notes about a new whiskey I was lucky to enjoy over the last month: Crown Royal Black. I’m definitely more of a bourbon and rye guy, but I enjoy Canadian whiskey now and then. I’ve always liked classic Crown — but now I like Black more.

Black (90 proof) is stronger than Crown Royal (80 proof), and, as it’s name suggests, is darker in color — thanks to the added oak flavor. The whiskey is a little sweet, with notes of maple and vanilla. And, man, is it smooth. A couple Fridays ago, at the end of the workday, a few of us at the office enjoyed a drink of Black, neat. We were all impressed by how easy it went down.

I was curious how Black would work in a cocktail, so last night, with the last of my bottle, I mixed an Old Fashioned. I took one sip and wished I’d used the entire bottle for this cocktail. It was bold. It was smooth. It was balanced. I mean, it was really good. If only I could’ve made another…

I’ve written about the Old Fashioned before, but what follows is what I’ve found to be the absolute perfect recipe. (The “research” was grueling, let me tell you.) I hope you enjoy.

The (Perfect) Old Fashioned

Ingredients
1/4 ounce rich simple syrup*
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces Crown Royal Black (or a good rye or bourbon)
Orange peel for garnish

*Unlike simple syrup, which is equal parts sugar and water, a rich simple syrup is two parts sugar to one part water. Add two cups of turbinado sugar and one cup water to a sauce pan. Heat over medium low, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. As soon as the syrup shows signs of boiling, remove it from the heat and let cool. The syrup will last about a month.

Directions
Add the syrup and bitters to a rocks glass and stir. Add the whiskey. Add ice (preferably one large block) and stir about 20 to 30 times, or until you feel the outside of the glass turn cold. Let the cocktail sit.

In the meantime, cut a chunk of peel from an orange. (You want the peel only. The white pith will make the drink bitter.) Hold the peel over the glass, and squeeze the oils in to the drink. Then run the peel around the rim of the glass before dropping it into the drink. Stir the cocktail a couple more times. Cheers.

15 Reasons an Early Spring Makes Fishing More Difficult (And How To Catch Fish Anyway)

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:16:26 -0400

Spring has sprung. Actually, it sprang a month ago in much of the country. With the unusual weather pattern setting record-high temperatures on a near-weekly basis, many of you are no doubt scratching your heads and asking, what’s this going to do to the fishing?

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

Catchbook Fishing Reports: A Social Fishing App from the Editors of Field & Stream

Online Editors — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:37:45 -0400

If you're an angler, you know that keeping a detailed journal of your time on the water is one of the best ways to up your catch rate. That's because, over time, your journal will show you patterns in when and where fish bite, and what lures and baits work best under different conditions. The more detailed your journal is, the more of these patterns you'll see. But keeping a detailed journal requires time and dedication that most anglers can't afford.

Not anymore. Field & Stream's FREE new Catchbook app, just released on the iPhone, is designed to take all the work out of keeping a fishing journal. The app does this by taking photos of fish you've already shot with your phone and automatically converting them into detailed fishing reports that include the weather and water conditions present when those photos were taken. The app pins each report to a map, then lets you share them exclusively with trusted friends and fishing buddies. The more friends you have, the more reports you see on your map, and the easier it becomes to pattern your spots!

Our editorial team has been working for nearly half a year on the project, and it finally launched last week. Now we're looking for feedback from the people we designed it for. You! If there are bugs, we want to know about them. If there's something you think we can improve, we want to know what that is. And if you love something we've done? We want to know that, too.

We'll incorporate your comments into updates to the app, which we're planning to roll out regularly. You can give us your feedback by commenting on this post, or within a new "Catchbook" category in our online Answers section. And, right now, exclusively for readers of this site (and for a limited time only) if you sign up and request user "Field & Stream" as a friend within the app, we'll add 5,000 points to your F&S Online username.

Click here to view the app in the iTunes store, or follow the jump for more details on how Catchbook works. Thanks for checking it out! -- The Editors

POST YOUR PHOTOS
Catchbook lets you turn any fish photo you’ve ever taken with your iPhone into a detailed journal entry that includes the time, date, location, and weather present when you caught each fish. Upload your old fish photos to get started, then make sure to snap away with your camera the next time you’re out on the water. Add records to your journal by choosing the photos you want to upload and telling us the species of fish in each photo. The app does the rest! Add optional information (such as the size and color lure you were using) to create even more detailed records to share with your friends.

POOL YOUR RECORDS
The more friends you invite into Catchbook, the more catches you’ll see on your map. And the more catches you see, the easier it will be for you to pattern your spots. Inviting friends is easy. Invite people you’re already friends with on Facebook, or send your fishing buddies invites by email. You can also find new people to fish with by searching for other Catchbook users who fish in the same places you do.

PATTERN YOUR SPOTS
Every time you (or one of your friends) posts a photo to Catchbook, that photo gets pinned to a spot on your map. Filter your map to show only fish caught at specific times of the year, at different times of the day, under specific weather conditions and water temps, and much, much more! You’ll quickly see patterns in which spots work best under different conditions. Then use the app’s “Best Baits” features to learn which flies, lures, and baits caught the most fish under the conditions and areas you’ve selected.

Map filtering options include:
-- Fish species and fish size
-- Time of year and time of day
-- Moon phase
-- Wind speed and direction
-- Water temperature, water clarity, lake/river level, and tidal stage
-- Barometric pressure and barometric trend
-- Air temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation type

WATCH CATCHES IN REAL TIME
Keep an eye on what people are catching around the country by clicking on the “Catches” tab. You’ll see all the latest fish entered into Catchbook (photos only — no spot burning here).

SEE WHERE YOU RANK!
Find your name in a list of top users by species.

Food Fight Friday: The Chief vs. Chef Fish Feast

Sarah Smith — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:19:40 -0400

by David Draper

For this week’s Food Fight Friday we have two wonderful photos that would be just at home in an art museum as they are here at Field & Stream. In subject matter they are similar—but they couldn’t be more divergent in style. Who wins will all come down to a matter of taste, and I’m not talking about flavor. Instead, it’s the clean and simple lines of F&S Copy Chief Donna Ng’s baked brown trout versus the intricate detailing done by chef Charlie Krause in his poached salmon display. Which one will get your vote?

Donna Ng’s Baked Brown Trout

I seasoned the trout cavity with salt, pepper, and Old Bay, and stuffed it with a mixture of crab; breadcrumbs; sautéed onion, garlic, carrot, and celery; parsley; and an egg to bind it together. I roasted it at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then drizzled on some extra-virgin olive oil.

Charlie Krause’s Poached Salmon

Here is a whole poached salmon I made—one of my favorite dishes. Just for your information, I am a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America and have been in the business for more than 40 years. My specialty is food art and food display. High-end buffet work was my bread and butter for years and theme display my forte. This photo includes some locally smoked seafood and was done for a wedding party I catered. Use leftovers to make a great fish salad with red onions and mayo. The cooking broth can make the base of a soup or can be used in other ways so don't let it go either. When done carefully, this dish will be a hit every time.

I want to keep this fish theme going for a while. And since the fish aren’t biting around here, I’m going to need some help from our great Wild Chef readers. So if you’ve got a fishy photo you’d like to see featured here, send it to fswildchef@gmail.com.

X-Ray Fish Photos: 41 Incredible Shots From the Smithsonian Institute

Sarah Smith — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:44:31 -0400

X-ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), is an exhibit traveling to museums across the country through 2015. Visit www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/ichthyo/index.htm for the tour itinerary.

SHARK!: A Preview of an Artistic Tribute To The Ancient Apex Predators of the Deep

Sarah Smith — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:07:05 -0400

Millennia before humans first appeared on this planet, sharks were cutting their way through Earth's seas. They come in all shapes and sizes and are found in every ocean in the world as well as in many rivers and lakes.

A major multimedia art exhibition, SHARK!, organized by the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art and curated by acclaimed wildlife artist, author and environmentalist Richard Ellis, brings together art and science in documenting the fascination people have with these apex predators of the sea. In addition to drawings and paintings, the exhibition contains photos, sculptures, and video as well as a section devoted to the sensational impact of the 1975 film Jaws.

Ellis was good enough to give us these photos of pieces from the exhibition as a sneak peak. SHARK! opens on May 13.

For more information on the exhibit, click here.

The 45 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of February 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:46:15 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here is the gallery of the best reader photos from January 2012.

How to Catch a Wall-Hanger: 7 Tips for Locating, Fighting, and Landing Giant Bass, Walleye and More Big Fish This Season!

Online Editors — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:13:27 -0500

Make this the year to catch a fish so huge you’ll want to admire it for the rest of your life. We found the best lures and baits, the hot lakes and rivers, and the trophy hunter’s top strategies. After this, all you’ll need is a hammer and nail.

Find A Spill or a Fish Kill? Get This Card And Know Who To Call

Sarah Smith — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:55:51 -0500

by Tim Romano

A number of months ago Hal Herring reported on the "Toxic Petroleum Sludge" that was infiltrating the waters of our beloved carp fishery here on the South Platte River in Denver. Local angler and fly fisherman Trevor Taner was fishing for carp in the river on November 27 when he noticed, "weird milky chocolaty sludge", and after fishing for a while noticed his "fly and fingers smelled like gasoline". He also mentioned that he could "see micro-currents and upwells in the water column that you usually can't see."

After talking to Tanner he told me that he spent a very long time trying to figure out who to call about the situation. After multiple phone calls to friends and anglers he finally reached what he thought were the proper authorities. This unfortunately took many hours and didn't really provide the response he had hoped for. They basically told him he was crazy and there wasn't a spill.

Long story short, Trevor was right. There was a pretty serious petroleum "spill" and it was most certainly in the river. Leeching into a tributary of the Platte through layers of soil and sand. It was most likely coming from a local refinery on the east banks of the river. The EPA finally got involved and to my knowledge the cleanup continues.

All of this would have been made much, much easier for Trevor if he knew who to call. Now -- thanks to him I do, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Since the event Trevor was given an award by his local Trout Unlimited chapter and they also did a pressing of some "Spill or Kill Cards" in his honor. Spill for well, a spill of any kind. Kill, for a -- fish kill. You know, lots-o-dead bloated little fishies floating belly up in the water. Duh.

The business sized card fits in a wallet and has the National Spill Response Center's phone number (800-424-8802) as well as the twitter hashtag of other local TU members that can keep them up to speed on what's going on. The National Spill Response Center's duty is the "sole federal point of contact for reporting oil and chemical spills". Supposedly it is the fastest way to get something done if you have an experience like what Trevor went through and have the gumption to do something about it.

So do you and your watershed, lake or coastline a favor and pop that number above into your phone's contact list. Label it something that you'll remember and hopefully never have to use. Someday you might be very happy you did.

Field & Stream Picks the Best New Fishing Gear of 2012

Online Editors — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:48:27 -0500

What's new in tackle this year? Plenty--and we fished with it all. Field & Stream testers hit the water with more than 100 pieces of the latest gear, from humble hooks to the top-of-the-line high-definition sonar units. We winnowed the list down to 16 standout products that clearly are the Best of the Best.

The 50 Best Shots From The 2011 Field & Stream Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:03:25 -0500

Here are the editors' picks for the 50 best entries in our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest. Congrats to KSwhitetails who took first place with his "Bobcat catches a turkey in flight" shot and will receive the grand prize: a pair of Steiner 10x42 Predator Xtreme binoculars.

Congratulations to all this year's winners and thanks to everyone for the hundreds of great submissions.

You can check out the top photos from each round of the contest here:
ROUND I
ROUND II
ROUND III
ROUND IV

Recipe: Cast-Iron-Skillet Fried Catfish

Sarah Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:30:06 -0500

by Colin Kearns

Like just about every eater (and imbiber), I have my weaknesses: cold fried chicken, bacon, backstrap, bourbon, fish tacos, sharp cheddar and pretzels. And catfish—preferably fried.

So when I saw the recipe for Deep-Fried Catfish in the new Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook, I asked the folks at Lodge if I could have it to share with Wild Chef readers. They obliged, bless their hearts. Enjoy.

Deep-Fried Catfish

Ingredients:
- 1 gallon canola oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 5 pounds catfish fillets, all cut to about the same size
- Garnish with lemon wedges.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small jar yellow mustard
- Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Mount a 17-inch cast iron skillet on a propane burner. Fill the skillet two-thirds full with the oil. Heat the oil to 360 degrees. (Have a guest keep a watchful eye on it; it’s best to use a deep-fry thermometer to track the temperature.)

2. Combine the flour and cornmeal in a clean paper grocery bag. Arrange the fish fillets in a single layer on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Brush each piece on both sides with about 1/2 teaspoon of the mustard. Drop each fillet into the flour mixture and shake the bag to coat well.

3. Before you start frying, have another clean paper bag lined with several paper towels and a slotted spoon ready at the cooker.

4. Place the fillets, one at a time, into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop and you won’t get crispy fish. Using the slotted spoon, remove the fish soon after they flu oat but not until they have turned light brown. Place the cooked fillets inside the clean grocery bag to drain and keep warm. Serves 10 to 12

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries from last year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

On the Spot: Guide, Author Pat Dorsey

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:44 -0500

by Kirk Deeter

John Merwin's blog post the other day referenced a book by Pat Dorsey (Tying and Fishing Tailwater Flies). So I thought I'd follow up with an "On The Spot" interview I did with Pat at the recent International Sportsmen's Expo in Denver.

Pat and I are old friends. In fact, back when we were in our early thirties, I was co-authoring a book on fishing guides, and Pat was one of our first "volunteer" subjects. He showed me Cheesman Canyon, the Williams Fork, and Dream Stream section of the South Platte in South Park. And he did it for gas money, despite the fact that we didn't have a publisher committed or anything (it was an excuse to go fishing). The book turned out to be Castwork, which boosted my outdoor writing career. It's out of print now, but you can read excepts at MidCurrent.

Pat is one of the best guides in the world. He makes his living whacking out trips on the highly technical rivers in and around Colorado's Front Range. I don't know anybody who has tailwater fishing more dialed than Pat does. You can fish any of Pat's rivers, and recognize legions of "Dorsey Disciples," just by watching how they fish (the brown Holly Twist yarn strike indicator is a dead giveaway). He's an author of high esteem (if Merwin reads you, you're doing something right). He's one of the best fly pattern developers in the country (if you don't carry things like Pat's Rubber Legs and the Mercury RS2 in your box, you should). Most of all, he's a heck of a good friend and a great guy.

Some of his "on the spot" answers might surprise you:

FlyTalk: What's the one species of fish that you have never caught, that tops your bucket list?

Dorsey: Tarpon. I'm long overdue to catch a tarpon. And I can only imagine what that feels like.

FlyTalk: What's the most common mistake you see anglers make?

Dorsey: Lack of observation and looking around you would be one of them. But I'd say that the number one mistake is lack of preparation. There are a lot of things you can do to make your fishing go well, before you ever get to the river.

FlyTalk: What's the one piece of gear you carry that some of us would be surprised to discover.

Dorsey: A hook hone. I try to keep my flies as sharp as a (SOB). I don't think a lot of anglers pay attention to that detail, but it matters when it comes to hooking and landing fish.

FlyTalk: What's your goal for 2012?

Dorsey: To become a better angler, and a better steward for the environment. Ultimately, to be a better guide.

FlyTalk: Of all the flies you've created, what's your favorite, and what fly do you wish you created?

Dorsey: The favorite fly I've made would have to be the Paper Tiger. And the fly I didn't invent but wish I had is the Copper John. Who doesn't wish they made the Copper John?

Rio Grande Road Trip: The Outtakes II

Sarah Smith — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:45:48 -0500

by Tim Romano

Last fall I had the pleasure of following the entire length of the Rio Grande River, from headwaters in Colorado to the terminus in Texas at the Gulf of Mexico; fishing, rowing, and following two guys on motorcycles the entire way. I was on a Field & Stream assignment with Digital Director, Nate Mathews, and his father, Bruce Matthews, who is the executive director for the North Country Trail. I was following in the chase vehicle with my camera equipment, boats, fishing and camping gear.

The story was published in this month's (February 2012) issue of the magazine. In the mag there were 25 images published. I took over 8,000 images over two weeks. I thought heck--let's show em some more… Here's the second half of the trip. The first batch of outtakes can be found here.

Enjoy.

Food Fight Friday: International Edition

Sarah Smith — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:22:10 -0500

by David Draper

Mongolian Elk vs. Turkey Curry

What I like about Wild Chef readers is they’re not afraid to get creative in the kitchen. It’s good to know there are some wild-game cooks out there playing hooky from the cream-of-mushroom-soup school of wild game cooking. We’ve got a couple great examples this week, as readers Chris Johnson and Levi Banks weigh in with a couple of mouthwatering dishes, both which offer some international flair.

Personally, I’m a bit torn on which to vote for, but I can probably predict how readers are going to swing this. That turkey curry looks and sounds delicious. Plus, any photo featuring both a bottle of Sriracha and a sippy cup of milk has got to be a winner. Still, you love your venison, which is usually a lock on Food Fight Fridays. But maybe you’ll surprise me this week.

Chris Johnson’s Mongolian Elk

“This recipe is super simple and can be done in one pan. Also, most folks have all of these ingredients on hand. I used steaks from this year’s elk, dredged them in cornstarch. I think the starch helps to crisp the beef as well as thicken the sauce ultimately. The recipe calls for garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, and water.

I added water chestnuts, broccoli, and snow peas to round it out, omitting green onions as I forgot to pick them up at the store. I also omitted chiles to keep the heat level palatable for the kiddos. For me, hunting is about the meat. That sentiment is magnified as beef prices reach an all-time high.”

Levi Banks’ Turkey Curry

“Coat the turkey with a mixture of flour, curry powder, cumin, and salt. Put the meat—along with potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and an apple—in a slow cooker with a teaspoon of chicken bouillon and ½ cup water. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, turn to high heat and add 1 can coconut milk. Cook for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice. I was going to garnish with peanuts and raisins, but forgot. The cilantro was pretty good, too. Apparently we’ve been taking so many pictures of food lately that when my 3 1/2 year old daughter sat down for breakfast at my parents’ house this weekend she asked for the camera so she could take a picture of her scrambled eggs.

Think you can do better? If so, send your best food photo to fswildchef@gmail.com and we’ll put you head to head in an upcoming Food Fight Friday.

Why Wild Game Should Matter in the Mainstream

Sarah Smith — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:51:50 -0500

by David Draper

Last Friday, at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, while waiting for the weekend shift of working girls to deplane, I picked up a bottle of water and some reading material for my flight home. On the rack, there were the usual periodicals that often make their way into my carry-on: The Atlantic (which my swollen head couldn’t fathom at that moment); Surfer (not really the inspiration I needed for a trip home to Nebraska), and Esquire (didn’t want to be seen reading a magazine with a picture of Bill Clinton on the cover).

What I did find was a copy of Saveur, a food magazine whose Jan/Feb issue annually lists their Top 100 people, places, and ingredients for the food-obsessed. The Saveur 100 issue serves as great inspiration in the kitchen and fuels many a daydream for food-related road (and plane) trips should I ever win the lottery. It’s the kind of best-of list where you’ll find meatloaf next to something called mugua ji, or a treatise on the Czech Republic’s microbrews matched with Frito Pie.

There is one omission from the 2012 Saveur 100: wild game. I have to say I held out hope that it would pop up as I turned each page, and was a bit surprised when it didn’t. If ever there was a year in wild game, this should be it. We’re following a stellar 2011 for game eaters—what with Hank Shaw pushing his book Hunter, Gather, Cook on a cross-country tour and Steven Rinella breaking mainstream with his Travel Channel show “The Wild Within”—now moved over to the Sportsman Channel rebranded as “Meat Eater”. This year, we’re off to a banner start, as you can’t escape Georgia Pelligrini as she touts her new book Girl Hunter on just about every talk show and morning program on TV.

How about you: Don’t you think it’s about time our way of eating makes it into the mainstream?