Field and Stream - Cleaning & Cooking 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.

Food Fight Friday: Smoked Trout vs. Halibut Ceviche

Sarah Smith — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:52:04 -0400

by David Draper

Everyone must be catching fishing fever as we got two submissions featuring finned fare for this Friday’s Food Fight. The first comes from Wild Chef reader Split 484, who sent in a great looking photo of some smoked trout and killer accompaniments. Deputy editor Colin Kearns also passed along a fish-themed food photo of a batch of halibut ceviche. Both look so good, I can’t decide who should win, so I’m leaving it up to you.

Split 484’s Smoked Trout

Even though we like to go barbless, sometimes trout have to come home. These are fresh from Colorado’s western slope, smoked and served over mango salsa with cucumber raita and naan. So tasty we had to share.

Colin’s Halibut Ceviche

I thawed a pound of halibut that I caught in Alaska last summer (vacuum-sealers really are lifesavers), and made some ceviche, following a recipe from Field & Stream’s Wild Chef columnist, Jonathan Miles. I wish I could share the recipe with you now, but you’ll just have to hold off a couple more months before it appears in the magazine. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Just for competing in today’s Food Fight Friday, Split 484 is going to get a big box of goodies from Camp Chef, and Hi-Mountain Seasoning. And there’s more where that came from, so email me your food photo to fswildchef@gmail.com. If we feature it here, we’ll send you something good, too.

And if you need some inspiration in the kitchen, check out our new photo gallery of the Wild Chef’s Best Fish and Turkey Recipes.

Recipe: How to Cook Trout Stew

Sarah Smith — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:55:18 -0400

by David Draper

Last Friday’s Food Fight featured a couple of great-looking fish dishes, including a fish stew from my good friend Chris Ellis. Now, some folks might think the words “fish” and “stew” don’t go together, but I’ve eaten enough cioppino—a wine-based seafood stew—to know the pairing can be incredible.

Also, for a former river rat and affirmed West Virginia hill jack, Chris has some pretty good chops in the kitchen and he’s been on a big soup kick lately. Luckily, he agreed to share his recipe with Wild Chef readers.

Trout Stew

Ingredients:
-1 trout, cleaned and scaled
-3 Tbsp. olive oil
-2 medium onions, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 cup fresh parsley
-2 tomatoes, chopped
-2 Tbsp. tomato paste, optional
-1 cup dry white wine
-Fish stock
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Give each side of a cleaned trout a quick spray of Pam or other cooking spray and place in glass casserole dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size of trout.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté. Cook until translucent and smelling good. Add the parsley and give it a good stir.

Add the tomatoes to the pan. (Here’s when I also like to add a couple big spoonfuls of tomato paste if I have some handy for added flavor and color.) When everything looks dandy, I add a cup or so of dry white wine, give it a good stir and let it bubble.

Remove the trout from the oven and place on a cutting board. Run a knife along the fish’s lateral line. With a fork, lift meat from rib cage exposing entire skeleton. With one side of the meat removed, you can either lift skeleton from the meat on opposite side or flip the trout over and repeat. The skin will literally peel off the meat leaving you a pile of boneless, skinless trout goodness.

If you need to eat right now, add the trout pieces and enough fish stock to make the stew look like stew and simmer until you drool. I prefer to transfer the veggie mixture to a Dutch oven or slow cooker, add the trout and fish stock, then simmer until the house smells yummy.

Either way, add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve stew with oyster crackers, Tabasco, and of course, a cold Coors Light or two.

The Best F&S Online Record Fish Stories and Photos

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

Food Fight Friday: Trout vs. Basa

Sarah Smith — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:06:13 -0400

by David Draper

Trout Stew vs. Basa Oreganata

From the results of last week’s Bourbon vs. Scotch fight, it’s evident Wild Chef readers not only like to have a nip now and then, but also have strong opinions on what they splash in their glass. If you haven’t checked the results lately, my single-malt got a pretty good licking from Colin’s Four Roses, which I’ll admit wasn’t all that surprising. I’m also man enough to admit the next time I see a bottle of Four Roses I’m going to give it a try.

The post was so popular I considered rebranding this blog Booze Fight Friday, but I know readers love their food, too, so for now, we’ll stick to that. This week it’s a fishy battle between two readers.

Chris Ellis’s Fish Stew

“I’ve known former fishing guide Chris Ellis for many years since he first rowed me down the New River, and I’ll tell you, he’s not one to brag. So, when he sent me this pic accompanied by a single word, ‘amazing,’ I immediately asked him for the recipe. I’m going to wait and share that with you next week, but for now you should know the fish featured in the stew is fresh caught trout from an unnamed West Virginia creek.”

Alberto Bocus’s Basa Oreganata

“Not wild caught but very good! I got basa fillets and topped them with a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, fresh garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Then I baked them in the oven. Great meal!”

Fish, fowl, or anything else—we need your food photos. If you’d like to compete in an upcoming Food Fight Friday, send your photos to fswildchef@gmail.com.

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?

Friday Food Fight: Catfish vs. Lake Trout

Online Editors — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:11:47 -0400

by David Draper

Pan Fried Catfish and Potatoes vs. Maple Syrup Lake Trout

I was hoping for an all fish Food Fight this week, but no one informed the guest of honor. I’ve been out fishing three times in the last week with nothing to show for my efforts—despite emptying several tanks of gas in the process, not to mention using up plenty of cutbait. Because the fish weren’t cooperating, I had to dig deep into my archives for a fish pic. Luckily, Wild Chef reader Will Fulmer (a.k.a. nuclear_fisher) helped me out with a suitable opponent for my tasty, albeit tired, fried catfish photo.

Draper’s Pan Fried Catfish and Potatoes

Most people have a tried-and-true recipe for frying fish, but I’m not a good enough angler to get into a steady routine. Every time I fry up some fish, I do something different. Sometimes it’s a batter, other times a standard double-dip dredge. Heck, I’m not even above using a good boxed mixed from time to time. For this batch, I rolled the fillets in equal parts flour and corn meal and shallow fried them in hot canola oil, following it up with some sliced potatoes.

Nuclear_fisher’s Maple Syrup Lake Trout

We heard the coho bite was on at the south end of Lake Michigan, so me and four buds chartered a boat hoping to put some salmon in the freezer. In addition to the salmon, we got some large lake trout and I cooked up my portion of those fillets that night. It might have been something to do with us fishing in sight of East Chicago’s massive steel mill the entire time, but I wanted to use a marinade in case of any off-taste. I usually use an equal mixture of oil, soy, and brown sugar, but I was out of sugar so I substituted real maple syrup with a touch of basil and garlic powder. I rubbed the fillets in lemon pepper, marinated for about two hours, and baked at 375 degrees.

We’ve got some pretty good venison photos to feature here at Food Fight Friday in the coming week, but since turkey seasons are under way, I am hoping readers will submit some fresh turkey dishes. If you’ve got a photo you think can win, send it in to fswildchef@gmail.com.

VOTE HERE!

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.

Q&A with Chef and "Food Artist" Charlie Krause

Online Editors — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:57:45 -0400

by David Draper

We saw an incredible poached salmon display from food artist and Wild Chef reader Charlie Krause on last week’s Friday Food Fight. While Chef Charlie’s salmon didn’t win against Field & Stream Copy Chief Donna Ng’s classic stuffed brown trout, which currently has about 75 percent of the votes, that poached salmon tray was still impressive. So I caught up with Chef Charlie to ask him a few questions about what it takes to turn food into fine art—like the bread fish sculpture shown here.

What made you interested in becoming a chef?

After high school I wanted to learn to do something with my hands—besides fishing, that is—so rather than go to college I went to the Culinary Institute of America. My dad and mom were artists—the whole family are all artists. I have been an artist and craftsman most of my life. That transferred to food soon after I went to school.  What was the most challenging dish you’ve ever done?

I did a party celebrating the turn of the century in Westbrook, Maine. We had an “English Room” with everything in that room cooked from 1900s English cookbooks. We made a meat pie filled with boned-out birds stuffed with a pork and brandy sausage. In the pie there were four geese, four turkeys, six hens, six ducks, and 24 quail. Each bird was boned out 100 percent. The quail was stuffed and put in the hens and ducks with sausage and stuffed into the turkeys with sausage and then stuffed into the geese. This is like a large turducken. We took apart 10 large cheesecake pans to make a three-tier form, lined it with a special crust, and packed in the birds and sausage. It weighed probably 100 pounds or more and took 13 hours to cook. Meanwhile all those bones made a great stock that was reduced down to a wonderful sauce. The pie came out of the oven looking good. We pulled away all the cheesecake pans and it was magnificent. The crust was flaky, all the meats were tender and the sauce was something special.

Any kitchen disasters you’d care to share?

I have had plenty, but a disaster to a professional means something different than a disaster at home. Typical disasters are more on the level of “Oh crap, the fish is bad and we have 300 for dinner tonight,” or “I just burned the soup for the buffet in 20 minutes.” I have had countless pans forgotten and burned. It goes with the territory.  What’s your favorite fish or game animal to prepare?

Truly the poached salmon is one of my favorites. Brook trout any way, any time. Saddle of venison is probably my favorite game dish.

How did you prepare that amazing salmon display?

After cleaning the cavity of a whole fish I fill it with cheesecloth, then wrap it in white cotton cloth. Place sliced onions and celery in to the bottom of a large stainless fish poacher. Add several peeled lemons cut in pieces, some white pepper, salt, and bay leaves. Then cover the fish with white wine. A fish this size takes a gallon or more but it must be covered. You can substitute one-third water if needed. Cover the whole thing with foil and on the stove it goes on low. Bring the liquid up to 180 degrees but never go over 185. A 5- to 8-pound fish will take a couple of hours. After an hour or so, check the temp of the fish in the thickest part. When it reads 145 degrees internal at the bone, turn off the burner and let cool for an hour. Then set the whole thing in the fridge overnight. The next day carefully remove the fish and cut away the wrapping to expose the fish. The fish should look fresh. The liquid should be clear. Carefully cut a widow in the skin of the fish by cutting with the tip of a paring knife and then carefully lift and remove the skin from the front to the back. There will be some dark meat and that can stay or be carefully scraped off with a small knife. Now it is ready to serve or it can be decorated.

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.

Food Fight Friday: Crappie vs. Turkey

Online Editors — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:57:26 -0400

by David Draper

Last week’s fight was closer than I thought, but I have to say the readers picked correctly. That fried pheasant was absolutely delicious—crispy skin, moist meat. But, Wild Chef reader bassman06 brought up a pretty fair point: It’s Lent, and that means fish on Friday for many of our readers. So we’ll see if the rest of the devout vote with their faith or their stomach in this week’s fish versus fowl battle.

Fresh Caught Crappie

I was having one of those days last Wednesday, so I chucked work (Sorry, Colin and the rest of my editors!) and went fishing. You couldn’t ask for a nicer day, though the catching was a bit tough—until sundown that is, when I hooked into one nice crappie and a barely legal walleye on subsequent casts. The next night, the crappie went into the pan after a light dusting of flour, salt, and pepper.

Turkey Tenders

We’re coming up on turkey season, so I fished out some of the last cuts from last season’s bounty—a four pack of turkey fillets, those tender little cuts that lay between the breast meat and keel bone. Quick-soaked in a marinade not unlike what I used in last week’s Asian quail (a little soy, a little nam pla, a little fresh ginger, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a bit of honey and chili paste). I pan-fried the meat and paired it with jasmine rice and asparagus.

I’m holding an ace up my sleeve in the form of an amazing reader-submitted photo that deserves a worthy opponent. (Ed. Note: Seriously, this food photo is amazing!) If you think you’ve got what it takes to beat it, send your best food photo in to fswildchef@gmail.com.

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