This morning I had the privilege of demonstrating survival skills to kids ages 12 and under along with their families and friends at the Wilkesboro “Troutacular”. Yesterday afternoon the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission released 400 trout into Cub Creek in preparation for this morning’s event.

There was quite a variety of gear, but I enjoyed showing the folks my improvised hooks and lures with which I have successfully caught fish. I had a bottle cap lure, a soda can pull tab hook and a chicken bone hook. I’ll be exploring other useful bones for making fishing hooks and will post my experiences in the future.

I baked trout in clay to show what could be done to cook in the great outdoors without equipment. I am always amazed at the excellent results that this method produces. It was an eye opener for many and well received. On-lookers were able to sample the finished product at Noon. While the fish was baking, I was able to demonstrate various firecraft methods and helped some individuals to create their first fire.

Next on my fish-cooking-method list is planking fish on cedar… stay tuned.