Outdoor Writer
What’s a perch pull without a recipe?
In last week’s feature here on perch fishing in Lake Washington, John Reese’s beer batter recipe was inadvertently left out. Reese is a past president of the Western Washington Walleye Club, something of an expert on catching yellow perch in the big lake, and the person who generally presides over the fish fry at the club’s annual “perch pull” and picnic at Magnuson Park.
Reese’s recipe is a favorite with club members who deep-fry their perch fillets, but, he says, “other than a few basic ingredients, I don’t have specific measurements for everything and the batter turns out a little differently each time. Here’s my best shot.”
2 cups cornstarch
11/2 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
beer
seasonings (“I use garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lemon pepper.”)
1 egg
“Mix the dry ingredients, beat the egg, and blend the egg and beer into the mix. Add beer until you get a consistency that will provide a thin coating on the fish. I like the batter on the thin side. Also go light with the seasonings, as they can always be added later. Experiment with different seasonings, depending on your taste.”
The Western Washington Walleye Club meets every third Wednesday at 7 p.m., at the Green Acres Learning Center,1826 South 240th St., in Des Moines. It’s a long drive from here, but if you’re interested in fishing for warmwater species, the club is an excellent source of information. Call 253-852-3296, or visit the Web at www.walleye-club.com/.
Elk hunting gets underway Oct. 28 for rifle hunters in Eastern Washington, and Nov. 4 on the westside, and state Fish and Wildlife Department biologists rate the prospects for this fall’s elk season fair to good, depending on your choice of hunting area.
Hunters should note that a regulation change this year makes any northeast, Blues, Colockum, or Yakima elk tag valid for hunting anywhere east of the Cascades. Generally, Eastern Washington has a spike-bull-only general season, while hunters on the westside are limited to a 3-point minimum bull hunt.
Elk are found in small, scattered groups in the northeast corner of the state, and a combination of heavy escape cover and rugged terrain usually produces a low hunter success rate. Blue Mountains elk populations, in the southeast, have improved in most areas, biologists say, with the exception of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness (GMU 169).
Colockum elk numbers are low, and harvest probably won’t be anything to shout about, but the Yakima herd is now up to more than 13,000 animals. Hunters prepared to get off the roads should find good Yakima-area hunting.
The Mount St. Helens herd, in southwest Washington, is now the state’s second-largest, but the south Rainier herd is still recovering from recent declines.
Biologists are optimistic about prospects on the Olympic Peninsula, where success rates should improve from poor results the past two or three seasons.
A field scoring kit by Kahles, produced earlier this year as part of a limited-time promotion, has proven so popular that the manufacturer has made the kit available at retail locations across the country.
The kit includes a tape measure, a stainless steel pocket knife, an instruction card explaining how to rough score game in the field, 10 North American game species scoring guideline cards, a 3×5 pad and pencil for rough tabulations, and directions on how to contact Safari Club International for an official scoring of the trophy. All the materials are packed in a Cordura belt pouch for trouble-free availability in the field.
The kit has a suggested retail price of $49.95. For a retailer in your area, call 1-800-426-3089, or visit the company’s Web site, www.kahlesoptik.com.
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