The day Wes Hopkins caught his lake trout was a lucky one.
Lucky, in the sense that he was atop the ice on Canandaigua Lake, searching for that vivid yellow – and mighty tasty – perch in about 13 feet of water. Lucky also, because a few days later, farther out on the lake atop the ice over water nearly 100 feet deep, where the lake trout is more likely to be found, Hopkins, this time looking for it, got skunked. Nothing.
But back to this lucky day, bam! Pleased to meet you, lake trout.
“It happened to come in there and bite my little, teeny, tiny perch lure,” Hopkins said. “Canandaigua Lake can sometimes be tricky. You just have to be there at the right time.”
The lake trout also was lucky that day.
Hopkins, who with his young son Finley tries to get out on the ice two to three times a week sometimes for as long as two to three hours at a time, doesn’t have a taste for trout and usually lets them go when he lands one.
But perch, that’s a different fish tale, one with a happy ending for the fisherman if not the fish.
“Perch are delicious,” Hopkins said.
Especially when prepared the way you like them.
And for the first time in years, the ice has been right this winter for those who fancy a wintry meal fished from Canandaigua Lake.
Fresh Finger Lakes fish on ice
Just like every fisherman has a favorite fishing spot, ice fishermen swear by their recipes.
Billy Quinn, a student at St. John Fisher University studying business management, is no exception. A lot of people will wait until they get home and pop their catch in the oven. Add lemon, salt and pepper, and butter to taste.
“I like to fry ‘em up,” said Quinn, who ice fishes Canandaigua Lake and pretty much wherever the ice is thick. “That’s my favorite.”
Sometimes, Quinn and his friends will take meal prep to the next level and eat right out on the ice. All his friends love it when he cooks.
“I always have to be the chef,” Quinn said.
Quinn uses an old turkey fryer and a three- to four-gallon bucket.
After filleting the fish, usually perch, Quinn gives them an egg and buttermilk bath, places them in batter, and repeats.
Then it’s into the frying pan until they’re crispy on the outside. Oh, one more thing. He’ll let on to adding cinnamon to the mix, but the other special seasonings he uses you’ll have to guess.
This chef keeps his secrets.
“I won’t go too far into that,” Quinn laughed. “I can’t give that away.”
Here’s what you can do with fresh Finger Lakes fish
Hopkins brings his catch home to prepare dinner, which in addition to perch could be crappie or bluegill.
After fileting the fish, he will coat them with Golden Dipt batter and deep fry them.
“Pretty much fry them up and eat them,” Hopkins said. “My kids enjoy it.”
For a bit more pizzazz, savoring them on a nice brioche roll does wonders. The locally made DiPaolo rolls are good for that too, Hopkins said.
“Other times, we’ll dip them in tartar sauce,” Hopkins said. “You can broil them like you would do haddock or cod. You could do anything with it and not just the two or three things I do.”
Does Finger Lakes ice make nice when it comes to taste?
The taste of fresh fish can’t be beat. Is it the icy cold water?
Idaho Fish and Game thinks so, admitting that it may sound like an old wives’ tale or a boast by ice anglers, but there’s evidence that backs the premise.
Quinn may be onto something when he said he believes the cold makes the meat fresher and “more put together.”
Pythagoras never got around to proving this mathematical theory, but many ice fishermen believe the following equation holds true: physical exertion + ice = good tasting fish. (Here’s the Hopkins corollary: More time outdoors + more time with family outdoors = less time on electronic devices.)
Who you fish with and cook for also adds something to the mix.
“It’s always a good time,” Quinn said. “Anything is better when you’re sitting out on the lake with your buddies.”
Could it be the extra effort in landing the fish?
While Canandaigua Lake has been fairly snow-free this year, Hopkins, who grew up in the Watertown area, fished Chaumont Bay in the Adirondacks not too long ago. In addition to walking a good distance to find a spot, more than a foot of snow on the ice had to be shoveled off once he got there.
“A very physical experience,” Hopkins said.
Who knows? The setting may have something to do with it.
Not too long ago, Quinn lugged his gear some four miles out from Woodville at the South end of the lake, where he walked in — and loved every minute of it.
Hopkins usually tackles the north end, but on a recent outing he headed south toward the hills of the south end. He found peace, quiet, and beauty.
“It’s prettier down that way with all the gullies and hills,” Hopkins said. “You couldn’t beat the beauty of the hills on that sunny Sunday down there.”
The promise of a great meal only adds to the allure.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. He can be reached at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Why Finger Lakes ice fishing makes fish taste better
Reporting by Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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