It was early on the day of the opening of the 2016 Pennsylvania trout season. I floated in my boat Jon on a popular lake stored full of rainbow. While the weakly lit sky woke up with its sleep in a new dawn, several other boats went to position around me. While I exhaust myself to prepare the fishing lines, the leads and the lures a few minutes away, I noticed a distinct essence in the air – which instantly attracted my nose and directed my gaze to its floating aroma in the middle of the gathering flotilla. Long length, a middle -aged man was leaning over DIY in his boat.
His back was facing me, so I couldn’t see exactly what he was doing, but my nose clearly revealed the ambition of his efforts. He cooked bacon, and it felt downright delicious.
I watched in want to prepare breakfast at the time preceding the first official 8 -hour case. In a few minutes gently, he had complete whipped propagation and his fishing companions gathered to enjoy a fulfilling meal of the floating breakfast kitchen.
If I were a fish and it was the bait they offered, I bite too. Instead, I miserably nibbled on my ugly granola bar and I would have liked to have thought of the brilliant idea myself. Everyone has eaten, and the man has finished cleaning his kitchen utensils with five minutes of spare before preparing his fishing tackle for the opening cast.
If it was not serious enough that everyone had to feel their morning meal while the stomachs grumbled, the group continued to display a semi-professional screen, each guy catching its limit of five trout around 9:30 am. It must have been breakfast!
I took a mental note, and a year later, my boat Jon was entirely loaded with a cooler, bacon, eggs, cheese, bagels, condiments, freshly ground coffee and a completely operational camp pan on the opening day. I would no longer be the guy who looks because others have devoured a salty meal. I was going to be the guy cooking and eating, not the one who drools and wanted.
So, it has become that I liked to have a “boat breakfast” – not every year, but most of the years since 2017. I highly recommend it, because it is the ideal way to spend the time at the start of daylight while waiting for the whistle of the trout season.
Of course, it is not necessary to be on a boat to take advantage of this experience, but it is more satisfactory.
All you need is a small propane propulsion camp stove, a meager assortment of kitchen utensils, and all breakfast items you want to cook – plus a small bag to pack all the waste that remains.
For the sake of simplicity, I cook bacon in a large skillet on a burner, while a cowboy coffee maker settles on the other burner. When the bacon is finished, I move it to a disposable plate lined with paper towels, while reserving the bacon fat to cook the eggs.
When the eggs are cooked, I melt the cheese on top and transfers them in bagels warmed by heat deflectors of the stove. Then, I am at the head of the bacon sandwiches, I add all the condiments of choice (I prefer the spicy sauce) and I enjoy the quick and easy meal before wetting a line.
As breakfast is consumed, most of the kitchen utensils have cooled. All waste is part of a small store bag, and any remaining fat can be poured into a small container with a cover or dipped in additional paper towels for elimination.
The pan and the spatula go in a bucket to be cleaned at home, and coffee is added to a vacuum sealed thermos to sip the whole morning. From start to finish, it takes about half an hour for the whole test. Just be sure to wrap wet wipes for hand washing.
In terms of security, I make sure that my boat is anchored before I start to settle. My camp stove is placed in a secure location on a level metal bench, and I assure myself that all the stems, lines and equipment are far from the heat of the stove.
I also carry a small fire extinguisher in an emergency, but the stove is very reliable and easy to control. So, if you happen to see me (or feel) prepare breakfast on the water, make sure you smile and signal up to the task.
I cannot promise that I will have enough food to share – but I was kind enough to offer my best recipe for “Breakfast in Boat”, so it’s your fault if you are hungry. And, remember, even when stinking stinks, fried bacon always smells good.
(Frantz is a former president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association) Contact the writer: outdoors@republicanherald.com
