Fish for amberjacks around artificial reefs

Amberjacks don’t get much respect from South Florida anglers, but they should.

They’ll bite throughout the spring when other species won’t. Getting amberjacks to the boat is challenging because they fight like mixed martial arts heavyweights.

AJs, as they’re known, gather around local artificial reefs to spawn from March through early June. That makes them easy to target, but it also makes them difficult to land because they’ll head straight for the wreck when they’re hooked. If they make it, that’s pretty much the end of the fight, because it’s next to impossible to pull them out, and usually the fishing line ends up breaking on the wreck.

Local amberjacks range from 20 to 50 pounds, but they can be bigger, like 60 or 70 pounds. To give their anglers a fighting chance, most charter captains use 50 pound outfits spooled with monofilament or braided line. Leaders range from 80 to 130 pound monofilament and are tied to a big circle hook.

Those captains use a variety of live baits, with goggle eyes, small blue runners, and small bonitos-their favorites. AJs also willbite ballyhoo, mullet,  speedos, pinfish, and grunts.

The basic rig has a three-way swivel tied to the main line with a 10-foot or longer leader tied to the swivel along with a sinker on a short piece of monofilament. Sinker weights can range from 8 to 16 ounces depending on the strength of the current.

Hooks used with bait for amberjacks cannot be made of stainless steel in state waters off South Florida and anglers must have a de-hooking device aboard their boats to aid in the release of fish. As soon as you hook an amberjack, you need to reel as fast as possible to get the fish away from a wreck, although a big AJ can pull enough drag to get back to its hangout. A good boat driver can help by pulling away from the wreck after the fish is hooked.

Even then, the fight is far from over, because the fish will circle and dig all the way to the surface, then take out line just when you thought it was about to give up.

Another way to catch amberjacks is by jigging for them. Butterfly or flutter jigs can be dropped around a wreck and then worked almost to the surface by lifting the fishing rod up and down as you reel.

If the jig, which darts and flutters as it sinks, doesn’t get bit, let it fall back down and jig it up again. Bites can come on the fall or after the lure hits bottom and is jigged up.

Conventional or spinning outfits spooled with 50 to 65 pound braided line tied to five feet of 80 pound monofilament or fluorocarbon leader can be used to jig.

The only downsides to jigging: Even if you don’t hook an amberjack, it can be tiring after doing it several times. It can also be expensive if the AJs you hook get into the wreck and break the line. The jigs typically cost from $10 to $25, so a good day jigging wrecks for AJs can easily cost you $100 in lures.

Among the pluses: You don’t have to mess with live bait and the jigs also catch cobia and grouper, as well as almaco jacks, kingfish, and blackfin tunas.

Figuring out where to drop your jigs or baits is easy. Just visit any of the area’s artificial reefs in 150-300 feet (you can find their coordinates at myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs).

Among the best wrecks for amberjacks are many of the 25 artificial reefs sunk off Pompano Beach by the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo, including the Corey and Chris in 244 feet, the Lowrance in 200 feet, and the Miller Lite in 155 feet.

The Rodeo reefs were so good for amberjacks that commercial anglers used to hammer them every spring. Rodeo officials repeatedly asked state and federal agencies to make the tournament’s reef area off-limits to commercial fishing. When that didn’t happen, the Rodeo refused to sink any more ships.

Deeper wrecks are often better than shallow wrecks because they don’t receive as much fishing pressure as the shallow ones. If you don’t get a bite on a wreck after a while, move to another one and keep moving until you  find the fish.

It’s best to fish the edges of a wreck rather than dropping a bait or jig in the wreck. Depending on the current, you might have to position your boat well off the wreck so by the time your bait hits bottom, it’ll be adjacent to the wreck.

In the Atlantic, the amberjack daily bag limit is one per person, the size limit is 28 inches from the tip of the mouth to the fork of the tail and the season is open year-round. The Gulf of Mexico bag limit is also one per person, the size limit is 34 inches fork length and the season is open May 1-31 and Aug. 1-Oct. 31.

A fried amberjack sandwich is popular fare in restaurants in Florida’s Panhandle, and smoked amberjack is quite tasty, but most local anglers release the fish because their flesh tends to have worms. The worms are not harmful, but they can make you think twice about eating an amberjack as you pull them out of a fillet.

Gym and fitness during a pandemic

With gyms closed, or at a limited capacity, many people have begun
to work out at home or outdoors. Even though this lets you work out when you want with no set time frames, it is often harder to get a good workout without proper equipment.

We always recommit ourselves to achieve our ideal selves every new year, and fitness and health are often a priority. Without a gym or crazy fad diet, is it possible to stay on track?

“When it comes to exercise, keep it simple,” says Nick Miller, a certified
personal trainer. “Just stay active, especially if you are not too familiar with programming your own workouts. Choose activities that you know how to do and keep you out of pain.”

If you are looking for a wide range of home workouts that will work every part of your body, explore YouTube.

With a click of a button, you can find great alternatives and exercises that do not require equipment.

Want to do an upper body workout? No problem. Search terms such as “upper equipment” or “arm workout no equipment” and a plethora of work out options will be available.

With no end in sight for our new normal, the new year is an excellent time to recommit to our goals and shed some excuses, along with pounds.

According to Miller, “The shutdown gave a lot of people an excuse not to work out, but since the economy opened back up, we have actually seen steady growth in the number of clients looking to improve their lifestyle.

“Being that we’re not a gym, clients are very comfortable in our private facility working one on one with their trainer or therapist.”

It all starts with you. An individual needs to be in the right mindset. Practice mindfulness exercises to focus on the mind and reduce anxiety.

If you fear going to the gym alone or have health restrictions, grab household items, and get creative with at-home workouts. By using items like a chair or couch, you can move your muscles and body in more ways than none.

If a person is looking to make a change to their well-being, they have to want it. Working out is only part of the plan. What a person puts into their body every day weighs more. There needs to be a balance of eating well and keeping active.

“Nutrition can get pretty involved. And every other week, there’s a new fad diet out there that doesn’t work in the long run.

“Sure, you can lose a lot of weight in the short term, but as soon as you start eating normally again, the weight starts coming back,” Miller said.

In the end, it depends on the individual, on what they want to do, and what they are comfortable with. By setting realistic goals and creating a consistent routine, individuals will be on their way to a healthier and happier 2021.

“My advice for someone looking to lose some weight without a fad. Eat less more often and keep it clean. Stay away from processed foods and refined sugars,” Miller said.

 

Thanksgivings remembered, recipes revised

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. As a child in the 1950s I would wake up early and smell the fire my father had made in family-room fireplace, right next to our kitchen. My mother was already in the kitchen making stuffing. She had to begin early because we had lots of aunts, uncles and cousins coming over for dinner A 22-pound turkey was a bare minimum.

My mother’s stuffing was a combination of breads, herbs, vegetables, butter, sauteed chicken livers, and stock. I usually would get downstairs as she was mixing everything together. I was her taster. I would tell her if there was something needed. She was very careful about any mixture because she told me you can always add ingredients but you can’t take them out.

She would stuff both cavities and if there was any left, make a bowl for my sister and I to eat later. Thanksgiving aside, stuffing is on my top-ten favorite food list.

Everything after that was pretty typical of Thanksgiving: Jellied cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans with crispy onions with cream of mushroom soup.

We did have a relish tray that had olives, black and green, celery, radishes and green onions (scallions). Basically, I made most of my dinner out of stuffing, smothered in gravy. Dessert, of course, was traditional pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.

Years later, after I started college, I began to cook. Our dorm had a small kitchen. The food in the college dining hall was passable, but anytime I could get away with my own cooking I did.

After while other girls joined me. Everything was very simple then because our tiny dorm kitchen had limited supplies of utensils, pots and pans.

By the time I got married I was cooking up a storm. I had my own kitchen and all the handy gadgets I could get my hands on. After we had children, I needed something to do. I began talking to other car-pool moms about my love of cooking. had fantasized about having my own catering business.

Fortunately, one of the mothers ask if I had any interest in catering their Christmas holiday party. After that I got one phone call after another. My catering career was launched.

I knew that as much as I loved my mother’s food, there were foods out there that were a bit more sophisticated and inspiring, like Beef Wellington. I also have to thank my customers because I learned to cook lots of foods just because I said I could. Thus, began my in-depth reading and collecting of cook books. And I began to put my own spin on most recipes.

For example, returning to Thanksgiving, canned cranberry sauce is okay, but cranberry relish is several delectable steps above the gelatinous tube of magenta-colored mixture containing high fructose corn syrup, water and citric acid. Oh yeah, and some processed cranberries. The relish is very easy and can be created with ingredients customized to your family’s tastes.

Another food I added to my own Thanksgiving dinner was a Corn Timbale. It looks beautiful and tastes delicious. It’s a combination of corn, cheese, eggs and cream. As a caterer, I cared very much about presentation. If food looked delicious, most likely it would taste delicious. My catering career lasted 13 years. We moved to Chicago and I became a consultant for one of the city’s top caterers. (Note from husband: George Jewell took one look at photos of my wife’s catering creations and hired her on the spot.)

After my husband and I moved to Florida, I started teaching cooking at the Williams-Sonoma at Boca Raton’s Town Mall. What I found was there were lots of people who loved to cook but were intimidated by the process or the ingredients. I think I succeeded in taking some of the fear out of that!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.

And feel free to add or subtract as you feel comfortable.

 

Bread Stuffing/Dressing

  • 2 lbs. bread, cubed (white, wheat, French) I save up old bread for weeks before the holiday.
  • Let dry out on a cookie sheet. If you keep it wrapped, you’re going to end up with penicillin.
  • 1 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 4 to 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
  • 1/2 cup parsley (I use curly leaf)
  • 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 chicken livers, deveined
  • 6 to 8 cups chicken stock
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1⁄2 cup milk
  • Sage, dried or fresh (if using dried start off with 2 Tbsp. If using fresh chop leaves from 4 to 5 stems.)
  • Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
  1. Put all bread crumbs into a large bowl.
  2. Take the neck and heart from the turkey cavity and add to chicken stock. Heat
    to a simmer.
  3. Skim if necessary.
  4. Melt 1⁄2 stick of butter in pan over medium heat and add half of the
    onions, celery and all the garlic. Sauté about 10 to 12 minutes or until they are just translucent. Do not allow the garlic to brown. If you see it brown, take it out and add to bread crumb mixture.
  5. Add the uncooked onions, celery, and parsley to the bowl of bread crumbs. Add half of the chicken stock. Cover with plate or foil. This allows mixture to become moist.
  6. Using the same pan that you sautéed the onion mixture in, add 1⁄2 stick
    butter and 3 Tbsp. olive oil and heat on medium high until it is very hot. Add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and allow to brown before mixing. Mushrooms will give off their liquid unless you cook them quickly. After they are browned, put into a wooden mixing bowl and chop very fine. You can also leave the mushrooms whole.
  7. Using the sauté pan again, add 1 Tbsp. butter or oil and sauté chicken livers until just cooked through. Chop well and add to mixture.
  8. Add another 2 cups of the chicken stock to the empty sauté pan and allow to simmer to pick up all the browned bits. Mix thoroughly. Cover again. Mix the eggs into the milk. Add this to the bread crumb mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. You will have some stock left as well as some butter and oil. I do this because you may have started with more bread crumbs.
  10. I taste this mixture for seasoning. Even though there are fresh, uncooked eggs!
  11. Stuff your bird or put the dressing into a casserole.
  12. For the extra dressing, bake at 350 degrees for 1⁄2 hour covered with foil and 1⁄2 hour uncovered.

And remember, you may omit the chicken livers or mushrooms depending on family tastes. My husband wasn’t a fan of either when we married 46 years ago, but accepts nothing less now.

Corn Timbale

  • 12 ears of fresh corn
  • 6 eggs, mixed well
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine
  • 5 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1 cup gruyère cheese, shredded
  • 3⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  1. Remove kernels of corn with a sharp knife and using a food processor, process 6 to 8 pulses. Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Butter an enamel baking container and place parchment paper on the bottom. Pour mixture into the container and place container into a larger pan, wide enough to add boiling water to go a third of the way up on the sides.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top, approximately 1 hour.
  4. Take out of water bath and cool completely. Run a knife around the edge of timbale and turn out onto a platter.

I like to sauté brussels sprouts and put around the edge of the timbale. The green and yellow make a nice presentation.

 

Cranberry Relish

  • 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
  • 1 3⁄4 cups sugar
  • 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored,
    and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  1. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil on top of stove.
  2. Cook on a simmer until all the skins have popped, approximately 1⁄2 hour.
  3. Let cool completely.

Serve in glass bowl.

Have a safe, happy Thanksgiving
everybody.