Into the Outdoors: Some fly Fishing & Poisonous Plants

You may recall that I made mention of fishing with bait using fly tackle. While this might seem downright appalling to some, it is really a lot of fun, and fun is what fishing is all about. The technique is really simple. Instead of a fly, you tie a hook onto the end of your leader. Next, bait the hook with whatever bait you choose. You might need to add a small weight. This works very well with redworms, nightcrawler pieces, mealworms, salmon eggs or a number of other baits.

A number of years ago, my son built me a tiny graphite fly rod. No matter what type of fish I hook with it, there is a heck of a fight. I have used it a lot for panfish. While these fish are on the small side, the fight is exhilarating, especially if you are lucky enough to hook a real slab.

A recent conversation prompted me to focus a bit on poisonous plants found in our area.

Let’s start with some familiar stuff. That would be the Rhus group of plants, consisting of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Poison ivy is really pretty to look at. With it’s deep green leaves, when you see it climbing a wall or fence, the temptation to touch it can be strong. Don’t do it. Everyone is susceptible. Folks who think they don’t get it can suddenly find themselves dealing with a fierce outbreak.

Then, we have the nightshade. Once again the plants are pretty and the berries, especially when ripe, look enticing. They are, however, highly toxic. Most adults know better, but little kids sometimes eat them with catastrophic results.

I don’t think anyone enjoys eating mushrooms more than I do. I have a number of books dealing with mushroom identification, but I still don’t have enough confidence to pick them. Some of the most beautifully colored are also the most poisonous, even deadly. The only ones I ever collect are sheepsheads. They are not pretty, but they are delicious and easy to identify.

Most of us enjoy elderberry wine, jelly, pie etc. While they look lovely, the raw berries contain a severe toxin, which the body turns into cyanide. The leaves, and all other parts of the plant are also dangerous. Make absolutely, positively sure to prepare them properly before consuming them. In recent years, foraging has become a popular pastime. Sadly, many wild edible plants have poisonous lookalikes. One of the most sought after wild plants is purslane, which is delicious when prepared in a wide variety of ways. It looks a lot like spurge, which is poisonous. Get a good book on edible plants before setting out. Some edibles are obvious, but others are not.

I had a rather unique experience the other day. A pileated woodpecker visited my suet feeder. This was only the second time that I have seen one at the feeder. They usually stick to the woods. As soon as I came out of the house with a camera, he flew away. I wish I had gotten a photo, as these are quite impressive birds.

Of course, last Saturday, April 5th, was the opening day statewide for trout fishing. Here’s hoping everyone had a great time.

And finally, I did my first outdoor cooking of the year. This is one of my favorite activities. All I made was hot dogs on a small charcoal grill. I also smoked some chicken. Before long, it will be time to fire up the rocket stove and wood fired oven. We’ll look at these sometime in the future.

---

Email: salmonangler1@gmail.com