FISHING AT ROLLINS POND!

Rollins Pond is one of the many ponds that are located in the Saranac Lake area in the northern part of the Adirondack Park. It is our most favorite state camp ground. Since I took on some more serious fishing, it has been a family adventure. We usually go camping in early August when the temp. high is in the low 80's and lows at night dip into the 50's.

Type of fish: smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, bullhead, yellow perch, sunfish, lake trout, landlocked salmon.

Watershed: Champlain

Elevation: 1,575 feet

Surface area: 445 acres

Maximum depth: 75 ft

Early morning and dusk were the best time we had any luck with largemouth bass. They are always great fighters and gave a little adrenaline rush before bedtime. The fishing stories of my brother and I are nothing to brag about at Rollins Pond but they are great past time.

ROLLINS-FLOODWOOD TRIP

Kayaking adventure at Rollins Pond State Campground, Saranac Lake, NY. My family and church youth group have been camping at the campground for several years but we have never had the chance of take an easy day trip around Rollins Pond and Floodwood ponds. It did take us, with 2 kayaks, 3 hrs of continuous paddling to accomplish the round trip. 

Our trip was slightly different than pictured above. We went North on Rollins, through the creek connecting to Floodwood, then the creek connecting to Little Square pond, then we took a left in the little pond because it was a much shorter portage to Whey Pond compared to Square Pond to Rollins Pond. 

We have spoken to next door campers who have done a full day trip with stops along the way to sight see. There are plenty of secluded camping sites that provide a great area for a picnic and a mid afternoon nap. We saw plenty of fisherman long the shores of the camp sites. The creeks connecting the different ponds are very beautiful to gently float on as the current brings you along. The current can be quite strong, and it does depend on the amount of rainfall in the summer.

SMOKING RIBS!

Recently I smoked St. Louis ribs according to Myron Mixon. Here is a sample of the recipe for ribs:

4 racks of spareribs

 1 rib marinade recipe (in book)

3 cups of Jack's Old South Org. Rub (sold at his website)

or 

1 basic barbecue rub recipe (in book)

1 rib spritz recipe (in book)

1 cup of apple juice

1 Hog glaze recipe (in book)

Yes, you will have to buy the book to get the exact details but they are all straight forward recipes. He does like to use a marinade, then a rub, and while smoking using a spritz to make a nice bark. They were absolutely delicious. I did make the 4 racks so there was plenty to share and everyone loved them.

GREAT SMOKING RECIPES!

Everyone has heard of the famous Myron Mixon who won multiple world champions in smoking meats. He has been on several food shows including, Barbecue Pit Masters. After watching the show and reading the above book, smoking isn't that difficult. It does require time to prepare meat, rubs, marinades, etc. 

Myron's recipes are very simple as stated on the book cover. The portions are reasonable. The taste is very good. I do have to admit when he says, "its got a sweet taste with a little punch," it is more on the spicy side of things. I have learned to decrease ingredients such as cayenne pepper and black pepper so that they are more appealing to my taste. 

MY NEW PASSION IN COOKING!

A few months ago, my parents started smoking some meats in a new smoker that my father received for his birthday a few years ago. My dad has been smoking all kinds of meat for many years in home-made smokers, so I have had smoked meat throughout the years. However, there was something that sparked my interest like never before so I decided to borrow the smoker and see for myself. Well to say the least, I still have the smokers 3 months later and my family and I enjoy the food that comes out of it very much. Recipes to follow!!

New Subscription

A few months ago I subscribed to a magazine, Backpacker. I cancelled my subscription because it focused mainly on hiking that was hundreds of miles from home. It had great reviews of new products, etc. But to say the least it wasn't relevant to my outdoor needs.

After a little research, I came across the magazine, the Adirondack Explorer. It had great reviews and I just received my first issue for March/April. It was newspaper quality paper and I was taken back that this still existed. However, I enjoyed the content which included but was not limited to kayaking, hiking, new land purchased by the State of NY for the ADK Park, and featured animals in the park. I actually read the whole issue in one sitting. It was GOOD! Looking forward to the next one.

Unseasoned Blogger

This has been something that I dreamed of doing but never got around to doing. So this is the beginning of an exciting opportunity for me to share the things that I have enjoyed doing over the past few years. Although events of the past, but always fun recaps of awesome adventures. Enjoy!