Wild brookin

Rieger and I hit a referral brook in Connect-tah-Kut

Not too shabby. The deeper we went the more the action. Started with browns but then converted to brookies.

I really dig moss…what a beautiful carpet some of these New England streams have. A great place to take a nap and dream of trout.

I didnt take many fish pics…some fish were self released and some were just tiny and I just enjoyed them with my own eyes.

Definitely a many day. We even goofed off a bit. Adam collected some wood for a tamo and he reminded me that I wanted to get some zenmai…so I poached some.

We call this wooly mammoth.

cool stuff…it will be interesting to tie up some flies with it.

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Nice looking fish and an even better location!

Great time! That zenmai looks like it dried up great!

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Yeah. It was raining so collecting it off the live plant was not easy so I picked the heads…and let the dehumidifier in the basment dry both the heads and the fibers.

I am not sure on how offensive it is as it falls in the category of destroying nature.

@todoroki34 Todoroki34. do you harvest your own, and if so, do you harvest from the plant and leave it be, or do you pick and process at home?

I would imagine a soft bristle tooth brush might be useful in havesting just the fibers…it was an idea but have yet to employ it. My fingers are far to clumsy to harvest without damaging the plant.

Anyone have techniques they would share?

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I’ve done both, with equal success. It also depends on how curled the plants are or how open. When they’re more tightly curled you can harvest more of the “zenmai”. However, when they’re open it comes off much easier; you just get less because some may have either fallen off or blown away in a breeze.

The other thing is that I also harvest them for eating. I don’t consider it destroying nature, I consider it foraging. Not to mention, they’re delicious.

If you harvest them for eating, the tighter the curl the better they are. I would also recommend soaking them in about one quart (~1L) of water (depending on how much you harvest, make sure they’re covered with water) in which you have dissolved about 1 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and soak for about 1 hour before cooking them your preferred way.

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I know my comment goes into the realm of fern hugging…hahahhaha.

If you are eating them I consider it fair game as they are being used.

I know they are just plants, but by concept what I did is no different than harvesting sharks only for their fins. I just felt a little guilt as those poor ferns thought they were doing good until this curious fly tier stumbled upon them…hahahaahaha.

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There is a stock of “zenmai” protected for anglers
I do not harvest zenmai only by harvesting zenmai cotton

Remove garbage and wait for drying naturally
Then wait for color discoloration by exposing it to the sun
At first it is white but gradually turns brown
The remaining fiber is tough

Yes! :yum:
While exposing to the sun and drying
It rubs it by hand three times a day for a week
I will taste it as dry matter food all year round

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So the process is to harvest the whole plant and let it cure/dry in the sun?

How long do you let it dry? Just until it browns?

I don’t know if it’s the correct way to do it, but I removed it off the plant and let it dry in the sun for about a week.

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One story i forgot to tell was one brookie that I suspect was large pulled a trick from the tarpon handbook.

There was a deep plunge dropped my fly into. It was a pocket the size and depth of a pair of old fashioned bath tubs…side by side The current moved across its narrow sides … half the pocket was foam.

So i cast my fly in…dead drift…pulse…nobody home. So then i let the fly swing to mid pool and after it rose to the surface…i skated it there. A big swirl flashed out from the deep and sucked the fly down. My whole rod doubled with the force of the fish as it bolted to the corner of the pool…then just dead weight.

That savage beast beat me with the oldest trick in the book. As i moved to the corner and reached down to follow my tippet…i found my hook nailed deep into a twisted mess of roots.

That fish knew what it was doing. The minute i set the hook…it beelined for its home in those roots before i could react.

It earned its freedom with that hoodini act…it also earned a chuckle from its audience…hahahaha. I love it!!!

It is until it becomes brown.

Please tell me your address
I am ready to send it at any time
"40 years old zenmai "is also available :wink:
And also “kebari”

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.
Address sent…I am honored.

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Dear @Gressak
I sent today.
Please wait 10 days
“Zenmai” and “cocoon of wild silkworm”
轟俊郎

Please introduce what kind of thing
I can not convey it well in my English :wink:

I am very glad to be able to give to you
You feel like my brother.

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Tororoki-san,
That was extremely generous of you to send Gressak that box of samples. You are an amazing person and I am proud to know you and honored that you are on this forum. Many thanks.

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@Kookagee
Thank you for your kind words

A number of secrets are hidden in the traditional “kebari”

It is my pleasure to share this secret with everyone