Lofoten Islands, Norway

[Janne]

I use a Styrofoam box. Pack the vacuum packed fillets tightly in it. Make sure there is as little air space as possible. Then 3 black bin bags.
Flight home takes close to 2 days and it is still frozen.

The box has walls about 1.5 cm thick.

We do not buy fish at home. We import enough in our two trips to supply us.
One box in summer, two boxes in March.

The air companies are fine with the boxes, and we get an import permit each time.

 

[Robson Valley]

Thanks. Salmon fishers here pack in their clothes in the coolers, abandon the clothes and fly home with the cooler full of frozen fish.
Best excuse ever to buy a serious cooler = Yeti Tundra.
Fish supplies here are OK both fresh and frozen. Not much choice but that's as good as it gets.

 

[JamPan]

I'm impressed by the frozen fish on a plane idea.

 

[Janne]

Been doing it for 20 years now. First Norway to zuK, then all the way to Cayman.
We bleed our fish - superior taste to shop bought fish.
Plus shop bought can be 21 days old!

 

[JamPan]

Good idea. You also know everything about that fish too!

 

[Janne]

Yes. Organic, harvested using humane methods,( killed using non so humane method, I am sorry to say).
Also, we only take full size fish, so no babies.

Tonight we will have fish ( cod, saithe or halibut) poached in white wine. With mashed potatoes and carrots I think.

 

[Janne]

Departing Cayman evening 15 March, arriving 17th afternoon.
18th mid day - lines in the sea!
Local newspaper ( Lofot Posten) says the cod this year are very, very large.
I hope my wife or son gets a ‘coffee cod’!

 

[Robson Valley]

Tight lines. Pass the lemon.

 

[Janne]

Just arrived at Oslo airport.
-10C, nice deep snow.
Looks promising!

Last two flight legs start tomorrow morning early!

 

[Janne]

Arrived last night. Slept for 5 hours and am up!
I love being jet laggef, going this way.
Lots of wind, waves. Boat has to wait!

 

[Robson Valley]

What have you got for clothes in the boat? Fishing , -5C - -10C is not tropical.
We would hug the outboard engines at low speed for the hot exhaust water on our hands.

 

[Janne]

Just woke up again, as fresh as a stepped on daisy! It is 10.40.
Good idea with the engine, but the water jet/exhaust is to far out.

In temp like this, around -5 to -10 , ( forget the windchill) I wear longjohns, cotton long sleeved tshirt, thin cotton shirt and the Helly Hansen flotation/ survival suit.
Beanie on head. Neoprene gloves when I drive the boat, gloves off when fishing.

I just realized I forgot the goddamn cupholder I bought at Basspro at home, which I need to hold the coffee.

I have to make temp solution like last summer.

Double sided strip and a cut off soda bottle.

 

[Janne]

Too much wind, wrong direction for now. So no boat today.

Off to check space at dock and buy the free coffee for 2018 strip/stamp!

 

[Janne]

Has been good fishing on and off days now. Boxes full of prime Skrei loin.

A bit of wind and snow now, tricky driving. We went to Leknes for a bit of retail therapy.
Son and me are soon heading out to place some crab cages.
I think you expect the snow and wind too later. Daily Fail call it Beast from East V3 or something?

 

[Janne]

Last fishing today. Best day so far, despite the minus temp and snow.
We got six around 15 kilo, and about ten between 5 and 10 kilos.
Son will take some home to Canuckland, a friend here is getting some, and we will leave some in the freezer so we have for when we come back in July!

Anither friend popped by to get some livers and roes for tomortoes dinner.

 

[Janne]

Back home. Journey from hell.
BA screwed up royally, bumped us off the direct flight Heathrow - Bahamas - Cayman, and out us up on Heathrow terminal 3 to Miami, then American to Cayman.

I had no ESTA on my Swedish passport, so one nice stress hour in Oslo.
Plus they were very late departing Heathrow so we almost missed the AA flight. Had to run, and my bod and knee foes not do running.....
One checked luggage did not make it, but the frozen fish did, Hallrlujah Praise all Gods!

It was a good trip. Boat almost 100% perfect. Weather was decent. Snow, minus, nice and fresh!

 

[Janne]

The only budhcrafting I did was to sleep in my tent in the garden. Plus I harvested a nice piece of birch, for a future project.

We saw sea eagles, one an Orca in distance, a couple of seals.

 

[Janne]

Back in Reine!
Got the boat last night, son and me did some fishing on the way homr to the village. Wife wanted pan fried Mackerel for dinner, but we ‘only’ got some Coal fish.
Kept the largest three.
Filleted, no skin or bone, flored, pan fried = delicious!
Lunchtime we will go out and place the crab traps.
For bait we will use some dried fish ( been hanging outside and drying since April) and the heads from the Coalfish.
Later in the afternoon we will try for Mackerel again!

We have already been out and picked some Juniper bush branches so we have for smoking Mackerel. Or Coalfish...

We picked some kombu sea weed and a handful of limpets too, for an experimental seafood stew I want to try.
We saw a large old black boat buffer floating just outside the coast.
Turned out to be a seal!

We need Mackerel though. Lovely summer food, plus the best bait for Halibut. If Neptunus is favourable we will put out a bottom line for Halibut tomorrow.
I would love to bring a case of frozen Halibut fillets home to Cayman!

 

[Janne]

Found a source of blue mussels yesterday, just accessible during low tide!
Fairly small to be truthful, but very tasty!

Steamed some limpets to let wife taste, and she loved them, despite the chewiness!

Must be the way we prepared thrm I guess.

Catching plenty of Coalfish, no Mackerel in sight!

No luch with the crab cages in first try. Moved them to a different place.

 

[Arya]

Aaaaaah, now you make me want to make mussel soup! Haven't had that for a very long time now.