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Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor pastimes in the world. Whether it be freshwater fly fishing on the banks of an idyllic river or stream, or deep sea fishing from the deck of a purpose built boat, millions of people regularly participate in the sport. As most fishermen will know, however, all that time spent outdoors makes for hungry work and very often, fishermen will eat far more while actually fishing than they would otherwise have done at home.

Although the tips and information featured on this page are specifically aimed at fishermen in all the sport's many disciplines, they may also prove extremely useful to those interested in other outdoor pursuits. Campers, hikers, hunters, sailors and more may find these ideas perfectly suited to aid them in their own circumstances and requirements.

There are, unfortunately, a number of practical considerations which fishermen have to take in to account when preparing their fishing trip menu. These considerations relate to both the food items which are taken on the fishing trip, as well as how they are packaged and carried. It is to these considerations that this page is devoted, in the hope that it will help fishermen everywhere enjoy their fishing trip and food to the full.

Prepacked Pies and Pasties

Although it may play havoc with your budget and for this reason should be a last resort, prepacked pies and pasties are available in a great many types. They often come in easy to open plastic wrapping - like the pork pie pictured above and to the right - which can be very effectively used as a form of napkin for holding the pie as you eat it. If you are buying pies or anything prepacked for your fishing trip, you should try to buy it before leaving your home area. Food of this type in rural areas may be considerably more expensive than it is elsewhere.

Homemade Cornish Style Beef and Onion Pasty

Meat pies and pasties of many types are excellent food for fishermen because they are often both substantial and filling. Where we are making our own pies or pasties, however, we can be faced with the problem of how to eat them with filthy hands.

In previous centuries, the story goes that the women of Cornwall, England, solved this problem in a simple yet ingenious way. When making lunches for the men going down the mines, they made a wide crust around the edge and carefully crimped it. The men held this part of the crust with their hands and ate the meat and pastry in the centre, before discarding the soiled crust. This pasty is by no means a traditional Cornish pasty but it is this idea of the crimped crust which I have borrowed.

Per pasty, you will need principally 1/4lb minced/ground beef, 1/2 small onion and 8oz puff pastry. Put the beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Chop the onion and mix it very thoroughly with the beef by hand. Take care to squeeze the mixture together. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface, big enough to cut a circle with a 12" dinner plate. Lay the beef mixture in one half of the circle as shown, leaving a border of around one and a half inches.

Beat an egg in a bowl and use a pastry brush to wet the border of the pastry. Fold over the other half of the circle and crimp well. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top to let steam escape during cooking. Place on a baking tray and glaze well with more beaten egg.

Bake in the oven, preheated to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5 for forty-five to fifty minutes, until the pastry is beautifully golden and the meat is cooked.

Thermos flasks are not just for liquids. It is possible to buy thermos flasks designed specifically to contain foods and keep them warm. This is an excellent way of enjoying a hot meal while you are fishing and pies and pasties make the perfect choice.

The pies used in the photos are Scotch Pies but any meat pie or pasty traditionally eaten hot can be taken fishing in this way. Be sure to heat the inside of the thermos, as well as the pies, by filling it with boiling water, leaving it for a few minutes, pouring the water out and drying it well.

To the right is but one of the food flask bargain deals currently available on Amazon which you may wish to consider, to allow you to enjoy a hot meal on your next fishing trip.

If you are having roast chicken for dinner the night before your fishing trip - or you can arrange to do so! - the leg and thigh portions make excellent fishing trip food. At the risk of alienating your family, claim both drumsticks for your lunch the next day. Allow them to cool and refrigerate them overnight, to enjoy mess free munching at its best. Alternatively, check whether your supermarket sells raw chicken legs and cook them especially for the occasion.

The salad pictured above would be unlikely to be suitable for a bait fisherman out on the sea. For a fly fisherman by the river on a beautiful summer's day, however, it can be a thoroughly refreshing snack, if not an actual meal. It is simply a whole tomato, 2" of cucumber sliced lengthwise with the seeds scraped out and a hard boiled egg. A small amount of salt and/or pepper, wrapped in greaseproof paper or even tinfoil, can be tucked in to the corner of the dish to provide seasoning.

If the (harmless) blue/grey tinge which often forms around the yolk of cooled, hard boiled eggs puts you off eating them, try this cooking method. Ensure the egg is at room temperature, i.e. it has been removed from the refrigerator at least a couple of hours earlier. Place it in a pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for seven minutes.

Run the pot under cold water for twenty to thirty seconds until the egg is cool enough to handle. Crack the shell on a hard surface and peel the egg under running cold water. Submerge it in a basin of cold water to cool it quickly. You will not get the blue/grey tinge.

Bananas

Most types of fruit are inappropriate for fishermen, whose hands are likely to be covered in any number of substances not conducive to munching apples or pears. Bananas, however, could almost be described as nature's very own fisherman's friend in this respect. Just as they are eaten at home, the banana is peeled and eaten without any need to touch the edible part of the fruit, providing both a nourishing and satisfying snack that can be eaten almost as quickly as bait is changed.

Sandwiches will be the first option a great many people think of when considering what to take to eat on any fishing trip. Aside from the practical issues of eating them already discussed, there is another principal reason why you should be careful what you put on your sandwiches. That reason is quite simply that it is not only your bait that can contaminate your food while fishing - the opposite is equally true!

Fish are attracted to fresh bait more than anything else by its scent. It will very likely be the case that your elaborate, messy to eat sandwich additions such as mayo - and any one of a thousand others - which will coat your hands will be as off-putting to the fish as the bait would be to you! Sandwiches which ooze their contents all over your hands while you are fishing could therefore not only poison you but put the fish off as well. Any fisherman's dreaded lose/lose situation!

Think about this very carefully when deciding what to include on your sandwiches for any fishing trip.

The Big Breakfast Sandwich - Sausage Bacon and Egg

One of the factors of day fishing trips which can cause considerable inconvenience is the frequent necessity to make a very early start in the morning. This may be due to the tide times for sea fishing, or simply to the length of the drive you have to make to reach the place where you intend to fish. It will not always be possible at these times to manage any sort of breakfast before you leave home to set you up for the day. That is where this big breakfast sandwich can be just the ticket.

Imagine sitting on the deck of a boat, as you slowly motor out to sea, looking forward to your day's fishing but feeling and even hearing your stomach grumbling. Wouldn't a bit of sausage, bacon and egg go down well? We don't often eat or even think about eating sausage, bacon and egg served cold but it is absolutely delicious on a sandwich.

For an early morning start, these sandwiches should obviously be prepared the night before and refrigerated.

To make two satisfying big breakfast sandwiches like the one in the pictures, you will need the following:

1 6" pork sausage
4 rashers of bacon
2 eggs
1 12" French style bread stick
Butter (optional)
HP Sauce (optional)
Oil for frying

Begin by adding enough oil to comfortably cover the base to a non-stick frying pan. Put the sausages in and put the heat on to very low. Do not prick the sausages - it is unnecessary and will only cause the juices to be lost to the pan. The biggest mistake made when frying sausages like this is in trying to fry them too quickly, over too high a heat. Fifteen to twenty minutes on very low, turning them occasionally, will cook them to perfection and not cause them to burst.

Put your egg or eggs on to boil as described in the salad instructions further up this page. Peel them and sit them in cold water to cool completely.

Transfer the sausages to a plate, cover and allow to cool. You can then either fry the bacon in the same pan or grill it, depending upon preference. Set that aside also, covered, to cool.

When your sausage, bacon and egg is completely cool, cut the bread stick in half across the way. Cut each part in half horizontally. Butter if desired. Lay two rashers of bacon on the bottom piece of the bread. Slice the egg as shown and lay that on top of the bacon. Cut your sausage in half lengthwise and place half a sausage on top of the egg. Add sauce if desired before placing the top on your sandwich, lightly pressing down and wrapping it in plastic film or foil.

Fried Turkey Breast in Hoisin Sauce French Bread Sandwich

One of the ways in which it is possible to compensate for a lack of mayo or excessive dressings on sandwiches is by cooking the meat for the sandwich in a tasty sauce, which will not leak over your hands. Hoisin sauce is a popular Chinese sauce, used both as a dip and a cooking sauce.

Begin this sandwich by marinating a 6oz turkey breast steak in 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce for a least a couple of hours. Shake off the excess sauce and pan fry the turkey breast in a little oil for five minutes each side, over a medium heat, until done. Transfer it to a plate, cover it with foil and allow it to cool completely.

Halve a 12" French style bread stick at an angle as shown. Halve again horizontally and butter if desired. Place the turkey breast steak on a chopping board and cut in to thick strips with a sharp knife. Arrange it on one half of the bread before replacing the second half and pressing down moderately firmly.

Wrap your sandwich in such as aluminium foil or plastic wrap to ensure it keeps its shape (which can also be used to hold it as you eat it!) and transfer it to your plastic sandwich container.

It is vital in so many ways that fishermen do their bit to protect the environment upon which they depend to enjoy their sport. Do not throw plastic wrappings or bottles in to the sea, do not leave them scattered on the banks of rivers or lakes - store your own trash/litter in a sensible fashion while you are fishing and take it with you when you leave, for later disposal in an appropriate and environmentally friendly fashion.

The success of any fishing trip is likely to be measured in considerable part by what you have actually caught. If you are returning home with a fish or two for the pot, you may well therefore be looking for suggestions on how to cook any one of a number of different species. Below are just a few pages which may help.

Thank you for visiting this page and taking the time to read through it. I very much hope it has given you useful ideas for your own camping, fishing or hiking trips. Any comments or feedback which you have may be left in the space below.