Me and the boys forge four fishing spears and then head out into the swamp at night to catch clean and cook snake heads. This is the ultimate forging - fishing challenge and as a bonus we will give you my favorite snakehead recipe and show you how to cook snakehead.
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00:00Hey, Luke here at the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel, and it's been too long since I've
00:08done a blacksmithing video, so we're going to forge ourselves a big old fishing spear
00:12and poke some fish.
00:14Come on.
01:15Oh, wait, what happened?
01:30Did you poop on my raft?
02:33Alright, while I'm working on my forge spear, I'm also going to make a couple fishing spears
02:51for my boys here.
02:52Hey, Tommy, why don't you come over here and pick which one you want?
02:55We've got these two B&M fishing gigs.
02:58Well, I'm going to pick this one.
03:00That's a pretty cool looking spear right there.
03:02Alright, I have a one-inch diameter replacement broom handle here we're going to use for the
03:07spear shaft.
03:09There you go, bud.
03:18Test it out, see how it is, and then we go.
03:29Alright.
03:30I was like, what the?
03:31Oh, I got bucky!
03:32That is jammed in there.
03:33There we go, right in the vitals!
03:34We're killing away you!
03:35Ah!
03:36Ah!
03:37Ah!
03:38Ah!
03:39Ah!
03:40Ah!
03:41Ah!
03:42Ah!
03:43Ah!
03:44Ah!
03:45Ah!
03:46Ah!
03:47Ah!
03:48Ah!
03:49Ah!
03:50Ah!
03:51Ah!
03:52Ah!
03:53Ah!
03:54Ah!
03:55Ah!
03:56Ah!
03:57Ah!
03:58Ah!
03:59Ah!
04:00Ah!
04:01Ah!
04:02Alright, guys, it is a rainy cold spring morning and we are going to make the shaft to this
04:05spear.
04:06I've got a seven-foot long piece of Ipe.
04:09This is a South American hardwood that's about three times harder than hickory.
04:14This stuff is heavy and it is hard.
04:16It feels like an iron bar in your hand.
04:19And I want a one-inch diameter shaft.
04:23And we have about a two and an eighth, two and a quarter inch piece of wood here.
04:29So I need to rip it right down the middle, very, very carefully.
04:32And if I do that, I can have two shafts and I don't know when I'll ever get my hands on
04:38a piece of Ipe again.
04:39So I want to make sure I have enough for another sphere project.
05:05A little handheld jigsaw is not the ideal tool for this, but it's what I got.
05:09And so the first thing I'm going to do with the angle grinder is smooth out the little
05:13squampus parts.
05:14Then I'm going to knock the corners off and we're going to begin the process of turning
05:18this into a long, straight, smooth dowel.
05:43This wood is so hard, it's just like steel.
05:48All right, there we go.
05:54Pretty straight.
05:55I'm happy with it.
06:04All right, we're back in the garage and I'm going to be sanding this thing.
06:07I'm going to start with some 60 grit sandpaper, then work up to 320, then I'm going to go
06:11to 800, then 1200, and this thing is going to be so awesome.
06:17Those aren't marshmallows, those are cotton balls, and you can't eat those.
07:09That is a gorgeous piece of wood right there.
07:16We're getting close.
07:32I got this old antique ice fishing spear, I'm going to clean this up and put this on
07:47a handle as well.
07:48I've got this one and a quarter inch closet dowel here that we're going to use as a shaft
07:54and see how that goes.
07:55It's a little thicker than I'd like, but we'll see if we can make it work.
08:22Well, there you go guys, if you're not up for hand forging your own fishing spear, buy
08:41one used off of eBay for 10, 15 bucks, and in about 30, 40 minutes, you can take a closet
08:48pull and turn it into a very good looking spear shaft.
08:53This will work really well.
08:55All right, so we're done with the fish spears, let me show you what we got.
08:58This right here is the one I did last year, and this is the one I just finished today.
09:03The only real difference between the two is the new one has barbs on the tines, and it's
09:09a smaller diameter shaft, so overall this is a lighter spear.
09:13Also, it has more tines and it's slightly wider, but it has slightly less space in between
09:20the tines.
09:21Additionally, the tines are parallel as opposed to slightly spread out and tapered on this
09:28one.
09:29So, just some small improvements I think will make it a little bit better to use.
09:33This is the antique ice fishing spear head and the closet pull, and it looks really nice.
09:41For all of our spears, I put little holes in the back so we can attach them to lanyards.
09:46We've got these two little spears here.
09:49This is good for like bluegill or smaller fish, and this one can be better for frogs
09:55or other things, and both extremely light so the boys can use them.
09:59All right, we've built the spears, now we've got to go poke some fish.
10:02Yes!
10:11All right, guys, there she is, the floating fishing cabin.
10:20We're going to do a little modification to get it ready for spear fishing.
10:23Well, there we go.
10:24Got the cabin off the raft and replaced four bins, and we're going to put some lights on
10:29this thing.
10:33There we go.
10:34Got all six lights installed.
10:35Just need to go charge up our battery and we're good to go.
10:38All right, guys, we've been forging and building and preparing, and now it's time to spear
10:42fish, and I'm bringing the boys along.
10:44We're going to go do that until we're ready to spear.
10:50Okay.
10:57There we go.
10:59Yeah, it does look cool.
11:01All right, guys, what kind of fish do you want to get today?
11:03I want to get sunfish and bluegill.
11:06That's everything I'm going for.
11:07I might get sad.
11:08Yeah, I'm getting sad.
11:09And, Tommy, you want to catch a carp, right?
11:11You like to eat carp.
11:12I want a snakehead.
11:13Sit there and see.
11:14You see you got the spotlight?
11:15Yeah.
11:16See, look here in the grass right here.
11:19Look around.
11:20Look for grass that's moving.
11:21See right there how it's like there's a little cloud of dust coming up?
11:25That's because there was a big fish there, and when he saw us, he ran away.
11:28Oh, there's one right there.
11:30Nathan?
11:31Nathan?
11:32Yeah, it's a small one.
11:33It's the perfect one for you.
11:34See, look right there.
11:35See him?
11:36Oh, you missed.
11:38Yeah, look at the ripples right there.
11:40See?
11:41Oh, I think you actually came close that time, Nate.
11:44Right here, Nate.
11:45Look at my light.
11:46Look at my light.
11:47Look at my light.
11:48Look in the white light right here.
11:51Oh, look right there, Nate.
11:52Right there.
11:53See him?
11:58Oh, look right there.
11:59Look at that right there.
12:00Right there, Nate.
12:01See, look, a big shad.
12:02You see it?
12:03He hit the boat.
12:05You scared him so bad, he swam right into the boat.
12:07Oh, look right there.
12:08See the carp?
12:09See the carp?
12:10See the carp?
12:11You want to eat him?
12:12Then you go for it, Tom.
12:15Man, he is big.
12:22Oh, did I hit him?
12:24I think you nicked him.
12:26I hit him.
12:27I hit him.
12:28Yeah, but he got away.
12:29He's gone.
12:30I hit him.
12:31You got so close to that carp.
12:33You probably came the closest of any of us.
12:36Our batteries are going to die soon, then we'll probably go home.
12:41That fish jumped out and attacked you.
12:43He hit me, all right.
12:45I'm going to stay in the middle.
12:47Well, you have a spear.
12:48I think it's a fair fight.
12:49The grass is twitching right there.
12:51Oh, look right there.
12:52See that?
12:53See that?
12:54That's it.
12:55Hold still.
12:56Hold still.
12:58Hold still.
13:00Where did he go?
13:02Well, we just saw a big old snakehead.
13:09I caught a fish.
13:10I caught a fish.
13:11Here, hold him up.
13:13I caught a fish.
13:14I caught a fish.
13:16First catch of the day.
13:18You want to throw him back?
13:19I want to throw him back.
13:20Here, throw him back.
13:21Bye, we're not eating you.
13:23Yeah, he just jumped on the boat, right?
13:25Yeah.
13:26Did you guys have a good time?
13:27Yeah.
13:28Would you like to do this again sometime?
13:30Yeah.
13:31I'm not that sure.
13:32I want to do it in seven weeks.
13:34Seven weeks?
13:35Okay.
13:36Well, guys, it's another day.
13:37I'm going to have another go at this spear fishing.
13:40Unfortunately, that raft just didn't work out, so I'm going to go back using the paddleboard
13:45like I did last year.
13:47I just think it's a lot more effective.
13:49So, we've just got a few more seconds here before the sun completely sets, and we're
13:54going to get started.
13:55All right, so I've got my spear here with me, and I've gone ahead and zip-tied a kayak
14:01paddle to one side of it, and I got myself a bungee cord leash on the end of it, so if
14:08I chuck it, I won't lose it.
14:14Oh, I haven't been on this thing in a year.
14:16My paddleboard is rated for 230 pounds.
14:19I am a healthy 250.
14:21You can just listen to it groan.
14:23Something big is running around in here.
14:25I can see a lot of dust kicking up.
14:28There's fish running.
14:30Oh, there's...right there.
14:33That's a bass.
14:36Look at that.
14:37Right down there.
14:40Yeah, that is a nice, healthy bass.
14:45Right there.
14:47Pair of big carp right there.
14:50Look at that.
14:51Yep.
14:52So many of them.
14:54Right in here.
14:57Look at that.
15:01Look at that right there.
15:03Right there.
15:04That's where...
15:05Man, I love snakehead, though.
15:07I really want a snakehead.
15:08Oh, there's another carp right there.
15:11Man, they're just everywhere in here.
15:18Look at that right there.
15:20Right there.
15:21That's a big one.
15:24Hold on.
15:25Hold on.
15:26That's a snakehead.
15:33Oh, man.
15:35There was two of them.
15:37Dang it.
15:38That was a pretty easy shot, too, and I missed it.
15:41That was two big snakeheads.
15:42They were only in like two feet of water, foot and a half of water.
15:45One of them was sitting under a stick that wasn't as big as he was.
15:49The other one was just out in the open next to him.
15:51And they were just sitting on the bottom perfectly still.
16:01Oh, that was a snakehead.
16:03Dang it.
16:08I scared him, but I didn't come close to hitting him.
16:11Man, that was a big snakehead.
16:13There's a lot of big ones in here.
16:15Every one of these has been over six pounds.
16:20Man, the shad are all over me today.
16:22Come on.
16:23There you go.
16:35He got away.
16:37Barbs aren't doing much.
16:39There's a bass right there.
16:40Man, I've seen lots of bedding bass today.
16:44Look at this.
16:45Shad jumped out of the water.
16:46Get away from me.
16:48I thought a shad jumped out of the water under the boat ramp to get away from me.
16:51Well, I saw a bunch of snakeheads.
16:53Got to throw the spear around a bit, but no dice.
16:55It's midnight.
16:56My feet are killing me.
16:58So I'm going to call it for today, and we're going to try again tomorrow.
17:01All right.
17:02It's day number three, and we're going to see if we can't catch ourselves a snakehead here.
17:05Water's a touch higher and a touch murkier today.
17:08Last time I was here, I could see all of this, all the bottom.
17:12Now I can barely see anything.
17:15Oh, look at that big bass right there.
17:18Yeah, nice one.
17:26Oh, there's a snakehead right there.
17:30Come on, let's see.
17:31Dang it.
17:32Oh, there he is.
17:33There he is.
17:34Dang, it must have thrown right over his back.
18:00That was a buffalo, wasn't it?
18:02Oh, there he is.
18:03There he is.
18:04He is.
18:07All right.
18:08I just speared that big buffalo, and he got away.
18:12That was a big fish.
18:14All right, guys.
18:15It's day four, and we're going to get a snakehead.
18:18Let's do this.
18:20This is my day.
18:24Oh, there we go.
18:26All right.
18:32Look at that beast right there.
18:37Okay.
18:50Man, it looked like I got him.
18:57I got you.
19:01Oh, I've been looking for you for a while, sir.
19:04I took my time, got close, took a breath, got him.
19:10Awesome.
19:11Man, I do not want to lose this guy.
19:14He is speared really good, but he might pop off.
19:17So I'm going to go and paddle back to shore and then deal with this guy.
19:27That ought to do it.
19:32Now, I think it's safe to transport the prisoner.
19:45Yeah, that's a nice one.
19:47A little smaller than the one I got last year.
19:50Okay.
19:52Now that I've caught a fish, let me tell you what I think of this new fishing spear design.
19:57I really like that it's lighter, but the barbs did diddly squat.
20:02The few fish that I stuck, they popped off just as easily with the smooth tines.
20:08A little bit easier, I think, because the tines are shorter.
20:13The other spear had longer tines, and that made it harder for the fish to thrash and pop off when you had them properly skewered.
20:22So I just don't think that the barbs make a big deal.
20:26I think whether you lose fish or not is more about your technique.
20:29When you spear the fish, you've got to keep them pinned on the bottom and then reach down and grab him,
20:35rather than picking up the spear and hoping he doesn't pop off.
20:39I think that's probably the better way to do things.
20:42Man, I just enjoy doing this.
20:44Just pursuing these fish with a spear from a paddleboard at night is just a kick in the pants.
20:49But now I am going to fillet this thing and cook him up and show you guys an awesome snakehead recipe.
20:55A lot of people confuse these with native bowfin.
20:58The real surefire way to tell the difference is this anal fin right here.
21:02Snakeheads have this super long anal fin.
21:05This one's all chewed up.
21:07Bowfin don't.
21:08They have just a teeny tiny little anal fin.
21:11So if you get a long skinny fish like this and you're not sure what it is, look at the anal fin.
21:15Filleting these fish is super easy.
21:17Just make an incision behind the pectal fin and the gill plate.
21:20Go all the way to the back.
21:22Follow right here along the spine.
21:24Then open it up and go down to the tops of the ribs.
21:27And then just trace along the ribs.
21:30The rib cage only really pokes out about this distance here behind the pectal fin.
21:36So once you get past that, just kind of lay your knife blade flat and just go down the fillet.
21:49You'll want to take the skin off on these fillets.
21:52But these snakeheads have really tough skin.
21:55So it's pretty easy to do because it's hard to cut through the skin.
22:01From here to here, there's this little line of bones right there.
22:07Easy to get rid of.
22:15There you can see snakehead meat is a very nice firm white meat.
22:21Last thing I want to do is see what this fish was eating.
22:26That's all that was in his stomach and it's just a big pile of bones and scales.
22:31Now normally I like to do different recipes each time I do these videos.
22:35But I have a snakehead recipe that is so stinking good I just can't do anything but it.
22:40I just love it too much.
22:42I'm going to make coconut crusted mango drizzled snakehead.
22:46I'm going to make it a little different than I've done it in the past just because of the ingredients I have here in the house.
22:51But let me show you how to do it.
22:56Now normally I like to use the naked brand mango puree because it's so thick and it reduces really well.
23:06But I don't have any of that and I don't want to run to the store so I'm going to use this mango orange juice.
23:11What you're going to do is we're just going to boil it until all the water goes out.
23:15Until it becomes so thick that it just slides off a spoon.
23:19It'll take probably about an hour.
23:23Alright because I'm using orange juice and not straight mango juice it's a little bit tart when you boil it down.
23:30So I'm just going to put just a pinch of brown sugar in there.
23:34And I need to thicken it up a little bit because just reducing it alone doesn't quite cut it.
23:41So I am going to take a little cornstarch.
23:52Oh look at that it thickens right up.
23:55Pull this off the heat.
23:57Alright so I've got flour, egg and one part panko with one part sweetened coconut shavings.
24:03And we're just going to go ahead and roll the fish in this.
24:08Alright now we're going to put the fish in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.
24:25Alright.
24:34Very firm flaky meat look at that.
24:42You like that?
24:44If you guys like this video make sure to check out the first snakehead spear forging catching cooking video I did.
24:51It's on my other channel the Catfish and Carp YouTube channel.
24:54There's over 500 videos on that channel so if you haven't checked it out make sure to go check that out as well.
24:59I'll put a link in the description.
25:01But thanks for watching guys hope you enjoy this video and I'll see you next Saturday morning.
25:06If you like this video don't forget to check out the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel where we have hundreds of videos just like this.
25:12And don't forget to click subscribe so you can see other great videos every Saturday morning.
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25:20Thanks for watching.