Gonna have to get you out next time we stink up the oil!!!! You know what town I'm in

I do my crappie in beer batter and keep the oil right at 350 - any hotter and the meat and the batter won't cook right - crispy golden brown batter, raw fish or cooked fish, burnt batter. Any lower, everything gets mushy.

I go hotter if I'm just breading my fish, but for batter - it took a lot of experimenting to hit just the right temp for the particular batter I made up - but it works to a T.

By the way... you mentioned you do freelance outdoor writing - any publications I'd recognize?

Joe