Friday, January 28, 2011

Best Freshwater Fishing in Florida

Florida's Top Freshwater Fishing Destinations for 2011

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) freshwater fisheries biologists from across the state recently weighed in to suggest fishing sites that novice to expert anglers might want to try out in 2011 for a variety of species.

Florida is the "Fishing Capital of the World" due to great resources and responsible management. Those great resources include a wide variety of fishing opportunities throughout the state. Every winter, biologists select some of the larger water bodies they recommend anglers try out.

To make their recommendations biologists use information such as creel count (data from actual anglers' on-the-water success for the previous year); electrofishing data (a sampling method that uses electric currents to stun fish so they can be netted, examined and released); tournament data; Big Catch results (the FWC's popular angler-recognition program); state records; interviews with local guides and bait-and-tackle shop owners; and their own fishing experiences.

Bulk Ammo

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Hello fellow shooters and sportsmen!

Bulk Ammo and The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles


Just a quick plug for my friends at BulkAmmo.com who hooked me up with a very, very good deal on ammo for my Colt Gov't Combat 45. I bought a thousand rounds a few years ago, and I have burned my way through it, and a couple dozen boxes of PMC that I have bought here and there.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

More Knives of Afghanistan

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Afghanistan Home Made Knives

Here are a couple more pictures for you all:

Knives confiscated over the last two weeks

You will notice that the majority of the knives are small, cheap kitchen knives.

The Sheet Metal Collection by Akhbar Hussein Malik Jafhar

The sheetmetal knives are common throughout any area adjacent to any of the bases. They are sharp enough to cut bread and meat, though sticking is definately not a forte.

Enjoy!

Related Posts:
Shanks and Shivs of Afghanistan

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
In Afghanistan

Shanks and Shivs of Afghanistan

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Just a sample of the knives I've confiscated from the local nationals:



From left to right: The two on the far left are made of a decent spring steel which takes a very good edge. They make really good belly openers , but they'll make even better Black Powder / Muzzleloader patch knives once I get them home.

The next two are forged knives of an undetermined steel, sharp enough to cut bread, but in their current condition more likely to poke an eye out.

The pocket knives are actually pretty good, the blades close to what you might find on an inexpensive folder back home. The fit and finish leave something to be desired, but they are sharp enough to cut you deep.

I havn't saved any of the innumerable sheet metal knives I've confiscated, but I will collect a few to take pictures of them to share with you in the future.

And sorry about the poor quality photography. I'm hobbled by shooting under flourescent light and an inexpensive pocket camera and no photo manipulating program!


Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
In Afghanistan

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

How to Smoke Fish: Two Methods.

How to Smoke Fish at Home!© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
and Seafood NIC
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Smoking Fish 


Smoked fish are fish that have been cured by smoking. As part of our Self Sufficiency series, we have researched the process for smoking fish for our faithful and errudite readers. The preservation of fish has been an integral part of every culture that subsisted on fish. Over thousands of years, man has perfected the art of drying, salting and smoking fish. The fisherman's catch, if properly preserved, can be an exciting addition to family meals over an extended period of time; when properly done smoking will preserve fish for several weeks or even months. Smoking is not only one of the oldest methods of preserving fish, but an excellent way to preserve fish that you don't plan to or cannot eat immediately. The fish dries an it hangs over a smoldering fire while the smoke infuses it with its distinct aroma and flavor. Not only does the wood smoke add flavor, it also adds color. The brining process that precedes smoking, helps to preserve the fish.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

ebay: You Can Find Almost Everything for Sale

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

ebay is the devil.

There, I've said it.

One of my compatriots over here is an avid ebay shopper. He gets all sorts of stuff, but concentrates on comic books and electronics. He is quite adept at finding the deals, timing his bids, and putting the right price on them to get them.

It's been a steep learning curve for me, but I finally won my first bid tonight! Suffice it to say that I figured out it takes aproximately 7 seconds for my bid to hit ebay and another 7 to get back. Fortunately I have a multi monitor setup that allows me to refresh one screen while confirming the bid on the other. So I have learned how to play along with the ebay regulars and challenge them on their own turf.

So what did I get?

A 10 gauge bench mounted roll crimper!

I can't remember when I never wanted a 10 gauge bench mounted roll crimper. I mean every kid on my block in New York City wanted a 10 gauge bench mounted roll crimper. As a matter of fact I was at the ECP (entry control point AKA Suicide Bomber Gate 1) and through an interpreter I found out that the scrawny, underfed Afghan was here looking for a 10 gauge bench mounted roll crimper. Go figure. I don't make this stuff up, I just report it!

Now, I happen to own a H&R 1960s vintage 10 gauge slug gun. I've always loved that thick barreled shoulder thumper, and the only thing missing is a handful of brass shells loaded with a big ball of hardened lead up front, and another handfull of paper hulled thumb thick shells with a couple of ounces of BB shot. A cold Fall day, acorns on the ground, with turkey and hog on the menu, who could ask for more?

Some 10 gauge paper hulls, so I can actually use the 10 gauge bench mounted roll crimper that I so cleverly won on ebay, would be nice.

Getting back to ebay, as you all know I'm a bit of an amateur wood butcher, and I love handtools! One of my favorite tools is the Stanley #51 spokeshave. Little did I know that Stanley has produced some 100+ varients of the spokeshave; of which the majority are available on ebay. Now how was I to know that I needed a #67, an adjustable mouth #52, and the #80? Just to be safe I bid on another dozen varients just in case I might need them too. 

Now the real problem is how am I going to explain the 5 hand saws I am waiting on? One of them is a Disston Forester's saw measureing a whopping 41 inches that still has its belly! At the price I may get them at its a bargain just for the forester, and the other four saws might actually be useful. 

And I have a bid on a slab of Bubinga...

Bubinga?

WTF is Bubinga?

I know now, but I didn't know I needed a four foot long, eight inch by two inch thick slab of Bubinga until yesterday!

I checked out the hammers on the off chance that I didn't have a particular one in my collection of fifty or so. Nothing like getting a real deal on another eight pound sledge sans handle and paying more in delivery than it would have cost to get a new one with a handle at the local hardware store.

Then there are the wooden planes...



Ok, so I took the Bubinga off the watch list, and I haven't won any of those spokeshaves I thought I needed. But I do have a couple of #78 rabbet planes now, one complete for my father who used to have one, and one for me to clean, refurbish, and bring back to its former glory. I picked up a couple of other planes for refurbishment, a box full of measuring calipers for the machine shop portion of my garage, and another box full of Stanley marking gauges that I will refurbish and resell. I figure that will keep me busy when I get home.

What I'm looking for is a three inch thick, eight inch deep, by sixty inch slab of quartersawn live oak. It's for a secret Chronicles' project that I dreamed up one feverish night, while relentless Afghan ameobas prowled through my intestinal track. I'll need a Stanley #71 too while I'm at it, that should keep me occupied trying to get one at a reasonable price. Seriously, how many people in the world could possibly need one, that everytime a #71comes up they run the price up beyond what can be considered appropriate? Well, I'll keep on bidding and we'll see who ends up with what!

Note: Monday morning 0406 hours Afghanistan.

Stanley #238 Grooving Plane

Started at $9.99 days ago, and has sat there at that price for all those days. Today, three hours before close of bidding it has steadily increased to $63.00! The 238 would have come in very handy for the Super-Secret Chronicles project I am working on...

Albert

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Albert Rasch In Afghanistan



The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles, Albert A Rasch, Hunting in Florida


Albert Rasch,HunterThough he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.