Sun Protection and Skin Care for You, the Outdoorsman

Hunting and Fishing in the Sun: Reduce Your Risks!
© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Having Fun in the Sun - Safely!

Editor's Note: I've been very fortunate. Though I have spent the majority of my working days out in the sun, I have not suffered any damage... that I can tell. Time though, will tell just how much damage I really have done to my skin.  So allow me to remind you of the dangers, and the simple precautions you can take to safeguard your health. 

As many of you must know, skin cancer is on the rise. Exposure to everyday chemicals, polluted atmospheres, over exposure to the sun, and better record keeping, all have contributed to the rise according to the American Cancer Society. 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer on average are diagnosed each year. 68,000 cases of melanoma, the most serious and lethal type of skin cancer, are within that diagnostic catagory.

Remember when summertime rolls around, we tend to spend far more time outdoors, especially if we love fishing! Long hours on the dock, pier, shoreline, or boat add up to a lot of exposure, especially to the strongest and most harmful ultraviolet sun rays of the year.

There are some simple precausions you can take to reduce the harmful effects of the sun and reduce your chances of skin cancer and damage.

• Wear a hat.your head and face are the most likely spots to get damaged and suffer skin cancer!
• Wear long sleeved shirts and pants. If you have ever watched the TV shows of flats fishermen in Florida, you will notice they wear lightweight pants and long sleeve shirts.
• Use good sunglasses that are polarized. Not only can you see better, but it really helps protect your eyes from flying debris, sand, lures and insects.
• Use a good sunblock. SPF 30 is the minimum for outdoor work, and you should reapply frequently.

 It's really important to drink plenty of water, and stay hydrated. If you're hydrated so is your skin. And hydrated skin can cool itself more efficiently. 

Following these simple guidelines will lessen the chances of you getting skin skin cancer and keep you enjoying the great outdoors!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member:  Qalat City Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Boating Safety: Online Boat License Courses

Getting a boat license online!
© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™

Get Your Boating License Online

and Boat Safely

Well my good friends,

Summer is almost here and boating season will soon be in full throttle throughout our great Nation! Millions of people take to the waters throughout the boating season to enjoying our oceans and waterways.

But are you truly prepared? Have you taken the proper precautions and educated yourself on the in and outs of safe vessel operation?

I got to thinking about this when I bumped into a couple of articles from this past summer relating some terrible boating accidents that resulted from a simple lack of familiarity with basic boating rules and regulations.

I took a few moments and looked around the internet for some education material to share with you. I found the good people at  BoaterExam.com who offer online boat license classes to help you educate yourself.

Offering many online courses, BoaterExam.com provides boat license course and official boating exams, and is the leading provider of online boater education and certification in the USA and Canada.


BoaterExam has also teamed up with Mariner's Learning System™ to offer an online Coast Guard Captain's License Course. That's right, you can earn your Captain's Boat License online, through BoaterExam.com.

That's not all, they offer many state approved licenses as well. BoaterExam has fully animated and interactive boating safety courses and boat license tests online and their official state courses are approved in nearly 40 states.

For my own home state of Florida, they have an FWC approved Florida Safety Card. Instead of the term Boat License, Florida refers to its mandatory proof of education as a Boater Safety Education ID Card. Unlike a "license", a boater education card does not expire and does not need to be renewed. Therefore, although the term is often used, it is technically incorrect to call the card a Florida Boat License.

I learned all that on BoaterExam.com!

I would strongly urge you to look into some of their offerings. Safety is something one should invest time and energy in; the rewards are far greater, not only for you, but for your loved ones as well.

Think about it.
Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Qalat City Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though 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.

Catching Spanish Mackerel off Desoto Park, Florida

© 2008-2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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How about a little blast from the past, a Chronicles Classic so to speak. I find myself looking back into my archives that remind me of all the fun I've had while at home. Sorta like a photo album!

Just a little “touch base” with y’all!

As usual we hit the beaches this weekend. Actually we went to the Desoto State Park, right at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Bubby got it going on with the Spanish mackerel and just about slew them. He must have landed a couple dozen! The bite was on and he caught them with white bait (sardines) and on a Sabiki rig that he happened to have in his tackle box.

I took pictures of the first one, but we noticed that their scales and skin are very delicate. Blake actually decided that we wouldn’t handle them anymore and would just grab the hooks with his Gerber pliers and release them that way. (I think I’m doing a good job with him.) We also crushed all the barbs to facilitate the de-hooking operation. They Macks ranged in size from about what you see in the picture to a couple that where twice the size.

The late afternoon was very windy with the wind coming from the north and the current flowing south. Bubby rigged his whitebait with two split shot of about a quarter ounce total. Again he decided the hook size and the weight to use. It was right on the money and put the bait on the Mack’s dinner plate.

He got cut off at least ten times. It was a surprise to both he and I that the mackerel were toothy enough to slice the twenty pound leader we put on after the first few cut offs. We didn’t bring any light weight wire with us, so Bubby put that on his list of things to add to his tackle box. Fortunately we had plenty of long shank # 2/0 hooks with us.

Everyone needs to take the time to go fishing with their kids. Find out what’s biting, get what you need, and get out there with them!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

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.

Monsterous 5-Pound Yellow Bullhead Catfish New Florida Record!

2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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A yellow bullhead caught in the Crystal River on Dec. 17 is the new state record for that species, a type of catfish, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists.

Tom Flynn of Homosassa was fishing with minnows he had caught at a boat ramp when he hooked into the catfish. The new state record yellow bullhead weighed 5 pounds, .75 ounces and was 20 inches in length.

"Actually, I was fishing for mangrove snapper," Flynn said. "However, I started catching catfish and decided to keep them. I caught seven and took them home."

Flynn tried to convince his wife the fish were good eating.

"She's not really a big fan of catfish," Flynn said. "But she went online to check them out and discovered that the state record was 2.91 pounds. I knew I had bigger fish than that."

Sure enough, when Flynn checked his catch, he had two fish that weighed more than the standing state record.

Eric Thomas, an FWC freshwater fish biologist from the Ocala regional office, verified the new record yellow bullhead.

Yellow bullhead are similar in appearance to the more common brown bullhead, with a nearly square tail, but the chin barbels (whiskers) are pale yellow or pink, unlike the somewhat larger brown bullhead (state record: 5 pounds, 12 ounces) that has darker pigmented chin barbels.

The previous record was a 2.91-pound yellow bullhead. Michael Pace caught it in the Withlacoochee River in Levy County on March 7, 2007.

For a fish to become an official state record, an FWC biologist must verify the species and weigh it on a certified scale. However, the FWC also recognizes anglers who catch a memorable-size fish with a Big Catch certificate. These are issued for 33 different species of freshwater fishes and are subject to less stringent guidelines to allow an angler to be recognized if the fish's weight or length exceed minimum standards (see MyFWC.com/Fishing or the Freshwater Fishing Regulations Summary).

For a Big Catch certificate, an adult needs to catch a yellow bullhead that exceeds either 14 inches in total length or 1.5 pounds (youth standards are 10 inches and 1 pound).

The world record for this species is a 6-pound, 6-ounce yellow bullhead that John Irvin caught in Bates County, Mo., on May 27, 2006.

"I can't believe what good eating these fish are," Flynn said. "I think I'm going to keep going for them and see if I can catch the new world's record."

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Albert Rasch In Afghanistan™

Catch Your Own Stone Crabs!

© 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Trapping and Catching Stone Crab

I got to thinking about some of the really delicious things that come out of the ocean, especially after a great day of the best Florida fishing! Among them is the oh so delicious Stone Crab Claws! For those of you who live here in Florida, and maybe some of you who are visiting, I thought I would put together some of the tips and tricks we use to harvest some succulent claws. The season for Stone Crab is currently open and stretches from October 15 to May 15.

The retail price of Stone Crab claws is always high. We have always enjoyed fresh claws and used to make it a point to go occasionally with friends on a foray for them using either commercially made inexpensive traps or snorkleing gear to dive for the Stone Crabs.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) allows anyone with a recreational fishing license to possess up to 1 gallon of claws (By the way, you can only harvest the claws, the crab MUST be released unharmed) per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.

Again, here are two methods that you can use to catch a Stone Crab Claw dinner. You can put out your own traps or dive for the crustaceans.

• Florida law allows any recreational angler to use up to five stone crab traps.
• The rules for recreational traps are simple and straightforward, and must meet the following criteria:
• Buoys must have a legible "R" at least two inches high, permanently affixed to them.
• Traps must have the harvester's name and address affixed to them in legible letters.
• Traps must be retrieved manually during daylight hours.
• Traps cannot be placed in navigational channels or waterways.
• Each trap must have a degradable wooden panel equal to the size of the entry hole on the top of the trap. This panel is designed to rot away and allow crabs and other creatures to escape should the trap ever be lost. This avoids it becoming a ghost trap.

Most bait and tackle shops carry prerigged plastic and wire traps. A single trap is usually less expensive than cost of a pound of claws at your local supermarket, even in Florida!

When situating your traps, look for rocks, cover like some old tires or a shallow wreck, or sand bottom for the best results. Use large fish heads for bait as they will usually last a week, which makes it easier for you to keep up with the traps. Half a ladyfish is also very good, as is a good sized Jack Cervalle.

I would suggest that you set up all of your traps (up to five, remember) in a line about one hundred feet apart, and record the GPS coordinates at each end. Give your traps three to five days, and check them. This will give the crabs time to find your traps and enter.

Snorkleing takes a little practice, but is loads of fun! Not only will you see all sorts of marine life, but you will recover TONS of fishing gear! Seriously. Shallow rock piles and jetties are great places to started at, and of course great places for fishermen to snag and lose gear. Be careful though. Dont get tangled up in any fishing line, or snagged by a rusty old hook. Bring diagonal cutters and a mesh bag for any treasures you come upon.

Check along the bottom edge of the rocks and examine each hole for the telltale sign of the crabs. If a Stone Crab occupies the hole, you will usually see sand and broken shells littered about the the opening of his excavation.

Most divers use a short metal or heavy plastic rod with a 90-degree or more angled end to reach behind the crab and pull it out. Remember, that anything less than 90-degrees is considered a hook and is therefore illegal!

Image Credit: Pinellas Marina 

Stone crabs move fairly slowly, so in most cases you can pull them out and into the open before they clamp down on your fingers should you allow the unthinkable to happen. Once you have pulled them out of their hiding place, release them in a clear spot on the bottom. Thus exposed, they assume a defensive posture and they will raise their claws waving them up toward you to ward you off. Now grab a claw in each of your hands.

Now you have your hard won crab!  But before removing the claws, by law you must measure the claw and make sure it is over the minimum size required. . The minimum claw size is 2 3/4 inches measured from the lower tip or "finger" to the first elbow joint. At no time may you remove claws from any egg bearing females. A minor twist of the claw will cause the crab to release it so be careful when handling especially if you aren't sure they are legal size. Once you are ready to remove the claw, twist it toward the center of the crab and up. I have always avoided removing both claws, I only take one. Some folks say it doesn't matter, but I just don't feel right about takeing both claws. Call me a softy.

Note: I just found this!
Studies by the state of Florida have shown that removing both claws do not harm the Florida stone crab in any way when removed properly. In fact numerous studies have shown that by removing both claws, Florida stone crabs are forced to eat sea grass which has been proven to be more healthy for their diet and regenerate their claws faster and female Florida stone crab have more baby stone crabs since they are unable to fend off the advancements of the male crabs. Now that I have science to rely on I can create double amputees without any guilt! Study here.

Try to release your clawless crab close to the rock pile you harvested them from. If you got them from a sand bottom area, try to find the closest rocks or jetty and release them there. The abundance of food and cover will allow them to regenerate more quickly.

Do not put your harvested claws on ice. Putting them on ice will cause the meat to stick to the shell. Set the claws into an empty cooler that has some ice in a container to keep it cool. I have seen people keep them in an empty bait well.

Our next installment on Stone Crabs will be preparing them for the table!


Until then, Good Hunting, and Great Fishing!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though 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.

Gone Fishin'! : Releasing Fish Unharmed

© 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Here are some important tips on releasing fish unharmed, so they will live to be caught another day.

Fishing isn't what it used to be, there was a time when you just went out and fished with little regard for the fish. Regulations were far and few in between, and social customs different.

But now we have slot limits, catch limits, open and closed seasons, catch and no-catch zones; it's a wonder we can still fish! The fish though keep on biting, and we must do everything we can to make sure the resource isn't harmed by our actions. How you release a fish, determines if it will survive to fight another day, or if it becomes food for crabs and seagulls.

I read a long treatise (available here) on Striper mortality with respect to fish hooks. The long and the short of it is that the major cause of mortality in released fish comes from where a fish is hooked, and how the hook is removed. To make it short, circle hooks don't kill stripers as readily as J hooks. Circle hooks tend to only hook the fish in the jaw, whereas there is a high percentage chance of a J hook hooking a fish past the gills. The odds of a Striped Bass dying were 17-times higher if the bass was deeply hooked. The J-shaped hooks had 3.7-times greater chance of gut hooking a fish than circle hooks did. By switching to circle hooks, you can reduce fish mortality by a factor of four!

Wild Ed wrote a very good piece on the circle hook, Texas Fishermen Love the Circle Hook. He says: "All you had to do was start reeling and the fish would hook themselves. The best part was ninety-nine percent of them were hooked right in the corner of the mouth. No more gut hooked fish and no more undersized fished hooked so deep they would die upon release!"

There are other steps we can take to help nurture and protect our fish resource. The way you handle your catch makes a difference in how well they survive the encounter.

As you may know, handling a fish can remove much of the protective slime coat off of the fish's body leaving it vulnerable to parasites and infections. The best technique for releasing a fish would be one where you don't touch it. There are de-hookers available that allow you to remove the hook with out touching the fish. If you have to handle the fish, wet your hands, or use soft gloves that are wet to gently hold the fish and not rub the slime off. If you frequent any of the flyfishing blogs, you'll notice that they always take great pains to carefully unhook the fish, many times barely holding the fish where it breaks the surface. They tend to use barbless hooks, and soft rubber coated nets.

Give a thought as to how you handle you fish. It is a resource that is renewable, and we need to treat it with care!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though 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.

Cold Weather May Lead to Florida Fish Kills

Cold Weather May Lead to Florida Fish Kills

The recent cold weather in Central Florida has resulted in several cold-related fish kills in Volusia, Brevard and Indian River counties. Chilly winter temperatures can lead to fish die-offs in Florida's marine habitats, rivers and lakes.

The good news is that these events are natural occurrences and typically do not cause permanent damage to the ecosystem or to fish populations. In some cases they are even beneficial, in that they help limit the spread of invasive, exotic species.

Fish kills are often caused by sudden temperature fluctuations or by extended periods of extreme temperatures. Such kills can occur any time of the year in Florida, but they are most common in winter, when air temperatures drop. Although water stays relatively warm for awhile after the air cools, extended cold snaps can cause water temperatures in inland water bodies and estuaries to drop. The cold may kill fish outright by cold stress or weaken them so that they are more susceptible to disease. Another phenomenon, called lake-turnover, may occur when suddenly cooled surface water sinks and mixes with deeper, oxygen-poor water. This can cause fish to suffocate, often leading them to gulp at the surface before they die.

Warm-water species, including popular game fish like snook, are particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures. Exotic species such as butterfly peacock bass, tilapia, and sucker-mouth catfish are also especially susceptible to cold weather.

Fish affected by the cold may appear lethargic and may be seen at the surface where the water may be warmer from the sun. All recreational regulations still apply to fish impacted by the cold temperatures, even if they appear to be dead or dying.

It is important for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission scientists to keep track of the location and extent of fish kills in natural lakes and estuaries, to see if there are problems developing in an ecosystem that might require investigation or restorative measures. Although it is not necessary to report fish kills in private ponds, FWC scientists can assist the public by providing information about cold-weather fish kills in these water bodies. Residents can report fish kills in natural water bodies to the FWC at http://research.MyFWC.com/fishkill/submit.asp or call the FWC Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511. For more information on fish kills, visit http://research.myfwc.com/ and select "Fish and Wildlife Health" under the "Explore" section.

Bubby and the Big Ass Bass

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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Folks,

I just got this a little while ago from home. Sorry about the title, but that's what I got, and I'm just reporting here!

Dearest Dad,

Bubby did not want me to tell you. He does not want you to feel bad or disappointed. But OMG you are going to freak out.

Bubby and I decided we would go fishing in the lake that we walk Charlie around. So we got some things together and went. I fished for a while, then I sat down in the chair with Charlie. Matt was on his way to fish with Blake. (BTW your fishing rod, the new one you bought when you came home on R&R, it stinks. So I threw it away. You can get a new one when you come home again...)

It was very quiet; the lake was like a sheet of glass and it was beautiful. I think it was about 3 or 4 pm, it had just stopped raining maybe 30 min before. I saw Matt walking to us in the distance, and then I heard the sound of Blake's rattle trap rattling.

I looked at the calm lake and I saw a fish dancing on his tail on top of the water. It was a big fish. Just like on TV!

Blake fought and fought, reeling the monster in, rod held high, the best he could. I don't think Blake has ever had to fight a fish like that. I was so excited and I was trying to get to my camera on my phone. (Matt got to see the whole thing.)

Blake said "Mom get the net!" Of course it was all folded up. Phone in one hand, net in the other, I managed to get the net together. Meanwhile Blake is still fighting the fish.

Blake gets the fish right up to the shore. OMG it was a big bass. It was so big that Blake could not pull it up on the shore. I got down to the waters edge OMG this is a big one. No kidding it looked like a ten pounder, but it was probable 7 or 8 pounds, it was huge.

I had the net in the water but now Charlie thought he would help, so he jumped in to the water after the fish. Needless to say, that did not help.

We got Charlie back. Blake could not control the fish, and now the water was all mucky so I could not see the fish. Blake was trying as hard as he could, his rod was bent all the way. I wish you could have been there. The fish kept fighting. Every time Blake would get it close we could see how big it really was.

I was trying to get it in the net, but every time Blake would get it close it would vanish in the murky water. The fish had plenty of fight left in him.

With one more show of his dancing skills on water, he shook the rattle trap free. The fish was so close to us he splashed us and said, "See you suckers!"

I screamed; I could not believe we lost him.

Blake had a smile a mile wide. I could not love him any more than I do. We vowed to fish that lake until we catch that monster.

Well what do you think of that?

Love,
Mom

What do I think of that?

I'll tell you what I think of that!

AWESOME!!!

What better experience for a young man than to hook into a lunker Largemouth Bass! And to fight him to shore several times, only to lose him to some weak hooks, and still think it's the greatest thing ever, well what does that tell you about that young man? I am pleased as punch and very proud of the sportsman he has become, that's what I think of that.

When Bubby spoke to me he told me that the hooks had straightened out from the weight and strength of the largemouth. As soon as they send me the pictures of the Rattletrap I'll post them.

Now about my new fishing rod...

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member:Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner, Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A RaschAlbert A Rasch So, you want to be a contractor. Handfeeding a Baby Mockingbird Clean and Repair your Ruger 10 22 Magazine

Largemouth Score: Dad 1, Blake 7

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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With only a couple of more days left to me on R&R, I am trying to take advantage of the break and get out there with BassMaster Blake. The kid has some kind of magic touch, because he just reels them in while I flail about helplessly, casting the same lure, at the same retrieve in the same spots and coming up empty handed!

First Largemouth Bass of the day!

Blake's #2 bass...

Number three in hand...

Fourth Largemouth...

Later that afternoon, #5 was brought in...

And shortly thereafter number six!

This four foot cottonmouth

was all I could catch up until that point...

And then this lunker slammed my crankbait!

Blake mercifully quit after #7;
this little but pretty largemouth!

What a great day! We had a blast chasing Largemouth Bass from lake to lake. All in all we covered about sixty miles from where we started to where we called it quits. As I have mentioned before, Florida is just dotted with lakes of all different sizes, and we just headed North stopping at every lake we could legally access.

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member:Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Nebraska Hunting Company CupidFish.com Scott Croner

Bag Your Limit, But Limit Your Bag!

© 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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Well my friends,

Afghanistan is still the same dirty and dusty crap heap it was when I left last time! Some things never change...

But, I think often about all of you back in the states, and fishing is right at the top of my mind.

I'm guess that many of you have either been out, or are getting ready to start hitting the water looking for some fish to peel line from your reels. I am willing to bet that lots of you are accomplished fishermen, that actually catch fish, unlike me, who spends a lot of money so that my kids can show me up! But to make my point, when you boat one, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to keep it, or release it?

I rarely keep anything I catch. It seems that when I am prepared to take something home, the fish don't cooperate. And when I have an empty and iceless cooler, the fish practically jump up on shore... Go figure.

Anyway, some folks are real good at catching fish, but not so good at releasing them, good eating fish or otherwise. On the fishing piers I see lots of undersize fish, inedible fish, and out of season fish, lying on the hot concrete, or head first in a plastic pail.

I've seen it on lakes too. Largemouth Bass on a stringer. I don't know about you, but runoff fed lakes in Florida are full of fertilizer and pesticides, are you really going to eat that bass?

Catch and release, that's my thing. Unless it's a redfish that's in the slot, or a Spanish mackerel that I can sushi slice right there, it all goes back in the drink after the fight. With the kids I am a little more lenient, they know that in the evening the fish they catch are going to be on the menu.

I'm not against anyone keeping their catch, quite the contrary, I like to see folks cleaning their catch and icing their fish. But it's the wasted fish that drives me mad.

And it makes the Game Warden of FWC mad too! In Florida we are very fortunate that the FWC patrols the piers and jetties frequently. I have personally seen them ticket plenty of folks for fishing without licenses, having undersized fish in their buckets, and my favorite, getting clobbered for about $300.00 for having a juvenile Goliath Grouper.

Before you keep that fish, think about what you are going to do with it. Don't put too many fish in the cooler or on the stringer. Think about next year and the fishing you are enjoying today!

Until next time!

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner, Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A RaschAlbert A Rasch So, you want to be a contractor. Handfeeding a Baby Mockingbird Clean and Repair your Ruger 10 22 Magazine

Blake's Fishin' Adventure

© 2009, 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Boy did we have a ball!

Blake, Mom, and I, went to the beach yesterday. Jordan (The Bear), had to work, so he was stuck dealing with elderly customers, all of whom suffer from assorted and indescribable ailments, and who have absolutely nothing better to do than to tell him about said ailments in nauseating detail, while he tries to explain complicated electronics to them. (We get all sorts of compliments on him all the time! They just love his patience and attentiveness.) All the while we cavorted in the surf and kicked up the sand.

Casperson Beach near Venice is one of our favorite beaches in Florida. Not only does it have great picnic areas, it also has Native American burial mounds, sharks teeth galore, shells, and to top it all off, great fishing.

We went to our favorite picnic table and set out our usual array of accouterments, while Blake looked for something to start a fire with. We won't use lighter fluid. We're kinda borderline on the matches business, but I haven't made a bow and drill yet, nor do we have a flint an steel set... It didn't take him long to get a good ball of palm fuzz and a handful of twigs. Before Mom and I had the table set, he had the tinder set up and the lump charcoal ready. A quick strike of a match and presto, fire started!

While we waited for the charcoal to ash over, we wandered around the mangrove estuaries to see what was to be seen. Occasionally we find an interesting shell or even a good shark's tooth. A juvenile armadillo made his presence known by rooting around as they do looking for the odd grub or ant in the leaf litter. A few egrets were resting and a couple of squirrels jumped from tree to tree, scolding us for intruding.

We headed back to the picnic area and Blake took the cast iron pot and set it over the fire. Mom popped the cooler open and served us a couple of ice cold IBC Cream Sodas to bolster our spirits, while I opened a can of refried beans, put a half stick of butter in the pot, and took the cooked garlic out of the cooler. (Here's a neat idea: The night before, boil a head of garlic for about twenty minutes. If you make soups regularly you can boil an extra one or two while making the soup. It softens the garlic and takes the bite out of it. When it cools, take the paper off the cloves and put them in a small plastic container or some aluminum foil.) The beans went into the pot along with the garlic. I stirred them occasionally to keep them from burning. In the meantime Mom had pulled the flank steak out of the cooler. We prepared it the previous night and had left it marinating in a large ziploc bag. Olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and of course, white wine makes up the marinade.

When the grill got good and hot, I slapped the steak on it and let it sizzle. A couple of flips and a few minutes later the steak was done. Mom produced the cutting board, a sharp knife, and I sliced that beautiful cut of meat across the grain. Tortillas were heated right where the steak was, a little bit of butter rubbed on the warmed flour circle. With refried beans spooned on, steak slivers, and shredded cheese to top it off, no king ever ate better!

With bellies full we picked up our fishing gear and headed to the surf line.

Bubby (as I call Blake) throws a pretty good cast net and managed to catch us a couple of dozen shad. We baited our hooks and cast them out. I hooked a couple of small Jack Crevalles almost immediately. After an hour or so, Blake gets a good hit. Rod bent and drag squealing, he held the rod high and let it do the work. The thrilled look on his face was unforgettable! He had to work that fish a good hundred yards down the beach, and there were a couple of times that I thought he might get spooled. But the drag and good rod handling finally wore that fish down!

When it was all said and done he beached a 21 inch bluefish. I warned Bubby not to put his fingers anywhere near that fish's chompers! Blues have been known to bite people's fingers off.

After the requisite pictures he hit the water again and before long had hooked another fish. This time after a much shorter fight, he brought in an 18 1/2 inch speckled trout!



We all had a great time. There's nothing like watching a boy enjoying the great outdoors, and all it has to offer!

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...