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Fish ON !

Salt River catfishBelieve it or not there are quite a few lakes within an hours drive from the East Valley. There is a fishable portion of the Salt River less than ten minutes away. The lakes are stocked regularly with trout and catfish.

We were able to get started with four fishing poles and tackle for under a hundred bucks. Inexpensive rod and reel combinations like the Zebco Rhino or Classic 33 work well and cost between $20 and $40. Almost any ball bearing reel paired with a light to medium action rod will handle an amazing variety of fishing scenarios. I like the spincast reels because they are easy to use and reliable. Recently I purchased a bait casting reel and have made several sweet bird's nests of fishing line trying to get the hang of casting with this infernal contraption. I'm sure it can be done, but it will take serious practice on my part.

Landing a fighting bassProductive baits include Hebrew National hotdogs, cheddar cheese, nightcrawlers and some select lures and artificial bait. We've had our best luck to date with little chunks of Kosher all beef franks. Perhaps those folks do answer to a higher authority. Popular artificial baits like Berkley meal worms and Aaron's Magic salt worms have proven effective, yet not as productive as common "refrigerator" bait.

Results may have something to do with the venue as our convenient lake is rather urban and these fish have access to a virtual deli assortment of feed choices. Bottom line ( no pun intended ) fishing is a great way to spend family time, though the wife may opt out of some spin casting expeditions. She may appreciate the quiet time more than a fighting Bass.

UPDATE August 2008: Caught three good sized Catfish and a dozen Bluegills at Tempe Town Lake recently. Fish the east side of the lake between 0400 and 0700 hours early morning. Got hard bites on Hebrew hot dogs, cheese curds, Gulp worms, chicken bones and baby rabbits. Bring your landing net for Lake Marlin.

Blast OFF !

Rocket LaunchOver the last few years we have lost, blown up, burned down, and fished out more rockets than I care to quantify. As our hobby progressed the space craft became larger, more complex and increasingly expensive to fly.  Electronic payloads (read, more equipment to lose) accompanied the high tech boosters to collect data, fire ejection charges and aid ground tracking crews when recovering the rockets as they returned from the upper atmosphere. 

Launch PrepSince we moved to the desert we have gone back to basics.  Flying lightweight model rockets on engines with C-6 power is every bit as satisfying as the big ticket launches.  The family formula includes nylon parachutes, nomex wadding and in some cases audio tracking beepers.  The lack of trees and tall grasses has greatly improved the rate of successful recovery. The tracking beeper costs a mere $15 to build. 

Sunset RecoveryHere are a few moments, captured in our quest to enjoy rocketry as a hobby while retaining hardware.  We learn a little with every launch, including new ways to cope with loss.  At least our failures don't cost $165 million and end up Mars litter (sorry NASA).
 

There will likely be ( at least ) one more UBER rocket built this year. KLorg Labs will endeavor to construct a three foot tall, 24 mm monster rocket with D through G engine capability that will break the sound barrier on its way to a mile into the sky. Stay tuned for info and video clips.

Launch Movies - Realmedia

ON Target

It all started with a turkey shoot in Palos, IL. Young Dave brought home a turkey, and a dormant hobby that would resurface thirty years later. Dave would dress like a clown ... no wait, that's a different story. In 2005 Dave bought a Ruger 10/22 and rekindled a fire that burned since childhood. Shortly thereafter we added revolvers and semi-automatic rifles to the mix. Now we blast away at citrus fruit, spuds, tin cans and undocumented border crossers.