The world is a fascinating place. You can’t have an opinion on something without the world coming down on you. I stuck up for one of them. She went a little far with some comments that made her look racist. It’s too bad she didn’t back off just a little and see how it would have gone differently. Nonetheless, she was entitled to say the things she did. I watched in amazement as the other side tore her apart. I wondered how these people got connected to begin with. With me, anyone connected to me is there for a reason and we don’t have these problems. Whatever. It’s her deal but I gave her some support. She was entitled to 99% of what she said. That 1% really hurt her.
A presidential election: It should be interesting. I don’t talk politics. I support the guy currently doing the job. I like the way this guy is doing the job. I’d like him to continue doing the job. His opponent, is it going to be Biden? In my opinion, if it is, reelection is a done deal. But, whatever. The outcome doesn’t really matter to me. I spent eight years ignoring the previous guy, I can do that again.
The world goes on.
The virus: It will go on for a while. All the “talk”, reopening America. My thoughts are: They might be jumping the gun. With the virus, new terms. Social distancing. Be social, just do it from six feet or more apart. I do it from like 50 yards. No virus anywhere near me. The front gate is locked. No one comes on my property. I’m just killing time. Necessary trips are fast and then it is back home. I don’t touch anything and I take hot showers with heavy soap when I get home, almost overkill because I didn’t touch anything when I was out. But I do it anyway.
Suggested for this one: Littering. Working on a kayak launch, Mike said he is going to bring the bags and pick up trash. People just throw their stuff on the ground. The location he is talking about, I have cleaned it up 100 times over the years. Probably five times a year the last 20 years. People just continue to throw their trash on the ground. Me, I take it with me. I throw it out when I get home. What if everyone did that? How much nicer would this world look?? On TV “and maybe that will stop people from throwing their trash in the water.” Why throw it anywhere except in a receptable that is going to a dump??? I simply don’t understand people that throw their trash on the ground. I’ve been picking up after these people for 40 years. And, it never seems to get any better Laziness: People just can’t keep it in their car and throw it out when they get home. When I become rich, I will be buying garbage cans and putting them out. Give the people “a chance” to not throw the stuff on the ground. I don’t understand and I’ll never understand. It looks bad and it is completely unnecessary.
What to talk about: Always the choice. Positive things. People aren’t killing each other. The negatives: People got restless and they are out and about, and if they have the virus, they’re spreading it. It as amazing. Busiest I ever saw it five weeks ago. Roads were clogged like I had never seen. Then, roads were the emptiest I had ever seen. Just surreal.
Just how long does it go on? Talks of reopening beaches in Sarasota. Beaches reopened in Jacksonville. The stores are open. I can’t quite grasp the logic that stores are open and people are in there but the beaches are closed?
I could talk about my virginity. I almost lost it a while back.
At 50 years old: I’m growing tired of some things. I went back to Facebook which was ultimately a mistake. I did it to appease a friend who was dying. It made him happy. I stayed. But reading the stupid stuff people post just has me at wits end. The stupid “Face Book Games” that people do. What movie star were you? Who were you 100 years ago? It’s stupid. It is a waste of their time but personally: I don’t want to see it. So I posted about it. If you are one of those people, I’m dumping you. It had an impact. It is really fairly recent but some will fall. I guarantee I will drop some. I still can’t stand the people that butcher the English language. You went to high school? And passed?
Wait: This is a fishing web site. So, Mel has been gone ten years and two months now. Yesterday, a guy posts a picture with his first snook. I replied. I told him to take the other hand and put it under the fish. No one battled me. Comments, I elaborated. People replying that I was “teaching them” and they would try to do it better. To me, a failure that people haven’t been told elsewhere and they are hearing it from me.
Web sites? Capmel.com is huge. I keep publishing and it keeps growing. My attempts to fix the Google ads: A complete failure. I talked to a “Google Ads expert” and he gave me an email address. So, I sent an email. An automatic reply “we don’t respond to this email address.” Nice. Mike, a client, is going to try. Brady, a high school teammate, is going to look into it. Both of them have some experience and skills in these matters. The site used to earn two to three dollars per day. Now, it says I’m earning but it isn’t being added to my total. Google: No help at all. Zero. Nine years. Almost ten: Trying to establish a contact there and NOTHING. How do businesses like this not fail? It’s depressing, surprising and disheartening all at once. I don’t understand. Their blocking controls: The ads I approve never show up. All these ads I didn’t approve do show up. Why??
One guy wrote me privately. That went back and forth for a while. I think one of the most interesting parts of that was when I told him “I’ve caught more snook than all of you put together and I believe in handling them a certain way. All of you have probably killed ten times what I have in bad handling practices.” He was stunned. He was convinced I was right but it was a Wake-Up call.
That aside: The fishing is excellent. All the closures, the Virus. The fish have had a break and the action has been the best I have seen in approximately 15 years. And, it could continue to improve. What do we learn from it? If I am successful, a great deal. If I am not successful, I’m likely leaving the state of Florida. Plain and simple: If we can’t take care of it: I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. It is that simple.
Flounder: An option. First time in five years. Pompano: Seasonal, about to get good. Trout are easy and everywhere. Other species: Better. You really have to be happy about it if you know what has been going on here. I am. Catching fish is more important than taking fish home. Go to the grocery store if you need something to eat.
The May reports and forecast: I rely on old published reports for formatting. But they are all rewritten in the “now”. I do four of them. Upper Tampa Bay, Lower Tampa Bay, The Kayak Report and the Florida Kayak Fishing Forecast. These reports take more hits than other items published to capmel.com. Probably in a huge part because I email the links to my database. If the other guides emailed out their links, I’m sure they would be right up there with me.
Half the order of hooks arrived: Back to tying. Did ten teasers and two pompano flies right out of the gate. I have stepped away from it. Taking a break. I have 50 pompano flies and 22,000 teasers so I can get back to it whenever I feel like it. I wanted to learn how to tie a really good shrimp. I have decided I’ll just get them from someone else that ties a really good shrimp. I’ve got the material to make some white flies. Bill gave me six bundles of this hair. Some of it brown, a lot of it is white. I’ll only need one of them. The others will go to tyers in the Captain Mel Classic.
Did a trip yesterday: Father and his two boys. Now the schedule is empty for a month. Will someone want to go? I hope so. They had a good day yesterday. The 13 year old was solid. The 10 year old got good at it after I worked with him for a while. The father, I kind of cut loose to do some running around on his own. They all caught quite a few fish.
In the meantime: Reels removed for servicing. Buying a few new. Taking Kumpa fishing next week. And probably bringing Mike. Pompano: They weren’t there yesterday, will they arrive next week??
Onward to May.
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
