The corona virus continues. But, people aren’t sitting home anymore. Traffic in my road: Back to normal. People are everywhere. I still don’t know anyone who has caught it. People who know people: Seven. Seven out of like half a million people I’m connected to? I’m not saying it’s not serious. “The second wave”. How long will this go on. Will things be returning to normal sooner or later?
Got in a couple of fishing trips. Doing better than most. Right during the Busy Season. A lot of trips postponed. Mostly the people from out of state.
So, I hadn’t seen a needlefish in six months. I said something about it. Everyone else has lots of needlefish. The places I’ve been going: Absolutely none.
You try not to be judgmental. I join Facebook pages and people are throwing back fish they thought were blue runners, but are pompano. They have a pompano but they think they have a jack? So, I know more than some people do. If you take the time to go fishing, don’t you take the time to learn what it is you are catching??
Worse: People who should know but don’t. Redfish are closed. Speckled trout are closed. Not everywhere but around here. You keep them: You are a poacher.
The Neil Blog, really the only thing that deviates from fishing on Capmel.com. It has added a variety and it does have a following. What to write about? Things present themselves and that’s what I put in here.
In the slowdown: Tying flies and pompano teasers. Selling rods. Business is overall, slow but not completely nonexistent. Things going back to normal would be very nice.
I only have a few rods left to sell. My reels: Went to Phil for servicing and four new reels are in the rotation. A year and a half: No servicing of the Tsunami reels. Three of the five were still just fine. After Phil is done with them, all five will be like new.
Another stimulus? As an economist, I think one time was enough. It helped me but I know how to make that $1200 last. I suppose this country has the resources to do it and this slowdown is temporary. But I’m nervous about what another trillion dollars does to the US dollar. I am not alone. There are concerned citizens.
Tropical development on May 12? No impact but this shows how warm it has been to start the year. Three weeks to hurricane season, what’s it going to be like this year? I have already supplemented my supplies. Sometime in the future: A generator. I figure, another year: Major storm, I’m locking everything up and driving to North Carolina. Part of my hurricane preparation: Eating up the perishables. Buying in smaller quantities and more unperishables for the next six months. Want to lock up the house, expect no power and nothing is going to spoil. Throw the small quantity of that stuff in a cooler and take it with me.
Hopefully, no major storms. I am ready for the rainy season to start again. I do like the daily rains. I like how happy it makes the shrubs and grass. I’m just happy to see rain. An Arizona guy, I always have been.
Such a dull existence with the virus stuff. I have run out of things to do. Now, I’m cleaning on top of cleaning which isn’t a bad thing. I really have worked on things. Now: I’m not sure what to do. Digging deep to find things to work on. But it’s a good thing. I went through every drawer and cabinet. I went through everything I own really.
Hockey resumes? Baseball in July? You would figure things settle enough by football season, but you never know. NCAA basketball is gone. Hockey is a big one for me. Will Tampa Bay pick up where they left off? Their players: Out fishing these days.
Arguments on immunity. You caught it. Can you catch it again? They think there’s an immunity but they’re not entirely sure. A vaccine? Why hasn’t that been developed yet? You have to have the experts all over the world on this one. What’s the holdup? Only one person I know has had it. My friend John’s son who is special needs and in a facility. The virus got in the facility. Of all the other people I know, only six contacts of theirs have had it. So, seven. Seven people out of 500,000? I tried to make a guestimate and 500,000 is what I came up with to estimate “the number of people my people are connected to.” It might be a million. And maybe there are people who got it but aren’t talking about it.
Fishing: It has been good. I would say it faded a little. Later April and the start of May was OK but probably not as good as it was in early April. Pompano need to really get going. They get in good, I’m probably going to get more calls. If I don’t, I don’t. I’ll go over to 12 Fathom. I’ll work for Craig. His employee, really disappointing: Pretended to have the virus to stop working and file unemployment. Can you believe that one? I liked the guy. Now, I think he is the scum of the Earth.
Lots of people asking “What about the Captain Mel Classic?” As things ease up, it will be discussed. A lot of people would like to see it happen this Fall. Well, I have another tournament planned for November 15th. I believe it just makes sense to have the Classic next April. Maybe even bump it up to March?? We still need things to improve. The Fat Cat Tavern is back open which is progress. But I don’t think that a gathering like the Classic is allowed yet. And, it may be a while. I’m just patiently watching. Will it get worse? Has the worst already passed? Time will tell. Hopefully the heat of summer helps finish it off.
Getting to Bill Jackson’s to restock some tying supplies. Pink for teasers and gold for the pompano flies. I have 120 hooks. I will tie about 90 teasers and the rest my pompano fly. I joined a group where there is a fly swap. So I will submit mine and I will get 15 flies from other guys around the country.
This site: Google remains the worst company in America. Capmel.com says it’s earning up to ten dollars a day. None of that money is being added to my account and no one at Google is talking. They owe me thousands of dollars. Not good. I put experts on it: No help. They’re frustrated like me. Not that it is that critical but the site made money for 22 years. Now, nothing. It has been stuck on $22 for a month. That’s no good.
Second worst? Frontier. They overbilled me. Kept changing me after I cut off service. I paid. Then I stopped. They kept trying to collect more money. I would write a letter back to them with every statement they sent. Eventually got on the phone with them and thought it was straightened out. Got two calls from bill collectors so they didn’t fix it. Worst part was: It was the worst service I ever had. I shouldn’t have had to pay for it to begin with it was that bad. I am in ignore mode now. Not returning calls: Don’t care. I figure, I gave them over $100 they didn’t deserve to begin with. No more.
Don’t want to end on a bad note. There are some good things. I have gotten to projects I may have never done if not for what’s going on in the world. Kind of running out of things to do but I am still able to keep finding something to do.
Fishing reports: Once a month. I had a guy come by a few days ago. He said, “I remember the good old days when you did your fishing reports every two weeks.” That is correct. I switched to once a month about four years ago. Feature articles: There is very little left to write about but there are more coming.
Book #5 is in final editing. For all intents and purposes, done. It will not publish until things change. That’s all I’ve got to say about it.
I can’t really complain. Every time I think “it’s gone dead” the phone rings. Nowhere near what things are like normally in April and May but I have gotten out more than most. And, this might be winding down and things normalizing?? So much business that was supposed to happen that didn’t. Oh well.
It is well into May meaning “summer is here.” This next warmup, it’s going to be hot for eight months.
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
