BLOG April 5 2020 SPRING 2020!

A good day…a WET day…April showers in action. We’re managing just fine, thank you. Sep & the boys – Shooter and Gunner – are definitely just “hanging out”! Not much else guys can do. How about you? Hopefully you and yours are staying healthy and hope this Coronavirus or COVID-19 has not invaded your space. If all goes well, we could begin to come out on the other side within a matter of weeks. At this point, we have no choice but to place our trust in the hands of the experts and specialists that seem to control every move we make these days…and they say, “hang in there, better days ahead, stick together and we will come out of it”. So, stay home if you can and if you’re out, wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, stay away from others and be very careful.

In an effort to keep you motivated and anticipating better days ahead, we’re putting our basic philosophy to work…let’s get outdoors! Our radio shows, California Sportsmen and Ultimate Bass, as part of ongoing “essential business” are on KHTK 1140AM Sacramento, Saturday mornings from 5:00-8:00AM, as usual.

We’ve got lots of fishing/hunting/outdoors stuff to talk about! Our regular listeners know we’re there and we’re putting out more information to invite new folks to join us.

Although the familiar “live on the water” coverage with the super pros is temporarily halted, the guides continue to provide current and pertinent information. We’ve been talking about the where, when, why details of things to expect when we’re all back on the water or in the field, and the pros give detailed how-tos when heading out and doing it. These “radio seminars” covering Sturgeon, Stripers, Bass, Crappie, Halibut, Crab, Rockfish, Steelhead, Kokanee, Mackinaw, Trout and more, are pretty thorough and there’s lots of expert advice to follow! Guys like JAMES SMITH, MERLIN KOLB, MIKE GRAVERT, STEVE HUBER, JAY LOPES, ZACK MEDINAS, STEVE MITCHELL, JAMES NETZEL, J.D. RICHEY, TONY SEPULVEDA, DAVE HURLEY, CASEY & REGINA STAFFORD and more…always have plenty to say…and they do say it!

Our advertisers – the folks that make it happen – continue to hang in there too, so when there’s an opportunity, do support them. Almost every one of them has active telephone service and is available to answer questions. Gone Fishin’ Marine is handling service appointments and mailing merchandise. Ron DuPratt Ford will gladly sell you a vehicle…now or later…and Manteca Trailer has a huge inventory ready to go. Bucks Outboards keep their phone lines open and are there to help you. Guns Fishing & Other Stuff have adjusted store hours. Colusa Casino Outdoor Adventures, Guns Owners of California, Pacific Flyway, Quail Point Hunt Club, Thompsons GMC and the various outdoor papers are very supportive too. And, Fishermans Warehouse/Tackle Technology has an online store and is handling telephone and email purchases daily…and a super CS/UB contest at fishermanswarehouse.com, till the end of April.

We’re all in this together…and together we’ll get through it! It’s tough, more so for some, than others. Help where and when you can. Support your friends and family. I think sports folks are feeling this probably more intensely than others – we are used to freely getting out and about. Fishermen in particular are feeling very frustrated. The fish are there, the seasons are pretty much open and we know the fish are waiting, and we just can’t go get them. Let’s believe…it will happen!

Actually, Sep & I feel we have survived the virus – we were incredibly ill the end of January on into February, for 17 days.The information about the pandemic was just beginning to come out at that time and we happened to do everything that was subsequently recommended – isolation and medication and plenty of bed rest.

Plus, we used up three bottles of Nyquil for the cough, plenty of Tylenol and because we keep it on hand, canisters of oxygen. On the 18th day, we finally felt human again. We never were tested and now wonder if we could get it again…or, if we do indeed have the antibodies in our systems. It was the sickest either one of us has ever been!!

So, if all goes as planned, the three of us – Sep, Kent & I will be in your radio next Saturday, April 11th. We’re putting things together that we hope you will find interesting and helpful and make you wish you were about to experience soon. The radio station is treating us well, as a part of their essential business, and we continue to look on the positive side of our world. Oh, to get a haircut would be a wondrous thing! Like I’ve said…hang in there! Better days are ahead, that you can be assured of and we look forward to seeing you ON THE WATER soon! Marilyn