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Red River Wasps
Once, I worked three days on a broken leg, hopping around the pharmacy and eating ibuprofen. But one day, a little old red river wasp did me in. That’s the one day I missed work in seven years.
Chris and I fished the Ochlocknee River sometimes as much as three times weekly when he was around ten years old. I worked shifts at the pharmacy and when I got out at three o’clock and he was out of school, we hit the river. There is nothing better than meandering down a small river with an ultra-light, four pound test, a beetle spin tipped with a cricket outfit, and throwing under willow trees on the shallow side and deep holes in the bend of the river. How I love to hook a long eared sunfish (red belly, hand painted bream) or a blue gill. The generic name for these sunfish is “bream” and in the south this is a two syllable word as in “bre-am”.
On this particular day the current pushed the boat kind of cock-eyed and the stern skidded against a tree limb along the bank and into a large red river wasp nest. They attacked me. Hard and relentlessly they attacked. I’m allergic, not anaphylactic shock allergic, but large swelling allergic. They popped me on one arm and several times in the head. I immediately jumped overboard holding onto the edge of the boat the whole time. Chris was in the front, not knowing what was happening, but according to him I jumped in and came up and into the boat all in one seemingly choreographed motion. He was laughing and even to this day when we mention this, he begins to laugh.
We went straight to the emergency room and by this time my eyes were completely closed and my lips were huge. The hospital staff began laughing with Chris. I did not find it funny. I was injected with a steroid of some kind, and given diphenhydramine (anti-histamine) and sent home. I could not see for twenty-four hours, before finally going back to work. Lesson learned: Beware of those red river wasps.
1.25.10
Strength of the Lasso Net
Interest in the Lasso Net started slowly at first, but now is gaining momentum. I provided some nets late last year to guides, recognizing that it may take some time before they actually use The Lasso Net for evaluation. In the meantime, I wonder how much the nets are being used and how do the users really like The Lasso Net? You know, this is my “baby” something that I have put my heart and soul into for ten years, and I want to know if it is as exciting for the user as it is for me. I realize that any product is not a fit for all circumstances and this is true for The Lasso Net. However, I am making some calls to people who have bought the net to get feedback. People really like that it stores out of the way. Every person tells me where they have it stored, some in the rod locker, some in a bench seat, some simply on the floor of the boat, and some in a rod holder.
I have also learned that many people, when seeing the net for the first time, love the way it works. They cannot believe that so much net stores in a small handle and then is easily pulled from the handle and locked into place. I have also been told by several users that they hesitated to believe that the Lasso Net is strong enough. When I demonstrate in person, I will put a bag of sand weighing approximately 15 pounds in the net and try to break it. You can see the reaction of disbelief in how much abuse The Lasso Net can take, while all along I am telling them, I’ll show you how to break it and I cannot. I also had the same reaction the very first time I assembled The Lasso Net and tried to break it. I really did not know how much it would take, so I started slowly with ease at first, and then really started to get into it. That was the moment I knew that I had a product. See for yourself at www.thelassonet.com and click on “How it Works”. The video showing strength is unedited, completely real and not planned, showing my first attempt to determine the strength of The Lasso Net. While you’re there roll down in the blog and look at the photo of a 20 lb. red in the Lasso Net. That tells it all.
Until later…remember, get hooked on the fish – not the net.
1.21.10
First Internet Customer-Jim Sposato (Right) from Tallahassee, FL with Inventor, Rod Presnell
1.21.10
THIS BLOG IS MORE THAN FISHING IT IS ENTERTAINING INTRODUCTION
This story site (BLOG) is dedicated to more than just fishing. In fact, many of the stories will relate to life on a shade, tobacco farm in Gadsden County Florida. Many readers will relate to a lot of these true life scenes, thinking, yes, they have been there too. That was just the way it was in the 1950s. Some readers may not have a similar past, but they will appreciate the humor and, at times, the stark realism of this small, unique, microcosm of society. Our little community was different, even for the 1950s.
People simply cannot appreciate any of these stories unless they understand shade tobacco. So, at times, I will describe the art of shade tobacco growing and, at other times, sprinkle in real life experiences. You will get to know Jeremiah and Neramiah Lee; Snooz Diggs; Bo-peep; Lucinda; Buttney; Roscoe; and many others. (I just noticed that the spell check on my computer indicated that some of the names were miss-spelled or simply non-recognizable. I can assure readers, however, that although these names may not be recognizable, these are real people who have molded and weaved the fabric of my life.)
So, where do I begin? I will start with bed planting.
Has anyone planted mustard greens seeds? Well, the seeds are very small, and if one were to sneeze on them, they would scatter all over the place. Shade tobacco seeds are smaller than mustard seeds. Sneezing on shade tobacco seeds would be devastating; the seeds cost seven to eight hundred dollars for each one, that is, $700.00 to $800.00 per seed. We would plant thirteen to fourteen ounces each year in small shade, approximately an acre in size. I will explain “shade” in another story; for now, think of shade as a small field. The seeds were sown by hand and packed into the ground. The process is similar to sowing tomato seeds in a small area. Once the tomato plants are large enough, they are transplanted into a larger garden. It is the same with shade tobacco. We plant the seed bed and then transplant each plant into fifty acres of shade fields.
The seed bed was planted in early spring, before school was finished, so I only attended one or two seed bed plantings in my life. Oh, but what an experience it was. Winter is gone, the fields are being prepared, the shade is up, plows and mules are prepared, and the first event of the tobacco season begins. Folks, much of farm work can be boring and very tedious, but the people doing the work transform the experience into something that becomes somewhat bearable and, at times, even fun.
In my next story you will meet Red and many others who lived permanently on the farm. We will plant a seed bed. What a party that will be.
1.21.10
Fishing trip finally scheduled
I have attempted several times to schedule a fishing trip with Captain Kevin Faver of Jacksonville and St. Augustine and it looks like it will happen on February 8th. I am pumped. Captain Faver is the first guide that took the time and the interest in using The Lasso Net. He tells me that he has been wearing it out on redfish, just not recently. These past few weeks going back as far as December, it has been difficult to fish, with the cold water temperatures and the rain. I was in the Jacksonville area a few weeks ago, and a front roared through the day the trip was planned. Captain Faver and I talked the night before the trip and decided to cancel. Actually, he said that the fishing would probably not be any good and it would be miserable, but if I wanted to go he was all in.
Well, I have a couple of meetings in the Jacksonville area the week of February 8th and it looks like a go. Just talked with the Captain. I’ll try to get some photos and will let you know how the Lasso Net hooks some reds…….not the net.
12.12.09
Ten Years to Develop The Lasso Net/ Now Marketing
It has been cold and raining for the past two days in Tallahassee and I played golf on Friday afternoon, but no fishing. However, as I have done the past ten years almost every day, I reflect on The Lasso Net. In the past it has been development and constant revisions. Now, I am spending my time on marketing. Unfortunately, I do not have enough time in the day to do all of things that I need to do, because I also have a real job that requires a lot of travel. In fact, my wife and family does most of the marketing. However, I can write most of my blogs and stories while in airports and hotel rooms. (By the way, I will turn the story link on soon, and encourage you to visit the link. The stories reflect my life as a small boy working on a shade tobacco farm since the age of seven. It is light and fun reading.) Today, however, I’m sitting around the house getting ready for a trip to Indianapolis. Let me tell you what is exciting, even on this day of rain and cold. It is the email orders. When one comes in my wife yells and becomes excited. The excitement is not only that a Lasso Net has sold, but where. That is also the very thing I ask as well. Who and where. It can be from Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama, Jacksonville, and all over the USA. And I always wonder who bought The Lasso Net. I simply cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for those of you who have ordered. I wish that I could tell each of you personally. I have been the one that doubted the e-commerce and if anyone would buy through the internet. I was wrong. Now excited. This will not be the last of this kind of email to express my and my families appreciation, but after only a few weeks of sales I wanted to take the time to thank each one of you.
12.12.09
The Lasso Net
The Net Lassos a large redfish.
12.10.09
Had a chance to use the Lasso Net, but weather intervened
I booked a trip several weeks ago for January 10 with Captain Kevin Faiver of Jacksonville to do some red fishing. You know how it goes, you immediately start looking at the weather forecast several weeks out knowing that it is impossible to predict. Even so, every night and even during the day I clicked the Weather Channel and the local news, while during the day I thought about the fishing trip while working. Even though Kevin and I have used “The Lasso Net” many times, I had not had a chance to fish with Captain Faiver. This past Monday through Wednesday I had a business in Gainesville and from there I visited my daughter and her family. By this time I knew that the chance of fishing was dwindling to nothing. So on Wednesday night Kevin and I touched base. First, deep down, I did not want to go because the weather was going to be miserable with 15 to 20 mile an hour winds from the north with the temp dropping during the day to around the low 50ths. Have I done it before? Yea. And that is the very reason that my gut was telling me to try again at a later date.
So when I talked with Kevin, I did not tell him that I did not want to go, rather I posed the question to him. Truthfully, if the Captain told me he wanted to go, I’m there without question. However, the Captain told me that he would go if I wanted to, but if it was him he would not go. Decision made. So we re-group.
Now I’m driving home from Jacksonville to Tallahassee planning in my head and with my travel schedule when I can plan the next trip. Hey, that’s half of the fun. I can get on an airplane and actually re-live a fishing trip or work on my golf swing. By the way, all is not lost, I have another trip planned for the 19th of this month around the St. Marks river. I’ll get to use The Lasso Net then and let you know how it goes.
12.08.09
The Lasso Net
The Lasso Net is the perfect gift.
12.08.09
Buy the Lasso Net for your family fisherman this Christmas!
The Lasso Net is the only net available on the market for fisherman (and fisherwomen ;) of all sizes that won't tangle, snag or catch during use. It's incredibly easy to use and stows away under a seat or hidden in a corner.
Click here to see how easy the Lasso Net is to use.
12.08.09