Having lost power for several hours last weekend due to a storm, memories emerged of a column I wrote years ago for Louisiana Conservationist magazine. With your indulgence, I’m sharing that column with you.
DRAGGING A TEENAGER DOWN MEMORY LANE
Contrary to rumors about me, I’m not all that old. It’s just that I seem to possess the uncanny ability to dredge up and bring into sharp focus vivid details of things that happened to me ages ago. It thus seems a paradox that I can’t ever seem to remember where I laid my glasses. It takes very little to get me off on a stroll down memory lane taking with me, whomever happens to be within earshot.
My most recent, if reluctant, companion for a trip down the lane was Melissa, our
teenager. She actually had no choice because a brief but savage storm had zapped us, rendering inoperative everything electrical. And that included TV, stereo and jam box.
With no juice, there was no “Night Court” re-runs; no screeching disc jockey spinning such ditties “I’m Too Broke To Pay Attention, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”.
Boredom was closing in on her, so I mercifully came to her rescue. Sitting her down, I began blazing a trail down memory lane, kicking off with a phrase teens love to hear from the lips of their parents…”When I was your age…”
Not wanting to appear overly eager to hear my “back when” stories she cleverly masked her glee with a facial expression like the one you get when the dental assistant comes to the door, calls your name and asks sweetly, “Ready for that root canal?”
“Back when I was your age, we didn’t have electricity, television , running water, indoor plumbing but boy, did we have fun!”
(I’ll bet…).
“You wouldn’t catch us sitting around the house bored. No sir-ree, we’d go down to the creek and catch frogs, crawfish and bugs.”
(I think I’m going to be sick…)
“We’d take the shovel and dig in cow patties for fish bait. Then we’d go catch us a bunch of mudcats.”
(Well WHOOP-de do…)
“And we’d go snipe hunting down in the deep woods after dark. You talk about scary, especially when the rest of the kids went off and left you all alone there in the dark holding the sack and waiting for a snipe. Bet you’d get a kick out that, wouldn’t you?”
(I can’t believe I’m missing Three’s Company…)
“And the games we played…deer and dog, red rover, pop-the-whip. Then for some real excitement, we’d sneak over after dark and turn over a neighbor’s privy.”
(Dear Lord, PLEASE make the power come back on!)
“If you can find an old inner tube, I can make us a sling shot. When I was your age, we’d get us a pocketful of rocks, take our sling shots and shoot snakes, turtles and frogs.”
(Personally, I’d rather have chicken pox…)
Without warning, the power came back on and, like a shot, she was up to the television.
“Wait,” I called after her, “I didn’t get to the good part about how we made flying jennies and cars out of grandma’s snuff bottles.
By the say, have you seen my glasses?
(You’re wearing ‘em….)
“Oh….”
FISHING REPORT
CANEY LAKE – The bream are bedded and hitting crickets and worms. Deep diving crank baits and Carolina rigged worms are picking up some nice-sized bass up to around 10 pounds on the deeper drops while swim baits are working fairly well along the grass lines. Crappie fishing has been best at night on. No report on catfish. For information contact Caney Lake Landing at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BLACK BAYOU – Bream are on the beds and hitting worms and crickets. Crappie are good on shiners fished around the trees. Bass hitting spinner baits. Contact Honey Hole Tackle Shop 323- 8707 for latest information.
BUSSEY BRAKE –Big bass with a good many 7-8 pounders are being caught mostly on soft plastics around the brush along with spinners and square billed crank bits. Crappie are scattered; bream are on the beds and hitting worms and crickets. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – Bass fishing is improving fishing the cuts down river with crank baits and soft plastics. Crappie fishing has been good in the river lakes on jigs and shiners. Bream are on the beds in the woods. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – The water has been down because of a damaged gate but after repairs the lake is at pool stage. Crank baits and soft plastics are picking up bass along the grass lines and on the edges of the channels. Crappie are on the edge of the flats. Bream are on the beds and hitting worms and crickets. Catfish continue to be caught fishing cold worms and night crawlers off the banks. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole
Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Bass have been good on swim baits with good fishing for them at night with soft plastics and spinners. Bream fishing has been best up Isaac Creek on crickets and worms. Crappie fishing has been best up the creeks on shiners or jigs. No report on catfish or stripers. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – Catfish and bream are biting. Bass and crappie slow to fair. For latest reports, call Poverty Point Marina at 318/878-0101. For information, call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is on a slow fall and fishing is good for barfish, bream, bass, catfish and crappie. For information, call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.