The small Concordia Parish village of Ferriday has received national if not worldwide acclaim for three reasons. Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. Three cousins, who grew up in Ferriday would become known across the globe for Lewis’ and Gilley’s piano-pounding music and Swaggart’s preaching.
Seven miles up the road from Ferriday, the Franklin Parish hamlet of Gilbert has produced another notable figure who’s behind the scenes work with his video camera has made his name known throughout the outdoors industry. He is John L. Brown, Jr. who for some 20 years worked as videographer for the National Wild Turkey Federation, eventually being named Executive Producer.
For more than two decades, his expertise with the camera put him in close quarters with every well-known name in the outdoors industry.
Brown has now retired and has moved back home to his north Louisiana roots. He finally had time to put together a wonderful hard cover book, “Gathering Light” that covers his life from growing up along the Tensas Basin to his years of loading up and packing his camera gear to film hunts with the most notable outdoors personalities across the country.
“Gathering Light” begins as Brown, a youngster, watched and lamented over the destruction of the thousands of acres of prime hardwoods in his beloved Tensas Delta being brought to the ground and burned. The reason for this horrific destruction had to do with the fact that the fertile land along the Tensas could grow soybeans, a crop seen at the time as more valuable than oak trees. Soybeans could grow back every year while you could just about forget about ever replacing the hardwoods.
At the age of 24, Brown and his roommate, Rex Moncrief were working at a lumber yard when an earlier chance encounter with the promotion’s director of a local NBC affiliate led to an escape from loading lumber for customers. Brown and Moncrief pitched the idea of producing a local outdoor program for the station. Long story short, their program, “The Outdoor News” was born and enjoyed success for several years.
From “The Outdoor News” came the opportunity to do free-lance work for companies such as Knight and Hale, Primos and others.
“Gathering Light” covers Brown’s eventual expertise with his video camera to capturing the attention of other companies. He was slowly but steadily climbing the ladder to his eventual landing a plum of a job with the National Wild Turkey Federation, a position he held for some 20 years until an unceremonious release from the organization.
One thing that led to his success probably more than anything else was imparted to him by well-known outdoors video producer, Ron Jolly, a fellow Louisianian.
“John”, Jolly told him, “there are two things that I’ll tell you about this business that are absolutes regarding the job. One, you must be an eternal optimist. You must believe that without a doubt that the buck you’re hunting is about to walk past your stand, or that the next yelp will elicit a gobbler. Number two, you must enjoy seeing others succeed.”
Brown writes that as time passed, he understood what Jolly was saying as he saw the failure of others who couldn’t derive satisfaction seeing someone else pull the trigger.
Personally, I finished my copy of “Gathering Light” in one sitting. It brought back memories of the times I was privileged to visit with John over the years and as an outdoors writer, my association with so many he writes about. If you have any interest at all in the outdoors, I’m convinced it’s a book you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
“Gathering Light” is available at Amazon.com. For an inscribed copy of the book, which sells for $25, contact Brown at 486 Marion Sims Rd., W. Monroe, LA 71292.
FISHING REPORT
CANEY LAKE – Big chinquapins are on the beds and some real good fish are being caught on small crawfish, worms and crickets. Big oversized plastic worms are picking up some good sized bass in deeper water around the secondary points. Crappie are best fishing jigs or shiners around submerged tops. 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 bedded and biting crickets and worms around the trees. Crappie are around the trees and are fair on shiners and jigs. Bass are fair on spinners. Contact Honey Hole Tackle Shop 323-8707 for latest information.
BUSSEY BRAKE – Bass have about done spawning and have moved off the banks. Best lures are creature baits. Some big crappie are being caught on the flats on shiners and jigs. Bream are on the beds and hitting worms and crickets. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The water is still high. Bream are beginning to bed in the backwaters. No report on bass and crappie. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – Bass are about ready to school. Soft plastics, crank baits and jigs are picking up some fish. Crappie are good with most having completed the spawn and they have moved out of the shallows on the flats and are hitting shiners and jigs fished 8 feet deep in 12-14 foot water. Bream are on the beds and taking crickets or worms. Catfishing is good fishing cold worms off the banks. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – The bass are in both the shallows as well as in deeper water. Topwater lures are taking some in the shallows while soft plastics and crank baits are best for those moving out to deeper water. Night fishing is starting to pick up on dark colored worms and spinners. Crappie are starting to move out to 12 foot water and are hitting mostly shiners. Bream are on the beds and worms and crickets are working on them. Catfishing has been good on night crawlers fished on noodles. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – Catfishing is good and the bream are on the beds. No report on crappie or bass. For latest reports, call Poverty Point Marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is rising again and the road is under water to the landing. No fishing reports this week. For information, call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.