Thankful: Part THREE

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I’ve got tons of things to be thankful for. My family and I are very Blessed. I give thanks for that every day. I’ve also got quite a list of things I’m thankful for – present and past – when it comes to the outdoors. I’m sure you do to. This is day three of sharing some of them, in no particular order. I hope you enjoy the list.  You’ll probably recognize many of them. Some I felt the need to put a short explanation behind. Others, you just figure it out.  And HEY — I’d love to hear comments from you on some things you are most thankful for in the outdoors! Just click the comment button below…

PART THREE:   Vienna sausages, saltines, hoop cheese and fresh summer tomato from the garden eaten on a hot aluminum boat seat * Big chinquapin bream * The Zebco 33 (and the 22 and 11) * Getting married on the opening day of duck season 38 years ago * The 50’s Diner (fried fish and sweet potato fries)* The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society * Fiberglas jig poles * Graphite jig poles!!! * D’Arbonne Pointe * Being able to leave the lake gracefully when behind in the fish catching count * Castor Creek * “Mr. Kinny…want to go fishing? (greeting from the young man next door often found sitting in my boat when I got home from work).

Jack, who taught me how to catch speckled trout and redfish, fry a turkey, make a good gumbo and use an old discarded worm to catch a 12-pound bass off the bank * Boudin & Dr. Pepper breakfasts on Belle River * Dr. Pepper 10 * Finch Lake * Never shooting the Mojo Duck (at least not yet) * The Gator Hole * Not getting eaten in the Gator Hole *  Simmons’ Sporting Goods * Claiborne State Park * Duck hunting with Herbie * Surviving duck hunting with Herbie * Dog Trot and Cozy Point on Toledo Bend * Learning to flip jigs on Lake Bistineau with Larry Nixon * The blue-back shad color Little N * LBK’s * The Louisiana Outdoor Writers Convention (where someone once accidentally told the truth) * Flying Jack’s Marine Carpentry * Ethel’s at Toledo Bend * Mister Twister * Wood Marine * Hollis’ Seafood buffet * Cliff Shelby’s fishing cartoons * Catching 50 – 100 pound carp with Paul Carter * Stowe Creek * The Mixing Hole * Glenn’s secret hair crappie jig (shhhhhh…) * The Aquarium.

Five words that beat almost all others: “Poppa, can we go fishing?”

Evie catching crickets and throwing them in the lake (“catching bream”) * William getting out of bed and putting on a camo shirt to sleep in just at the mention of deer hunting *  Stewart smiling at his big fresh-caught bream * What Emma and Jack will will be doing soon! (yes, those are the grands) * * Lauren and Andy for joining family outdoor pursuits (no matter how crazy) * Julie baiting her own hook since I can remember * Adam and countless memories hunting and fishing (those are my grown “kids”) * DiAnne putting up with all this * Igloo ice chests * The family camping week at Lake Claiborne * The Leatherman multi-tool * Ducks Unlimited *  Countless duck hunting knowledge from Adam and Matthew * Adam, at age 7, cutting down on a deer at 20 steps with his toy machine gun *  Mallard drakes * Mallard hens * Strange noises in the duck blind before daylight * Ben Duty State Farm * Chemin-A-Haut State Park * Lew’s Speed Sticks with white handles * The original Lake D’Arbonne high school bass tournament * LBK’s fried pork chops, hot water cornbread & turnip greens * Never going ice fishing *  Catching 50 pound flatheads on stump lines in Bussey with Catfish Jack Pruden * Actually catching a largemouth bass on the Ohio River within sight of downtown Cincinnati * Never going back to the Ohio River within sight of downtown Cincinnati *  Corney Lake * Duck hunting flooded woods in the Overflow National Wildlife Refuge * Tone deaf ducks (easily identified by the way they lock up and come in when I’m calling) * Texas rigged plastic worms * Bayou D’Arbonne.