I was looking for a place to tell a story on here. Felt that this story may be too long for the discussion forum, so I decided to put it here. Porter seems to like my stories so here is one for him. If ya'll don't like them I'll shut up. My wife caught me posting one on a Ms. forum and told my son " Now he's posting stories on the ITERNET"
"Game Fish Lake/The Mosquito Hole”
I moved to Greenville in the May, 1973. Followed a blonde headed Delta girl here and have been here ever since. It was the year of the Flood. I was getting my hair cut in July and I asked the local barber where you could catch some bass in the A.M. Well he said, the River is at 47.5 on the Greenville gauge and falling. Put in at the south launch on Lake Lee, go at a 45 degree angel across the lake to your right. When you hit the tree line, work your way back through the timber until it breaks out in Game Fish Lake or The Mosquito Hole. At daylight I did just that, and after a tough time I broke out in the lake. I motored down the lake to the North until I hit the end of the lake, broke out my rod and started fishing. I was not doing much and with the high water it was deep at the end of the lake. I started hearing some fish breaking water back further west in the woods and just figured it was buffalo. It just so happened that I was looking back that way and saw a bass come all the way out of the water. I paddled back into the woods and saw what was happening. There was a small creek coming off Bell Island and where it broke into the lake, the bass were having a field day on the shad that were coming out of the backwater on the Island. There was a grassy point there and I tied my boat up and stepped out into ankle deep water and caught 27 bass on a chrome bushwhacker. I registered this event for all time in my mind for future reference.
You may say, “What does a bass fishing story have to do with Turkey Hunting? Well I’ll tell you how I was introduced to Sport of Turkey Hunting. ---- In 1978 the Mighty Miss got up again and having registered the previous river reading in my mind, I found myself at the same launch in the spring of 1978. It was before light and I launched my boat. There was a guy trying to start his small Johnson motor and it would not speak a word. I asked him if he was needed some help. He immediately came back with “Sure – where are you going fishing.” I told him that I was going fishing over in Game Fish and he said “Great, would you give me a lift, I’m going turkey hunting over there on the Island.” I said sure hop in. We motored over there and he directed my path like he had done it many times before. Broke out in the lake and he said “ You going to fish at the far end of the lake?” I said “Yes”, and we soon arrived there just as it was breaking light. He said just set me out on the bank back in the woods there. It turned out to be where the creek came in. I let him out and this is what he said. “ If you hear me shoot, come pick me up real quick.” Then I knew!!!!! This was a Poacher, and I was going to be an accessory to his crime. All I could think about was “You are going to jail”. Well I hadn’t fished 20 minutes and I hear him shoot. Being young and stupid, I cranked the motor up, and picked him and his huge turkey up, ran him back across Lake Lee and then went back to fishing. I don’t think I caught a fish all morning. I was too busy thinking about that poached turkey and being an accessory to the crime.
