The Mule Train

In the early 80’s around May through June there was a group of retired women women who fished. Fisherwomen, I guess. Not very PC I'm afraid, but after all it's Mississippi and we don't have much truck with such foolishness.

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The Cutoff Airstrip

In 1963, on Tunica Lake (then called the Tunica Cutoff) there were 3 fishing camps. Sparkey’s then is now called Rick’s, Poor’s camp became Bordeaux RV Park, and H & R camp, now non existent and just woods. This was before Nel-Win was built. The Tunica Cutoff was, and is, the finest fishing lake within 200 miles of Memphis.

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Big Bard, My Dad

Growing up on Hollywood Plantation, my dad was a seed breeder for Cokes seed company and he wrote a book on growing soybeans.  He was the first farmer in Tunica county to grow rice in this part of the Delta.  He had a seed cleaning business, and a grain storage, the first 12 row equipment in 1959, and the first 16” irrigation well, that to this day will pump 3000 gallons a minute. It takes 15000 gallons of water to put one inch of water on one acre. That well had a 60 horse powered motor. The well ran off natural gas and the transmission line was 100 yard away from the well with an endless supply of fuel.

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Cousin Simp And His Hammer

When we opened in January 1983 there was an ole well on the property and a filtering system to remove iron from the shallow well. The well man went out of town and forgot to buy propane. The filling system froze and broke. We straight lined the well into the piping system and if you mix a bourbon and water there was so much iron in the water it was black.

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The Tattletale

At the bait shop I had 3 concrete minnow tanks with aerators in each one, and a big fan and hammock stretched out over the tanks full of water and aerators and fan running.  A good napping place for after lunch with that hammock and all that wet air blowin' by the big fan.  Lots of folks called that the Tait Tate think tank in there.

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Cajun Pap

One Friday afternoon we were all sitting around the Shanty spinning yarns, when Cousin Baby Gayle and his crew come drifting in. It was Teddy and Pete, Two Dogs, Max Green and Cajun Pap.  We were all yackin', listening to diving stories.

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