NFC: Little Creek of Dreams

[Irate_Mormon <archimed at netdoor_com>]

I haven't done much posting about it, but while the weather has been nice I 
have been making several sampling trips to previously untried 
locations.  It's temping to go back to spots where I know I can get nice 
fishes like welaka and such, but this year I wanted to spend a significant 
amount of time scouting out new sites.  I was browsing Steve Ross' new book 
this morning and I found myself turning back to a picture of Little Sand 
Creek (if you have the book it's on page 127).  I looked at my atlas and 
discovered that it was only an hour away via the Natchez Trace, and in the 
same direction I needed to take in order to drop off my wife's force dryer 
(repaired) at the grooming shop.  I was worried about the water level since 
we had torrential rains yesterday, but when I got to the site my fears 
vanished.  This is the fish collector's dream site: easy access, shallow 
with a firm substrate, next to a campground (my camping experience on the 
Okefenokee trip was so enjoyable I have resolved to camp whenever possible 
on my collecting trips), and full of neat fishes.  I loaded up on 
Campostoma and redfin darters, and also found Notropis longirostris (common 
in MS), F. olivacous, and an unidentified minner (I'm working on it - It's 
NOT chrysocephalus).

When I was packing up, a fellow on a bicycle stopped by my truck to find 
out if there were any grocery stores not too far down the road.  I said no, 
and gave him a MRE I keep in my truck for emergencies.  He said he had 
almost caught an armadillo but missed so he was without a meal!  Turns out 
this fellow snacks on the creatures fairly regularly.  Anyway, he was 
noticing my dipnet and became so entranced with it he insisted on buying 
it.  I didn't want to sell it, but I relented because it was getting holes 
in the bag anyway, and he offered more than I paid for it.  He also offered 
to give me a "Tilley Hat", which I examined with great interest.  This is a 
really neat hat - kind of like the one I'm wearing in my photo on the NANFA 
site, but it has snaps to hold the sides up in nice weather, and a pocket 
in the top.  Also, the fellow told me that the company would replace the 
hat for the life of the owner under any circumstances (e.g. dog chewed it 
to shreds).  It's billed as "The World's Greatest Outdoor Hat" and I'm 
inclined to agree - I'm gonna have one!  I didn't accept his generous offer 
because the hat was too small.  He also had a really neat chair called a 
Sling-Lite or some such.  Very light and VERY comfortable.

All in all, a most enjoyable excursion :-)



Prost,

Martin
Jackson, MS
-------------------
I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says 
something like, "Hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me?" 
or "Do you have that $50 you borrowed?" Man, quit being so cheap!