Bass Lake Underway

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by MikeM, Mar 19, 2007.

  1. Poppaluv

    Poppaluv I CALL WINNERS!!!

    Mike, do you have any idea how much I regret not filming you on that backhoe swinging that sucker and knocking down the dams while "tipsy"???????? :beer
     
  2. Yardley

    Yardley Club Jackass

    Pave a 2 lane road across it!!!! Staging lanes, race track and shutdown lane will easily fit in there!!!!!!!!
     
  3. Poppaluv

    Poppaluv I CALL WINNERS!!!

    He's got that a;ready. It's long straight and newly repaved!!!!:laugh:
     
  4. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Yes. Starting at my northwest property line, about seven miles of straight newly paved two lane state highway.

    Don't know if I posted this story already or not. My nephew came over and we were having a few "coca-colas" one night last fall. Well, at 2am we decided to take the GSX out for a test run. I knew it was a bad idea.

    We fired her up, got the gate open and took her out on the highway. I turned onto the highway got her straight, rev'd her up, and dropped the clutch. Burned rubber through three gears then turned off at the first crossroads about 1/2 mile down the highway. Turned around. Pulled out on the highway again (never seeing a car go either way yet). Stopped, rev'd her up again and started putting her through the gears again.

    Then, I suddenly saw the blue flashing lights just south of my driveway. I had instant jitters. Suddenly stopped racing and tried to drive like an old woman but it was probably too late for that. The headers and such must have given me away - it's hard to believe he didn't hear all hell breaking loose with a GSX coming straight at him banging the gears. I coasted by the sheriff who had amazingly stopped a car going the other direction and was busy with this little Honda car, and we coasted back into my driveway. I told my nephew to jump out and lock the gate behind me while I high-tailed it back to the garage to lock up the car and shut off the lights. The sheriff never bothered to come onto my property to ask any questions. Praise the Lord.

    Moral is, I have a great strip out in front but we've got to have spotters with walkie talkies to be totally safe if we're going out on the highway. Trust me when I say this, the road is dead for a state road and pretty safe to fool around on. Interstate I55 runs paralell just two miles west, so it's dead as a doornail most of the time. It's only seven miles from the north county line, way far north for the deputies to be just hanging around unless something is going on. I'm talking way out in the boonies. That's what made it so amazing to see one in front of my property at 2am.

    Anyhow, I've never seen a nicer wide paved flat straight highway with less traffic than this one. Constructing one on my own property is cost prohibitive. Besides, the shutdown lanes would end in the lake even if I wanted to do it. Then there's the creek to cross, and the hill on the hayfield. I've come to the realization that this land is going to be great for hunting, fishing and forestry. But it's not flat and dry, so no hope for a race track. That was just a whim.
     
  5. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Bad news, my friend Bill collected his ATV and took it back to Illinois. I think he was probably a bit annoyed at it's condition. Not just because of our picnic, although that couldn't have helped, but overall. It was almost new when he left it down here but somehow I managed to put 500 miles on it this year. Ouch.

    Not to mention the mud packed into the frame and suspension that I couldn't get out with the garden hose nozzels. Problem was that his was a 650cc or so, biggest cc ATV and automatic so it was the first one anybody grabbed.

    So now I only have one ATV (420 Honda Rancher), my RTV (Kubota). and a couple of tractors to get around. It's still too wet for the tractors. So are you interested in coming up again for another get together?

    There are a number of beaver dams that need breaking. The proof of the devils that they are is that they built a big dam this winter directly on top of where the ATT fiberoptics line between New Orleans, Jackson, and to Memphis crosses my creek. If I hit that line digging out the dam with my back hoe it will make the national news and I will be bankrupt. Once again, the truth is stranger than fiction. I'll be digging out that one stone cold sober and shaking. I've been told to break that line would be a penalty of $100K per minute. Which means I'd burn through my $1M liability insurance and the value of the property before the repair crew even can show up to start to fix it.
     
  6. Yardley

    Yardley Club Jackass

    Mike, that's Al Fiandaca's old white X, right? Still runs great, I surmise.
     
  7. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Yes, and yes. Engine is strong and it shifts great.
     
  8. wkillgs

    wkillgs Gold Level Contributor

    You better get out there and scrub the 'evidence' off of the road!:bla:

    .....just blame the beavers!
    Would AT&T come out and remove the dam for you?
    I have an underground line thru my woods and they regularly come out and cut the brush down.
     
  9. Poppaluv

    Poppaluv I CALL WINNERS!!!

    Mike , I guess I don't get to play with the backhoe when we come up next time....:idea2:
     
  10. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    This pic is from last summer. They're even bigger now especially because we're into the spawning season. Over 4# now after just over a couple years.

    I don't have any pics but a friend and I were out there on Thursday fishing for bluegills with crickets seeing who could get the biggest one. He won. That fish was very nice and something that two could share for dinner. Others were keepers too. If the economy falls apart, at least I know I can go out and catch fish every day for dinner. My plan is to install a wood burning stove in there too this year, to eliminate my dependence on electricity.

    In the meantime, it's amazing to see how the pine trees and even the oaks are growing. I'm going to plant a few thousand new trees next month and wish I'd done it a few years ago.

    I have a trapper on retainer for the creek keeping beavers under control, but now I have at least three otters in the lake. Am going to have to get them out. They're eating at least 100# of fish a month.

    Farming is a tough business whether it's crops or anything else. Mother Nature is always pushing back against what you're doing. Critters eating whatever you try to grow. I also tried to plant apple trees and blueberry bushes a couple years ago but the deer ate them before they had a chance.
     

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  11. mrfido

    mrfido Well-Known Member

    Hey Mike
    I will have to stop by the next time I make a run to see my mom in Meridian. Was there in Oct. but it was a overnite trip.
    Mark Sheppard
     
  12. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    This year is for trees. I should have contracted in the fall for hardwoods and fruit trees but was still able this spring to get pines. So far, over 7000. I plan to go down to get another 3500 tomorrow.. Next year about the same number of oaks (10000) and around 1000 fruit trees. Persimmons, mullberries, crabapples, etc.

    I had 50 tons of lime delivered last week to be spread in the lake and reduce the ph. According to the lake management guys that will help the fish grow faster by having a better algae bloom. Probably just sucking me in for more service costs. Not to mention the bi weekly fertilizing during summer and fish feeding about 100# per month. Anyhow, here's what it is now.
     

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  13. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    Very Nice!
     
  14. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Haven't updated this in a while. Here's a pic from today. We're up to 8.5# now.

    Mike Mike Pond Bass 030713.jpg
     
  15. htrdbuick

    htrdbuick Gold Level Contributor

    Mike those are some nice looking fish. They never get that big up here the growing season is just too short.
     
  16. crazychevy

    crazychevy Gold Level Contributor

    WOW Nice Bass:TU: I am going out this afternoon to get My fish on:TU:
     
  17. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Walleye are the best eating fish I've ever had but it's too hot down here for them. I've been fishing to Canada many many times. Lac Seul mostly. It doesn't get much better than that for walleye. But down south, bass are as good as we can get for big fish. No Northern Pike or Muskies down here.

    I reckon in another five years they'll be over 15#. Biggest I've read about on private managed ponds like mine are up to 24#. Mine are still just youngsters. They're under five years old but their lifespan is fifteen to eighteen years.

    Imagine hooking a 24# largemouth bass and trying to reel it in. I have trouble wrapping my mind around that. It's ten years away, but possible. I had the pond guys out this week and they said that the forage (bluegills, sunfish, shiners, shad in small and medium size) in my pond in a ratio for the bass are the best they've seen so far this year. Some of the sunfish and bluegills they pulled up (electro-fishing survey) were the size of bread plates and thick. It's going well. Maybe too well. Catching fish has become harder lately. Maybe it's getting harder to catch a nice one because they aren't hungry and a lure doesn't trigger them as well as it used to.

    Mike
     
  18. crazychevy

    crazychevy Gold Level Contributor

    The biggest Bass We get is 5 to 6 lb the northern pike and the Muskie can get huge:Brow:
     
  19. cpk 71

    cpk 71 im just a number

    Those are some fat fish there mike:)
     
  20. MikeM

    MikeM Mississippi Buicks

    Shooting beavers, catching bass. All going well, according to plan. IMG_0356[1]a.jpg
     

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