Some years it’s tough deciding which is the top outdoor story of the year. Not this time.
The refilling, restocking and re-opening of Lake Tangipahoa at Percy Quin State Park this summer is by far the winner. All that’s needed now is to open it back up to fishing, but that won’t happen until fall of 2016, at the earliest.
The lake at Percy Quin had been drained since August 2012 when Hurricane Isaac damaged the dam. This year renovations to the dam were finalized, and the lake filled across the summer.
In July, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks released 250,000 baby bream into the lake, followed by 25,000 Florida-strain largemouth bass. This month 29,875 white crappie joined their brethren.
The lake opened to recreational boating, though not fishing, on Aug. 1.
Shortly thereafter I took to the lake by canoe and found a delightful marsh-like setting, as much of the vegetation had yet to die. That will change, of course, and meanwhile the plants provide needed cover for fish.
Here are other big outdoor stories from 2014, listed in chronological order:
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In January, two Louisiana men were fined and sentenced to jail time after a law enforcement official caught them dumping deer carcasses in a creek.
Amite County constable and solid waste enforcement officer Murry Toney waited in ambush all night before catching the men red-handed.
Charges included possession of marijuana, pollution of water, open container, trespassing and hunting from a public road, which stemmed from possession of a loaded rifle.
Toney was later named Citizen of the Year by the Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce.
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In March, road conditions at Lake Mary got so bad that a group of camp owners went before the board of supervisors, held their own public meeting and contacted the Enterprise-Journal.
At issue was loose sand, bumps and potholes so bad that drivers could barely exceed 10 mph on Lake Mary Road.
Road work was done across the year, including a significant reworking this fall.
Also, the state approved raising the new Lake Mary spillway 16 inches after camp owners complained that it didn’t raise the water level high enough.
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In April I got to accompany John Ruskey of Quapaw Canoe Co. on a 100-mile float trip in a 30-foot wooden canoe from Natchez to St. Francisville, Louisiana.
This wasn’t just a pleasure cruise. Ruskey was working on a mile-by-mile description of the river from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico especially geared for paddlers. He calls the project “River Gator” and is more than halfway through the four-year task.
Actually, it was a pleasure cruise for me. Ruskey is a professional outfitter expert at making sure his passengers are safe, comfortable and well-fed. In such a seaworthy craft and with such experienced hands as his crew of “river gators,” all I had to do was paddle when I felt like it and enjoy fine campfire cuisine.
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Lake Tangipahoa wasn’t the only body of water to be stocked with fish this year. The wildlife department also released 55,000 baby crappie into Okhissa Lake in April.
Okhissa was already stocked with bream, bass and catfish. Crappie were released into the lake in 2007 and 2008, but they didn’t take. Biologists predicted it will be two years before these fish are big enough to catch.
There was also talk of lifting the slot limit on bass at Okhissa after samplings showed that bass are too thin, bream too small and catfish scarce.
However, the plan resulted in protests by fishermen and never came to pass.
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In May a McComb fisherman narrowly escaped being beaned after a school of large fish attacked him at Lake Mary.
Buddy Leonard had just cranked his boat motor when a mob of Asian carp erupted all around and began slamming into him.
By the time he escaped, he had 22 carp in his boat, each around 12 to 15 pounds, and the impact left the aluminum vessel with a leak.
Asian carp inhabit lakes connected to the Mississippi River and often leap out of the water when disturbed by motor noise. A fisheries biologist speculated Leonard may have cranked up right on top of a school of the fish.
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Area gardeners outdid one other this summer in raising giant watermelons.
Delton Moak of Bogue Chitto grew a 100-pound Carolina Cross. Ronnie Reynolds of Liberty produced a 112-pound Carolina Cross.
And Frankie Cain of Liberty sported a 112.5-pound North Carolina Giant.
Reynolds said his might have been even bigger if he hadn’t picked it too soon. “I feel like it would have gotten to 150 pounds if I’d have waited,” he said. “I’ll know better next year.”
