WEBVTT

1
00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:12.960
<v Speaker 1>The summer of twenty seventeen, I had a day off

2
00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:17.679
<v Speaker 1>and I was fishing on the Lower Mississippi River near Osceola, Arkansas.

3
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.160
<v Speaker 1>I was anchored in the water below a sandbar when

4
00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:25.600
<v Speaker 1>a summer storm started brewing. I watched it for a while,

5
00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.120
<v Speaker 1>trying to decide what track it was going to take,

6
00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.800
<v Speaker 1>whether to run from it or see if it would

7
00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:34.320
<v Speaker 1>go around me. I knew it wasn't going around me

8
00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.840
<v Speaker 1>when the wind hit me, swinging the boat on the

9
00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:40.479
<v Speaker 1>anchor line right into the current. I gathered my gear

10
00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:43.719
<v Speaker 1>and reeled in my lines, knowing that wind was bringing

11
00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:47.439
<v Speaker 1>a nasty storm with it. I started the motor and

12
00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:49.920
<v Speaker 1>I went up river away from the storm a couple

13
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:52.399
<v Speaker 1>of miles until I found what I was looking for.

14
00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:56.240
<v Speaker 1>On that part of the river, the banks are separated

15
00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:00.799
<v Speaker 1>from the main channel by small islands and places. Most

16
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:03.799
<v Speaker 1>are just old sandbars, but I knew about one with

17
00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.359
<v Speaker 1>some trees at the upper end. They might block the wind,

18
00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.480
<v Speaker 1>and the low overhanging willows is a place I could

19
00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.159
<v Speaker 1>park the boat and avoid some of the rain. I

20
00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:17.120
<v Speaker 1>tied off and I wrapped a tarp around myself just

21
00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:20.040
<v Speaker 1>as the rain started, and I hunkered down to wait

22
00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:23.840
<v Speaker 1>it out. I looked up into a cove created by

23
00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:26.920
<v Speaker 1>the island, and I noticed something moving on the bank

24
00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:30.519
<v Speaker 1>two hundred yards away. Now I'm only guessing, but it

25
00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.760
<v Speaker 1>looked like it was eight feet tall. It was dark,

26
00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.000
<v Speaker 1>and it was hairy. It walked down the bank until

27
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:40.000
<v Speaker 1>it was waste deep in the water, and then slowly

28
00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.040
<v Speaker 1>began walking around, indifferent to the rain and wind, and

29
00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.599
<v Speaker 1>it was working its way toward the end of the cove.

30
00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.799
<v Speaker 1>I was wondering what the heck this thing was doing

31
00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.840
<v Speaker 1>and what I was looking at when I realized what

32
00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:57.439
<v Speaker 1>it was doing. Now, Asian carp are an invasive species

33
00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:01.359
<v Speaker 1>in the river. If they're startled, several will jump straight

34
00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:04.239
<v Speaker 1>out of the water. Sometimes they'll land in your boat.

35
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:07.920
<v Speaker 1>This thing was scaring the carps so that they would jump,

36
00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:10.319
<v Speaker 1>and then he was swatting them onto the bank with

37
00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:13.919
<v Speaker 1>his hand. I saw it connect with several the fish,

38
00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:18.439
<v Speaker 1>flying pinwheel style toward the bank, and then the rain

39
00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:21.919
<v Speaker 1>fell in buckets. I could hardly see this thing anymore.

40
00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:24.879
<v Speaker 1>The last I saw of it, though, it was gathering

41
00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:27.479
<v Speaker 1>its meal from the bank, and I could make out

42
00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:29.560
<v Speaker 1>that it was heading up into the trees with a

43
00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:32.879
<v Speaker 1>mess of fish in its big hands. I think that

44
00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:36.960
<v Speaker 1>creature had a good meal that afternoon. Uh, just one

45
00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.840
<v Speaker 1>story in this podcast. I thought this was great. I

46
00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:42.759
<v Speaker 1>kind of identified with it because I've been on the

47
00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:45.439
<v Speaker 1>river several times up in that part of the country.

48
00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.800
<v Speaker 1>That's a wide area of the Mississippi River. It moves

49
00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:52.400
<v Speaker 1>pretty fast through there. You know, there's some pockets in

50
00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:55.680
<v Speaker 1>the Mississippi River that are eighty and one hundred feet deep.

51
00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:59.120
<v Speaker 1>All my life, I thought that river was maybe ten

52
00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:02.319
<v Speaker 1>feet deep the most. But I was involved in the

53
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:05.919
<v Speaker 1>steel industry, the steel making industry for a while, and

54
00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.520
<v Speaker 1>all those mills that are being built and producing steel

55
00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:12.639
<v Speaker 1>on the Mississippi River up there close to Osceola and

56
00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:16.319
<v Speaker 1>Blivel when they build their harbors. There was a guy

57
00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:18.439
<v Speaker 1>there one time telling me, he goes man, that river's

58
00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:22.719
<v Speaker 1>one hundred feet deep in that spot. I couldn't believe that.

59
00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:25.039
<v Speaker 1>That just blew me away, and it scared me because

60
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.000
<v Speaker 1>I always thought, well, if I ever if you ever

61
00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:29.759
<v Speaker 1>come out of the boat and the Mississippi River, you're

62
00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:35.199
<v Speaker 1>probably gonna be okay. But there's suckholes, and there's whirlpools,

63
00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:38.680
<v Speaker 1>and there's debris floating down the river. All the time.

64
00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:41.240
<v Speaker 1>Just get to the bank as quick as you can.

65
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:44.319
<v Speaker 1>But I never knew it was that deep, and that's

66
00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:48.080
<v Speaker 1>where all those big snapping turtles go. I don't know.

67
00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:51.120
<v Speaker 1>It just kind of spook me. Anything underwater that you

68
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.520
<v Speaker 1>can't see is kind of spooky. It's kind of like sharks.

69
00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.000
<v Speaker 1>You know you can't see them, but you know they're

70
00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:59.319
<v Speaker 1>gonna come up from the bottom in each you. But anyway,

71
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:01.680
<v Speaker 1>I love the story. I thought it was really good,

72
00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:05.639
<v Speaker 1>and I put some chickens in this video. People have

73
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.159
<v Speaker 1>been asking to see my chickens. I quit showing them

74
00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:12.800
<v Speaker 1>about a year ago because for years every other video

75
00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.120
<v Speaker 1>I did, I would show the chickens only because I'm

76
00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:20.800
<v Speaker 1>not a visual YouTube creator. I don't create a lot

77
00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:23.480
<v Speaker 1>of visual stuff. I kind of like doing that, but

78
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.519
<v Speaker 1>with this podcast it's not necessary, so I just concentrate

79
00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:30.199
<v Speaker 1>on reading the stories. But it was kind of the

80
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.879
<v Speaker 1>only thing around my house I could film, and I

81
00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.759
<v Speaker 1>just didn't realize how much people like to watch chickens.

82
00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:38.399
<v Speaker 1>I guess if you don't have any around your place,

83
00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.439
<v Speaker 1>it's fun to watch them pack around. And if I'm honest,

84
00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.319
<v Speaker 1>in the summertime, I'll take breaks and put out a

85
00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:46.879
<v Speaker 1>lawn chair right here in front of my little work shock,

86
00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.800
<v Speaker 1>and I'll just watch the chickens scratch around. This time

87
00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.399
<v Speaker 1>of year, they don't there's not a lot of insects

88
00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:55.600
<v Speaker 1>and things around for them to forge on, so I

89
00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:58.279
<v Speaker 1>feed them a little more scratch just to keep them

90
00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.000
<v Speaker 1>full fat and happy, keep them laying eggs. And they

91
00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:04.360
<v Speaker 1>are laying eggs. Anyway, it's fun to have them around.

92
00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:07.399
<v Speaker 1>And there's the chickens, and I'll do more chicken videos.

93
00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:09.959
<v Speaker 1>It doesn't take me long to go out and throw

94
00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.360
<v Speaker 1>some scratch out and show the chickens. So I'll show

95
00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:15.920
<v Speaker 1>more of the chickens, and I'll start putting the GoPro

96
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.240
<v Speaker 1>on and getting our bike rides in the morning with

97
00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:20.800
<v Speaker 1>the dogs. I don't you know, I don't have all

98
00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:24.000
<v Speaker 1>my dogs anymore. My two big ones died and I've

99
00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:27.000
<v Speaker 1>just got two little ones and one medium sized dog.

100
00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:32.040
<v Speaker 1>So it's uh. I guess they're fun to watch too. Anyway.

101
00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:34.920
<v Speaker 1>I just I had no idea of people love to

102
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:37.639
<v Speaker 1>watch these chickens, but there it is. Now you got

103
00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:41.319
<v Speaker 1>some chickens. So anyway, it's only story. I'm putting this podcast.

104
00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.879
<v Speaker 1>I got some things to do today. I'll be back

105
00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.360
<v Speaker 1>tomorrow and I may put another one out, but they

106
00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:50.199
<v Speaker 1>will start coming at a more regular interval. And I

107
00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:52.399
<v Speaker 1>appreciate you so much for hanging with me, and we'll

108
00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:57.920
<v Speaker 1>see you guys on the next one. Thanks,