Well, life is good on the riverbank.  Just returned to the old farm house in Sumner County, Tennessee after three weeks on the Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin.  Everyone that knows me knows I have a passion for fishing the streams, rivers and lakes of our great country.  In the last 50 years of traveling with my old J45 Gibson and a guitar case full of songs, I also managed to fish about every body of water in America, Canada and the Nortwest Territory.  One of my favorite times, for the past 25 years, has been my annual fishing trip to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and the Upper Mississippi.  From the last of June through the first week of July that is where you will find me.  This year happened to be a wet year on the river and the water kept rising all the time we were there.  Caught some fish, but not nearly as much as previous years.  But, that is the thrill of fishing....you never know what the elements will throw at you while you're on the water.  Reminds me of a tour I was making, picking and singing my little songs, in the great state of Florida in the early 70's

(rewind to September, 1972)

I had a couple of days off and the show promoter had arranged a cabin on a lake in central Florida.  As usual, I had a fishing rod and reel in the back of the car.  That lake looked mighty good and I decided to fish it.  Trouble was, I had no boat.  It was a big lake and after walking around the shore line and casting some I realized I needed to get out farther in the water.  The lake wasn't very deep, and I was used to wading the creeks and rivers back home to catch the big bass so I figured, shoot, might as well wade this'n and get out to where fish are layin'.   I had an old pair of shorts and my wading tennis shoes on so I took off in search of the big Florida bass.  I was out about waist deep, 50 yards from the dock just fishin' away when I felt the water swoosh real strong by my legs.  Hmmm, must have really been a BIG bass!  I was really fishing quick now....kinda excited...and I noticed somebody behind me hollerin' but I was too busy to pay much attention...another long cast...reeling it in....WHAM!   That BIG bass had just knocked my feet plumb out from under me and I hit the water hard.  I struggled back to my feet, untangled my line….and that annoying hollering was getting really loud.  I turned around to see who in the world the guy was hollering at…and realized it was ME!  I couldn’t make out what he was saying but he was standing on the dock just a’wavin’ his arms and shouting at me.  I started wading back toward him….and as I got closer I started picking up words….the most important was “ALLIGATOR!”  The Ozark/Tennessee fisherman (that’s me) was taught a very important lesson in outdoorsmanship that day….you don’t roller skate in a buffalo herd (in the words of Roger Miller) and you dang sure do not wade in Florida water full of alligators.  When I got to the fishing dock, the guy that rented the cabin on the lake pointed out to where I had been wade fishing.  Laying on top of the water, about 15 feet out from the shore, right where I thought a BIG bass had brushed against my legs….was a alligator bigger than I was.   I figure he had just been sizing me up for a mid day snack.......

Well, back to 2010, and part of the reason I like fishing in the Upper Mississippi in Wisconsin….as far as I know, there has never been an alligator attack on that body of water…not even once.  The folks up there have a secret weapon against alligators.  It’s called WINTER.

GOD  bless us all. 

Stan