April 25, 2026 — The spring is moving along and the bass are biting. Spawning seems to be about over and the fish are ravenous and gaining weight. Our problem has been too many bass in our 6-acre pond so we are challenged to remove (one way or another) about 120 lbs of bass and sac-a-lait under 15″. So I bought a new trolling motor for the flat boat and we are working diligently while drinking a lot of beer and having fun. Thank you Natural Resources Conservation Service for this opportunity to improve our pond habitat for healthier, fatter, and larger fish. The majority of our catch includes bass from about 10″ to about 12.5″. We are keeping a record and hope to see bigger fish by the end of the season.

March 26, 2026 — Beautiful weather all week. Caught a nice sac-a-lait late this afternoon. Blue birds nesting in one of the wood duck boxes. The east meadow has a large mass of blooming Pale Pitcher Plants.

March 12, 2026 — Beautiful weather over the past week ended abruptly last night when a violent storm carrying tornadoes and strong straight-line wind passed over the farm. This morning the temp was 52 degrees and still windy. Thankfully, the skies are bright blue. It’s funny how at 6:30pm I was enjoying the perfect evening temps, petting dog and watching for fish jumping, then a couple of hours later the TV alerted us of the storm conditions and it was pouring rain outside.

February 26, 2026 — We thought at first it was a heron, but when it tucked it’s wings and blasted a hole in the pond we said, “Pelican?” In 21 years that’s the first pelican we ever saw on the pond. It hung around for 20 minutes or so constantly feeding on whatever fish were near the surface, then moved on towards the west out of sight. Wow! What a sight. Not quite as exciting as the Bald Eagle that grabbed a Whistling Duck or the Osprey that caught a Pied-Bill Grebe right in front of me, flew up into an oak and began picking off the feathers and parts it didn’t want. Sorry, no pictures of the actual bird, but here’s one from Lake Pontchartrain.

February 19, 2026 — Caught the first fish of the season today. A .91 lb bass 11.5″ long on a bright orange shallow diving lure. Our contract with the Natural Resources Conservation Service continues with the pond management program. An environmental and fish population study revealed that we need to take out 120 lbs of bass under 15″ and all the sacalait each year. The new tackle has us off to a good start.

February 9, 2026 — Finally, some better weather with lots of sunshine and moderate temps. A pair of rabbits on the driveway. Fish are still hiding.

February 1, 2026 — Two weeks of extreme cold. Ice in the ditches, but not on the pond. Dreaming of spring and spawning fish.

January 1, 2026 — Happy New Year! What a beautiful morning. The sky is bright blue, it’s about 47 degrees, wild Ring-neck ducks are flying around and settling on the pond, the dog is finishing his McDonald’s breakfast and the two old people are just happy to be alive and sitting on the dock enjoying it all. We are so grateful to live in this wonderful country and in Louisiana. Optimism fills us. The stagnant, dark and toxic water that filled the swamp is being replaced with a clear vision of what our land was and will be again. I’m making a traditional New Year’s Day dinner: prime rib (rare, of course); blackeyed peas, hamhock and cabbage; sweet potato casserole with a pecan streusel on top; paired with a merlot. I paid $72 for this one-rib prime rib. That’s obscene, but the result will be epic!