Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Spring in Natchez

Spring is such a beautiful time of year here on the Mississippi River, and not necessarily for the reasons you're thinking!
Yes, we have gardens exploding in a fantastic display of color. Dogwoods and Redbud Trees, Tulips, Daffodils, Irises, and that grand Southern favorite, the Azalea bushes. All the antebellum homes in town have detailed their gardens and interiors, and are welcoming tourists with open arms. If you'd like to see more, go see www.natchezpilgrimage.com, the official website of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours.

It is a gorgeous time of year because of those things, but some folks here find other things catch their eye in Spring.

It's Turkey season, and the turkey hunters "flock" in from everywhere. That big bearded gobbler, spreading his fan of multicolored feathers to attract a mate is an irresistible sight to a hunter. Nature lovers of all kinds enjoy that kind of treat.

Spawning season is also upon us, and with that some great fishing. Natchez is surrounded by a multitude of lakes and ponds as well as having the Mighty Mississippi in her back yard. As the weather warms, "slabs" of crappie - we call 'em white perch - bream, striped bass, catfish, and lunker largemouth bass come into the shallows to lay their eggs. Those bass especially become an aggressive bunch that will bite at just about anything that disturbs this process.

I mentioned a multitude of lakes and ponds, well two of those are record bass lakes. Just north of Natchez is the Natchez State Park, the lake of which scored the biggest bass recorded in Mississippi. Just across the river in Louisiana lies Lake Concordia, a record-breaking bass lake in it's own right.

Back to turkey hunting just a moment; Giles Island (www.gilesisland.com) is just a few moments' drive and a short boat ride away from Natchez. If you're a hunter, it's an incredible opportunity to get that trophy - or come back for deer season and see what good deer hunting is all about.

I guarantee a beautiful sight.

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