Another chance at redemption blown

Well this past week, DW and I were sent, with protest, to the bowels of America. Back to the depressing, barren fields. Back! To the chemical plants disgorging their putrid wastes into the sky. Back, once more, to Louisiana.

But perhaps there was a glimmer of hope? A fishing expedition, the beautiful bayou? We left Baton Rouge and drove the 40 miles to Henderson Swamp, where we picked up tackle and a boat. Once on the lake, the scenery was great. Cypress trees rose up out of the water, while herons and cranes skimmed the surface, searching for a meal.

And then it rained. A lot.

We took refuge on an empty house boat, near a stand of cypress trees. Fishing from the house got us exactly no fish, so after the rain finished we hopped back into our boat and went somewhere else. Somewhere else that had no fish. On the plus side, another wave of rain came through, and we puttered back to our lonely refuge.

After this storm we had to drag the boat onto the porch and empty out the excess water. Once more we boarded our little bass boat, and tried to con some fish into impaling themselves for our amusement. Alas, it was not meant to be.

We docked at a lake-side restaurant called McGee's, and had some tasty seafood. Fried alligator bits are rather good, and the grilled Lake Henderson sampler was pretty good. So of course it is time to take the boat back, and time for another thunderstorm.

The lightning arced down into the trees, and thunder roared out of the sky. We headed back into the restaurant. The storm showed no sign of stopping, so we took off, braving the elements. Rain beating down on us, we headed for our houseboat refuge once more. 10 minutes later and the rain had lightened a little, so we ran for it. We landed the boat, returned our gear, and hopped on I-10 to return to Baton Rouge, wet and fishless.

While it all seems so bleak, remember the old adage: a bad of fishing is better than a good day at the office. I enjoyed the scenery, and being out on the water. But still, the South still rates zero out of five stars.