DICK KNUTSON
01-21-2002, 09:59 AM
AS I WAS SAYING IN THE PREVIOUS POST AFTER SEVERAL YEARS WE HAD BEFRIENDED SOME OF THE LOCAL FISHERMAN IN ORDER TO GET THEIR HELP IN UNDERSTANDING AND LOCATING THE GIANT WALLEYES OF GREERS FERRY. FROM THAT TIME ON WE MOVED OUR MOBILE HEADQUARTERS TO AN AREA ON THE UPPER REACHES OF THE DEVILS FORK. FOR THOSE OF YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA OR FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WOULD LIKE TO LOOK ON THE MAP WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO THE BRIDGE THAT CROSSES OVER TO PRIM,ARKANSAS. THE DEVILS FORK STARTS TO NARROW HERE AND THE RIVER CUTS THROUGH SOME VERY RUGGED, NARROW CANYON WALLS. TO EVEN NARROW THE SITE OF OUR STUDIES FURTHUR WE DID MOST OF OUR TEST NETTING AND GENETIC WORK IN THE "HAINES HOLE". THIS LITTLE STRETCH OF RIVER IS ONE BEND UPSTREAM FROM THE PRIM BRIDGE.THERE IS NO ROAD ACCESS TO THE HAINES HOLE AND MOST OF OUR WORK WAS DONE AT NIGHT. IT WAS QUITE AN OVERLAND HUMP TO GET THERE WITH ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT THROUGH HEAVY POISONOUS SNAKE COUNTRY. NOW ARKANSAS REALLY GETS SOME HEAVY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DUFING JAN.FEB. AND MARCH AND GREERS SURE DID GET ITS FAIR SHARE. IF YOU EVER GET CAUGHT UPSTREAM DURING A STORM AND SEE THE LIGHTNING RICOCHETING AROUND THE CANYON WALLS YOU REALLY GET RELIGION FAST.A LOT OF NEWLY BROWNED SHORTS IF YOU GET THE PICTURE! WELL ANYWAY ON ONE VERY VERY STORMY NIGHT DOC MURPHY AND I AND SEVERAL LOCALS WERE SITTING IN MY MOTORHOME WHEN SUDDENLY THE MOTORHOME WAS AWASH WITH HEADLIGHTS. THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND ONE OF THE LOCALS WENT TO ANSWER IT. THE LOCAL CAME BACK TO US AND WHISPERED "ITS THE GRAND WIZARD". MURPHY AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND LOOKED UP IN A PUZZLED WAY AND SAID"WIZARD?" YEAH THE LOCAL SAID"THE GRAND WIZARD OF THE KU KLUX CLAN"! WHAT I SAID TO MYSELF I CANNOT PRINT HERE BUT I TOLD THE LOCAL TO HAVE THE MEN TO COME IN. WELL TO MAKE A SHORT STORY OF IT THESE PEOPLE HAD READ IN THE NEWSPAPERS ABOUT OUR STUDIES ON WALLEYE AND THAT DR. MURPHY WAS FROM A TEXAS UNIVERSITY. THE "WIZARD" SAT DOWN AND OPENED UP WITH THIS STATEMENT AS CLOSE AS I CAN RECALL" WE DO NOT LIKE TEXAS IN FOOTBALL, WE DO NOT LIKE TEXAS IN BASKETBALL AND WE SURE AS HECK DON'T WANT TO GIVE THEM ANY OF OUR FISH"!!!!!!FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A MOUSE PASS GAS FROM FORTY YARDS AWAY. THE CHILL WAS OVERWHELMING. SOMETHING TOLD ME THIS GUY AND THE REST OF THEM OUTSIDE WERE NOT ON A FRIENDLY SOCIAL CALL. I TRIED TO BREAK THE ICE BY EXPLAINING TO HIM THAT THE ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH WAS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT AND IT WOULD BENEFIT GREERS FERRY IN THE FUTURE. HE MELTED A LITTLE AND DOC MURPHY AND I PROCEEDED ON A MILLION WORD A MINUTE SEMINAR ON WHAT WE WERE DOING. HE DID LISTEN AND AFTER AN HOUR OR SO THE" MEETING" BECAME A LITTLE MORE CORDIAL. HE GOT UP AND LEFT AND WENT TO THE DOOR AND A LARGE BOLT OF LIGHTNING HIT NEARBY. ABSOLUTELY TRUE. THE TRUCKS WITHDREW INTO THE RAIN SOAKED NIGHT AND MURPHY AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER FOR A LONG TIME. WOULD THEY BE BACK? ALL KINDS OF NOTIONS WENT THROUGH OUR MINDS. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE DID NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT . THE NEXT MORNING WE TOLD GAME AND FISH OFFICIALS WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND FROM THAT TIME ON WE HAD ARMED ESCORTS WITH US. WE NEVER SAW THESE PEOPLE AGAIN. DICK KNUTSON GENETRON