A TRIPLE DECKER
ON ONE OF MY TRIPS TO
CADDO LAKE, I WAS
FISHING OVER IN BIG
GREEN BREAKS. I WAS
EASING ALONG WITH MY
TROLLING MOTOR CASTING
FOR BASS WHEN I SAW THIS
BLAZE ON A CYPRESS
TREE. THAT’S STRANGE I
THOUGHT, WHY WOULD
ANYONE BLAZE A TREE OUT
HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE LAKE?
I WAS CATCHING A BASS
EVERY NOW AND THEN AS I
MOVED DOWN THIS TREE
LINE SO I KEPT RIGHT ON
GOING. THE TREES WERE
VERY THICK ALONG HERE
AND IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE
YOU COULD GET A BOAT
INTO THEM. AS I FISHED
ALONG, THAT BLAZE KEPT
COMING BACK TO HAUNT ME.
SO I TURNED BACK AND
WENT TO THE TREE WITH
THE BLAZE ON IT. AS I
PULLED MY BOAT UP TO IT,
I COULD SEE THAT THERE
WAS ROOM FOR MY BOAT TO
GO BETWEEN THAT TREE AND
THE ONE NEXT TO IT. I
MOTORED THROUGH THE
OPENING AND REALIZED
THAT THERE WAS A WINDING
TRAIL THROUGH THE TREES.
A COUPLE OF BOAT LENGTHS
DOWN THIS TRAIL, THERE
WAS ANOTHER TREE WITH A
BLAZE ON IT. THE
SURFACE OF THE WATER WAS
COVERED SOLID WITH DUCK
WEED SO I COULDN’T FISH
IN HERE. AS I MOVED
DEEPER INTO THE TREES,
THE TREES OPENED UP SO
THE ONLY WAY I HAD OF
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL WAS
THE BLAZED TREES.
ONCE I LOOKED BEHIND ME
AND NOTICED THE DUCK
WEED WOULD CLOSE UP
BEHIND THE BOAT LIKE IT
HAD NEVER BEEN
DISTURBED. I COULDN’T
SEE THE BLAZES ON THE
TREES FROM THIS SIDE
EITHER. THIS GAVE ME AN
UNEASY FEELING, BECAUSE
I WANDERED IF I COULD
FIND MY WAY BACK OUT OF
HERE.
AFTER FOLLOWING THIS
TRAIL FOR ABOUT A
HUNDRED YARDS I COULD
SEE SOME KIND OF
STRUCTURE AHEAD. AS I
GOT CLOSER I COULD SEE
THAT IT WAS A DUCK
BLIND. IT WAS COVERED
WITH GREEN UNDERTAKERS
CARPET AND IT SET ON THE
EDGE OF A SMALL OPENING
IN THE TREES. THAT
OPENING WAS ABOUT FIFTY
YARDS LONG AND THIRTY
YARDS WIDE WITH A THICK
STAND OF CYPRESS TREES
ALL AROUND IT.
WHEN I GOT TO THE DUCK
BLIND I TROLLED RIGHT
INTO THE BOAT TUNNEL.
IT WAS WIDE ENOUGH FOR
TWO BOATS. ON ONE SIDE
WAS A LADDER GOING UP
INTO THE BLIND. I TIED
MY BOAT TO THE LADDER
AND CLIMBED UP INTO THE
BLIND. WHEN I STEPPED
OFF THE LADDER I SAW
THAT IT WENT ON UP INTO
A THIRD LEVEL OF THE
BLIND.
THE ROOM I HAD STOPPED
IN WAS ABOUT TEN BY
TWELVE FEET. THE LIGHT
WAS DEM BECAUSE THERE
WERE NO WINDOWS, BUT I
COULD SEE A TABLE AND
SIX KITCHEN CHAIRS IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM.
IN ONE BACK CORNER WAS A
KEROSENE STOVE AND NEXT
TO IT WAS A LARGE
CABINET. THE CABINET
HAD A LOCK ON IT. I
FIGURED IT PROBABLY HAD
A COFFEE POT AND COOKING
UTENSILS IN IT.
I CLIMBED ON UP THE
LADDER TO THE THIRD
LEVEL OF THE BLIND.
WHEN I STEPPED OFF THE
LADDER THIS TIME, I SAW
THAT THE WALL ON THE
SIDE OF THE OPENING IN
THE TREES, WAS OPEN FROM
THE ROOF TO WAIST HIGH.
BEHIND THAT WALL WERE
SIX SWIVELING BAR STOOLS
WHERE THE DUCK HUNTERS
COULD SIT WHILE THEY
WAITED FOR THE DUCKS TO
FLY IN. BELOW THE LIP
OF THE OPENING WAS A
SMALL SHELF ABOUT SIX
INCHES WIDE. I FIGURED
IT WAS FOR THE HUNTERS
TO SET A BOX OF SHELLS
ON, OR MAYBE A CUP OF
COFFEE.
AS I LOOKED OUT INTO THE
OPEN WATER I COULD
IMAGINE A SPREAD OF
DECOYS DOWN THERE AND
THE HUNTERS SITTING HERE
WITH THEIR SHOTGUNS IN
THEIR HANDS, WAITING FOR
THAT FIRST FLIGHT OF
DUCKS EARLY IN THE
MORNING. I COULD ALMOST
FEEL THEIR ANTICIPATION.
I CLIMBED BACK DOWN TO
MY BOAT AND PUT MY
TROLLING MOTOR DOWN AND
BACKED OUT OF THE BOAT
TUNNEL. THEN I TROLLED
OUT INTO THE OPENING AND
STARTED AROUND THE
INSIDE OF THE TREES. I
HAD STARTED FISHING
AGAIN AND I CAUGHT
SEVERAL NICE BASS. IT
WAS AS IF NO ONE HAD
EVER FISHED IN HERE
BEFORE.
WHEN I GOT READY TO
LEAVE, I WENT OUT BE THE
DUCK BLIND AND BACK THE
WAY I CAME. NOT BEING
ABLE TO SEE THE BLAZES
ON THE TREES, I LOST MY
WAY A COUPLE OF TIMES,
BUT I EVENTUALLY FOUND
MY WAY OUT OF THE
TREES. I CRANKED UP THE
BIG MOTOR AND WENT BACK
TO TUCKER’S CAMP, WHERE
I WAS STAYING.
OVER THE YEARS I WENT
BACK INTO THAT LITTLE
POCKET OF OPEN WATER AND
I CAUGHT FISH EACH TIME
I FISHED IT. BUT I
NEVER WENT NEAR IT
DURING DUCK SEASON.
DURING DUCK SEASON I
WOULD FISH … BUT NO
THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER
STORY FOR A DIFFERENT
TIME.