Swamp People, Airboats To Cow Island

[LSUDad]

These days off, or away from the public, gives me time to catch up on a few things. Catching a few episodes on the tube. Times like this I miss the Pierre Part/Belle River area. 

[houtiger]

When I was a kid in the late 1950's, once a year in the summer I would go spend a week with my grandfather in Abbeville.  He had a lady friend who lived two doors down the street who I called aunt.  Every morning we had cereal for breakfast, got in the car and drove over and picked up aunt Nita.  Then it was off to the store, filled ice chest with ice and a six pack of beer, plus bait.  Fishing poles and crab nets were never removed from the trunk of his car, always at the ready.  They would discuss whether we were going to fish or crab, and where to go.  We went everywhere along La. 82 as far as Pecan Island, and to the east to Cypremort Point (they pronounced it like "cipermore").  We fished in the morning and put the catch in an ice chest then went for lunch.  Along La 82 there were small spots with shell over the dirt, one car could pull off, we had folding chairs, we'd put out about 6 crab nets, then they'd sit and drink beer and every now and then we'd run the crab nets.  Lunch was a highlight, they knew every joint with a good lunch and a cold beer, and the owners knew them.  After lunch I got a stack of quarters sometimes to play pinball while "Papa" visited with the owner.  If they didn't know them when we got there, they knew them before we left.  Then it was back to Nita's house, clean the catch, and Nita cooked dinner.  GREAT EATING, every day!!!  We had lots of fish in red gravy over rice.  No frying, never.  Of course, boiled crabs.  Then we washed the dishes and Papa and I went to his house.  Papa was the only person I ever knew with a pet skunk (de-scented), her name was Suzi I think and she just lived in her cage.  It was a good week each year.

Edited March 30, 2020 by houtiger

[LSUDad]

My niece married a guy from Avery Island, his grandmother was an Avery. 
We went to visit one day, his company builds airboats. He was telling me about his new boat. After lunch, he asked if I wanted take a ride. We drove down the hill, to the waters edge, the edge had a little row of small trees. 
He unhooked the boat from the trailer, backed up, hit the brakes, out slid the boat, landing on a patch of grass. We put on a little ear protection, got in, and took off. 
We went right over the top of those saplings, hit the marsh. Since he lived on the island all his life, he knew the area so well. 
 

Been know him since he was a young kid, he met a cute little girl at a coffee shop. When she found out who he was, then told him. A wedding would soon be near. He had met my niece, we all camped together years ago. We had pictures of them together in their younger years. 
 

I’ve made two weddings on the Island, his and his older brothers. At the older brothers wedding, they set off fireworks, only about an hour after, we noticed, we had set the marsh on fire. A few had to take boats into the marsh to extinguish the fire. 

The grooms cake at their wedding...

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by LSUDad

[Hatchertiger]

10 minutes ago, houtiger said:

  Cypremort Point (they pronounced it like "cipermore"). 

The English translation is "dead cypress point" as in "cypre" meaning cypress and "mort" meaning dead. Spent many times there as a kid. My dad and my 3 brothers and I  would leave Breaux Bridge at O-dark thirty to get to "The Point" before daylight where would put in and trawl around Vermillion Bay all day in our boat "The Summer Wind".  We'd catch everything from shrimp to sharks to flounder.  Couldn't wait to get that net up.  We de-headed all the shrimp on the trip back to the boat launch.  Fun times! 

HT you wouldn't recognize it today. Some of the "camps" out there are unbelievable.

[LSUDad]

4 minutes ago, Hatchertiger said:

The English translation is "dead cypress point" as in "cypre" meaning cypress and "mort" meaning dead. Spent many times there as a kid. My dad and my 3 brothers and I  would leave Breaux Bridge at O-dark thirty to get to "The Point" before daylight where would put in and trawl around Vermillion Bay all day in our boat "The Summer Wind".  We'd catch everything from shrimp to sharks to flounder.  Couldn't wait to get that net up.  We de-headed all the shrimp on the trip back to the boat launch.  Fun times! 

HT you wouldn't recognize it today. Some of the "camps" out there are unbelievable.

“CAMPS?”

[Hatchertiger]

1 minute ago, LSUDad said:

“CAMPS?”

The "camp" in the photo I posted is just visible in the lower left corner. It's the nicest one out there but there are many other "camps" as well.

[LSUDad]

53 minutes ago, Hatchertiger said:

The "camp" in the photo I posted is just visible in the lower left corner. It's the nicest one out there but there are many other "camps" as well.

Kind of like camping use to be. From a tent to a Motorhome. 

[Hatchertiger]

Dad you mention Cow Island in the title of the thread.  There is a Cow Island Lake just south of the Butte LaRose landing that you can access via the Atchafalaya and Little Atchafalaya River when the water is right. Great bream fishing.   There used to be a fort on actual Cow Island that was destroyed by the British. Damned Yankees!!!!

https://www.fishingworks.com/louisiana/st-martin-la/lake/cow-island-lake/

 

[LSUDad]

1 hour ago, Hatchertiger said:

Dad you mention Cow Island in the title of the thread.  There is a Cow Island Lake just south of the Butte LaRose landing that you can access via the Atchafalaya and Little Atchafalaya River when the water is right. Great bream fishing.   There used to be a fort on actual Cow Island that was destroyed by the British. Damned Yankees!!!!

https://www.fishingworks.com/louisiana/st-martin-la/lake/cow-island-lake/

 

If I get back down to Pierre Part, I’ll ask Troy. They did a show, talking about a place called Voodo Bayou, I talked with a cousin. They made that up for the show.