Christmas On The River At Demopolis

Pontoon boats and drivers are required for the Demopolis Christmas on the River festival. There is still more work to be done than people to do it but if you have a pontoon boat and live in the area that might be a great way to support the community.

Here's the latest from the Demopolis Times

“It’s a lot of hours. We need people to come down and help paper maché. We’ll teach them. It’s not hard,” committee chairperson Jennifer Roemen said.

On Thursday, she and Kirk Brooker, last year’s committee chair, were touching up floats at the Christmas on the River warehouse. Each of the existing floats requires some degree of attention and touch-up work. Additionally, the committee hopes to unveil a new float this year. However, that process has been hindered by an absence of manpower.

“We would like to (unveil the new float). We really would like to,” Roemen said. “We want it out there. We really do. But it takes so much work. We’re getting down to the wire here.”

In 2008, the committee was able to roll out a collection of new floats. Brooker attributed that accomplishment to the rich volunteer base the festival boasted last year.

“(Volunteer numbers) were a little bit better. We had five new floats last year,” Brooker said. “Fortunately, we had a decent volunteer base last year.”

Roemen said there are a number of various volunteer opportunities available for those desiring to help.

“There’s other opportunities,” she said. “It takes volunteers from all over the community. It’s a total volunteer operation and everybody has something to offer.”

In addition to the painting and assembling of floats, volunteers are still needed to pull floats in the river parade. Demopolis High School JROTC instructor Mike Black is in charge of putting together that portion of the festivities.

“Mike is looking for people with pontoon boats,” Roemen said. “He says those are the best to pull the floats. We are looking for drivers and the boats. We’ll pay for their gas.”

Roemen, who has been involved in the behind-the-scenes work of Christmas on the River for some time, said the reward for the volunteer hours is rich and unchanging.

“The day (the floats) go out on the street and you see those kids, it’s why you do it,” Roemen said. “It brings so many people into our community.”

Individuals wishing to assist with floats should be at the Christmas on the River warehouse on Tuesday evenings between 6 and 9. Those seeking to offer up the use of a pontoon boat for the river parade should contact Pat Brady at the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce.

Fishing For Smallmouth Bass From A Personal Pontoon Boat

In this article from the Indiana Gazette, Jeff Knapp reports on excellent fishing in the Greenbriar River from a single person pontoon boat.

Holding true to its moniker as the Mountain State, West Virginia indeed features plenty of rugged territory. And where there are mountains, there will be streams and rivers that drain them. The Greenbrier River is such a water, one that provides excellent fishing for smallmouth bass and trout.

"The Greenbrier is one of the largest tributaries of the New River," explained Larry Nibert, a veteran guide and outfitter www.westvirginiaexperience.com. "It drains much of West Virginia's portion of the Allegheny Mountains.''

Nibert stated some of the best smallmouth bass fishing takes place on the Greenbrier in the section starting near Anthony Creek and Caldwell Springs and on downriver.

"There is a nice special regulations section in that area," noted Nibert. A six mile section of the Greenbier - running from the U.S. Route 60 bridge near Caldwell, and extending downstream to the U.S. Route 219 bridge at Ronceverte, is under a slot limit regulation. One bass over 20 inches may be kept, as well as bass that measure 12 inches in length. Bass between 12 and 20 inches must be released. The number of kept bass can't exceed the statewide creel limit.

Nibert said that while the Greenbrier isn't noted for exceptionally large smallmouth bass, that doesn't mean the fish aren't there.

"During the fall and again in the early spring we catch a lot of smallies in the 16- to 21-inch range from the Greenbrier," stated Nibert. "Definitely the late fall and early spring is the best times to contact Greenbier's best smallmouth bass."

The Achilles' heel of many of the state's better smallmouth bass rivers is the presence of sections of whitewater, which creates access issues for folks lacking the experience and gear necessary to safely float them. But this isn't an issue on much of the Greenbrier.

"It's a river that just about anyone can float with the exceptions of a few sections downstream of Alderson," he explained. "Between Alderson and Hinton, where the Greenbrier flows into the New, there are some sections where a person lacking whitewater experience could get into trouble." Nibert said the Greenbrier, upriver of Alderson, is ideal for floating in a canoe, kayak or personal pontoon boat. In regard to the type of water he's looking for this time of year, Nibert has had his best success at the heads of backwater pools, especially if there is a mix of sand and rock along the bottom. These areas, he said, tend to hold the most pre-spawn smallmouth bass.

Access to the Greenbrier River is excellent. In addition to the obvious spots near bridges, the Greenbrier River trail runs along 79 miles of the river valley in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties.

"It makes it easy to jump on a mountain bike and peddle your way to some great fishing spots," he noted. A map of the river trail can be downloaded from www.greenbrierrivertrail.com. Public access sites are found in Alderson, Anthony, Caldwell, I-64 Bridge, Jiffy Foam, Renick and Roncevete.

In addition to the excellent smallmouth bass fishing found on the Greenbrier, the river also features an outstanding trout fishery, primarily fueled by the West Virginia Division of Wildlife's exceptional stocking program. Some of the better trout opportunities are located in Pocahontas County, which is not only home to the headwaters of the Greenbrier River, but also such blue ribbon trout streams as the Williams River, Cranberry River and the Shaver's Fork of the Cheat River.

Pontoon Boat Used In Apartment Fire Rescue

A Bonita Springs resident has been involved in a dramatic rescue by firefighter Jason Burgess who arrived on the scene via pontoon boat. News-Press.com has the story …

Jason Burgess has been a Bonita Springs firefighter for 10 months and has already been credited with saving two lives – the most recent taking place Saturday when he was out fishing in a 20-foot pontoon boat with his girlfriend and four others.

A former Marine and supervisor aboard the 100-foot yacht, the Sanibel Princess, Burgess, 38, said he always wanted to help people.

“I feel I have it in here,” he said pointing to his chest shortly before a Bonita Springs Fire Board meeting Monday. “It’s a calling.”On Saturday, Burgess, 38, girlfriend Erica Schatz, Jerry and Gail Gray and Mark and Julia Owens headed out toward the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River to fish.

“Jerry had a good spot and that’s where we were headed,” Burgess said.

Just as Burgess was about to throw out a cast net for some baitfish near an island next to Shell Point Village, an alarm sounded.

“We all saw the smoke and Julia called 9-1-1,” Burgess said.

Immediately, the group’s boat began chugging toward the shoreline. Jerry Gray, the boat’s owner didn’t have time to dock. Instead he pointed the pontoon at the seawall and steered the bow right into it.

“At that point, you don’t think about (damage to your boat),” Gray said.

Immediately upon hearing the crunch of metal and rock, Burgess jumped off and high-tailed it toward the five-story building where clouds of black smoke were seeping out.

Mark Owens followed closely behind.

“We could see that the smoke was coming from the second and third floor,” Burgess said.

When he arrived at the floor where the apartment was burning, a lady screamed, “There’s a man in there,” Burgess recalled. Burgess then opened the unlocked apartment door and thick smoke billowed out. “I couldn’t see anything. I yelled, ‘I’m a firefighter, is anyone here?’ That’s when I saw a silloutte.”

The man inside screamed, “I’m hot, I’m burning,” Burgess said.

The man was sitting down and couldn’t move. Flames as high as four feet surrounded him. Burgess raced toward the man, picked him up and tried to carry him to safety.

read the rest of the story …

Moose Hunting on a Pontoon Boat

Oregonlive.com sports columnist Bill Monroe has published this story about a moose hunt in British Columbia. I'm posting it here simply because a pontoon boat was involved.

After driving 1,392 miles in 27 hours, I join longtime friend and moose guide Mike Danielson for the final leg of my trip in his seaplane, landing on the shoreline of a small lake less than 100 miles south of the Yukon border.

Danielson frowns at the sight of his bright red Mercury inflatable boat, a vital tool to get his hunters to the other end of the lake, where bull moose gather for the rut.

He had been up a day earlier to prepare his cabins and take the boat and small outboard 200 yards down to the lakeshore. Overnight, however, a curious grizzly visited, and the raft's left rear pontoon is punctured in two places, wrinkled and limp from the loss of air.

Danielson's wife, Carol, arrives by ATV with Allen Flanagan of Hillsboro after a 14-mile trek, bringing along the food, gear and rifles. The Danielsons unpack, then try to patch the holes in the boat. Fortunately, the bear didn't shred anything.

Monday: The patches work marginally, slowing the leak enough to allow use of the boat, but we see only a cow and a calf.

Back at camp for lunch, we board the ATVs for a 26-mile round trip into the back country, closer to where we'd seen a bull feeding during the previous day's flight.

There is no sign of moose activity, but the hunt and several off-trail hikes are nearly as invigorating as having to twice winch ourselves out of marshy mudholes.

Tuesday: Tracks show the bear has returned to the boat overnight, but it only walked around the sandy beach for a while then lumbered off along the water line.

We pump up the boat for more moose-less trips up the lake, morning and afternoon. Mike Danielson is clearly concerned. The rut begins like clockwork Sept. 17 or 18, and the vacant, soggy marsh should be crawling with bulls. We've timed our trip to mesh the moose rut with Oregon's subsequent October hunting seasons.

"Will you still love me if you don't get a moose?" Danielson asks on our hillside vantage point.

Wednesday: Another quiet morning hunt.

After lunch, we sit in the cabin, watching hopefully from its bay windows overlooking the marsh and lake.

Danielson bolts to his feet. "Here comes a bull," he says, "straight at us."

Up the marsh, I can see the distant twinkle of whitened antler palms against the dark willows.

A bull is trotting behind a cow and her calf, several hundred yards across the meadow below the cabin and moving fast toward a moose's favorite feeding ground, vegetation on the shallow lake bottom.

We hustle to intercept but can get only within 400 yards or so when they stop. We freeze and watch as the bull chases the hapless calf away. The cow is having none of his advances though, so he urinates. As he rolls in the result to improve his male-ness, the cow and calf continue for the lake at a fast trot.

We stalk through the lakeshore willows in time to see the bull catch up, rinse himself for a few minutes as the cow begins to graze underwater, then retire to the lakeshore for a nap. Only his antlers are visible.

We spend half an hour watching, pondering. To reach him, we'll have to cross the stream. He's not one of the big bulls that make this part of British Columbia so popular with trophy hunters. Is it worth it, Danielson asks?

My trophy is the hunt, not the antlers; I want that moose. "Let's do it," I whisper to Danielson. "If we go down, we'll go down together."

Danielson tells me to stay close so we look more like a large animal from a distance, and we wade into full view of the feeding cow, 430 yards away. When her head dips beneath the water, we move. When she comes up for air, we stop.

The water seems warmer than the stiff breeze as we cross the inlet downwind and slowly make our stop-and-go way along the shoreline. The calf sees us and is clearly upset, returning to its mother and then shore, then to mother again. But she pays no attention to its nervousness. We hike up and over a knob just as she finishes feeding and comes ashore, surprising us barely 50 yards away ... but out of sight of the bull. Danielson quietly shoos her away with his arms to separate her from the bull, and we use a bluff to hide our stalk to within 120 yards of his bed.

As I peer around the corner, he is standing broadside, looking directly at us and within a second or two of following the retreating cow. Or is he wondering whether we're another moose?

The young bull's momentary confusion gives me just enough time to set up the shooting stick bipod, rest the .270 rifle, take aim and pull the trigger.

read the rest of the story …

Pontoon Boat Auction

There is a Kayot 20' Pontoon boat going to auction on August 29 in Ulen, MN. Also a 40 hp Evinrude motor. Details here...