I spent a few hours fishing at Herb Parsons Lake in Fayette County on Saturday, and I saw several issues that to need be addressed.

First and foremost, the lake needs more water. That, of couse, is up to Mother Nature.

The lake is also infested with small yellow bass. They’ll hit anything you throw in the water on just about any part of the lake. Fishermen can - and should - help with this problem by catching keeping as many yellow bass as possible. Even if you don’t eat them, you can always find someone who will.

The other problem I see with Herb Parsons is the absurd 10-inch minimum limit for crappie.

That lake isn’t nearly big enough and receives far too little fishing pressure for a 10-inch minimum. I’m sure the limit is designed to grow bigger crappie. But it’s actually causing the lake to become overpopulated with crappie because most anglers are forced to release every one they catch.

I caught 12 crappie at Herb Parsons Saturday, and they were all closer to 6 inches than 10. They were all rail thin, and didn’t look the least bit healthy. Still, there are people out there who would take them home and fry them if it was legal.

It should be legal.

People don’t come to Herb Parson’s Lake looking for 3-pound trophy crappie. They come looking for a stringer full of fish they can take home for supper.

Removing the 10-inch minimum would make for a healthier lake - and happier fishermen

Two local companies have recently created web sites that Mid-South outdoorsmen might find interesting.

Beaver Dam Hunting Services, owned and operated by Mike Boyd in Tunica, Miss., has a new site devoted to its world-renown duck hunting opportunities. If you’re interested in hunting on Beaver Dam Lake, visit www.beaverdamducks.com.

If you’re interested in traveling a little farther from home for an outdoors experience, you might want to check out www.amazonangling.com. That’s the new site for Memphis-based Worldwide Angling, owned by Midtown resident David Caywood.

Worldwide Angling specializes in Amazonian fishing trips to Brazil for fish like peacock bass.

Just got the following report from Ducks Unlimited waterfowl biologist Mike Checkett:

Spring migration should peak in many parts of the country during the coming week, and habitat conditions are generally good for returning waterfowl.

Conditions are particularly good in coastal British Columbia, the Saskatchewan parklands and parts of eastern Canada. Additional precipitation is needed in much of the prairies to ensure good conditions this breeding season.

World-famous fly-fishing instructor Rhea Topping will conduct a fly-casting clinic Tuesday, May 1 at the Beaver Lake Pavilion at Shelby Farms. The class will last from 2-4 p.m.

This will be a great opportunity to work up close with a master certified casting instructor.

The class will be limited to 12 people at $30 per person.

For more information contact Lesley Allen at (901) 674-6132 or at lallen@ymcamemphis.org.

I just got the spring newsletter from Gaston’s White River Resort in Lakeview, Ark.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff in the newsletter, but what I enjoyed most were the great pictures of the big brown trout that have been caught recently on the river.

You can view the newsletter - and the great trout pics - by following this link:

http://www.gastons.com/newsletter_spring_2007.htm

Jay Bilas blogged on ESPN.com today about his final thoughts from the college basketball season.

His final top 10 rankings caught my attention.

1. Florida
2. Kansas
3. Ohio State
4. Georgetown
5. North Carolina
6. UCLA
7. Wisconsin
8. Texas A&M
9. Memphis
10. Pittsburgh

Is it just me, or didn’t Memphis beat Texas A&M in San Antonio with Chris Douglas-Roberts not quite 100 percent? I don’t really get into rankings all that much, but it’s simply beyond me how anyone could justify ranking Memphis behind a team it beat in what was essentially a road game in the NCAA Tournament. And I’m not sure how anybody could rank Wisconsin 7th after a second-round exit to UNLV. But anyway…

Hey folks, now that the season’s over, there will probably be a trickle of information here and there on various subjects. A lot of times, there’s little stuff that won’t necessarily go in the paper but makes for good blog material.

I’m sure a quite a few of y’all made it down to the Forum last weekend for the Nike Hoops Summit. Cool event. It’s not often you get to see that many great young players together in a competitive situation. It’s way, way better than the McDonald’s All American game, for instance, where they’re not really going hard at each other.

I also went down to the Goodwill Boys and Girls Club on Friday to watch the US team scrimmage against the Memphis All-Stars. A couple Memphis kids really stood out.
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