Mark and I were flying a Republic Seabee single engine amphibian from Houston Texas to Portland Maine . We landed at Shreveport LA. for fuel our next stop planned for fuel was at Jonesboro AK . Down wind at Jonesboro airport we selected gear down nothing happened . After three unsuccessful attempts I told Mark our only option was to look for a nearby lake and make a water landing . We told Jonesboro tower of our intention and they suggested a small lake about ten miles north of the airport . We found the lake OK but it was strewn with half submerged tree stumps . Mark was in the left seat and had an FAA seaplane rating . Alongside an earth dam we saw a strip of log free water suitable for a landing .Unfortunatly a couple were fishing just where we had chosen to land . After buzzing their row boat twice we convinced them to move . Mark made a smooth landing and we taxied towards a boat slip . To my horror I saw water flowing out of the bilge into the cabin .
I told Mark to taxi as fast as he could to the lake shore as we were sinking . Just short of the
shore we grounded in slime and mud . I had no choice I jumped into the shallow water hoping there were no water snakes. With the help of max. power and me pulling on the painter we made dry land . Almost immediatly the fisherman arrived . I asked him if he had an electric water pump as our airplane was half full off water . He produced a pump and told his companion who happened to be his wife to get down into the Seabee bilge and pump the water out . The good women managed to pump most of the water out .
A park ranger arrived and telephoned Jonesboro Airport to send a mechanic. The mechanic found a damaged hydraulic pipe and told us next time we flew a Seabee to check the bilge drain cocks were closed ! I looked at Mark " Seems we have egg on our faces " I said .
After the hydraulic line was repaired and we had thanked the fisherman and paid the mechanic we took off swerving to avoid tree stumps. We landed on terra firma at Portland next day.