BAIT TRAINING

Have you ever seen those pictures of some proud fisherman holding a 40 lb trophy that he just caught? Now just how did he catch such a big fish? Well, there's a dirty little secret out there in the fishing world that nobody talks about. It's bait training, yep I said BAIT TRAINING. I know you think this is a hoax, but read on.

You probably didn't know that Bait Training is an essential part of successful fishing that only a few know about, but don’t talk about. I discovered this miracle program only by accident. I found that the best fishermen send their bait to Bait Training School (BTS). BTS will teach your bait how to be its best. After finishing BTS, you will notice a huge difference in your bait, kind of like dog obedience school, but the results will be Mo Begger fish. 

Oh by the way, Mo Begger invented BTS and now operates the school. Here are a few pictures from the BTS training program. 

    

Are you interested in BTS? Here's the deal! Send me all your bait and I will make sure it goes through BTS, FREE. What a deal! Your bait will be returned to you in one to four or more weeks, ready to fish. If your bait is bad or kicked from the training, it will be trashed and not sent back. The fine print: This is a joke, so don't send me your bait! Hope you enjoyed. Remember to get away from a big screen and get on a big stream.

Pickwick Lake Treasured Map

Just finished this large Vintage Style Decor Map of Beautiful Pickwick Lake. This map is printed on canvas and will hang in a home near the Lake. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lakes water, more about that later. 

  

The customer loved it. It certainly will be a conversation piece. When viewing a decor map this size you find yourself just gazing around the the lake following the, streams, roadways and geese. Also, you can add a star to the location of your lake house or that special place where you caught that trophy and even say a few words like, Johnson's Haven etc...

I don't hide snapping turtles, but I do hide a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoMaps.com. 

Remember: Life is short,get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.

    

Surf and Turf Eating Heron?

Not long ago, I was lucky to be on a small lake in my kayak and a Great Blue Heron wondered by. The Great Blue Heron is one of my favorite birds, in fact I have painted this bird many times and this blog's top header has the Heron as its subject.

The Heron wasn't worried that I was near and kept  moving down the shore line looking for a meal while I took pictures. At first I thought he was searching for fish. 

But, I noticed that he was more interested with the foliage near the waters edge. 

The Heron would occasionally freeze and then quickly pick at the green leaves. 

Here you can see the Heron ready to strike. I could never get a photo of the target, but I could see what the Heron was after......

 

Very Small Frogs! That's what it appeared to be. I guess you could say the Great Blue Heron enjoys Surf and Turf because the frog is both? 

Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Bait Kisser?

Do you kiss your bait? I don't and here's why. 

This is one of my favorite cartoons that I've done. I Hope you enjoyed and remember to get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

I was out fishing yesterday with my fishing buddy, Buttermilk. Buttermilk has a new camera on his Yak and while trying it out he spooked a large carp.

Dang Bob !

What do you get when you cross a prostrate with bait humor? The cartoon above. Men, get your prostrate checked once a year and remember to get away from the big screen and on a big stream!

The Finest Neighbors in the Woods.

We live in the ten acre woods and have lots of neighbors. I thought I would let you meet some of the finest neighbors in the world. They sometimes come by and visit, but like good neighbors, they don't stay too long.

Here's Racky the Raccoon, peeping in the backdoor. My wife thinks Racky is a bit of a peeping Tom. Speaking of Tom, Tom the Turkey stopped by for a snack.

Tom really strut's his stuff on most days, but this was Thanksgiving and Tom wanted to be alone for some reason?

Oh yeah, we have a house guest named Ring Neck the snake. Old Ring Neck only stayed a little while because he made the wife and teenagers nervous. I had to show Ring Neck the door after brooms were drawn. Too bad Ring Neck!

Some guests visit at night like Polly the possum. Polly was born in Tennessee and for some reason is attracted to orange. Go figure. Hmmmm... really why is this Possum on an orange blanket? Because he kicked Freckles the Feral cat, that my wife feeds, from his sleeping quarters in order to get to the food. Some guest are just like pigs. 

Ah, here's Fred the Fox. He's a little sneaky neighbor that likes to come by for a free meal. 

Last but not least, Dolly the Deer looking beautiful near the salt block.

.......and that's the end of the finest neighbors in the ten acre woods! 

A Wild Ride

This is not my usual story about the outdoors, but one that I will always remember.  It all started when I allowed my sixteen year old to drive home from school. She has her learners permit and has been driving for the last four months, in fact so much that I had gotten comfortable with her driving. 


All was going well until we pulled into our driveway. We slowed to stop at the gate so I could get out and unlock it. As I was unlatching my seatbelt, the vehicle lurched forward into the gate and then crashed through, flinging both gates wide open. My SUV, which I call Goldilocks, hit the gate so hard the master lock bust open and was tossed in the air. 

I didn’t have time to think because as we went through the gate, I could see we were headed straight for a Shag Bark Hickory. Quickly leaning over, I grabbed the steering wheel and turned it toward me while screaming put the brake on. Luckily, we narrowly missed the Shag Bark but now we were headed down a very steep hollow that would easily put Goldilocks in a roll over. 

Again, I pushed the steering wheel to turn Goldilocks back up to the driveway while yelling “put the break on.” Now, we were headed back toward the drive and fast. My last thought was to grab the emergency brake which was in the middle of the console, but before I did, my sixteen year old finally put on the brake and we came to a halt. It took a moment for both of us to realize what just happened. As I looked at her, I could see eyes as big as a saucers welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, sorry, I hit the gas.” I said “We are lucky no one was hurt. This is a learning experience to make you a better driver, always remember it.” 

I got out and surveyed the damage. Goldilocks didn't look too bad, just a few scraps that will need repair, but I will need a new gate.

I got back in, put Goldilocks in 4-wheel drive and drove back in the drive. The sixteen year old hasn’t driven since, but I plan on getting her back behind the wheel soon. I’m not sure how Goldilocks is going the feel about it, but I'll take her to the car wash and give her a sponge bath and she will feel better.