The opening of a tackle box time capsule!

A story about lakes, rivers, and bays, sort of. This story is from a few years ago, but I think it's a good one and close to my heart. Enjoy!

Every tackle box has a story, some can only be told by their owners and others can only be told by their contents. The year was 1986, Top Gun was the top movie, Ronald Reagan was President, gas was .89 cents/gal, and this tackle box was being used to catch fish. Since then it has been kept in the garage, on a shelf, behind the Christmas wreaths where it has been collecting dust for a number of years. It came into my possession many years ago after my father passed, at too early an age. It’s been a few years since I have opened the box and I don’t really remember what it holds.

I do remember fishing with this tackle box as a kid. Back then it was like opening a fresh box of the best chocolates with all the swirls and shapes tempting me and urging me to try every one. Will it be the same? As I unlatched the golden buckle on the aluminum box, I began to smell a musty odor apparently from being sealed for many years. I lifted the tri-fold, black bins out and peered at the contents. The multi-color lures, hooks, floats, and spit-shots, are beginning to show their age, less colorful, less shiny.

At this moment, I remember the lures that caught the big fish. I even remember some of the fish that we caught, the wonderful meals that we ate, the warmth from the camp fires we built, and that smell of water proofing from our tent. But most of all, I remember the feeling, the feeling of being with family and friends in the great outdoors. It’s true; every tackle box has a story. What’s in your tackle box?

I think I will move this tackle box back into the house. Hope you enjoyed! Hey, Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream! Do you need a unique and great gift for the lake lover? Check-out my decor maps of your favorite lake, river or bay. I paint river, lake, and bay decor maps and hide things in the waters. 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.

Smell fishy, Swim Bob Swim, Fish-stration

Here's my latest cartoons, I call them under the bobber. I hope you enjoy!

Hey, Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream! Need a great gift for the lake lover? Check-out my decor maps of your favorite lake, river or bay.

I paint river, lake, and bay decor maps and hide things in the waters. 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.

Check this butte out!

Yep, it's a real butte. It's known as Elephant Butte and rises out of the waters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, which is located in New Mexico. Why is it called Elephant Butte? Because, at certain angles it actually looks like a huge elephant, no kidding. However, the picture below doesn't do it justice.

The reservoir surrounding Elephant Butte is really a neat lake that is fed by the historic Rio Grande. There are some very interesting names along the lake. Some of these names are so descriptive, you immediately have a mental picture of the place, for instance, Kettle Top Butte or Jungles Gate and Elephant Butte. Am I right? A lot of folks think of pelicans as being coastal waterfowl, however Elephant Butte has beautiful White Pelicans. Not only is bird watching a great activity on the lake, but so is boating, camping, hiking and fishing. In fact, the lake owns the state record for the Striped Bass, Blue Cat, Flathead Cat, Green Sunfish, and Longear Sunfish. I must say, "Elephant Butte is a real beauty!"  

I painted this custom decor map of Elephant Butte not long ago. I hid a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters and folks love to search for her. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure, like Elephant Butte. 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. 

Man Cave, Redneck House Boat, Chain Gang

Here's my latest cartoons and they're kind of random. I hope you enjoy!

I paint river, lake, and bay decor maps and hide things in the waters. 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. 

The ugly side of fishing.!!!!

One of my fishing buddy's, Buttermilk was fishing on the Duck River this weekend when he sent me a picture that reminded me of one of my cartoons. I wasn't able to go on this trip because of my daughter's high school graduation, but it looks like it was somewhat eventful.  

OUCH! Is the best word to describe this situation. It appears that Buttermilk cast his lure up in a tree. While yanking the the lure to retrieve it, the lure came zooming down and tail hooked his cranium like a F-16 landing on an aircraft carrier. Oh yeah, Buttermilk did serve in the navy. Anyway, that's going to leave a mark.  

Looks like Buttermilk is going to get a tetanus shot. I never have gotten a head shot from a lure, but I must admit that I have had one hooked in my hand. You know, you get a weird feeling when you realize that you have something attached to you that doesn't belong. In the photographic world this photo would be called the head shot or money shot, but I call it the "The ugly side of fishing." OUCH!!!! 

I paint river, lake, and bay decor maps and hide things in the waters. 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. 
 

Godzilla Turtle

Wow, this Oklahoma angler got a huge surprise while fishing for catfish on Eufaula Lake. After a struggle, he and a friend pulled in this massive alligator snapping turtle weighting in over 100 lbs. Believe it or not, he caught this large turtle on a rod and reel. Amazingly, the largest alligator turtle ever caught weighted over 200 lbs, now that's a Godzilla Turtle. After the photo op, the turtle was released unharmed.

How old do you think this turtle is? Well, they say that there's no reliable way to determine the age of turtles, but I bet that this is a fairly old turtle. I did a little research and found that male snapping turtles live up to 45 years and females up to 37 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 70 years in captivity.  It is fascinating what one might catch while fishing. When I was a child, we caught an alligator snapping turtle on the Duck River in Tennessee. It was a 50-70 pound turtle and had moss covering some of its shell. I was amazed. It was like seeing an alien creature and I was very curious. After we checked the turtle out we released it back into the waters of the Duck.

Interesting, here's a decor map of Eufaula Lake that I painted.

I paint river, lake, and bay decor maps and hide things in the waters. 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!

Peed in the bed, Ambidextrous fishing & Zen fishing

I don't only paint maps, sometimes I draw cartoons. Here's my latest cartoons and they are kind of a hodge-podge. I hope you enjoy!

Ever wish you had a beautiful decor map of your favorite river, lake and bay maps? Now you can. Check-out my vintage maps at LeoLakes.com. We have over 200 ready to purchase, or we do custom and personalized maps, too. Every map has a tiny mermaid hidden in the waters, which makes a great conversational piece. They make a unique gift for the lake lover, lake house owner, or fisherman and fathers day is coming soon. 

   

Deep Creek Lake

A beautiful Little Lake! I Just finished this custom vintage style map of Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. Deep Creek Lake is the largest lake in Maryland at approximately 3,900 acres. The lake is named after the creek that feeds into it and the maximum depth is about 75 feet.  This lake has an abundance of wildlife, fish and birds and is a great lake for fishing, swimming, tubing, and canoeing.

Interesting, I always hide a tiny mermaid to the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. I have been painting river, lake, and bay maps for the last five years. I call them treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. 

Here's the actual customer's comment: 

Good Morning Larry, Please know that we received our new Map yesterday and love everything about it!!  Thank you so very much as this will be an amazing addition to our home.  Many blessing to you" 

These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that be purchased from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com. Makes a great gift!

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