Monday, August 31, 2015

A beautiful lake goes bad!

Two years ago, My fishing buddy and I, kayak fished Greenbrier Lake, a small lake near my home near Nashville TN. As you can see from the photo's, it was a beautiful lake with water lilies along the edge.

The water lilies seemed to add to the beauty and fishing fun because you could just imagine a big bass waiting to blast out of the water, except we only caught small perch. 

There was some milfoil, but not too much. Wow, you won't believe what happened in a two year period. We made a return visit to this lake just a few weeks ago and was shocked to find that the lake was completely unfishable, if that's a word.

Check-it out! Who needs a kayak when you can almost walk across the lake. It's obvious that there's too much nutrient rich run off from the surrounding area. When I walked up to the lakes edge, I smelled a septic odor. No doubt, there's a lot of biological activity going on here and it's not fish.

We didn't even remove our kayaks from our vehicles. Who would fish in these waters? It's amazing how fast a fairly large body of water can fill up with algae. Two years ago, there were a family of beavers, a great blue heron and many ducks.

Today, we didn't see very much wildlife, except for these ducks. It looked like one of the ducks had to play Coast Guard Cutter to make a path through the muck! 
I hope this lake makes a comeback because it was such a beautiful lake! However, the little research that I've done on a milfoil problem this large indicates that it will require help and likely take a long time to recover. What a shame.  

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


Saturday, August 15, 2015

How to improve your bait presentation!

Want to catch gigantic fish? Three words, Bait Training School! 







I hope you enjoyed the cartoons, check-out my vintage style maps of your favorite lake, river, or bay!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

5 More Lakes to Visit this Summer

As summer draws to a close, here are five lakes to visit to cap off your summer. With recreational activities such as golfing and fishing, these lakes have plenty to offer. Also, we've included pictures of vintage style lake maps that are available at Leolakes.com


Greers Ferry Lake
Greers Ferry Lake is located in Northern Arkansas in the Ozark Mountain foothills. With its sparkling, clear water, Greers Ferry is rated as one of the most pristine lakes in the nation. There are eight marinas around the lake that supply rentals of ski boats, house boats, and more and with the fish supply supplemented by the Arkansas Game and Fishing Commission, Greers Ferry is a great place for anglers. There is an island within the lake called Sugar Loaf Mountain with a summit that is five hundred feet above the lake; a trail on the island offers beautiful mountain views of the lake. With shopping in communities close by, a trail to hike on, and great fishing, Greers Ferry offers activities for everyone. 

Sources: http://www.arkansas.com/outdoors/water-activities/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=7


Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is located within both Nevada and California in between Reno and Sacramento. With accolades such as being rated America’s Best Lake by USA Today and number one ski and travel destination by various sources, Lake Tahoe is clearly popular. Lake Tahoe offers classic lake activities such as boating and fishing but it also has unique offerings such as casinos and concerts. With free concerts almost every night and casinos on the Nevada side of the lake, Lake Tahoe has something for everyone. If you have the good fortune of visiting Lake Tahoe in the winter, you can participate in activities such as skiing and snowboarding. 

Sources: http://www.gotahoenorth.com/things/downhill-skiing-and-snowboarding/
http://www.visitinglaketahoe.com/


Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs is a lake located in Minnesota. During the summer, this area is warm and sunny; with a variety of fish such as northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, and tullibee, Mille Lacs is Minnesota’s most popular lake for fishing. The Mille Lac Soo Line Trail is perfect for runners and bikers with its 11 miles of train tracks converted to paved and gravel trail. If you are looking for an off-road adventure, the area around Mille Lacs has more than 300 miles of ATV trails. Mille Lacs is the ideal lake to visit if you are an active person looking for an adventure!
Fun Fact: Mille Lacs is French for “one thousand lakes.”

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Lacs_Lake
http://millelacs.com/activities/family-summer-vacations/


Pickwick Lake
Pickwick Lake is located within Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Pickwick has some exceptional fishing areas that have record size smallmouth bass and catfish; warm water dispelled from the power plant attracts fish during the cold weather in some areas. Pickwick Landing State Park offers areas for camping and three public beaches; some of the biggest fishing tournaments are held at the park. The park also contains two trails that are about two miles long and for golf lovers, the park has a golf course that hosts the St. Jude Charity Golf Tournament each year. Pickwick Lake is also home to the Yellow Creek waterfall which even has a rope swing for visitors to jump off the falls. 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickwick_Lake
http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/pickwick-landing


Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston is located in between the North Carolina and Virginia border; the area surrounding the lake is home to more than 150,000 people. Lake Gaston is a popular vacation spot because of its proximity to two major interstates and several colleges. In addition to the ease of travel to Lake Gaston, Lake Gaston is a good vacation spot because of the prevalence of activities such as fishing, golf, and boating. Lake Gaston has a large population of largemouth basses and striped bass are added to the lake making it a fantastic lake for anglers (however, serious fisherman may want to visit the lake during February and March when catches are usually at their peak). 

Sources: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/
http://www.virginia.org/Listings/OutdoorsAndSports/LakeGaston/
http://www.lakegastonguide.com/

Hope you enjoyed the article and if you want to know more about the maps, visit Leolakes.com
Have a great end of the summer!