I just finished painting another lake, Greers Ferry Lake located in Northern Arkansas. As you can see from the decor map, it's almost two lakes. These two body's of water are connected by a gorge area called the narrows. The city of Hidgen was flooded to make way for the lake and was moved to a hill near the lake. Greers Ferry is a great recreation lake that is becoming known for rainbows, not the sky kind but the fish type for you non-fishing folk. Speaking of trout, the Little Red River below the dam holds the current world record brown trout at 40lbs 4ozs. WOW that's as much as our two cats.

Click on the map to venture over to my web site and see a larger  picture

Saturday I will put this weeks Baitrageous cartoons on the blog so stay tuned and remember: Life's short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.  To see more decor maps go to LeoLakes.com

Fish with Buttermilk and Cornbread

My fishing buddy "Buttermilk" also known as Greasy Ham (you know how we are about names in the south) went fishing two weeks ago on J. Percy Priest Lake. Priest Lake, as it is called by the fishing natives, is located near Nashville TN. 


The temperature was 103 degrees, but that didn't stop the fish from biting. Buttermilk texted  these pictures of some bass that he caught on a yellow & blue Bomber. Oh yeah, want to know a little secret? Sometimes they call me Cornbread, so when we go fishing together, it's Buttermilk and Cornbread. 

Remember: "Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream."

Mr. Pot, Bait relations, & Bait Makeover

Ok, what does Mr. Pot, Bait Relations, & Bait Makeover have to do with my blog? They're the cartoons for the week. My favorite is bait makeover. Also, the temp has finally dropped back to normal here in Tennessee. We actually had some rain today. 


This weekend we are headed to Chattanooga, TN for a mini-vacation. Our plans are to see the Chattanooga Aquarium, both the salt and fresh water aquarium. It's been a while since I've visited and am excited to see what's new. I will post a report when we return. Enjoy Baitrageous!

Hey, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.

Lakes without borders

Unlike most maps, my décor maps have no road names, county lines, or state bounties. There is a reason for this madness. You see, I want you to wander around the lake, river or bay with your eyes, quite possibly bringing back those golden memories of the big one that got away, a boating adventure, or a place that you adore. I have watched folks looking at my maps and you see them traveling the roads trying to get their bearings, and then suddenly they find them and light up like they were on an adventure. Here is my traditional décor map.

Click on map to get a better look!

I have been considering adding a new map variation to my web site, a map with fewer grids and symbols, but a little more artsy and less cluttered. In addition, I included a poem that my wife created. Here’s a sample.

Click on the map to get a better look!

On the map below I went one step further; I have removed all the wording except for the lake name. It certainly emphasizes the body of water and changes your prospective, like where do I start? This gives you the feeling of flying over as a bird or in a plane. 

Click on map to get a better look!

Feedback would be welcome on these two new ideas. I know feedback is difficult, but I would like to know what you think. Also, I will always keep my current traditional map art, but do like to experiment with other possibilities. Remember…….. Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream! 

See more at my web site: LeoLakes.com

Too Hot in Music City

It's TOO HOT TO FISH here in Music City. A record 109 degrees yesterday, so I did a few more Baitrageous cartoons in front of the big screen today. Check out Bob's new secret fish sauce for a little more heat. Enjoy Y'ALL!

Life's short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream! 

Aliens, dry flies, and artificial chum

For you fishermen or women, a little bait humor.

You need to be a fly fishermen to understand this cartoon.

Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

One earring short of a full lobe!

A story about women, fishing and earrings, yep earrings. I did this blog over a year ago and even got a reader approved award from the Outdoor Blogger Network. Read on my friend and see you at the end.  

IT ALL STARTED the other day when I could swear my wife was wearing a pair of my spoon fishing lures. At that moment, I had an epiphany or I think that is what it was, but it could have been that chilli-burger yesterday. I digress and hopefully digest, too. This got me to thinking about how much women’s earrings resemble fishing lures. In fact, I think some of my wife’s earrings could be hanging in Bass Pro, if only they had a treble hook. Ah, you don’t think the earring manufactures have infiltrated the lure industry and are now making lures, do you? If this is true, I’m not sure who will be more embarrassed, me who would be fishing with women’s jewelry or her wearing fishing tackle. Wait a minute, I could have saved lots of money because she would wear it for a while and then I could fish with it, cool, dual purpose and environmentally friendly. 

I think I just invented a new product, Earring Tackle. Think about what a great Birthday gift this would be for your wife. You just drop by Bass Pro, go to the Earring Tackle, pick out that perfect earring lure, have it wrapped, and present it to her on her birthday. I bet she would say" Holy Crappie" and would love it!!!!!! Later as she grows tired of them, you will end up with a new lure and you might be able to say "Hey Babe, I caught a 3 lb. Crappie with your birthday present." How bout dat? 

To make life short, I decided that I had to test this earring tackle concept to determine if fish can actually be caught on jewelry, so I snuck into my wife’s jewelry box to see what I might find. Wow, a jewelry box and a tackle box are nearly the same. Who said men are from mars and women are from Venus. Anyway, I noticed that nice spoon, I spoke about earlier that I have been eyeing. I wondered, will she allow me to add a treble hook? You never know until you ask, right? I realized that trying to talk her out of her spoon earrings would be like trying to talk me out of my rooster tail, no way. Surprise, Surprise, she allowed me to take her spoon jewelry and turn it into "Earring Tackle". Here's a photo of my future tackle that just need a treble hook. Not bad, eh. 

I wondered what kind of fish enjoys women’s earrings. My next step was to fish with it. Fast forward a week and here I am, on the river, sitting in my kayak, with my fishing pole in hand and earring tackle knotted on my line. The first cast was good, nice weight, easy hitting target, runs about 2 inches below water, and shiny, but very little action. That could be an issue. However, it looks like a fish could confuse it for last months, 13 year cicada with those big orange eyes. Cast 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,…..15 and I’m starting to get a little concerned, 34, 35, 36 and bang, I get a bite. I start to reel and notice that the fish seems to be small but a fighter. Could it be a Largemouth, Smallmouth, Rock Bass or Catfish? Here it is my first fish caught on jewelry tackle.

I have answered the question; you can catch fish on your wife’s jewelry. Now I find myself staring at women and thinking, WOW, I wonder what I could catch with those earrings. I have found that you don’t stare too long or the women run off. Did you know that there’s a store called Clarie’s where you can buy 10 earrings for 10 bucks, that's 20 lures for .50 cents each? Dang, this could be big, imagine Claire’s Earring Tackle Fishing Tournament. I can see it now, the winner of the Earring Tackle Fishing Tournament caught the winning fish, a 9 pound largemouth, on a pair of his wife’s danglers.

In closing I would like to say-- Hi, my name is Larry and I like women’s jewelry, to fish with. Sometimes it’s good to be one earring short of a full lobe. I hope you enjoyed the humor! Hey, if you are in need of a beautiful vintage style map of your favorite lake, river, or bay, then check-up out my website: LeoMaps.com

Remember: Life's Short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!  

   Try to find the hidden mermaid. Click Below!

Fisherman goes Native

First off, this is about Buttermilk (fishing buddy) who has gone native, yep native! What does going native mean........ being primal, going naked, or blending in to local culture? I admit it; I had to look this up. Here’s what I found, going native....... used humorously, means to take on some of the culture traits of the people around you, often said of people who go to foreign countries or far away cities. These traits may include dress, language, accent, etiquette, religion, etc. 

Okay, I have pictures of Buttermilk gone native, not only has he gone native, but he has gone ultimate native!

For you outdoorsy folks, you may have figured out that this post is about a kayak, and for you others, y’all (as we say in the south) need to step away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Anyway, as you can see, Buttermilk has purchased a new kayak from Native Watercraft called the Ultimate. It’s a very nice yak and of course, Buttermilk has pimped it up with a fish camera, and some other accessories. 

Check out that seat, it looks more comfortable than a lazy-boy in front of a big screen. So, I went native and took it for a paddle and she’s a ten. Now I have Kayak envy.     

"Get Away from the Big Screen and get on a Big Stream"