Sunday, November 27, 2016

Not a fish was stirring!

I went fishing last year near Christmas and here's what happened.

Last weekend I went to one of my favorite lakes to fish and kayak. This particular lake was stocked with rainbow trout the day before and my goal was to catch few. This poem tells you how well the fishing trip went.

Not a fish was stirring, not even a carp!
L.E.Oldfield


T’was the night after the rainbows had been stocked in the lake, I went fishing to see what I might take,

The fly's were hung in the tackle box with care, in hopes that a big rainbow would soon be near.

When out on the lake there arose such a splatter, I sprang up in my kayak to see what was the matter.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,  just a fallen tree near an old whitetail deer.

I found not a fish was stirring, not even a carp, so I paddled my Kayak back to the park.

When I arrived home, fun was had by all, as my wife had just arrived from the mall.

That pretty much sums up my fishing trip. Apparently the trout, being new to the lake had pissed off everyone and nobody was biting.

Need a great gift for the fisherman, lake lover, or lake house owner, visit my website. I have over two hundred lake, river and bay maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalized lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com
As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work, click here www.LeoLakes.com

Remember, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Gift idea for the fisherman?

Need a gift idea for a fisherman? Why not a beautiful canvas decor map of the lake that they love!  They are sure to enjoy a nice map of the lake or river where they caught that trophy fish.  
My maps make great gifts and will bring back memories of those fishing trip to that favorite lake. You can even star your secret fishing hole. Don't forget to look for the fish jumping around in the lake waters!



Check-out these other comments from our customers.

The map arrived right on time and it was a sensational hit.  Thanks so much, this was exactly what I was looking for and was even better than anticipated. Nate
I just received the map, it looks beautiful! Thank you for helping me put together such a spectacular gift and I will definitely keep you in mind for future gift ideas. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Arrived safe and sound this afternoon and looks great!  I can't wait to give it to my parents for xmas for their new lake house.  Thank you!

I must be doing something right! I'm finally getting my ten minutes of fame, sort of. Interestingly, I got a call from, now get this.......a major studio in California. They are filming a new tv series for mid-season. They want to use one of my big lake maps as a prop in the series. It won't come out for a few months, but I'm hoping that it will be prominently displayed in the series. I will have more news about this later...... 

Paddle over to website to see my Lake, River, and Bay Maps. I have hundreds of maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes vintage style lake maps, too. Lake maps will add beauty to your Lake House Decor! Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com

Gift idea for the fisherman?

Need a Christmas Gift idea for a fisherman? Why not a beautiful canvas decor map of the lake that they love!  They are sure to enjoy a nice map of the lake or river where they caught that trophy fish.  
My maps make great Christmas gifts and will bring back memories of those fishing trip to that favorite lake. You can even star your secret fishing hole. Don't forget to look for the hidden mermaid in the lake waters!



Check-out these other comments from our customers.

The map arrived right on time and it was a sensational hit.  Thanks so much, this was exactly what I was looking for and was even better than anticipated. Nate
I just received the map, it looks beautiful! Thank you for helping me put together such a spectacular gift and I will definitely keep you in mind for future gift ideas. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Arrived safe and sound this afternoon and looks great!  I can't wait to give it to my parents for xmas for their new lake house.  Thank you!

I must be doing something right! I'm finally getting my ten minutes of fame, sort of. Interestingly, I got a call from, now get this.......a major studio in California. They are filming a new tv series for mid-season. They want to use one of my big lake maps as a prop in the series. It won't come out for a few months, but I'm hoping that it will be prominently displayed in the series. I will have more news about this later...... 

Paddle over to website to see my Lake, River, and Bay Maps. I have hundreds of maps on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes vintage style lake maps, too. Lake maps will add beauty to your Lake House Decor! Find out more interesting facts about my treasured maps by going to LeoLakes.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Stiletto Hook !!

Here's some more of my cartoon humor! Check-out "mommy got her stiletto on."  It's obvious the worm is a masochist! Enjoy...



Paddle Over.......

to my website, I paint lake, river, and bay decor maps. If you need a great Christmas Gift click here: LeoMaps.com



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

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Best Fishermen Gift for 2016

What's the best Christmas gift for the fisherman, lake lover, or lake house? A beautiful LeoLakes Treasured Decor Map. If you have a lake house, lake cottage, lake cabin, boat, fishing pole or know someone that does, then a nice, vintage style map of your beloved lake will look spectacular hanging on the wall. Leo Lakes have many sizes and most lakes can be ordered right from the website with only a few days to deliver. We even paint custom lake maps for that small lake.
On our canvas prints, the waterfowl and other areas of the map are hand painted (touched-up). Also, Leo hides a tiny mermaid in the waters of every lake which makes an ideal conversational piece. See other interesting facts about our maps at www.LeoLakes.com

You can add a star to the location of your Lake House to give that personal touch and even add a label such as "The Johnson's House Est. 2006". 


Here's one of our customer comments:

"Leo, the Youghiogheny Lake print arrived safely yesterday! It’s beautiful, can’t wait to give it to my husband for his birthday!
Found the fish and the Mermaid, great conversation piece! Thanks for all your help, I’ll definitely recommend your website! Thanks again"
If it's a gift for the lake house owner, just wait until you see there face when they open a LeoLakes Treasured Decor Map! See more at www.LeoLakes.com


Monday, November 7, 2016

Night Fishing, Missed calling, Mardi Gra

Here's a few more Bobber Cartoons! For some reason, I am in a black background kind of mood. My favorite cartoon is the Mardi Gra cartoon, because you just don't see bobbers doing this or maybe you do but, only at Baitrageous! Enjoy...





Paddle over to my website, LeoLakes.com. I paint beautiful lake, river and bay decor maps. Folks are discovering that these decor maps are wonderfully unique gifts that become family heirlooms. Oh yeah, I hide things in the lake waters, such as a tiny mermaid/fish. Folks love to search for them. I call my maps, treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. My treasured maps make a great Christmas gifts for the fisherman, lake lover, or Lake house. 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift.  Orders are picking up during the holiday's, so order soon. Click here www.LeoLakes.com for more information.


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


Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Fishing Gypies

Two weeks ago, I attended a lake outing on Tims Ford Lake. Tims Ford Lake is a beautiful lake located in Middle Tennessee. The lake was built from 1966-1970. At that time, it was only a couple of years old and there wasn't much development around the lake. It almost seemed a little desolate. I've added this map of Tims Ford Lake that I did in honor of my childhood trips to the lake. I removed all the labels (towns, creeks, rivers etc..) in order to focus only on the lake.
I remember as a boy, camping on the lake during a hot summer weekend with my father, mother, uncle, aunt and cousins. My father and uncle were very close and had been fishing together for years. This was our normal fishing family and we fished many lakes and rivers together. We arrived in our 1972 White Ford Pickup that had an "Open Road" slide-in camper mounted on the back. We pulled a boat trailer with a Sears 14 feet aluminum Jon Boat. My uncle had the same rigs, but different brands. Going down the road we looked like a band of gypsies, so someone coined the name, "Fishing Gypsies." 

Our camp site backed up to a slough, as they called it, which was really a hollow (small valley) that the lake has filled. We noticed that a lot of turtles surfaced in the water. My uncle thought that a lot of turtles were a bad sign because he felt they ate the fish. Interestingly, we named the slough, turtle creek due to the numerous snappers. 
After setting up camp and putting in the boats, it was fishing time. Since we were kids we spent the rest of the day on the banks fishing. 
Supper time was special. Each of the four adults had a chore that had been honed over the years while in the "Fishing Gypsy" family. My dad and uncle were in-charge of grilling steak and/or frying fish. The ladies were in-charge of the sides, potatoes/beans/greens. We even had a special side called "River Tators", basically fried potatoes with caramelized onions. When it all came to gather, it was a delicious feast that you did not want to miss. I can still taste it today.
Yes, we had entertainment! My dad always brought an AM/FM Transistor Radio, Friday night was general music, Saturday night was Grand Ole Opry, and Sunday was the NASCAR race. Well with it being Friday night, the radio was playing general music and a new song came on the radio station. It was by Chuck Berry and the song was "My Ding-A-Ling." I'm not sure if anyone remembers that song, but it was a number one song with very cute lyrics that some thought a little dirty. This song came out in July 1972, which has allowed me to date the year and month we camped at Tims Ford Lake. 
We had such fun listening to that song because it connected to our camp site. Here's the portion of the lyrics that made everyone belly laugh. "Once I was swimming across turtle creek, man them turtles snapping at my feet, sure was hard swimming across that creek with both hands on my ding-a-ling." Even being twelve years old, as I looked across that creek behind our camp with those turtles surfacing, I understand why you have both hands on your ding-a-ling while swimming across.     
  We didn't catch many fish, just a few catfish. My dad and uncle thought that the lake was too young, however this was a perfect "Fishing Gypsy Family" for a twelve year old kid, ding-a-ling! 

Since I'm very artistic and creative, I began to paint lakes, rivers and bays in order to bring back those golden memories like the one above.

I call them LEO Lakes Treasured Maps and have painted over 200 from 36 states using USGS maps as guides. I feel like FORREST GUMP who started to run and run and run. I paint, and paint and paint rivers, lakes and bays. I have a goal to paint 1001. Who knows, LEO Lakes may be coming to a store near you. LeoLakes.com

They make a truly unique and special gift for the lake house owner, lake lover and fisherman. Makes a Great Christmas Present!

Here's what makes them so Special!

I hide a few fish and even a tiny mermaid in the waters of my lakes. Yep, but they're very shy and don't want to be found.Folks just love'm especially the kids. You might even think they move around overtime.

You will find no road names, county, or state lines on my maps. I have found that folks enjoy traveling the roads with their eyes, while trying to get their bearing. I call this the "Leo Lakes gaze."

I call my maps Treasured Maps because every treasure has a Ruby and so do my maps, each have a Red Ruby Meridian.

I add a vintage plane flying over my maps to signify an adventure to your treasured lake, river, or bay.

You will find wildlife in all my maps. These signify the natural beauty of your treasured lake, river or bay. I use wildlife that is common to the subject lake, such as Canadian Geese, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagles and others.

You can add a star or symbol with a few words to mark that special place, it may be the location of the lake house, the spot where you caught that trophy fish or some grand view. This will make a very special gift for the lake lover. 

Did you know that you can always tell if its morning or evening on a Leo Lakes map? Just look at the shadows cast by the wildlife, is the shadow on the east or west? If it's on the west, then it’s morning time. Oh yeah, I have had folks tell me that they change through the day, but don't believe them.
My WEBSITE: LeoLakes.com