THE FIRST PADDLE

THE FIRST PADDLE - When the first human, “Ug” entered the water he probably figured out that he could float on logs to sneak up on prey, catch fish or just have fun. The obvious next step was to propel and maneuver the log. "Ug" picked up a stick and used it as a way to propel and guide the log. The other members of the tribe must have been awed by this brilliance. The stick became the choice in which the tribe traveled the water ways. Unknowing to "Ug", this was a major breakthrough in watercraft propulsion.

Click the image to read!

Sometime later, "Ug" began to understand that the shape of the stick made a big difference in how well the log could be guided and propelled. At this moment the paddle was born. The paddle could be used to go up stream and into deeper water. Ug was a hero and life was better, much better except when "Ug" was up a creek without his paddle.   

PADDLES HAVE come a long way! It just so happens that my fishing buddy just bought a new Bending Branches Navigator Wooden Paddle. A fine paddle that is absolutely beautiful and light as a feather. I don't normally talk about products on this web site, but this is a must see. 


HERE'S THE WEB SITE Bending Branches Navigator Wooden Paddle  and YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJp4GQ8mtZc

GET AWAY from the big stream and get on a big stream!

A Treasured Lake!

Just finished this huge 4ft X 8ft Vintage Style Decor Map of Beautiful Pickwick Lake. This map is printed on canvas and will hang in a home near the Lake. 

  

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. www.LeoLakes.com 


Remember to get away from the big screen and get on a big stream.

Bait Training !

Have you ever seen those pictures of some proud fisherman holding a 40 lb rainbow 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.

You may or may not know.

You may or may not know that I paint lakes, rivers, and bay decor maps for folks to hang in their lake house, home, office or business. Normally they are 10"x20" and occasionally larger. Currently, I am working on a huge 4'x8' decor map of Pickwick Lake that's located in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. Below is a 2'x3' sample and the 4x8 map which is being printed. As soon as it's finished, I will place a picture of it on the blog.   

I love painting these maps and know what it means when they say "if you do what you enjoy, then you will never work a day in your life!" I call the maps "The Great Recession Maps" because I started painting them during the recession. The first was of a river that's close to my heart, a river that our family has a lot of history living near, which is another story for another time. I wanted a nice decor map of this river to bring back those golden memories, so I painted my own. Folks liked it so well, I painted more and made prints. That was 200 decor maps ago. www.LeoLakes.com

Remember to get away from the big screen and get on a big stream. 

What Fly's do in their spare time.

Have you ever wondered what your fly's do in your tackle box during their spare time? Me either, but I think I know. After a long day of fishing, they party! 

This gives a new meaning to pole dancing. I hope you enjoyed! Remember to get away from the big screen a get on a big stream.

What is a Woolly Bugger?

A little Woolly Bugger Humor !

What is a Woolly Bugger?

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

Spooking a carp!

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 !

I guess this is what happens when you cross a prostrate with bait humor? Anyway fisherman, this cartoon is a reminder to get your prostrate checked once a year.  

Coming in the near future, "The Tackle Trailer." 

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

What is the most popular Troutmanizer cartoon?

As you may know, I have been blogging about a cartoon series that I created called, "You're a Trout-ma-nizer if." The full series can be found in the tab above with the same title. Anyway, I have been keeping track of the popularity of each cartoon and I'm ready to publish the results by using the total number of page views for the ten cartoons. Which Troutmanizer cartoon was the most popular?  The most popular cartoon was the Troutmanizer definition (above) with 121 page views. Not bad for a new blog that has only 850 total page views for the life of the blog, in fact I may work on a t-shirt design for Troutmanizer. Stay tuned!

The Second most popular cartoon was, Woolly Bugger at 40 page views on the left. It's my favorite and a lot of folks really liked this cartoon. I think it's because of the uniqueness and only Fly Fisherman understand that a Woolly Bugger is not a hairy booger. 


I think it's interesting that the, "having your wife wear trout pj's to bed" cartoon, with 23 views was number 3 and lots of folks thought it was very funny. You are definitely a Troutmanizer if your wife wears trout PJ's. Right? 




The 4th most popular cartoon was, pierced by your favorite fly, on the left with 15 views. If you have ever fished a lot, you have likely been hung by a hook. From the comments, it seems that this cartoon has hit a nerve. Ha Ha! 


Which cartoon was the least popular? Kiss a trout, with only 5 views. There's just something about kissing a fish that turns off most fisherman. Just don't do it! Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for more cartoons.

First Spring Fishing Trip

A few weeks ago, I went on my first fishing trip of the year. My buddy Buttermilk and I went to a small lake near my home called Greenbrier Lake. It's only about 100 acres, but it's a great lake for kayak fishing.  Occasionally you may catch a nice bass.

The lake has a few resident beavers that go on their normal routine, even if folks are fishing near.  

Here you can see Buttermilk fishing hard using Trout Magnet as bait. It works for bass and brim, too.

Bang, Buttermilk sets the hook! Could it be a big Bass?

Nope, just a small brim.

Nevertheless, it's a fish.

Not a bad day of fishing for the first time of the year. We did catch a few brim and a couple of small bass. 

Hey, remember to get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

A Wild Ride

This is not my usual comic about fishing, 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.