Tattoo Attention

Old fishermen may pass, but their bait lives on!

I have been lucky to have a couple of lures that my grandfather fished with in the 30s. Now, my grandfather was not much of a fisherman, but did fish on a rare occasion. When I was a kid, the family cleaned out his home after he passed. My father and I found these old Heddon lures in his shop. My father said he remembered these when he was a kid and fished with them on the Duck River during the depression.

As you can see, they have seen better days. In fact, someone tried to modify the top lure for some reason. I do wonder what's the story behind this bait, where was it purchased, and what fish were caught. I'm sure if this bait could talk, it would be fascinating.

They are made of wood. The shellac has deteriorated with age and the paint is starting to crack and flake off. The quality of the craftsmanship is excellent. The diving spoon is thick and made from high quality metal, no rust after 80-85 years. 

I bet my father or his brother modified this lure when they were young and decided a spinner would be better added to the front. Oh well, I am glad to have these old relics.They are not worth much to anyone else but me. I do want to preserve the story and place them in a better container. So, I decided to print and build an old fashion lure box made of paper.   

 Now folks in the future will know a little more about these old lures and the story behind the bait. "Old fishermen may pass, but their bait lives on!"

 

The above is a proto-type box and I am working to improve. I think it needs to be a little thicker and better graphics. I will add a new picture when I finish.

 

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

 

What to do if you see this sign.

All I can say is run like the wind!

 

Hmmmm... looks like Bob was wearing a cap too.

 

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

Hillbilly Shark Handfishin!

Bubba has been thinking! What would be better than combining two popular sports such as shark fishing and hillbilly hand fishing. Bubba can see it now, his own TV series showing him hauling in hugh Great Whites. The rating would be outrageous and Bubba would be a star. Then........

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

 

Guess this sign?

Have you ever reached way back to the edge of the fridge, searching under the frozen peas and corn to pullout that package of frozen trout.

You didn't know it, but you just Hillbilly Hand-fished, sort of. This recreational activity is taking over the country. In fact, it's so popular, signs are going up everywhere to ban this sport. Well, maybe not in New York City. I bet you didn't know that you can actually hire a Hillbilly Hand-fishin guide? Yep, he or she can show you the best location, appropriate technique and dress; yes Hillbilly Hand-fishing has technique just like trout fishing. Think about it, going into Orvis, Cabel's or Bass Pro and shopping for the latest hillbilly handfishin outerwear, overhauls. 

Believe it or not this is the only "natural way" to catch fish because no bait is used so no animals/worms are harmed,”The all Natural Caught Fish!” In fact, "Hillbilly Handfishin caught fish", may be coming to a health food store near you. Imagine a trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's to pick-up some "All Natural Caught Fish" for that important dinner party. Think how impressed your friends will be. Here's the new tag line: Hillbilly Hand-Fish, THE ONLY NATURAL CAUGHT FISH!!! Be lookin for 'em in a store near you! Oh yeah, unfortunately Hillbilly Hand Fishing is frowned upon by some folks as indicated by the sign below.   

I can’t wait to show tomorrows cartoon, I think it’s just too funny and may be my best!

Remember: 

Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least put one on your wall! Check out my maps.

TREASURED MAPS www.leolakes.com

Guess the sign!

Outrageous signs! You’ve seen them near recreational, boating, and fishing areas. They are big, yellow, and rectangular. The goal is to communicate caution by using the international language, simple pictures. Now days they are just getting outrageous for some of the messages they’re trying to convey.  Not to be out done, I came up with my own humorous signs that you may see at a recreational area near you. I call them “Guess the Sign.”  I will be adding new ones every day or two this week. Here is today’s sign.

It’s a known fact, banjo music make fishermen very nervous. If you were unaware of that fact, then you may need to watch the movie……….Deliverance. If you hear banjo music when fishing, kayaking, or boating……RUN FAST in the opposite direction. Hey, checkout my lake maps of your favorite lake at www.leolakes.com make a great gift.

Now this brings up the hottest new product of 2013! Do you want to protect your favorite fishing hole from other fishermen that are trying to catch your trophy? Some clever fishermen are using banjo music, yep banjo music. They install a motion detector that is connected to a battery operated CD player. When a fisherman comes near their favorite fishing hole, banjo music starts to play. Boy, fishermen run so fast they often leave their fishing gear behind along with that trophy fish. Look for this new product in recreational stores near you.

Remember: 

Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least put one on your wall! Check out my maps.

TREASURED MAPS www.leolakes.com

Kayak Fashion, Cartoons of the week.

Do you want to pimp your kayak? Well, here's some kayak ideas that you may have never thought about. I bet you will incorporate them into your kayak. Anyway, the Cartoon of the week focuses on Kayak Fashion, from the kayak hoody to the metro sexual kayak all the way to the western kayak. Now here's the deal, leave a comment if you enjoyed!!!!!!!!! 

This will be a hit, very functional. Actually, this hoody doubles as a rain hood, great for the fisherman. The Kayak Hoody may be coming to malls all across USA. 

There is nothing like dressing for success. The metro sexual kayak is all about looking good with the main focus on matching. Great for the city park fountain or duck pond!

The "Boss Hog" of kayaks. Check out the horns! No doubt about it, look for them in the boot section of your favorite western store. 

I hope you enjoyed my twisted humor! Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream!

The process of fishing

The Process of Fishing in Black & White

(A six stage event)

I couldn't resist using these pictures that I shot last March of my father-in-law fishing on Lemon Bay in Florida. They were in color but I converted them to black and white for a better effect. I like the black and white photos, they're so much more dramatic.

The Bait

The Cast



The Adjustment

The Watching

The Bite

The Catch

I didn't plan on making fishing into a six stage event, however after putting these pictures in time sequence, it became apparent that fishing is a six stage event. Sure, you might be able to elimanate one stage, but not any more.

How is baitrageous doing?

The goal of Baitrageous has been to provide humor, in the form of cartoons, based on fishing.   So, how many folks are coming to the site? On a daily basis, Baitrageous has 7 page views. This is a very poor showing, considering that on another site that I run, it has 45-70 page views per day. Now I haven't worked this site very hard, I don't sign this blog up to all the blog directories or join every blogger’s site and leaving comments in hopes they will join Baitrageous. I was hoping to increase traffic naturally.

What have I learned? The successful sites do four things well, what I call TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday). They are: Techniques used to catch fish, Gear review, Informative trip reports with lots of big fish pictures, and Feedback involvement/free giveaways. Baitrageous miserably fails at all four. However, some of the cartoons have been a smashing success, like Wolley Bugger.

What’s the bottom line? Fishing humor alone cannot drive a blog site, but can be an important addition to a fishing blog. At this point, I am not sure of the future of Baitrageous. Any feedback would be appreciated.   

Toons of the week, Prince Harry, Pearl Rig, and Bob.

I couldn't resist doing a little humor about Prince Harry.

 

 



A fishing snap swival & fishing weight, brillant. For the non-fisherman, a pearl rig is a type of fishing system sometimes referred to as the Alabama Rig.

An almost famous idea that just didn't make it. Kayak transportation.

Fishing on the River of Oz?

This week I was sucked up and carried to the river of Oz. Since this is my cartoon of the week, I went fantasy fishing. Yep, I said fantasy fishing! Just think, if there were fantasy fishing, then the river of Oz would be a top destination. Of course you would need to watch out for those flying monkeys, but the rewards could be epic.

Remember those munchkins? I once met a Munchkin that was in the original Wizard of Oz at the mall. I was there with my 6 year old. You know the oddest thing happened, the Munchkin sang the song “The Witch is dead”, however he was cantankerous and sometimes sang “The Bitch Is Dead.” This was humorous especially when you looked around and seen the faces of the other parents. Anyway, what kind of bait do you think those munchkins fished with at the river of Oz? I think I know.

The best bait always follows the monofilament road!

The Scary Crow Spinner is a great bait that can be picked up at bait shops in Emerald City.

Unfortuntely, you must use lots of bait oil to have any luck with the Big Tin Crank!

This is a fantastic bait, but just doesn't have the heart for all situations.

You can't go wrong with the Wicked Witch Jig, the Wizards favorite bait.

Hope you enjoyed my little fantasy fishing trip and remember get away from the big screen and get on a big stream because you're not in Kansas any more.