Thread: Ariel Photo Maps of Lakes before they were filled with water

Hey Ya’ll,


I happened to run across an old thread on this forum when I was reading up on Crappie fishing, and saw a post that was 10 years old; it was someone talking about a map he had of Harris Reservoir that was a photo (before the lake was filled) overlaid with topography. He said the photo has water lines on it that show where the lake was filled to.

Well, I was intrigued, so even though the post was 10 years old, I reached out to the original poster to inquire about the map. He agreed to let me make a copy of the map, so I contacted some print shops, but due to copyrights they said they weren’table to help. So I asked the map owner if it had any identifying markings to show the publisher of the map, and it was from a partnership called Bass Chumps.

I searched ebay, and everywhere else I could think of to see if anyone was selling these maps, but had no success. So I went back to researching Bass Chumps, whom I found out was made up of two fishing partners, Bud Kellerman and Rich Wilson. Further research showed that Rich Wilson had passed away in 2013, and based on the heartfelt farewells I read, was well liked and respected in the fishing community. I’d like to share a fisherman’s prayer that was posted in remembrance:

• God grant that I may live to fish for anothershining day
• But when my final cast is made, I then mosthumbly pray:
• When nestled in Your landing net as I laypeacefully asleep,
• You’ll smile at me and judge that I am goodenough to keep.
• Rich was a “keeper” in my book. Rest in Peace. (by OP)

So then I started looking into finding Bud, and was able to locate a phone number for him that was posted about 10 years ago, I figured what the heck. I called the number, worried that I may be a bother, or that the number had been passed to another,when a woman answered. Welp, I figured she wasn’t Bud, and that I’d hit another dead end. I asked to speak with Bud, and by golly, she knew who he was. She told me he was busy, but took a message for him to call back.

I spoke with Bud when he returned my call, very nice guy and lucky for me was still selling his maps. He filled me in on the history of how him and his partner begin making the maps(they got the pictures from old Ariel Survey Photos that the govt. took around WWII), and let me know that he still had a website running where he sells the maps. I couldn’t believe that his website didn’t come up during any of my research, but I was glad to have it.

I’ve gone online and ordered me a copy (and one as a gift for a friend), in addition to Harris, I got a Photo/map of Jordan and Kerr, and there are several other maps of lakes in North NC, as well as Virginia and a few other states. I’m posting this in case any of you are interested, or anyone else is looking for them (I found several people posting that they were looking how to get the maps during my research, but no one posting how to find them).


Bud’s website is:

www.BCfishingmaps.com

The maps range from about $8 to $11.

There is also a website called Historicaerials.com which has aerial photos and topographic maps that go back quite a ways. You can also order a paper map or photo.