PERRY TOWNSHIP — Frogs leap from the banks into calm waters and a wind rustles tree leaves nearby. With the sun shining brightly and the cool breeze crossing, the waters of Chuck’s Lakes ripple almost with a sense of anticipation.

It is Charles Eicher’s little slice of heaven — and it soon could be someone else’s slice of heaven; but more on that later.

Chuck’s Lakes, off State Route 243 in Perry Township, is an 8 acre site that has been Eicher’s domain for 48 years.

“I was in the bait business in Coal Grove, I had Chuck’s Bait Store,” Eicher said. “We wanted to get to the country — my wife and me.”

When he and the late Vivian Eicher bought it, what is now four lakes was only one. They repaired the ailing larger pond, stocked it with catfish and created three smaller ones, stocking them all with bass, bluegill and minnows.

Frogs, too, have found a home at the lakes since then.

“You ever had frog legs?” He asked. “They’re good.”

Eicher is proud of what has been accomplished. All that hard work it seems has been a labor of love and now a reason to boast a little.

“We have the only bass lake in the state of Ohio,” he said. “We’ve got 8- and 10-pound fish in there.”

But the catfish in that larger lake are bigger than that.

“Some of them are 60 pounds,” he said.

“That’s 6-0,” he said.

Two digits, not one.

Forty-eight years pass in a hurry. His six sons are grown and Eicher is alone now. He wants to sell Chuck’s Lakes to someone who will love them as he has, someone who can look at those four lakes and 8 acres and see more than dirt, water and trees.

“I’m 84 years old,” he said. “I just can’t keep it up. If I was younger I would keep it.”

For $300,000, Eicher will hand over the four lakes and eight acres, along with a four-bedroom house and a bait and tackle store.

After it’s sold, though, Eicher will keep a lot of happy memories and a fond feeling he has for what has been his home for more than four decades.

“It’s quiet out here and it’s peaceful,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of work into it.”

If anyone is interested in buying the lakes, Eicher is available most days at the store by calling (740) 532-3980.