August 8, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

This morning was cooler than the past several weeks with temperatures in the high 60s most of the morning. It was also breezy with winds out of the west at 8-15 mph, with gusts up over 20 mph. The sky was overcast and gray and it rained on and off. It was the perfect day for Joe and I to go into Bemidji.

We need to get more paint so we can finishing painting the fish-cleaning house and since we're going into town to get more paint I decided we should get another gallon of the green paint we use for the fascia board and trim on the out buildings. I have one gallon left over when we painted the cabin, but I'd hate to run out of it and need more.

While we were in town, Joe and I saw a movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and then had lunch at Mi Rancho. We picked up the paint, got some groceries and then came home.

Once home Joe and I went out onto the dock to survey the weather conditions. It was clear that a storm was on the way and would arrive within the hour. Sure enough, less than 30 minutes later a storm hit. The rain was coming down in sheets, the wind was blowing hard and there was occasional lightning.


A ray of sun shines through the clouds before a storm hit Sucker Bay, Leech Lake

The passed quickly, however, and in an hour the wind had calmed to 5-8 mph out of the west, the skies cleared, although the temperature had dropped to the low 60s.

Joe and I finished dinner, watched the sunset, then decided to go trolling for walleye. Last night Joe piloted the boat, but with the wind a little stronger tonight and the possible threat of another storm blowing through, I took the controls.

I motored the boat off the lift and out into 9 feet of water where we dropped our Minnow Raps into the water. I warned Joe that since a storm had just passed through we were likely to hook big clumps of weeds which had been torn loose from the wind and waves.

Sure enough, we both caught weeds within minutes of starting our troll. But we kept at it and eventually Joe hooked into a fish. At first he thought he'd hooked more weeds, but then he felt that familiar "wiggle" of a fish at the end of the line. Unfortunately, it wasn't a walleye, but a decent sized northern pike. I don't like bringing pike into the boat because of the slime on their bodies and the smell they leave behind, so I unhooked this northern over the side of the boat and immediately released it back into the lake.

We then made one final pass through Duck Bay but all we hooked were more weeds.

We came ashore around 10:00 p.m., watched a DVD then called it a night. We didn't have much time on the water today, but it was still to be out on Leech Lake.