May 22, 2012 -- On Leech Lake

At 9:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was 62 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy, almost grey, and the wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSW. The wind was forecast to be out of the SSE, which would have left the waters calm along our shoreline, but with it out of the SSW, the water was somewhat choppy. I'll wait to see if the wind dies down a bit before attempting to put the boat in the water.

The ground was wet, so it obviously rained sometime during the night, although I did not hear it. Rick and I finished off a pot of coffee, ate breakfast, then set about getting the boat into the water, despite the breeze.

While I got the boat prepped to put in the water, Rick ran the power cord out to the lift. Once the lift had been lower into the water, I backed the truck down the ramp into the water. I then got out of the truck and climbed into the boat. With my extra weight at the back of the boat, and with Rick pushing the bow off the trailer, the boat was quickly afloat.

I fired up the Mercury Verado 150 hp motor, moved the shift lever into reverse and slowly backed the boat out into open water. I then swung the boat around and guided it onto the lift. With the boat on the lift and raised  up out of the water, Rick and I were able to get the canopy on the lift.

Next it was time to get our fishing licenses and buy some bait. We drove the truck up the peninsula to Birch Ridge Resort where the owner Frank sold us our annual fishing licences and two scoops of fathead minnows. Frank's assessment of the current fishing situation was that his resort guests were catching some panfish, including some decent-sized crappies, but that the walleye fishing was slow. With our minnows in hand, it was time to drive back to my place.

After a quick bite of lunch, and spending a some time getting all of the fishing and boating gear into the boat, Rick and I decided to go fishing.

We were on the water by just after 3:00 p.m. and started our 2012 season by motoring to Second Duck Point where we deployed the drift sock, let the wind push us north and west, and fished using jigs tipped with minnows. I noted that the water temperature varied between 63.7 and 64.3 degrees.

We made several drifts but the only fish we caught was a very small perch that I hooked. Rick suggested we switch tactics and troll, and I agreed, so we stowed our spinning rods and got out our baitcasting reels and Rapalas. I used my standard Minnow Rap, while Rick used a new model back called the Clackin' Minnow.

No sooner than we started trolling than something hit my lure hard, nearly pulling my rod and reel out of the rod holder and into the lake. I managed to grab the rod before it went over the side of the boat, but whatever it was that hit my lure broke off almost immediately.

After a couple of passes trolling, we packed up and came ashore. Once on dry land again, Rick got out my chainsaw and cut up a couple of small trees that had fallen near the fish-cleaning shed. While Rick was busy with that, I got the ATV out of storage, hooked up the battery, gassed it up, and took it out for a quick spin to get it ready for some summer riding. I also got out all of the outdoor furniture, washed it off, and got it on the back porch.

Rick and I also got the lake-water pump primed so we now have lake water running to all of the outside faucets. Basically, we spent a couple of hours just doing routine beginning of the year chores.

Around 7:00 p.m. we got dinner started; I BBQed a chicken. We didn't finish eating until after 9:00 p.m. and at that point I didn't really feel like going out for any evening trolling for walleye, so instead we just hung out at the house before going to sleep around 11:00 a.m.

It was a busy and productive day at Leech Lake, even if we didn't have the best of luck fishing. More tomorrow.

May 21, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

Despite not falling asleep last night until nearly 2:30 a.m. -- I'm obviously still on Pacific Time -- I was wide awake at 7:00 a.m. I guess being at Leech Lake again has me excited, making it hard to sleep.

The temperature this morning was a cool 45 degrees on its way to a high of 74 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny with some cloud cover, and the wind was out of the SSW at 8 mph.

By just after 8:00 a.m., there were three boats stationed in front of the house fishing for walleye. This spot from Second Duck Point north to Malay's cabin is a popular destination for walleye fishermen, and our house happens to fall right in the middle of that span.

After getting a pot of coffee started, I did a quick walk around the properties. I opened up the cabin and powered up the well pump. I checked out the new toilet in the cabin bathroom before opening up the "fish" garage and the game room. Everything seemed to be in order.

I noticed that the lake water covered six of the cement pylons at the boat ramp, which is about average for this time of year. I'll take another reading on Memorial Day.

I noticed on the small road between the house and cabin a small tree, maybe 5-inches in diameter, had fallen. I'll need to get the chain saw out later and cut that up.

T&K was supposed to come out last week to clean up the yard and mow the grass, but they failed to do so so the grass is nearly shin-high on me. I called T&K to find out when they were going to come out, and they promised to be out today; we'll see.

I got the lights around the harbor at the house set to come on at sunset, and replaced of couple of the burned out halogen bulbs. There's still so much to do! I've got to get the boat in the water, get the power run out to the boat lift, get the canopy on the lift and the move all of the fishing gear from the garage onto the boat. And that's just to get the boat ready.

There's also chores such as taking down the storm windows and putting up the screens. Getting the deck furniture out of storage from the garage, cleaning it up and then moving it onto the back porch. Setting up the hammock. Getting the fish shed water pump primed and connected so we have water running to the outdoor faucets so we can water the yard, plus water running in the shed, which is important when I'm cleaning fish.

And these are all just normal "opening-up-the-cabin-for-the-season" chores. The big project I've got slated for this summer is to stain the house. It's supposed to be done every 10 years and it's been 11 since it was last done. For that project I'll have to first power-wash the entire house and then let it dry thoroughly before I can stain it. With Rick's help, I'm hoping that the staining project takes no more than three days tops.
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Rick's plane arrived on time, and soon we had loaded the truck with groceries and other supplies. It was time to go pick up the boat at Corner Sports. Despite having contacted them 10 days earlier to tell them I'd be picking up the boat on Friday, May 18, and then calling them late in the day on Friday to tell them I'd be picking up the boat first thing Monday morning, the boat still was not ready when we stopped by a 2:30 p.m.

This is the second year in a row Corner Sports has not had my boat ready on time. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt, again, but if this happens next year as well I'm going to have to complain to the store manager. The service manager was kind enough to call down to his favorite local tavern and pay for a Rick and I each to have a beer while we waited, but the delay set us back significantly and may have cost us a day or two on the water.

By the time we finally got the boat to Leech Lake it was nearing 5:30 p.m. and since I had had little sleep the night before, and since Rick had been traveling all day, we didn't have the energy to get the boat in the water this evening. So we left it attached to the truck, sitting at the top of the boat ramp at the cabin.

After hauling all of our supplies over to the house and putting the groceries away, we relaxed with a cold beer before wandering next door to visit with John Newman for an hour or so. The skies had clouded over by 8:00 p.m. and every now and again a few drops would fall on us, but it never did rain; until well after midnight.

We called it a night early, before 11:00 a.m., with plans of getting the boat in the water on Tuesday morning, weather permitting. That's it for tonight, more tomorrow from the shores of Leech Lake.

May 20, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

Even though I'm posting this early Monday morning, May 21, I'm dating this post May 20 since I arrived at Leech Lake at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday night. 

I opened up the house, turned on the well pump so the water worked, turned up the temperature on the furnace since it's supposed to dip down to 40 degrees tonight, reset a couple of GFI switches, and generally checked out the house since I haven't been here since the end of October last year.

I'm going to keep this short because it's 1:30 a.m. and I have to drive into Bemidji tomorrow morning to pick up Rick from the airport. From there we're going to get groceries, other supplies and then swing by Corner Sports to pick up the boat.

I'll give a more detailed account of activities in my next post. It's great to be back at Leech Lake, so stayed tuned for the first wave of fishing reports later this week.

Global Warming Affects Leech Lake Fishing

Unless you are comfortable ignoring the facts when presented to you by nearly 99 percent of  scientists around the world, there is no denying that global warming is real. Granted, much of the legitimate debate has focused on the cause of the Earth's rising temperature, i.e., is it man made or just the natural weather cycle of the planet?

From my perspective, it would be hard to ignore the human contribution to global warming. Greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels during the past century have been shown without a doubt to affect the climate, and not in good way. But whatever your own personal belief may be, there is one thing we should all agree on -- the rising temperatures across the globe are real and they are having an impact on our fisheries. 

Below is a interview with two Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists. I'll let them do the talking.

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Early ice-out: What does it mean for the walleye opener?

Mike Duval of Brainerd and Tom Jones of Aitkin are Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists. They work extensively on fish habitat issues. In the interview below, they discuss this spring's early ice-out, and what it means for fish behavior and fishing patterns. Minnesota lakes became ice free very early this year.

Was this a fluke or part of a larger pattern?
Duval: "Early ice-out is occurring around the globe. What Minnesota experienced this year is part of a larger global pattern. Earlier ice-out dates have been observed throughout the Midwest, continental U.S. and more broadly in Canada, Russia, Scandinavia and Japan. John Magnuson, a limnologist, and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology in Madison, have concluded that the length of time that lakes in the northern hemisphere are ice-covered has become shorter."

When did this pattern develop?
Duval: "According to Magnuson's research, the average ice-out date for Minnesota lakes has been occurring earlier and earlier over the past three decades. Ice-out in Minnesota is occurring approximately three to five days earlier every 10 years in the central part of the state and nearly a week earlier per decade for southwestern Minnesota."

So does that mean spring is coming earlier to Minnesota lakes?
Duval: "That's basically correct. The mid-April ice break-up has advanced northward nearly 100 miles over the past three decades. The east-to-west mid-April ice break-up line used to cut through the Montrose area. Today it's closer to Brainerd. At this rate, by the end of this decade spring will come to Minnesota lakes nearly a month earlier than it did 40 years ago."

What are the implications of early ice out?
Duval: "It will mean a variety of things: longer open water periods, warmer water temperatures, more evaporation, and more inter-mixing of lake water because the ice "lid" that capped the lake will have been removed for a longer period of time. Over time, Minnesota waters and their fish populations will tend to be more characteristic of states to the south of us."

Will warmer water improve or reduce fishing quality?
Jones: "That depends. Temperature is a limiting factor for many fish species and, thus, a critical component of their habitat. Clearly, warmer water temperatures will be detrimental to tullibee, lake trout and other species that depend on cold water. Tullibee, for example, could disappear in the next few decades from some southern and central Minnesota lakes due to a combination of higher water temperatures higher in the top portion of the water column, and insufficient oxygen in the lower portion of the water column where temperatures are cooler. On the other hand, bass will do just fine because they can tolerate warmer water temperatures. In fact, bass abundance is already increasing across Minnesota. Growth rates should improve as well because of longer growing seasons. Overall, the early ice-out trend will create winners and losers, depending on the temperature habitat requirements of each particular species."

What's the long-term forecast for walleye and northern pike?
Jones: "In northern Minnesota lakes, higher water temperatures may benefit walleye and northern pike by increasing the length of the growing season. However, in southern lakes, temperatures may become too warm and lead to periods of mid-summer stress. If this stress becomes too severe, fish weights could decrease and walleye mortality could increase."

How will the early ice-out in 2012 affect walleyes this year?
Jones: "For walleye, early ice-outs can lead to poor year classes. The early start for walleyes means that they often hatch before their food supply develops. After walleye absorb their yolk sacs, they depend on zooplankton for forage. If the water is not sufficiently warm, zooplankton will not be present in large numbers, and many of the young walleye can starve. The cool weather this April increases the chance that zooplankton abundance will be low when walleyes hatch this year."

What about impacts to bass and sunfish?
Jones: "Bass and sunfish species depend on a good spring warm-up to spawn. Bass spawn when temperatures reach the low 60s, usually in late May or early June. In very cool years, they may not spawn at all if the water does not get warm enough in time. While early ice-outs don't guarantee that aquatic processes occur very early, they do increase the likelihood that bass and sunfish will be able to spawn in time to have an adequately long growing season."

Did early ice-out affect DNR operations this spring?
Jones: "The early spring meant fisheries crews set up walleye egg take sites a week earlier than ever before. However, because of the cool spring, the walleye egg takes peaked and ended at about average dates. The extra time of cool, open water also allowed fisheries crews to harvest "carryover" walleye from some of last year's walleye rearing ponds. Removal of the carryover fish amounted to more than 12,000 pounds of walleye stocking spread over dozens of lakes, and also will increase survival of fry raised in these ponds this summer."

Do you think this will be a "normal" opener?
Jones: "Opening success varies from year to year and that will be true this year, too. Walleye, like most gamefish, exhibit seasonal changes in behavior and distribution. Walleye spawn within a few weeks of ice-out, when water temperatures are in the low 40s. After spawning they tend to remain in shallow water for a few weeks, feeding on minnows and other small fish. As water temperatures warm, walleye tend to gradually migrate into deeper water. The ice went out early, but cool April weather has prevented water temperatures from rising quickly. As we speak, about one month after Mille Lacs Lake opened, and about two days after average ice-out, water temperatures in Mille Lacs are still in the low 40s, about 3 degrees warmer than average and only about six days ahead of average. On the other hand, in 2010, ice-out occurred April 5, and temperatures by the end of April were 50 degrees. My point is that the fish behavior around opening day depends not just on ice-out dates, but also on weather after ice-out. Walleye fishing for the 2012 opener probably won't be as advanced as anglers might expect given the early ice-outs."

So where would you fish?
Jones: "My sense is that many walleye and pike will probably still be in their traditional early season locations on the 2012 opener. I would start there, but be prepared to try a little deeper if fishing is slow."

Duval: "I agree. While walleye may be a little further along than usual, the April weather has kept lakes cool, so most of the walleye will be close to where anglers usually find them on opener."

Do you think the fishing opener will move to an earlier date sometime in the future?
Duval: "Climate change is a long-term process that cannot be determined based on short-term weather patterns. Biologically, our agency's interest is delaying the opening date until walleye and northern pike have completed spawning and have begun to disperse from spawning areas. The timing of spawning is based on both day length and water temperature, so it is uncertain how much of a shift would occur based on water temperature alone. Any future changes in the opener date should only occur based on scientific monitoring and documented long-term trends. We want to ensure the long-term sustainability of our fisheries."

I Shall Return!

The date for my 2012 return to Leech Lake is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15. If all goes according to plan, I will arrive in Bemidji at approximately 10:45 p.m. CDT. I am very much looking forward to seeing the lake again.

In preparation for my mid-May trip to Leech Lake, I decided to look back on old posts to this blog, specifically, posts from May 15 in years past. Here's what happened at the lake on that date in the past:

1. Last year, my brother-in-law Tim and his son Jackson were visiting me on May 15. It was a clear, bright, sunny Sunday, the day after Minnesota's walleye season opened. As the three of us pushed off of the boat lift, Tim some how managed to get himself stretched out between the edge of the boat and the roof of the boat lift. With the boat moving away from the lift Tim could stretch no further and fell into the lake. After drying off Tim, we eventually did go fishing, catching no more than a few medium-sized perch.
2. In 2010, May 15 was the date of the Minnesota walleye season opener. I was not at the lake, and had to speculate about the day's events from California.
3. I was not at Leech Lake on May 15, 2009 either. Here's a brief account from the Bemidji Pioneer on that year's walleye opener.
4. Kathleen and I traveled together to Leech Lake in 2008, but on May 22, a week after the 15th. We met up with our friend Rick, who spent a couple of fun-filled weeks with us at the cabin. Kathleen and I would end up spending that summer at the lake, finally returning to California in late October.

I didn't have posts for May 15 in 2007, 2006 or 2005.

My next post to this blog will likely be on May 16 -- if Johnson Telephone has my Internet service up and running. Until then...

Happy Boxing Day, 2011

We keep talking about being in the northwoods for Christmas, but this year, like every year since we bought our oasis at Leech Lake, we spent the holidays in California. From what I hear, most of Minnesota did not have a white Christmas. But as this photo shows, it definitely snows on the shores of the 3rd biggest lake in Minnesota.

White-out on the shores of Leech Lake

Where's Winter?

I'm not at Leech Lake so I can't comment on the weather myself, but here's a report from the Bemidji Pioneer on the area's apparent lack of winter.

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By: Tom Siemers, Bemidji Pioneer

Welcome to the great winter that isn’t or at least hasn’t been thus far. Official statistics for the area are difficult to come by, but a reasonable estimate is that the Bemidji area has received 3-5 inches of snow so far. Typically snowfall by this point measures 10-12 inches.

For this December, so far, the average high is 22 and the average low is 7. These temperatures are approximately 5 degrees above average. Ten-day forecasts issued by government agencies and private companies are in agreement that temperatures will continue to run above average through Christmas. The prospects for snow by then are few. A chance exists later next week but that system appears as though it will track south of the north woods.

Want some snow? As strange as it may sound, you need to head south. Areas around Winona and Rochester are reporting snow cover of 4-6 inches. Visible satellite images show a solid swath of snow covering the ground from the Twin Cities south into northern parts of Iowa and Nebraska. These areas have seen several storm systems and have recorded 6-12 inches of snow so far.

Significant snowfall was reported earlier this week across the desert areas of New Mexico and Arizona. Highways throughout much of New Mexico were closed and a dusting of snow even fell in Scottsdale, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. So, you don’t need to envy neighbors or friends who gloated as they packed up to head south for the winter.

The National Weather Service’s 90-day forecast holds out hope for the snow obsessed among us. The northwoods falls into the area with better-than-average odds of above-average snowfall and below-average temperatures.

Take these long-range forecasts with a grain of salt, however. Weather is the result of many factors, some of which are difficult to predict so far in advance.

October 25, 2011 -- Goodbye From Leech Lake

From the phone message I received yesterday from Lake Country Power I didn't expect to have electricity from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. this morning. All morning long I went about my business of closing up the house and cabin before leaving for the airport at 11:15 a.m., the whole time waiting for the power to go out. But so far (at 9:35 a.m.) it's still on.

The temperature at Leech Lake this morning at 8:00 a.m. was 35 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NNE.

By 8:30 a.m. I was going about the various tasks that I perform before I leave the lake. I gathered up the garbage and took it down to the waste and recycling center at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, then stored the truck in the cabin garage for the winter. I closed up the cabin and set the security alarm. I did several other little chores required for closing up the places before I leave. It'll be a long, cold winter on the shores of Leech Lake and the properties need to be secured.

At 10:00 a.m. the electricity was still on, and I have to believe that at this point Lake Country Power isn't going to be cutting off our power. That enabled me to finish up some of the tasks that require water, such as cleaning the bathroom, since our well pump is powered by electricity. At this point I've pretty much got everything in order and think I'll take one last quick walk in the woods.

After my walk in the woods I went out and sat at the end of the dock for a while. There were a couple of loons right in front of me, most likely a mated pair, diving for fish then resurfacing a little distance away.

It is now 11:00 a.m. The Malays will be here in a matter of 15 minutes or so, so I need to sign off and shut down the computer. Goodbye from Leech Lake.

October 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake

Today is my final full day at Leech Lake for this visit, which means most likely my final day at Leech Lake in 2011.

It was cold again this morning, 31 degrees at 9:00 a.m., but there was little to no wind. It was sunny out, but the sky was filled with high clouds. As the morning progressed, a fog or haze settled in over the lake, but by noon it had burned off as the temperature increased to 43 degrees.

John took his small boat out for about an hour, but I decided to stay inside and focus my time on cleaning the house. The fireplace had to be cleaned out and vacuumed, the floors throughout the house needed to be vacuumed, the bed linens needed to be washed, the refrigerator needed to be cleaned out, and dozens of other little chores required my attention.

About 3:00 p.m. I did meet up with John and we stored his small 14-foot boat in the garage at the cabin. I doubled checked to make sure I could easily park the truck in the garage, and there was plenty of room for the truck and the boat. John's bigger boat, or my Lund, couldn't fit in the garage while the truck was in it too, but a small boat like the "Blue Fin" fit fine.

I paced myself and did numerous chores throughout the course of the day. I also made time for a walk in the woods which evolved into a walk down to Paulsens' and back. In all, about a 3-mile trek. It felt great and I actually got a bit hot with a sweatshirt on. The temperature had risen to 45 degrees, there was no wind or even breeze, and it was sunny despite some very high, wispy clouds.

About an hour before sunset I decided to take another walk in the woods. I love being here on Ottertail Peninsula, be it in our woods hiking the trails, out on Leech Lake fishing or boating, or just sitting in our living room looking at the lake. But the beauty of the sight and smell of the woods in the Fall I find particularly enjoyable.

I tried to keep things simple and finish off the little food I have left rather than make a big dinner. I still have a few more areas to clean, but I'll attend to those in the morning.

As for this blog, this will be my final post that chronicles this visit. Normally I like to make one final post on the day I'm leaving, but tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lake Country Power will be shutting off the electricity to this area so they can perform some routine maintenance, which means that most of the time leading up to my departure -- at 11:15 a.m. -- will be spent with no power. What little time I do have left with electricity will be spent closing up the house and cabin, such as setting the thermostats, the security alarms, shutting off the well pump, etc.

So let me say goodnight and goodbye from Leech Lake. I'm sure I'll write some follow-up posts with some of the pictures I took during this visit, but I won't be writing from the shores of Leech Lake until sometime next year; most likely around Walleye Opener in May.

So long...