July 31, 2008 on Leech Lake

The preparations for the "Coyle Family Reunion" were now in full swing. Everyone was bustling about, packing, repacking, on the phone with various family members, making sure out-of-town travelers were getting picked up at the airport, etc.

I managed to escape from the fray for just an hour during the hottest part of midday. The temperature had climbed to 85 degrees, the wind was slight at 5-8 mph out of the SW, the sky was clear blue and the water temperature had risen to 77 degrees, the warmest it's been this summer.

Drifting in the light winds I made quick passes at both Second Duck Point and along the weed line at the Birches, but caught nothing. I was rushed, feeling the need to get back to the cabin to help pack up, so my mind was not as focused as usual. Not the way to put Leech Lake walleyes in the boat.

July 30, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature was near 80 degrees today, the winds were 5 mph out of the NNW, but with gusts to 15 mph. The water temperature was 75 degrees.

Kathleen's family is holding the "Coyle Family Reunion" at Lake Itasca State Park beginning August 1, so there is much preparation going on at our house. Our entire family has gathered, and we're in the process of pulling together everything from camp-chairs to a Bocce set. Yet, I managed to sneak out for a little fishing nonetheless.

I started by drifting near the Birches using a jig and Gulp Alive! leeches, but caught nothing. I then switched to a perch-colored Rapala Shad Rap and began trolling in 12-feet of water from the Birches to past Second Duck Point. I made two or three passes -- catching several medium-sized perch -- before heading back to shore. I was only on the lake today from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m.

July 29, 2008 on Leech Lake

The wind was the story today. Blowing out of the west, the winds were 15-25 mph all day long, with some periods blowing even stronger. The lake was churning with white caps. The temperature was 78 degrees, but the wind made it feel much cooler.

The winds were howling just as strong last night, especially after midnight, and this morning we woke up to find the yard littered with branches and leaves. At the cabin, the top third of a 50-foot maple tree snapped in the wind and just clipped the corner of the "fish garage." It's called that because that's where we store all of the fishing and boating gear. Our other garage is for the truck.

Joe and I got out the chain saw and made short work of the fallen maple. We then took a swim in the lake to cool off. It was quite a ride in the water with the 3-4 foot swells. But it did the trick, we cooled off.

No fishing on Leech Lake for us today.

A Spring Fishing Trip on Leech Lake

This was written in late-May/early-June of 2008.

-- A Spring Fishing Trip on Leech Lake --

A cold steady rain falls
Two good friends in a boat
Calm winds on a late-spring night

Midges hatch on the surface
The mayfly dance begins next week
An aquatic bounty in the waters below

In the Northern Minnesota woods
On Leech Lake trolling
A big fish hooked on the long line

Meddle and More play through the marine speakers
Harbor lights beckon on shore
Get the landing net ready...

Cornflake crumbs and Shore Lunch
Hot oil in the black iron skillet
Walleye fillets for dinner tonight

Bags packed, truck loaded, time to go
One, two, then three airports later
Plans made to meet again in September

July 28, 2008 on Leech Lake

Kathleen went running this afternoon, and Melissa, Joe and Ashley all were doing their own thing, so I decided to go fishing from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The wind was relatively calm at 2-6 mph out of the south, the temperature was 82 degrees, the water temperature was 74 degrees and the sky was partly cloudy.

I lowered the boat lift, backed my Lund 1800 IFS into the lake, and motored to the Birches where I decided to drift for crappie and perch. I used a Northland "neon" Fireball jig tipped with Gulp Alive! leeches. I had several light bites, but no fish. From the teeth marks on the leeches, I'm guessing those light-biters were small walleye.

I switched tactics and began trolling using a small perch-colored Rapala Shad Rap. I caught numerous perch, but no jumbos or walleyes.

Finally, I decided to go after bass in front of Norm's cabin. I switched to a 4/0 off-set hook and Texas rigged a Yamamoto 5" Senko. For my money, I've not found any lure that produces more, and bigger, largemouth bass than a 5" Senko. Using a spinning rod and reel spooled with 8-pound Fireline, I cast back into the reeds and let that Senko slowly fall to the bottom. Nine times out of 10 a bass will hit the Senko on the fall. You can actually watch the line start moving to the side before you feel any weight on the line. This method helped me land three beautiful largemouth bass, all in the neighborhood of 20".

At 9:00 p.m., after dinner, Joe, Melissa and I went out trolling in our usual spot -- Malay's cabin to past Second Duck Point -- using our usual Minnow Rap lures. Melissa caught a medium-sized northern pike, which we put back into the water. Later, I caught a very fat 24" walleye. It was one of the bigger walleyes I've caught this summer and a very beautiful fish. Of course, I released this beauty back into Leech Lake.

July 27, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today was around 80 degrees, the air was heavy and the skies were hazy. The wind varied from 5-10 mph out of the NW.

I spent from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. casting Northland Mimic Minnows of the cabin dock into the reeds for bass. I must have caught a dozen small largemouth bass ranging in size from 10-14". Everyone wanted to just hang out tonight on shore, so we watched the sunset on the dock, then played ping pong and pinball in the game room.

July 26, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today hit a high of 75 degrees. The winds were fairly strong at 8-12 mph out of the SW, with gusts up to 20+ mph. The water temperature was steady at 74 degrees.

For dinner tonight we had the two walleye and one perch that we had kept from our previous few days on Leech Lake. It was very tasty dinner and got us all in the mood for some fishing.

At 9:00 p.m., Ashley, Joe and I went out trolling. As was the case last night, Joe was along for the ride in the boat and to use the landing net, but not to fish. Ashley caught a 16 1/4" walleye and I caught a 17" walleye. Since we had just eaten fish for dinner tonight, we decided to release both 'eyes. After just an hour and fifteen minutes on the choppy waters of Leech Lake, we made our way back to shore to play some ping pong and pinball.

July 25, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today the winds were very strong at 20+ mph out of the west, blowing the waves straight at our dock. The temperature was 76 degrees and the water temp was 73.8 degrees.

As the day wore on, the wind diminished, and by 8:00 p.m. had slowed to 5-10 mph, still out of the west. I took Melissa and Ashley trolling this evening, and Joe came along for the ride but decided not to fish.

Melissa and Ashley were each using Minnow Raps, in fact, they were using the same rod/reel/lure set ups that Joe and I typically use. We boated one decent perch and Melissa reeled in a very nice 17 1/2-inch walleye; both fish were kept.

Once on shore, we had a camp fire in the fire pit at the cabin. Another beautiful day on the water and shores of Leech Lake.

July 24, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today dropped several degrees to a high of 70. The water temperature remained a warm 73.5 degrees. The winds were 10-15 mph out of the SW and the skies today were grey and overcast.

When Joe and I went trolling this evening from 8:00 to 9:40 p.m., the winds had slowed to around 5-8 mph, still out of the SW. We again caught several northern pike, but no walleyes.

Reminder

Just as a reminder to anyone reading this blog, I'm in the process of posting my notes from my stay on Leech Lake last year. I was at our lake-front house from late-May to mid-November 2008. I took daily notes in a journal and am posting them now from California.

I now that's not how a blog is supposed to work, but I didn't want to sit in front of a PC every day while at the lake. Consequently, these notes were usually jotted down while I sat watching a beautiful Leech Lake sunset.

July 23, 2008 on Leech Lake

Joe and I went trolling this evening from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. The temperature was 76 degrees, the winds were 10 mph out of the SSW and the water temperature was 74 degrees.

We each were using a Rapala Minnow Rap pulled 35-40 feet behind the boat. We caught several perch and 4 good-sized pike, but no walleyes. We went in early to have dinner with Kathleen, Melissa and Ashley.

July 22, 2008

Today was a beautiful summer day. The winds were calm, the temperature was 80 degrees, and the skies were sunny all day long.

Kathleen is driving to Minneapolis tomorrow to pick up our daughter Melissa and our grand daughter Ashley from the airport, so Joe and I decided to stay on shore today to help clean up the house and hang out with Kathleen.

Kathleen and I went on a 6-mile long hike today, walking from our house to the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, then south down the unpaved part of Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Point Road to 26th and then finally down the final mile-long stretch of West Shores Road to our house.

Since it was sunny and hot, we were both drenched in sweat within the first mile of our hike which attracted hundreds of biting black flies. We had to use bandannas and our hands to try to keep the flies off our faces and necks. I liked the walk, and the time to talk with Kathleen, but until those flies die off, I don't think I'll take that type of hike again.

We cooled off with a swim in the lake, then enjoyed a cold Leinenkugel beer on the dock as we watched another spectacular Leech Lake sunset.

I did not go fishing today.

July 21, 2008 on Leech Lake (The Dark Knight)

Today Joe, Kathleen and I went into Bemidji to take Marco and Elsa (our two standard poodles) to the groomer. While the dogs were getting baths and hair cuts, the three of us went to see the movie The Dark Knight. I have to admit it was really a great movie. And my god, did Heath Ledger do a fantastic job playing the Joker. No one has ever protrayed the insanity of the Joker character better than Ledger.

After we got back to the lake and had some dinner, Joe and I decided to go fishing. The temperature was still warm, although a little cooler from the day's high of 74 degrees. The water temperature was 73 degrees and the wind was about 5-8 mph out of the NW. Joe and I trolled our usual route using our usual Minnow Raps, but unlike last night when Joe caught a nice walleye, all we caught tonight were numerous northern pike. They were fun to catch and fight, but we don't like eating pike, so all fish were released unharmed.

July 20, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today was one of those days when I fished on Leech Lake several times throughout the day and used different fishing techniques.

I first went out onto the water around 1:15 p.m. under ominous skies. It looked like a storm was brewing, but at the time, the wind was calm with just a hint of breeze from the NW. The temperature was a warm 78 degrees, the air was heavy and the water temperature was 72 degrees.

I started out in front of Jerry Schiebe's cabin in 8-10 feet of water throwing a Northland jig tipped with Northland Slurpies Swim'n Grub in firetiger cutworm color. I caught a few decent perch, but no walleyes. I noticed that the dark skies were moving south down Sucker Bay, and while the storm was still off in the distance, I figured I had only an hour or two before it hit our place. I decided to move a little closer to home and switched tactics, baits and targeted fish species.

I motored my Lund 1800 IFS to right in front Norm's cabin in about 4 feet of water where I started throwing a double-bladed white spinner bait into the reeds and grass trying to scare up a big largemouth bass. Many people don't realize it, but many Minnesota lakes are fantastic bass waters, including Leech Lake, with big fish growing in excess of 24" and 6 lbs. Sure enough, I caught a couple of very nice bass; one roughly 18" the other over 20".

By this time the storm, which was moving faster than I had originally estimated, was nearly on top of me. The air was very heavy, the temperature was dropping quickly, the wind had really picked up and was now blowing quite strong out of the NW. I fired up my Mercury Verado, quickly headed home, got the boat onto the boat lift, gathered up my things, and went ashore.

I decided to go sit on the end of the dock and watch the approaching storm. The wind by this time was very strong and the lake was covered in white caps. A boat heading from south to north motored by the dock fighting against the wind and waves and I couldn't help but thinking that the two guys in the boat were probably from out of town, were staying at Birch Ridge Resort on the north end of Sucker Bay, and were not experienced enough to read the weather and get off the lake before it became dangerous. Every year or two I read about some Leech Lake boater who gets caught on the water during a storm, ends up in the lake and drowns. That's why I keep a constant eye on the weather, and know when to head home. I love fishing, but not so much that I'd risk my life to do it.

The storm hit with a vengeance. Heavy rain, wind and hail blasted our house and cabin for the better part of an hour. The storm finally ran out of gas, the clouds parted and the sun came out! I figured with the change in weather, I'd go fishing after dinner.

From 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Joe and I trolled from Norm's cabin to Second Duck Point using our usual Minnow Raps in hot steel and purpledescent colors. We each caught several northern pike, and Joe caught a very solid 17" walleye, which we kept for a future fish fry.

Another great day on Leech Lake.

July 19, 2008 on Leech Lake

It was a beautiful day on Leech Lake today. Temperatures were in the mid-70s, the skies were mostly sunny, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the east, and the water temperature was 72 degrees.

I left the boat lift at 3:15 p.m. and decided to do some jigging off Second Duck Point to start the day. I used an 1/8 oz. Northland Neon Fireball jig tipped with a 3" Gulp Alive black leech. The wind was blowing just enough to move the boat at a nice pace so I drifted rather than use the MinnKota electric trolling motor. I caught several small- and medium-sized perch, but no jumbos and no walleyes.

Later I switched tactics. I tied on a #9 orange-colored Minnow Rap and began trolling from Second Duck Point to past Norm's cabin. Again, no walleye, but I did catch and release a 26" and a 30" northern pike.

July 18, 2008 on Leech Lake

After coming home from spreading concrete at the Otter Tail Peninsula Community Center, I ran to the end of the dock and jumped into the lake to cool off.

Once I had cooled off, I decided to go fishing prior to dinner. I hit the water around 3:30 p.m. for two hours of fishing, trolling more specifically.

I trolled from Second Duck Point to Malays using a number of different sizes and colors of Minnow Raps. I caught numerous medium- and jumbo-sized perch, but decided not to keep any of them. All were released unharmed.

A very busy day. I'll sleep well tonight.

July 18, 2008 -- Spreading Concrete at the Otter Tail Peninsula Community Center

For those unfamiliar with Northwoods living, there are many amenities that you have in the city that we just don't have on the north shore of Leech Lake. One of those luxuries is trash pick up. When our garbage cans are full, we have to load the garbage into the pick-up truck and haul it ourselves to the Otter Tail Peninsula Community Center where there is a large trash compactor and a recycling bin for glass, aluminum, plastic and paper.

The garbage compactor and the recycling bin sit atop class-five hard-packed dirt, which is fine when the weather is dry. But when we have rain, or during the spring thaw, the dirt around the garbage compactor and the recycling bin turns to ankle-deep mud, making the simply task of "taking out the garbage" quite an adventure.

After years of complaints from residents on the Peninsula (see map of the Peninsula below), the OPA board members finally agreed to pave the area around the compactor and bin. The decision was made that concrete would be laid this summer, thus providing a clean, solid base for the trash and recycling area.

I volunteered to help spread the two truck loads of concrete that it was going to take to do the job. I arrived at the Community Center around noon, under sunny skies and the temperature already 85 degrees. There was virtually no wind, making conditions very hot and humid for the task of spreading concrete.

I was joined by Bill Walter, Mark Boyd, Ron Newstand, Warren Snyder and about 3 or 4 other guys whose names escape me. It took us only 3 hours to completely spread the entire two loads from the cement mixers, smooth the concrete and rope it off so no one disturbed the drying cement. We did good work and the entire garbage and recycling area will be cleaner, easier to use and easier to clean up. All in all a job well done.

July 17, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today was near 80 degrees, but it was very windy, with gusts up over 15 mph out of the NW.

No fishing today.

July 16, 2008 on Leech Lake

I limited my fishing today to the afternoon hours -- between 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. -- because it was a grey, rainy, overcast day and I felt like being warm and dry this evening.

The temperature was a comfortable 72 degrees, the water temp was the same as the air, and the winds varied from calm to about 8 mph out of the south.

I switched between the smaller #7 Minnow Rap and the original size #9, and just for good measure I also used a jointed-Shad Rap.

Trolling between Second Duck Point and Norm's cabin I caught numerous medium-sized perch, several small northern pike and one 23" walleye. Another productive multi-species fishing day on Leech Lake.

The sun finally peeked through the clouds right at sunset.

July 15, 2008 on Leech Lake

I fished alone today from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. The temperature was 77 degrees, the winds were 5-8 mph out of the south, and the water temp was 73 degrees. The sky was overcast with a blanket grey clouds and it sprinkled rain on and off all day long.

I trolled from south of Second Duck Point to north of Norm's cabin. I switched off between using a Grappler Shad and a jointed-Shad Rap. I caught numerous medium sized perch and one 22" pike, but no walleye.

We enjoyed another fish fry for dinner today thanks to the walleye Joe caught last night. I never get tired of eating Leech Lake walleye.

July 14, 2008 on Leech Lake

Once again Joe and I launched the boat as the sun sank low in the western sky and stayed out only an hour or so, until 9:45 p.m. The temperature today was near 80 degrees and had cooled to the low 70s when we started our trolling mission for Leech Lake walleye.

The winds were at 10 mph out of the south and there were big thunderstorm clouds looming in the northern sky, which flashed nearly constantly with lightening. It provided us with a brilliant light show, and was not threat to us at all as the front moved slowly to the northeast.

The water temperature was 73 degrees as we made our way south toward Second Duck Point in 8-10 feet of water. Tonight was a rare night when I was completely skunked, not a single fish boated, not even a rock bass.

Joe, again, had much better success. Using his trusty #9 purpledescent Minnow Rap, Joe caught two beautiful "eater" walleyes -- one 16 3/4" and the other 17 1/4". We kept both of them for a future fish fry.

July 13, 2008 on Leech Lake

The weather finally cooperated for us so Joe and I hit the water for some evening trolling for walleye. As we launched the boat at 8:30 p.m. the temperature was just around 70 degrees, down just slightly from a high today of 75. The wind was about 10 mph from the south, creating a nice "walleye chop" to the lake. The water temperature was at 72 degrees.

We were on the water for just over an hour and I had no luck at all using my hot-steel colored Minnow Rap, catching only one rock bass. Yes, I caught a rock bass while trolling.

Joe did better using his purpledescent #9 Minnow Rap. He caught a decent sized northern pike, and a 25 1/4" walleye -- the biggest walleye netted in my boat this season. Way to go Joe!

July 12, 2008

The thunderstorms from yesterday subsided sometime during the night, but the cold front that accompanied the storm lowered the temperatures dramatically. The high today was only 60 degrees; 20 degrees cooler than yesterday.

The wind also picked up. The lake was covered with white caps and high waves from the 25+ mph winds from the SW. It rained off and on throughout the day, so despite us all wanting to go fishing, we decided it was best to stay on land.

As we were down by the lake surveying the weather and water conditions, my brother-in-law Tim jumped off a large boulder by the shore and badly twisted his ankle. It immediately swelled up to the size of a baseball and Kathleen and Sandy took him into the Bemidji Hospital to have it checked; we wanted to make sure that there was no ligament damage.

Luckily, there was no serious damage to Tim's ankle, although he would be required to use crutches for the next several weeks. This is definitely how we thought their visit to the lake would go -- first the terrible weather and then Tim's sprained ankle. Yikes!

July 11, 2008

The weather today was very strange. The temperature was around 80 degrees, the skies were very dark, it was very humid, and there were severe thunderstorm warnings issued for the entire Leech Lake area.

Kathleen's brother Tim, his wife Sandy, and their boys Conner and Jackson arrived for a visit around 3 p.m. and soon after their arrival the thunderstorm hit. There was a lot of rain, a medium-strong wind, accompanied by thunder and lightening. These were conditions where going out on the lake would not be advised. So we stayed home and had a nice visit with Coyles.

July 10, 2008

This evening Joe and I hit the lake just before sunset. The temperature was a very pleasant 75 degrees, the winds were 6-10 mph out of the south, creating just enough of a chop on the lake to make it great for walleye fishing. The water temperature was 73.5 degrees.

We trolled our usual route between the Malays in the north and Second Duck Point in the south. I used the new larger sized #11 Minnow Rap in hot steel, while Joe used his regular #9-sized Minnow Rap in purpledescent.

Joe caught a small northern pike and two 13" walleye. I caught two small pike and a 16 1/4" walleye. All fish were released.

July 9, 2008

The temperature today was back in the mid-70s, but the thunderstorms persisted. The sky was dark all day, and at times the rain came down in sheets. The winds were variable throughout the day, ranging from nearly calm to very blustery.

We needed groceries, so today was the ideal day to go into Bemidji for a "town run." We really love being at the lake, so we only go into town when it's absolutely necessary, and then we try to time it for a day when it's raining or too windy to get out onto the water. Today was one of those days.

No fishing.

July 8, 2008

The temperature dropped significantly with the storm front that rolled in last night, and the high today hit only 65 degrees, down 15 degrees from just two days ago.

The wind also picked up considerably and was blowing hard from the WNW at 20+ mph. The lake was covered in white caps all day. I decided to stay on shore and work around the properties today.

July 7, 2008

I hit the water this morning just after 11 a.m. The temperature was 79 degrees, the wind was a light 5-8 mph out of the ESE, and the water temp was 74 degrees.

I trolled in 10 to 12 feet of water using a jointed-Shad Rap in perch color and caught several small- to medium-sized perch. I went in for lunch at 1:15 p.m.

After a quick bite to eat, I decided to head back out again for some afternoon fishing. The sky had clouded over and it was beginning to sprinkle when I launched the boat at 2:15 p.m. I switched to a hot-steel colored Minnow Rap and trolled my usual run from Malays in the north, south past Second Duck Point. I caught several more medium-sized perch and one 13" walleye.

I decided to stay on shore this evening.

July 6, 2008 -- Leech Lake Fish Fry

One of the many joys of fishing is selectively harvesting a small number of fish to eat. Yesterday I caught a beautiful jumbo perch and very meaty 17" "eater" walleye. This evening, Kathleen, Joe and I had an absolutely wonderful fish fry for dinner.

My preferred method of cooking walleye and perch is panned fried. I first coat the fish fillets in flour seasoned slightly with garlic salt and pepper. Then I dip the fillets a mixure of egg, buttermilk and a little lemon juice. I then coat the fillets a second time, this time using a mix of Shore Lunch (regular flavor), garlic salt and pepper. I then place the coated fillets in hot cooking oil, cooking each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to serve the fish with cole slaw, warm dinner roles and french fries with malt vinegar. Yummm!

The final product looks something like this.

July 5, 2008

John Newman and I hit the water around 11:30 a.m. this morning under mostly sunny skies and a temperature already at 80 degrees. The winds were light and the water had warmed slightly to 73 degrees.

John and I spent most of the time talking and enjoying a cold malted beverage or two, but we did manage to get some fishing in as well. We trolled our usual route from Second Duck Point north to just past the Malays. I was using my jointed-Shad Rap in the perch color, the same lure I had used on July 4, and John opted for a similar Rapala lure.

We caught numerous perch, too many to count really, and I caught one gigantic jumbo perch, which I kept. It was almost the size of a small walleye.

We didn't stay out on the water long because John had some friends coming over to visit, so we headed for land just after 1:00 p.m.

Later than evening, Joe and I decided to do some trolling for walleye. Under a 10% waxing moon, we hit the water at 8:00 p.m. I switched lures from the jointed-Shad Rap to the Minnow Rap in hot-steel color. Joe was using his favorite purpledescent Minnow Rap. We started by trolling south past Second Duck Point, before making a slow sweeping turn out into Leech Lake to head north past Malays cabin.

In the two hours on the water, Joe caught two smallish walleyes, both under 16" and that's just too small for us to keep, and a beautiful 24 1/2" eyeball, which of course was released.

I caught an 18" walleye, which is in the slot so it went back into the lake, and a 17" beauty that we kept. I figured that between the walleye and the jumbo perch I caught earlier in the day, Kathleen, Joe and I would have enough meat for a very nice fish fry. We'll do that tomorrow for dinner.

July 4, 2008 -- Independence Day

The weather was absolutely beautiful at Leech Lake for this year's July 4th holiday. The temperature was 75 degrees under a mostly sunny sky. The water temp was 72.8 degrees and the wind was out of the SW at 5-8 mph. A perfect day to be on the water.

I decided to start fishing at noon today, because I knew that the plan for this evening was to BBQ and then shoot off some of the fireworks we had left over from last year. And we have some pretty good fireworks too! The real big ones that Joe had purchased a couple of years ago in Montana and the Dakotas.

I felt like trolling for walleye rather than jigging for them, so I tied on a Rapala jointed-Shad Rap in perch color and motored between Schiebe's cabin and Second Duck Point in water ranging from 11 to 14 feet; a little deeper than I've been fishing.

I hooked two medium-sized northern pike and a very nice 23" walleye. All fish were released.

After dinner, then Newmans joined us on our dock for a fireworks display managed by Joe and our neighbor's son, Johnny Newman.

Happy Birthday America!

July 3, 2008

Today was one of those days where multiple fishing trips were the order of the day. Joe decided he didn't want to go with me during the mid-afternoon sojourn, instead opting for the evening trip onto the water.

I left the boat lift at 12:15 p.m. under mostly sunny skies, a temperature of 72 degrees and light winds of 3-5 mph out of the SSW. A completely opposite day of weather from a day ago.

I decided I'd do some bass fishing this afternoon, so I started at Norm's house, which is the beginning of a long stretch of reeds and grass that span several thousand feet of shoreline from Norm's north to Paulsen's. I was using a white safety-pin styled spinner bait tipped with a 3" chartreuse trailer.

Using my MinnKota electric trolling motor I slowly made my way north from Norm's along the shoreline, casting the spinner bait back into the reeds and grass. During my slow, leisurely trek, I hooked two very nice largemouth bass -- both roughly 18" -- and a small northern pike. After a couple of hours of enjoying the warm afternoon sun, I motored back to the cabin to store the boat for our evening adventure.

At 8:30 p.m., Joe and I embarked for an evening of trolling for walleye. The moon was nearly new -- 1% waxing -- and the temperature had dropped only slightly to the high 60s. The water temperature was a steady 72 degrees, and the winds were nearly calm.

Joe was using his favorite Minnow Rap color, purpledescent, while used my old standby, the hot steel-colored Minnow Rap. We took our usual route from Malays past Second Duck Point in 8-12 feet of water. We only fished for an hour or so because the mosquitoes were so thick, but during that time we caught a few nice pike, although no walleye.

Joe hooked a 26" northern that absolutely inhaled his lure. I had to use the wire cutters to snip off the hooks rather than risk injuring the fish. After my little hardware modifications to the Rapala, the fish was released in good shape and it quickly swam off into the depths of Leech Lake.

I hooked two pike just as the sun was setting, a 24" and 28" fish.

The highlight of the evening occurred right at sunset when Joe and I watched a beautiful bald eagle circle overhead just off Second Duck Point before plunging into the water and emerging with a foot-long walleye in its talons. We couldn't hook a walleye, but Mr. Eagle did. A fantastic sight in Minnesota's Northwoods.

July 2, 2008

We woke up this morning to temperatures in the mid-60s and very strong winds of 25+ mph out of the north. The lake was covered with large waves and white caps. We decided to stay on shore today, so no fishing.