October 20, 2008

I removed the electrical cord that runs from the on-shore power outlet to end of the dock and connects to the electric motor that lifts and lowers the boat on the boat lift. It seems as if it were just yesterday that Rick and I stalled the cord.

That last bit of maintenance was all that I needed to do to get the lift and dock ready for removal. Shore Brothers will be here tomorrow to take out both docks and the lift at the cabin. The boat lift at the house remains in the water since it is protected by the harbor.

The temperature today is 48 degrees and the wind is out of the NW at 10 mph. Forty-eight degrees outside isn't that cold if you have heat in the house, but for some reason our furnace is not working. I called a company in Bemidji to schedule a time to come out and fix it, and unlike being in San Jose, where the company would have come out in 10 days, the repair company from Bemidji was out in a matter of hours.

It turns out the ignition switch on the furnace had burned out and needed to be replaced. Since the repairman was already out, I had him do a thorough check of the furnaces at our house and cabin. With both in good working order, he left.

With the boat on shore, sitting on the trailer parked next to the garage, there was no fishing on Leech Lake today.

2009 Minnesota Walleye Stamp

Minnesota’s 2009 fishing licenses and the state’s first-ever walleye stamp now are on sale.

Anglers who purchase a license in early March can fish for 14 months as the license does not expire until April 30, 2010.

The state’s new walleye stamp also is on sale. The stamp, though not necessary to catch and keep walleye, is an innovative new way for anglers to voluntarily donate funds for walleye stocking and related activities.

“If you didn’t buy a license last year, now is the time to get one,” said Steve Michaels, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources(DNR) license center manager. “The 2009 license enables you to enjoy the last two months of the 2008 season plus all of 2009 season.”

The 2008 fishing licenses expire April 30, 2009. Funds from the $5 walleye stamp validation will flow into a dedicated account for walleye stocking activities. For $2 more, the DNR will mail the actual stamp to you as a collector’s item.

“Minnesota artist Nick Reitzel painted a powerful image for thestate’s first-ever walleye stamp,” Michaels said. “Purchasing the2009 stamp is a way to own a piece of history, start a stamp collecting tradition and support Minnesota’s state fish.”


Minnesota fishing licenses are available at more than 1,800 vendors throughout the state, by phone at 1-888-665-4236 or online.

October 19, 2008 -- Kathleen's Birthday

Today is Kathleen's birthday. Happy birthday Kathleen!!

In addition to Kathleen and I, Kathleen's mom, brother, sister-in-law, nephew and a friend of her nephew's are here at the lake for a couple of days.

Yesterday, I took my nephew Sean and his friend Stan fishing, and both caught walleyes. Sean's was 21" so it had to go back into the lake. Stan caught a 17" walleye which is below the 18-26" slot limit on Leech Lake, so he could keep his fish.

I cleaned Stan's fish today so when he and the Coyles leave tomorrow, he and Sean can cook it up when they get home. They are anxious to eat some fresh Leech Lake walleye.

It was very busy day. With a high temperature today of only 50 degrees, and shifting winds -- first at 5-10 mph from the SW and as the day progressed 8-12 mph from the north -- I readied the boat to come out of the water.

I got the trailer in place, unloaded a bunch of tackle and gear from the boat, and finally I pulled the boat out of the lift, around the dock and onto the trailer. Once secured, I got in the truck, pulled the boat up the ramp on onto shore. Another season of fishing in my boat had reached its end.

I have to say, having a boat ramp at the cabin sure makes putting my boat in the water in the Spring and pulling it out in the Autumn a breeze.


The boat ramp at the cabin.

Once the boat was on shore, I cleared the rest of the equipment out of it, pulled the drain plug so any remaining water would drain from the hull, and put the cover on it. My Lund Pro-V 1800 IFS was now ready to take into Bemidji to be stored until May 2009.

With the help of Sean and Stan, I removed the canopy from the boat lift, rinsed it off, and got it ready for winter storage.

With my boating chores complete, I turned my attention to making Kathleen's birthday dinner. We all enjoyed dinner and celebrating with Kathleen as she blew out the candles on her cake and opened her presents. It was really nice that her mom and brother could be here on her special day.

Once again Kathleen, happy birthday. I'm glad we could celebrate it together at Leech Lake.


The birthday girl.


Mike, Kathleen and their mom.

October 18, 2008 on Leech Lake

Kathleen's brother Mike, his wife Barb, their son Sean, Sean's friend Stan and Kathleen's mom all arrived today for a few day visit. After helping getting everyone settled in, and a little conversation, Sean, Stan and I decided to go fishing. The boys really wanted to try to catch a Leech Lake walleye

The temperature today was 52 degrees, the wind was fairly strong out of the SSW at 15 mph and the water temperature was 50 degrees.

Once we got the boat off the lift, I took us out to 12 feet of water directly in front of our house and let the wind push us northward toward shore. I put the drift sock in the water to slow the speed of the boat and to keep the boat from turning in the wind.

I got the boys set up with spinning reels and jigs tipped with live fatheads. I used the same set up outlined in my post titled October 17, 2008.

I immediately caught numerous perch, but no walleyes. The boys were having tougher luck and weren't catching anything. Eventually, Stan caught a medium-sized northern pike. Then Sean caught a beautiful 21" walleye. And to cap off the trip, Stan hooked a nice 17" walleye which we decided to keep so Sean and Stan could enjoy a Leech Lake fish fry.

We went to shore at 5:20 p.m so I could get started. I think the boys really enjoyed their time on Leech Lake.


My nephew Sean Coyle with a 21" Leech Lake walleye.

October 17, 2008 on Leech Lake

In this post I'd like to list the rod, reel, line and terminal tackle that I've used for most of my jig fishing this season on Leech Lake.

Rod: 5'6" St. Croix Premier PS56LF, light power, fast action
Reel: Shimano Saros 1000F spinning reel
Line: Berkley Fireline Crystal, 6lb. test
Jig: Northland Neon-Tone Gum-Ball jigs, 1/16 oz., 1/8 oz., 1/4 oz.
Bait: Berkley Gulp minnows, 3" in smelt, emerald shiner and black shad colors

This set up has varied over the past 4+ months -- I've added a silver Colorado spinner blade to the jig, I've used live fathead minnows and Gulp Alive minnows and leeches -- but the above was used during the majority of my time on the water.

Today was a beautiful Autumn day. The temperature was 57 degrees, the wind was calm to 5 mph out of the SSE and the water temperature was 50 degrees. The first time I fished today was from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. I drifted ever so slowly in the slight breeze in 8-10 feet of water along the weed line at the Birches. I caught several medium-sized perch and a fantastic 21 1/2" walleye. On 6lb. test line, a light power fast action rod and small 1000F reel, a 21 1/2" walleye feels very big. I enjoyed fighting the fish to the boat, admired its beauty, then released it unharmed back into Leech Lake.

Later, I made my second foray of the day onto Leech Lake. This time I concentrated my effort on trolling in 10-12 feet of water, at roughly 2.0 to 2.5 mph from Malay's cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. I started at 6:00 p.m. and was back on shore by 8:00 p.m. That, however, was enough time for me to hook two walleyes using a Rapala Minnow Rap. The first walleye measured 21" and second came in at 22".

Another wonderful day of fishing on Leech Lake.

October 16, 2008 on Leech Lake -- Pete the Pelican

Kathleen got home from St. Cloud today, but not until later in the afternoon, so I was able to go fishing from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The temperature today was 52 degrees, it was partly cloudy, the wind was out of the SSE at 5-8 mph and the water temperature was 50 degrees.

I decided to drift using an 1/8 oz. jig/spinner set up tipped with live fathead minnows. I've had the minnows for several days now, and although I keep them in either the live well in the boat, in an aerated bucket on shore, or in the lake itself if the water isn't too rough, the minnows are starting to die off. I figured I better use them up now or they'll be wasted.

With the wind out of the SSE, I started at Second Duck Point in about 8 feet of water and let the breeze push me NW toward our house and cabin, and eventually to the Malay's cabin and Norm's cabin.

I was catching a good amount of decent sized perch when I spotted a large white pelican off in the distance. It looked as if this pelican had spotted me as well and that it was paddling his way toward my boat. I continued to fish and catch perch while keeping my eye on the approaching large aquatic bird.

Finally the pelican had made its way up to the side of my boat, and like a dog begging for a treat, the bird began to open and close its mouth. I figured, "what the heck," and reached into my minnow bucket, fished out a dead minnow and tossed to the pelican. With amazing alacrity, the bird positioned itself to gobble up its tiny fishy treat. And then it wanted more.

The bird followed me for nearly an hour. I tossed it all of my dead minnows, and when I refused to feed it any of my live minnows, the pelican started chasing the perch as I reeled them to the boat. Finding the entire situation amusing, I tossed my hungry new friend a couple of small perch which delighted him no end.

The bird eventually got so bold that when I reeled in a particularly large jumbo perch that he could not grab in the water, the large white pelican jumped up onto the starboard gunwale of my boat and tried to snatch the perch out of my hand as I was unhooking the fish.

At this point the pelican had gone too far. But chasing him away proved to be tougher than I had anticipated. It went unfazed at my yelling, so I was forced to try another way of getting the bird to leave me alone. I decided to try splashing him with water. But being an aquatic bird used to being buffeted about by the large swells of Leech Lake, the pelican was completely unafraid of getting wet. It refused to leave and continued to paddle close behind my boat.

Admitting defeat, I fired up my Mercury Verado 150hp motor and moved to a new location. Rather than give chase, the pesky pelican spotted another boat closer to its current location and swam over to it. Free of my tormentor, I continued to catch a number of perch before making my way to shore.

When I recounted my pelican story with my neighbor Tom Malay, he wasn't a bit surprised. In fact, he told me "that must have been Pete. That bird has been following the fisherman from Birch Ridge Resort for weeks." Tom went on to tell me that Frank, the owner of the resort, had removed numerous hooks from the bird's beak, pouch and neck. It was Frank who named the pelican Pete, and had even gone so far as to feed it fish guts from the fish cleaning house at the resort, thus rendering it somewhat domesticated.

I've spent a lot of time fishing on the waters of Leech Lake, but this was the first time I've ever had a close encounter with a persistent pelican.


"Pete the Pelican" following my boat in search of a meal.

October 15, 2008 -- Fallen Trees

It was very windy today -- 15-20 mph out of the WNW -- so I decided to stay on shore and take a long walk in the woods. During my hike I discovered that our neighbor's troubled 14-year-old-son cut down three trees on my property. I knew it was him because I had seen him and his friend enter our property a couple of days ago carrying what looked to be an axe, but for the life of me I never expected that they would cut down perfectly healthy trees.

I contacted the boy's parents, and they couldn't have handled the situation better. The end result was that the boy and his friend would come up the next weekend and chop the fallen trees into firewood for me. The boy, his friend and my neighbors all apologized and I hope the boy learned from his mistake.

The temperature today was 46 degrees. No fishing today.


Tom Malay with one of the trees the neighbor's boy cut down.

October 14, 2008 -- The Missing Day

For some reason I failed to make any entry into my Leech Lake journal today, so there is no report for October 14, 2008.

So instead, I'll share some photos of the freshly painted cabin, game room/garage and fish garage.

October 13, 2008 -- Happy Birthday Melissa

Today is our daughter Melissa's birthday. Happy birthday Mel!!

Kathleen left this afternoon for St. Cloud to see her mother for a couple of days. I stayed behind at the lake. The temperature today was a very cool 44 degrees, the sky was again overcast with the threat of rain all day. The wind was strong at 15-22 mph out of the WSW, creating some large swells on Sucker Bay.

I did some work around the cabin and properties, then spent the late afternoon making some venison stew with some deer steaks that our neighbor Noel gave to us. We'll invite Noel over in the week or so to enjoy a dinner of venison stew with us.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

The slate grey sky over Sucker Bay today.

October 12, 2008 on Leech Lake

Kathleen and I attended the rescheduled Otter Tail Peninsula Association potluck at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon at the Community Center. There were approximately 45 of our friends and neighbors in attendance. Even though many of us spend a lot of time on the Peninsula, we don't always get to see each other and have an opportunity to catch up. The potluck is always an occasion to connect with people with whom we might not otherwise see.

We got home by 3:15 p.m. or so, and by 3:45 p.m. I was out on Leech Lake fishing. Even though the sky was overcast and grey, and even though it was drizzly, it felt balmy outside today. The temperature was 60 degrees and the wind was light at 8 mph from the SE. The water temperature was 53 degrees.

I drifted along Second Duck Point and the Birches using a jig/spinner combo tipped with a live fathead minnow. I caught no fish. I switched to trolling a Minnow Rap in 10-12 feet of water at a speed of 1.8 to 2.5 mph, but again, caught no fish. At 5:20 p.m. I went back to the cabin.

Kathleen and I had a nice dinner and listened to Pipedreams from American Public Media on KCRB 88.5 out of Bemidji.

The sun is trying to peak through the overcast October sky over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake.

October 11, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today was another cold, grey and rainy day. The temperature was 52 degrees, the wind was out of the NW at 5-8 mph and the water temperature was 51.5 degrees.

I put my aerated bucket of fathead minnows in the boat and shoved off from the boat lift at 1:00 p.m. under completely grey skies and a light rain. I decided that rather than heading north to the Birches, that I was start my drift at Second Duck Point in 8-12 feet of water.

I tipped my 1/8 oz. Northland spinner/jig with a fathead and got down to business. For the next 2 1/2 hours I caught several good-sized perch, but decided to put all of them back into Leech Lake.

At 3:15 p.m. the wind started to pick up and I saw lightening over the north end of Sucker Bay. I decided that staying on the water with lightening that close was foolish, so I fired up my Mercury Verado, put the big 150hp motor in gear and quickly made it back to the boat lift. No sooner had I come ashore than lightening was striking all over Sucker Bay, many bolts right where I had been fishing just minutes ago.

I made the short walk from the cabin to the house and in that brief time the storm had moved directly overhead. First it began to rain very hard, then the storm started to pelt us with heavy hail. About 20 minutes into the storm the power went out. This created a bit of concern for all of us residents on the Peninsula because tonight is the night of the annual Otter Tail Peninsula Association potluck dinner at the Community Center. Without power, none of us would be able to prepare the food that we had planned to bring to the potluck.

As the afternoon turned into evening, and without power, phone calls were made to the Association President, VP and Secretary to find out if the potluck was a 'go' or not. Around 5:30 p.m., just a half hour before the scheduled start of the potluck, word was sent out that the event would be postponed until tomorrow 1 p.m.

Kathleen and I settled in front of a roaring fire in the living room to stay warm -- the outside temperature was now in the 40s -- and listened to A Prairie Home Companion on the portable radio.

Finally around 9:30 p.m. the power was restored.

Just another interesting day on Leech Lake, where the weather is an important part of every day.

October 10, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today the temperature hit only 41 degrees and there was a hard, steady rain all day long. Fall is definitely here. The wind was at 8 mph out of the NW.

Despite the rain, the cold and dark skies, I decided I'd do some later afternoon fishing. I hit the water at 4:00 p.m.

I drifted off the Birches along the weed line using a jig/spinner tipped with a live fathead minnow (I picked up a couple of scoops yesterday). I caught no fish.

I switched to trolling a Minnow Rap and again was skunked. It was very cold on Leech Lake as the sun was sinking low, so I decided I'd head to shore at 5:25 p.m.

Once on shore I cleaned the walleye that I had caught on Oct. 7, and Kathleen and I had it for dinner. Nothing beats a fresh Leech Lake walleye dinner.

Tomorrow is the annual Otter Tail Peninsula Association potluck dinner at the Community Center. Since purchasing our house in 2001, I've yet to miss a potluck dinner -- this will be my eighth.

My boat on the lift at the cabin. The reeds, like the leaves on the trees, have turned yellow.

October 9, 2008 -- A Scenic Drive

Today was another very windy day. The sky was mostly sunny, the wind was 20+ mph out of the WSW. The temperature was 54 degrees.

Kathleen and I needed to go into town to pick up a few groceries, but rather make our usual run to Bemidji, we decided we would go into Deer River, and then take the "scenic" way home. In northern Minnesota, in the Chippewa National Forest, nearly every highway and road you could possibly drive on is scenic. The route we had planned was one we had never taken before and we figured it would be especially beautiful since the leaves on the trees were near full Fall color.

After our stop in Deer River we started out heading west on Hwy. 2 for just a couple of miles before turning off on State Route 46 heading NW. State Rt. 46 led us to the far eastern edge of Lake Winnibigoshish where the Mississippi River flows out of the lake. Kathleen and I stopped there to check out the beautiful scenery around the river.

We then continued NW on State Rt. 46 to Alvwood where we turned west onto County Route 13/30 (it's Rt. 13 in Itasca County and turns into Rt. 30 when you cross into Beltrami County). This was a particularly spectacular road, so we took our time and enjoyed every colorful tree and beautiful meadow.

County Route 30 took us into the small town of Blackduck, just east of Blackduck Lake. We stopped in Blackduck so Kathleen could check the incredible fabric store in town. I have to admit, I've never seen a fabric store, even the big chains, with such an amazing selection of material.

We left Blackduck going south on County Rt. 39. That took us through the Buena Vista State Forest by the eastern shore of Kitchi Lake and Cass Lake. Along Rt. 39 we stopped in the very tiny town of Pennington, where I bought two scoops of fathead minnows. Eventually Rt. 39 led us to Hwy. 2 again, about 10 miles west of Sucker Bay Road.

The entire venture took us four or five hours and we couldn't have had a better time. The sun was shining most of the day, the color of the Fall leaves on the trees was spectacular, and we saw no more than 5 or 6 cars the whole trip. Although we didn't spend the day at Leech Lake, we did enjoy the splendor of northern Minnesota.

October 8, 2008

Today was a beautiful Fall day, although very windy. The temperature was 52 degrees and the wind was 20+ mph out of the SW. The sky was mostly sunny.

Kathleen and I did some final touch-up painting at the cabin today, and then played in the yard by chasing, and trying to catch, the leaves as they were blown off the trees. We spent nearly all day outside and had a wonderful time.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

October 7, 2008 on Leech Lake

I went fishing twice today. The first time was from noon to 2:00 p.m. I took advantage of the 5-10 mph west wind to push my boat from 12 feet of water off the Birches toward shore. This direction of the drift took me over the edge of the weed line and into the weeds near shore. At this time of year the weeds are starting to dying off, and the few healthy green weeds that remain typically hold bait fish. I figured if I fished the green weeds, this is where the predators, such as walleyes, would be staging.

The sky today was partly cloudy and the temperature was 54 degrees. The water temperature was a bit warmer at 55 degrees.

I used my standard Northland jig, silver spinner blade and Gulp minnow set up. I caught numerous perch, but no real jumbos worth keeping nor any walleyes.

Once back on shore I turned my attention to a 40-foot maple tree that had fallen on our property. I used my Stihl chain saw to cut it into 2-3 foot sections, then used my log splitter to cut it into fire wood. In the Northwoods of Minnesota, a person can never have too much firewood on hand.

Later this evening -- from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. -- I went trolling. Since my favorite hot steel-colored Minnow Rap had been destroyed by a walleye a few nights ago, I had to switch to a purpledescent Minnow Rap; similar in color to the hot steel. I trolled my usual route from Second Duck Point north to the Malay's cabin in 9-12 feet of water. I caught a very hefty 16 1/4" walleye which went into the live well of my Lund Pro-V 1800 IFS. That fish will make a nice dinner for me and Kathleen.

Another fantastic evening on Leech Lake.

October 6, 2008 on Leech Lake

It was an overcast, grey day today. The temperature was 56 degrees, the wind was out of the SSE at 10-15 mph and the water temperature was 55 degrees.

I went fishing from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. in 8-12 feet of water while drifting along the weed line from our cabin to in front of Schiebe's cabin. I used a Northland jig, silver spinner blade and Gulp minnows. Unfortunately, all I caught was one 26" northern pike; no walleye. I did, however, have a wonder couple of hours on Leech Lake. I sure love it here.

October 5, 2008 on Leech Lake

The wind was strong today at 20 mph out of the SE, but I decided to go fishing even though the lake was churning with white caps. The temperature was 60 degrees and the water temperature was 56 degrees.

After maneuvering the boat off the lift and into the waves, I motored the boat south toward Second Duck Point. With a SE wind, that would push the boat in the direction of our house and cabin, and continue to push me toward the Birches.

I used a Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jig with a silver spinner blade, tipped with a Gulp minnow. I made several drifts, but caught no fish. I headed back to shore at 3:45 p.m.


Here's Kathleen on the road-side of our house at Leech Lake. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colors.

October 4, 2008 on Leech Lake

The air and water temperatures today were an identical 56 degrees. The wind was calm to 5 mph out of the SW.

I went trolling for walleye this evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. I used my old standby lure, the #9 Rapala Minnow Rap in hot steel color. Just as the sun was setting I caught a northern pike, which I immediately released back into Leech Lake.

I continued to troll from Second Duck Point to the Malay's cabin in 10-12 feet of water and caught two nice walleyes -- 15" and 22" -- the larger of which completely mangled my lure.

After using the hot steel-colored Minnow Rap all summer long, and having replaced the treble hooks on it more than once, the entire rear part of the lure gave out. The tail of the lure had been bitten by more than 100 toothy critters this season -- including walleye and pike, and even one tiger muskie. Apparently it could take no more and broke. I removed the hooks and now have my favorite lure on the key chain for my truck keys. At least it broke in service of catching walleye.

My favorite walleye lure, the #9 Rapala Minnow Rap in hot steel color

October 3, 2008 on Leech Lake

The last time Kathleen and I had been in the boat together was September 18, when she, Rick, Beth and I all went for a boat ride after an afternoon of painting the cabin. It was a beautiful day today, so we thought we should take a ride around Sucker Bay.

We got in the boat at 1:00 p.m., under sunny skies, a temperature of 52 degrees and virtually no wind. The water temperature was still 57 degrees.

We first took a leisurely ride up Sucker Bay to Birch Ridge resort, then headed south toward Big Hardwood Point. At Big Harwood, Kathleen and I tried a little drift fishing with jigs and soft plastics, but didn't catch anything.

We then motored over to Otter Tail Point, where I made a few passes around the point trolling a #9 Minnow Rap. Again no fish.

We then took a ride up to Duck Point and finally to Second Duck Point and home. It was a wonderful time on the water with Kathleen.

Later in the afternoon I took the boat out myself and did some drifting from Second Duck Point to the Birches. I caught a couple of decent perch using an 1/8 oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jig, a silver spinner blade and Gulp minnows. All perch were released back into Leech Lake.

The big news today was that Kathleen's first cousin, Tom Petters, was jailed on a number of federal charges stemming from an alleged Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of $3.5B. Obviously this is of great concern to Kathleen's entire family.

Here are some photos Kathleen and I took on our boat ride.


Kathleen in the boat on the north end of Sucker Bay on Leech Lake.


Me at the helm during our ride on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake.


A view of Sucker Bay from the north. On the left is Second Duck Point. In the center is Duck Point. On the right, Goose Island. You get a sense of how big Leech Lake really is, this is just one bay on the lake.


Our property. On the right is the flag pole and dock of our house, and on the left is the boat lift and dock at our cabin. Three-hundred feet of heaven on Leech Lake.

October 2, 2008 on Leech Lake

The weather is definitely changing as Autumn matures. At first I thought it was just a cold front passing through, but it's clear that the cooler weather is upon us. It is after all early October in the Northwoods of Minnesota.

Today the temperature hit a high of 56 degrees, although early this morning it was in the 30s. The water temperature of Leech Lake, at least in Sucker Bay, is still 57 degrees, so the lake hasn't turned over yet. The wind today was calm to 5 mph from the SW.

I fished from 2:00 p.m. till 6:30 p.m., if you can call sitting in a boat for 4 1/2 hours enjoying the beauty of the lake, while listening to MPR, fishing. I caught no fish whether drifting or trolling. Still, I love being on the water. This is where I belong.

October 1, 2008 on Leech Lake

I went fishing today from noon till 2:30 p.m. The temperature was 55 degrees, the wind was out of the NW at 10-18 mph. The water temperature was 58 degrees.

I started in front of the Birches and drifted toward our cabin. I was using an 1/8 oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jig tipped with a Gulp Alive 3" leech. The method brought only one perch to the boat, so I switched tactics.

I pulled out my baitcasting reel, on which is tied a #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel color. My trusty trolling set up. I trolled from Malay's cabin to Second Duck Point and again caught only one perch. With touch up painting needed on the cabin, game room and garage, I decided to call it a day.

Only fair fishing today on Leech Lake. But even fair fishing beats the best day possible stuck inside an office.

September 30, 2008 on Leech Lake

I can't believe it's already the last day of September. Time sure flies when you're busy and having fun.

In my case, I've been busy painting and staining the cabin, the cabin deck, the game room, the game room deck, the garage and the "fish" garage. It's taken me and Kathleen the better part of the month to complete the job, and we even had help from our friends Rick and Beth. We're close to completing it, and in the next few days the project will come to a happy ending.

As for the fun part of the equation, I've enjoyed time alone with Kathleen, fishing on the lake, and enjoying the incredible beauty of Leech Lake, Sucker Bay and Otter Tail Peninsula.

Today the temperature hit a high of 58 degrees. The winds were calm to 5-8 mph out of the SW. The water temperature was 59 degrees.

I started fishing today at 1:00 p.m. by drifting along the weed line in 8-10 feet of water near the Birches. After a few passes with no fish, I fired up the Mercury Verado and sped to the south end of the bay. In fact, as I passed Second Duck Point I thought I'd go all the way to Duck Point. Once I reached Duck Point I decided to keep going all the way to the tip of the Otter Tail Peninsula to Otter Tail Point.

I trolled Minnow Raps in 12-17 feet of water off Otter Tail Point, but caught no fish. In the past, I've hooked some very big walleyes in this location. I then headed north to Duck Point.

I made a few trolling passes at Duck Point, but again, no fish. Finally I moved my way north again to Second Duck Point. I made about four or five trolling passes along the edge of the point, but the results were the same -- nothing.

At 5:00 p.m. I'd had enough and went to shore. This cold front seems to have put the walleyes in a very negative feeding mood.

September 29, 2008

The story of the day here on Leech Lake was the wind. We had strong winds today from the NW and north at 15-20 mph and gusts near 30 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and there were 4-5 foot swells.

Since the wind was so strong, I decided to stay on shore today and stain the deck in front of the game room at the cabin. The temperature had dropped to a high of only 56 degrees today, and with the cooler temperatures becoming the norm, I really need to get all of the staining and painting completed in the next few days.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

September 28, 2008 on Leech Lake

From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. I did a couple of "drift" passes near the Birches in 8-10 feet of water. The temperature was 65 degrees, the water temp was 62 degrees, and the wind was out of the SW at 8-12 mph.

I caught a few perch and a couple of pike, but no walleyes.

After dinner I went trolling from 10:00 to 11:15 p.m., and caught one 18" walleye.

The rumor swirling around Otter Tail Peninsula today was that my neighbor's son-in-law caught a 30" walleye in 12 feet of water directly in front of our house. He said he was using a jig and leech. For those of you who do not fish for walleye, a 30" walleye is considered a trophy. Catching a 30" walleye is a goal of mine. Just as I'd like to catch a 50" muskie.

The guy who caught this beautiful fish decided he wanted to have it stuffed and mounted, so he brought it to shore, wrapped it in newspaper, put it on ice and took it as quickly as he could to a local taxidermist.

Later, the taxidermist, who is good friends with our friends the Malays, said the fish in question was not 30" as hyped, but rather 27". Still a good fish, but not a trophy, and only legal in Leech Lake by one inch. I would have definitely put that fish back in the water, but that's not this guy's orientation.

I know there's a trophy fish swimming out there in Leech Lake, and I plan on catching it.

September 27, 2008 on Leech Lake

Kathleen and I again spent a good portion of the day painting the game room and garage, and it was a good day to work outside.

The temperature was 68 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny, and the wind was 8-12 mph out of the NW.

After we had finished painting for the day, I took the boat out to do a little panfishing up by the Birches at 5:45 p.m. I took advantage of the wind, letting it push my Lund 1800 IFS from the Birches toward our cabin in 8-12 feet of water. I used an 1/8 oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball tipped with a Gulp Alive! minnow. I caught several jumbo perch, bluegill and a couple of northern pike.

Around 7:15 p.m. I packed up my rods and reels and headed back to shore. Another glorious time fishing on Leech Lake.

September 26, 2008 on Leech Lake

Kathleen and I are again alone together at the lake. For most of our stay here since May 23, we have had people staying with us. As far as I know, we aren't expecting any more guests the rest of the Fall.

Today was overcast in the morning and early afternoon, and by 4:00 p.m. we started to have thunderstorms. The temperature was 75 degrees. I didn't record the wind speed/direction.

Kathleen and I spent the early part of the day painting the game room and garage, but stopped around 2:30 p.m. when it looked as if were going to rain. Kathleen went for a run this afternoon, but once the thunderstorms hit I went to pick her up in the truck. She was so soaked that her cell phone actually stopped working.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

September 25, 2008

The first thing I did this morning when I woke up, was go over to the cabin, remove the walleye I'd caught the night before from the "holding basket," say my prayer of thanks to the earth, lake and walleye, then kill and clean the fish.

Rick leaves for the airport this afternoon and he really wanted a "Leech Lake fish sandwich" for his last lunch in the Northwoods. The only way that's going to happen is if I clean and cook the walleye for lunch.

After knocking the walleye unconscious with a shift blow to the head with a meat tenderizer, I cleaned and filleted the fish. I brought the fish into the house, rinsed it in cold water, patted the fillets dry and then prepped the fillets for frying.

My preferred method of frying walleye fillets is to coat them first with any number of commercially available batters, dip them in an egg mixture, then coat them with Original Shore Lunch. Once coated, I fry the fillets in hot oil until they are golden brown.

For fish sandwiches, I warm hamburger buns in the microwave oven until they are soft and warm; often melting a slice of American cheese on one side of the bun. Then I add a 1/2 TBSP of tarter sauce, enough walleye fillet to cover the bun, a single piece of lettuce, again just enough to cover the bun, and serve. Ymmmm. There's nothing better.

Rick had two of these tasty fish sandwiches before we left for the Bemidji airport. From Bemidji he flies to Minneapolis, then Denver, then LA, then Sydney and finally to Brisbane. He should be home in Australia in 24-27 hours!

The weather today was beautiful -- sunny skies, 78 degrees and a gentle wind of 5-8 mph from the SW.

See you next year Rick.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.


Rick (in black) and I in front of the newly painted cabin.

September 24, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today is Rick's last full day at Leech Lake until sometime next year. Rick would really like to have a "Leech Lake fish sandwich" for lunch tomorrow before he leaves for the aiport, which means we have to catch at least one eater-sized walleye today.

With our mission fully outlined, Rick and I fished from 8:15 to 10:00 p.m. this evening. The high temperature today was 63 degrees, the wind was out of the SW at 5-10 mph and the water temperature was 62.5 degrees.

We trolled Rapala Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water from Second Duck Point to the Malay's cabin. Rick caught a 23" walleye and I caught a 16 1/2" walleye which we kept. Not the best day of fishing success on Leech Lake, but we did catch the one eater-sized walleye that we had targeted.

September 23, 2008 on Leech Lake

A view of Second Duck Point from the water.

The temperature today was 70 degrees, the wind was swirling all day long -- 5-15 mph out of the SE then 10 mph out of the SW before settling at 10 mph out of the west. The water temperature was 65 degrees.

Rick and I took a slightly different approach to our fishing today. We started at 4:00 p.m. and did some drifting for panfish, and then around 7:45 p.m., we switched to trolling for walleye.

While drifting, we caught several perch, bluegill and rock bass, but nothing really big. When we started trolling, in 10 feet of water, we were able to catch some walleye.

Trolling Minnow Raps from south of Second Duck Point to Malay's cabin, Rick caught 2 northern pike, a few rock bass and on 20" walleye. I had better luck and landed walleyes of 18", three of 20", a 21 1/2" and a of 23". All fish were released unharmed back into Leech Lake. We returned to shore at 9:00 p.m.

September 22, 2008 on Leech Lake: Autumn Equinox

At 10:44 a.m. CDT it officially became autumn in the Northwoods of Minnesota. The temperature today was a very pleasant 73 degrees, the winds were strong at 10-25 mph out of the SE and I recorded the water temperature to be 65 degrees.

Rick and I took to the boat into the rough water at 1:00 p.m. and started in 10 feet of water near Second Duck Point. We put the drift sock in the water to slow the speed of the boat and to keep it from spinning in the wind. Using 1/8 oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jigs tipped with a variety of Gulp and Gulp Alive! baits we drifted for about an hour with no success.

We changed our strategy and decided to troll using Minnow Raps. With this new tactic, we caught numerous perch and we each caught a walleye. Mine walleye was 19" and Rick's measured 20 1/2". Both walleyes and all perch were released.

Later in the evening we went trolling again -- from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. -- but we caught nothing. Not even a perch. This is the first time I can remember when we were completely skunked while trolling Leech Lake.

September 21, 2008

Rick and I were up and out of the hotel this morning by 8:30 a.m. We drove the truck to a parking garage about 5 blocks from the HHH Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis, parked, then walked a couple of blocks to the tailgate party hosted by my niece Kirby (Kristen) and her husband Trevor.

There was great food at the tailgate party -- chili, brats, chips and dip, veggies, and of course a variety of beers -- and many of Trevor's family was there too. We spent several hours hanging out, eating, visiting and Rick even got to meet several of the Vikings cheerleaders. Finally it was time to go to the game.

We got the tickets from Kathleen's sister and her husband (Kirby's mom and dad) and the seats were great -- about 6 rows up from the field, behind the visitor's bench on the 40-yard line. For Vikings fans it was a great game. The Vikings, who had yet to win a game in this new season, beat the undefeated Carolina Panthers 20-10.

After the game Rick and I went back to the truck and started our drive north to St. Cloud. Neither of us could believe how hot it was in Minneapolis. Under clear blue skies and no wind, the temperature was 85 degrees! I'm sure it was cooler at Leech Lake, but boy was it hot today in Southern Minnesota.

We picked up Kathleen at her Mom's house, stopped in Brainerd for dinner at a Mexican food restaurant, and finally made it back to the cabin around 11:30 p.m. A long, but fun, weekend away from Leech Lake.

No fishing again today.

September 20, 2008

For Rick's birthday, Kathleen and I got him tickets to see the Minnesota Vikings play at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Although both Rick and I grew up in Michigan, Rick for some reason has always been a Vikings fan, where I, like most people in Michigan, am a Detroit Lions fan.

The temperature today was 72 degrees and the wind was out of the NW at 5-12 mph, with partly sunny skies.

Kathleen, Rick and I left the house today around 2:00 p.m. The plan was that we would drop off Kathleen at her Mom's house in St. Cloud, then Rick and I would continue on to Minneapolis where we would stay the night in a hotel, see the game on Sunday, then drive back to St. Cloud after the game to pick up Kathleen, and then it would be on to Leech Lake.

On the way to St. Cloud we had to pass through Brainerd on Hwy. 371. In Brainerd, there are several stop lights along the highway which unfortunately slows traffic. At one of these stop lights I caught a glimpse of something moving along the windshield wipers, and when I looked carefully I saw it was a mouse! The little rodent must have climbed up on the engine at the lake, and now had unwittingly hitched a ride with us. Kathleen was not happy to see our little furry friend, to say the least. Somewhere along the way from Brainerd to St. Cloud the mouse must have fallen off, because by the time we arrived at Kathleen's Mom's house, neither Rick nor I could find it.

The entire group of Coyle siblings had gathered at Kathleen's Mom's house for a surprise dinner with their mother. After a brief visit with Kathleen's brothers and sisters, Rick and I were on our way to Minneapolis.

We had a nice dinner, watched some college football on the big screen TV in the room, then went to bed early. We planned to get up early on Sunday morning so we could attend a tailgate party a few blocks from the stadium.

No fishing today.


Me and Rick with the Vikings cheerleaders during the tailgate party.

September 19, 2008 on Leech Lake

Rick lives in Australia, so we decided to fly the Australian flag during his visits to Leech Lake. Notice the rainbow to the right of the flags.

Today was unusually warm with a temperature of 80 degrees. The winds were calm to 5 mph out of the SE, with mostly cloudy skies. Today is Rick's birthday, so we'll be grilling steaks for dinner tonight.

We continued to paint the cabin for most of the day -- and we're getting close to completing it -- but Rick and I did manage to get close to 2 hours of fishing in from 2:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Using small Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jigs tipped with Gulp Alive minnows and leeches, Rick and I fished "the Birches." Rick caught a rock bass and I caught a very nice largemouth bass. Both fish were immediately released. No walleyes, perch or crappie today.

September 18, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today was 74 degrees, the wind was 10-15 mph out of the south and the water temperature was 64 degrees. The sky was mostly sunny.

Kathleen, Rick, Beth and I all worked on painting the cabin today, but around mid-day we took a break to take a boat ride around Sucker Bay on Leech Lake. The lake was pretty choppy, and there were white caps, but we enjoyed a trip on the lake nonetheless. I took the boat south past Duck Point, then back up Sucker Bay north to Birch Ridge Resort.

We didn't go fishing today, but we did enjoy a walleye and perch fish fry with the fish we caught over the past few days.


Me, Rick and Beth as we motor past Second Duck Point.

September 17, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature was 68 degrees today, the water temperature was 63 degrees, but for some reason I didn't record the wind speed/direction.

At 2:30 p.m., Rick and I took a break from painting the cabin and went fishing. I had purchased some spottail shiners the other day, so we used those on the end of shiner jigs. We also used 3" Gulp Alive! minnows in smelt color.

We caught a numerous perch (including a few nice jumbos), crappie, bluegill and rock bass. We kept one of the big jumbo perch to go along with the walleye from last night.

Rick and I made it back to shore by 5:15 p.m., where we painted the cabin for another 2 hours.

Kathleen's friend Beth arrived for a few day visit. After we all cleaned up from painting, we had dinner, and then sat around a roaring fire in the fire pit at the cabin.

Another fantastic day at Leech Lake.

September 16, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today, Kathleen, Rick and I spent a majority of the day painting the cabin. But around 7:00 p.m. we called it a day, and with the weather still being agreeable, Rick and I decided to go trolling for walleye.

The temperature today was 66 degrees, the wind was generally calm and the water temperature was 62 degrees. Rick and I fished from 7:45 to 10:00 p.m.

As has been our pattern, we trolled #9 Minnow Raps in 8-12 of water along the shore of the Otter Tail Peninsula from south of Second Duck Point to just north of the Malay's cabin.

Tonight I caught a northern pike right at sunset, and then walleyes measuring 17 1/2", 19", 20 1/2", and two at 22". Rick caught 18", 19", 20", 23", 25" and 26" walleyes. All told, we caught another eleven walleyes. All were released unharmed, with the exception of the 17 1/2" 'eye, which we decided to keep for a future fish fry.

Another great evening of walleye fishing on Leech Lake.

September 15, 2008

A week or so ago Kathleen and I power washed the cabin, the game room/garage and the "fish" garage in preparation for painting. Since the autumn weather seems to be upon us here in Northern Minnesota we have little time to get the painting complete before the weather gets too cold. So today was a painting day.

Kathleen, Rick and I all started painting the cabin under overcast and occasionally drizzly skies. The temperature today hit a high of 68 degrees and the wind was out of the SW at 5-10 mph. We started painting around 10 a.m. and didn't call it a day until near 7 p.m. Despite the three of us painting for nearly 9 hours, we still only got about half of the cabin painted. There's more little nooks and crannies to the cabin that you would expect; until you go to paint it.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

September 14, 2008 on Leech Lake

Rick and I again decided to do some work on shore today and wait until the evening to go fishing.

Today the temperature was a cool 56 degrees, the wind was light at 5 mph out of the SW and the skies were mostly clear. The water temperature was 60 degrees.

Rick and I started our evening trolling trip at 7:45 p.m. under a full moon. We trolled from south of Second Duck Point to north of Malay's cabin in 8-12 feet of water using #9 Minnow Raps.

Rick thought it was hilariously that he caught 3 rock bass while trolling, so I promised him I'd mention it here on the blog. But we also caught walleye, which is why we were on the water in the first place.

Rick caught a 19", 20 1/2", 21 1/2", 22" and a 24" walleye, and I caught a 14", 16", 17 1/2", 21", 21 1/2" and a 24" walleye. Eleven walleye total. Not a bad night of fishing on Leech Lake.

We came back to shore at 10:00 p.m.


This is a view of our house from near Second Duck Point. In the middle of the picture is a flag pole and white-colored martin house, that's our house. The first green boat lift cover to the left of our house is our cabin.

September 13, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today hit only 60 degrees. The skies were grey and it rained pretty much all day long. The winds were out of the NW at 5-8 mph.

We stayed inside during the day, but this evening Rick and I decided to go trolling for walleye despite the rain. I pulled the boat off the lift at 7:45 p.m., and under a moon that was 97% waxing (although we couldn't see it) I maneuvered the boat into 9-11 feet of water. We let out our lines and began trolling. Rick again used a variety of colors of the #9 Minnow Rap, while I stuck to my favorite, the hot steel color.

I trolled from south of Second Duck Point to north of Malay's cabin, but not as far as Norm's cabin. I stayed in 9-12 feet of water and kept my Mercury Verado steady at 580 rpm thanks to the SmartCraft controls.

During the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, Rick and I caught eight walleyes between us. I caught 2 15" and one 18" walleye, and Rick caught walleyes of 14", 17", 18", 23" and 24". All fish were released back into Leech Lake unharmed.

September 12, 2008 on Leech Lake

Me with the two 17 1/2 walleyes I caught while trolling the night before.


Rick with one of the many nice sized crappie we caught near the Birches; Second Duck Point is visible on the far right.

The temperature today was a very pleasant 70 degrees, the water temperature warmed to 66 degrees, and the winds were calm.

Rick and I started fishing at 2:00 p.m. using shiners and shiner jigs over Snake Pit Flats to the north and east of Goose Island. Unfortunately, we caught nothing. From there we fired up the 150 hp Mercury Verado and made our way to Big Hardwood Point. The there was also slow, but I did hook into a gigantic walleye -- I'm estimating at least 26-28" and roughly 8-9 lbs. I got the fish to the side of the boat, but before Rick could net the fish, it turned and cut clean throught the 6lb. test Fireline Crystal I was using. Big fish, but no pictures.

Our third stop was the Birches. There we switched tactics and again fished for panfish. Above is a picture of Rick holding one of the dozens of crappie we caught. We also boated a good number of perch and bluegill. By 5:45 p.m., we were back on shore.

Back at the cabin, I cleaned the two 17 1/2" walleyes from yesterday's excurtion, as well as the one jumbo perch I kept from yesterday afternoon's trip on Leech Lake. Tonight we treated Rick to a wonderful fish fry, complete with French fries, Cole slaw and warm dinner rolls. There is nothing tastier than a Leech Lake fish fry.

September 11, 2008 on Leech Lake

I picked up our friend Rick at the airport last night at 10:45 p.m. We didn't get to our house on Leech Lake until near midnight. I know Rick was happy to be at the lake again.

After spending the morning and early afternoon on shore, Rick and I decided to some fishing just after lunch. We hit the water at 1:00 p.m. The temperature was 67 degrees, the skies mostly sunny, the winds were 5-10 mph out of the NW. I had told Rick about the recent run of great panfishing, so he asked if we could try that.

I took the boat north on Sucker Bay until we were in about 12 feet of water in front of Schiebe's cabin. I recorded the water temperature of 62 degrees. With a NW wind, this would allow us to drift SE right along the weed line near the Birches where the panfish bite had been great the past couple of weeks.

Rick and I caught several perch, crappie and bluegill. I kept only one of the jumbo perch I hooked, and by 3:30 p.m. we were back on shore.

After dinner, Rick wanted to go trolling for walleye, and he didn't need to ask me twice. We hit the water at 8:00, and by the time we came in at 10:30 p.m., I had boated four walleye. I caught a 14", two 17 1/2" and a 24" walleye. We decided to keep the two 17 1/2" 'eyes for a future fish fry.

Our lures of choice tonight were the Rapala Minnow Raps. Rick used a variety of colors, but caught no fish, I stayed with my favorite color -- hot steel -- and caught four walleye. Rick swears that tomorrow night he's going to use a Minnow Rap with some purple in it.

September 10, 2008

Today was an overcast, drizzly kind of a day. A grey day.

The temperature hit only 62 degrees and the winds were light again at 5 mph out of the SW.

I power-washed the game room deck and the "fish" garage in preparation for painting and staining them.

Our friend Rick, from Brisbane, Australia, arrives tonight at the Bemidji airport. I'll drive into town later to pick him up.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

September 9, 2008

The winds were light today at 5 mph out of the SW, the temperature was 68 degrees and the skies were partly cloudy. It would have been a good day to go fishing, but I had work to do at the cabin, so I stayed on shore.

I power-washed the cabin and game room in preparation for painting.

NOTE: The water level in the lake is down a full 18 inches from early June. We really need rain.

September 8, 2008

Earlier today we took Joe and our two dogs (Marco and Elsa) to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport so they could fly back to our house in California. After making sure they all got to the gate on time, Kathleen and I made a brief stop at the Mall of America so Kathleen could pick up a couple of books and magazines at the book store there. Then we got back into the truck and started our 5 1/2 hour drive to Leech Lake.

We stopped for groceries Grand Rapids and then made the final hour drive home. We arrived at Leech Lake at 7:45 p.m., and Joe was already home with the dogs. I already miss Joe.

Kathleen and I have joked about it before -- it's always all or nothing with us. In the past two months, our kids Joe, Melissa and Liz were all here at the lake, as was our grand daughter Ashley, several of Kathleen's brothers and sisters, Kathleen's mother, my parents and our friend Rick.

But as we unloaded the groceries from the truck on this late-summer evening, it was just the two of us. It will be nice to spend some quiet time at the lake with just Kathleen. Well, for at least a couple of days anyway. Three days from now our friend Rick arrives from Australia (he arrived with us at the lake way back on May 23 for a 10-day visit), and a week or so later Kathleen's good friend Elizabeth will be paying us visit. So we're going to enjoy a little quiet for the next few days.

The weather today: temperature 62 degrees; winds out of the SSW at 10 mph; skies mostly sunny.

Here's Joe and Kathleen sitting on Paul Bunyan's lap at a rest stop near Brainerd, MN. He sure looks like Al Lindner to me.

September 7, 2008

My parents left early this morning, and then Kathleen and I spent time helping Joe pack his things. We'll leave for Minneapolis around 3 p.m., spend the night near the airport, then take Joe, and our two dogs (Marco and Elsa) to the airport around 9 a.m. tomorrow.

The temperature was 62 degrees today, and while it was breezy, I didn't record the wind speed or direction today.

Here are a few pictures of Joe, Kathleen and I on Joe's last day at the lake. In some of the pictures, Marco (brown) and Elsa (white) make an appearance.

September 6, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today is Joe's last full day at the lake. He arrived at Leech Lake on July 1, and I can't believe how quickly the past two months have flown by. Since it's Joe's last day at the lake, we had to spend some time on the water fishing, and then have a fish fry for dinner.

With the temperature a cool 61 degrees and winds varible from calm to 15 mph and swirling in all directions -- SE then NE and finally out of the west -- Joe and I hit the water at 1:00 p.m. The water temperature was 67 degrees.

While we were in town yesterday, I decided to pick up a couple of scoops of spottail shiners. For more than 95% of my fishing this summer I've relied on artificial baits -- Gulp biodegradables, Northland plastic Slurpies and a variety of crankbaits and spinner baits. But I decided that Joe and I would fish with live bait at least once before he left.

We positioned the boat in 10 feet of water off the Birches and started fishing using Northland Tackle shiner jigs tipped with our spottail shiners. We caught a good number of perch, a few pike, a handful of rock bass, and Joe caught a small walleye. I'm glad he hooked a walleye on his last day on the lake in 2008.

We kept one of the jumbo perch Joe caught, and with the perch we had caught on previous trips on the water, we had enough for a fantastic fish fry.

We headed to shore at 3:45 p.m.

I cleaned the jumbo perch, and the prepped them for dinner. And were they ever delicious! As usual, we served the fish with French Fries, Cole slaw and warm dinner rolls. Malt vinegar, ketchup and tartar sauce joined our table as tasty condiments.

Joe leaves for California tomorrow and I'm really going to miss him. I really love having Joe here with me and Kathleen at Leech Lake.

September 5, 2008

The sky today was grey, it rained on and off all day, the temperature was only 62 degrees, although the winds were light at 5-8 mph out of the west.

We needed groceries and Kathleen wanted to go to the Farmer's Market, so rather than go fishing today, we all piled into my dad's roomy Ford Crown Victoria and drove into Bemidji.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

September 4, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today Joe and I went fishing on two separate occasions. The first time we were on the lake from 1:30 p.m to 5:00 p.m. The temperature was a cool 66 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the east and the water temperature was 69 degrees -- the first time the water had dropped below 70 degrees since mid-June.

Since the wind was coming from the east, that meant it would blow the boat from the shoreline toward the middle of the lake. With that in mind, Joe and I positioned the boat in only 6 feet of water in front of the Birches with the knowledge that the wind would push the boat into deeper water, right over the weeds, and hopefully, right into the schooling perch, crappie and bluegill.

Joe and each caught a few perch, crappie and bluegill, but nothing significant. We did, however, keep the one jumbo perch that we managed to boat. Since the panfishing action wasn't all that hot, we decided to switch tactics and troll in 10-12 feet of water along the weed line for walleye. We used our customary Rapala Minnow Raps and got down to business.

We boated a couple of nice sized northern pike, which are fun to catch, but not a fish we elect to keep. I know many people who say they love the taste northern pike, but in my opinion, perch and walleye are a far superior tasting fish.

Later that evening, Joe and I again went trolling for walleye. We were on the water from 8:00 p.m. to 10:20 p.m., and made several passes from south of Second Duck Point to past the Malay's cabin in 9-12 feet of water. Again, we were using Minnow Raps -- Joe used one in a purpledescent color, while I used my favorite color, hot steal.

The winds had shifted throughout the day, and were now blowing at 8-12 mph out of the SE. The slight increase in wind created a perfect "walleye chop" on the lake, and it proved effective. Joe caught three nice walleyes -- 18", 21" and 21 1/2". I was came up empty, but that was fine with me. Joe, unfortunately, will be flying back to California in just a few days, and I was happy he had a chance to boat some beautiful Leech Lake walleye before departing.

September 3, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today was 70 degrees, mostly sunny, with just enough wind to push the boat along at 0.5 mph. A perfect day for a Leech Lake panfishing expedition.

Along with Joe and my mother, we hit the water at 2:30 p.m. The water temperature matched the air temp at 70 degrees. The air and water are starting to cool. Autumn is just around the corner.

We all used similar rigs -- 1/16- or 1/8-oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jigs tipped with 3" Gulp minnows in smelt color. We caught dozens of perch, crappie and bluegills, but kept only 4 jumbo perch. Together with the perch I caught a couple of days ago, these four are inching us closer to having enough fresh fish for a fish fry.

My mother was a trooper and stayed out on the water for 3 hours, but at 5:30 p.m. we headed to shore. Primarily because my father was beginning to worry that we had been out on the lake long enough! We'll try again tomorrow.


Three generations of Jursa's -- Ron, Joe and me (Steve) on the lake-front deck of our Leech Lake house.

September 2, 2008

The temperature today is only 65 degrees, a full 23 degrees cooler than yesterday. The winds are out of the west at 12-20 mph, blowing big waves and white caps directly toward our east-facing properties.

I decided to stay on shore. No fishing today.

September 1, 2008

It's already September! How did that happen? I arrived at Leech Lake on May 23, and to me that seems to be no more than a few weeks back. Wow, time sure flies when you're spending it in your own personal paradise. For me, that place is Leech Lake, Minnesota.

The temperature today was 88 degrees with winds out of the SE at 12-18 mph. Although the lake had a good "walleye chop" to it today, I decided to spend my time on shore with Joe, Kathleen and my parents.

No fishing on Leech Lake today.

Walleye vs. Bass -- Chess vs. Checkers

Over the years, I've been asked several times by various friends, acquaintances and family members why I prefer walleye fishing to bass fishing. I inevitably respond with a brief story told to me by a professional walleye fisherman.

Several summers ago, I fished in a Professional Walleye Trail tournament as a co-angler in a pro's boat. During our time on the water together, the walleye pro told me that fishing for walleye is like chess, whereas fishing for bass is more akin to checkers.

What he meant by that is both chess and checkers are played on the same game board, just as walleye and bass often live in the same bodies of water. But where checkers is a fairly simplistic game, with pieces that can move in only one direction until kinged, chess has six different types of game pieces, each of which can move in different directions throughout the game. In short, chess is just more complex to play that checkers.

Likewise, walleye angling is more complex than bass fishing. As I posted here on this blog a few years back, I once had an afternoon on Leech Lake where I caught 21 largemouth bass on 21 consecutive casts. An unbelievable stretch of fishing! That, however, would never happen while fishing for walleye.

Typically, when a bass hits your bait, the fish hammers it hard, letting you know it's on the line, and it doesn't let go. Therefore, I tend to land 95% of all the bass that hit my lure.

Walleye on the other hand are much more finicky. By nature, walleyes tend to be light-biters. When fishing for walleye -- be it with a jig, spinner rig or trolling a crankbait -- you're likely to lose more than 70% of the fish that hit your bait. In fact, many times a walleye will take your bait into its mouth, only to spit it out without you ever knowing it was there.

Many times the only way you'll even know that a walleye is on your line is you might feel a tiny weight on the end of your line, a "mushy" feeling, or maybe a slight tick through your line, and sometimes you won't feel anything at all until you begin to lift your lure through the water and suddenly realize a walleye has decided to call your bait lunch.

Obviously, both bass and walleye are affected by many of the same factors, such as time of the season, weather conditions, temperature of the water, oxygen content in the water, available forage, structure and cover and a myriad of other external conditions. If the bass are in a neutral or negative mood, getting them to bite is challenging. If walleye are in a neutral to negative mood, getting them to bite is nearly impossible.

I enjoy playing both checkers and chess. On a hot summer afternoon, it's often fun to relax with a cold glass of lemonade and a simple game of checkers. But on other occasions, it's more fun to play a game of chess, where you have to employ complex strategies to beat your opponent.

Likewise, I love fishing for bass. They hit hard, they put up tremendous fight once hooked and bass are relatively easy to locate and catch. Walleyes, however, require a bit more finesse. They're harder to locate and harder to get to bite.

Of course once hooked, walleyes are notorious for "giving up" and letting an angler reel them directly to the boat. Yes, there are those 'eyes that will give you a head shake or two and some walleyes will make a dive to the bottom as they approach the boat. But pound for pound, walleyes just don't fight as hard as bass. Walleyes are, however, much harder to catch. They test your skills as a fisherman more so than bass.

So in my opinion, it's more of a challenge to fish for walleye than bass, thus making me a better angler in general. That's why more often than not, when I'm out on Leech Lake, my targeted species of fish is the sander vitreus.

August 31, 2008 on Leech Lake

After yesterday's experience, Joe decided to go panfishing with me again today on the beautiful Sucker Bay of Leech Lake.

We fished from 2:00 to 3:50 p.m., under sunny skies, with a temperature of 85+ degrees, winds out of the SE at 12-20 mph and a water temperature of 72 degrees. Using the wind to push us along at approximately 0.5 to 0.7 mph, we set up in front of our cabin in 8 feet of water. In this position the wind would move us along the weed line north to the Birches.

We used the same tackle set up today as we did yesterday -- 1/16 oz. Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jigs with silver Colorado blade spinners, tipped with 3" Gulp minnows in smelt color.

We didn't catch as many fish as we did yesterday, but Joe did put a fair number of mid-sized perch, bluegill and crappies in the boat. I caught only a handful of fish, but among them was a very nice jumbo perch which went directly into the live well. I want to treat my parents to a Leech Lake fish fry, so we're going to need a half dozen or so big jumbo perch.

August 30, 2008 on Leech Lake

Joe and I went fishing today from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. I had told Joe about the great panfish bite I was experiencing and he finally decided to go with me to see for himself.

The temperature was 85+ degrees and the wind out of the south was 8-12 mph went we left the boat lift. We headed to the front of Norm's cabin in 10 feet of water, with a water temperature of 72 degrees, lined up the boat along the weed line, and then let the wind push us north toward the Birches.

We were both using Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jigs with silver Colorado blade spinners tipped with Gulp 3" minnows in smelt color. Together we caught numerous perch, bluegills, crappie and a few rock bass. A another good day of panfishing on Leech Lake.

August 29, 2008 on Leech Lake

My parents arrived today for a 4- or 5-day visit, but before they did, I managed to sneak out onto Leech Lake for a little late-afternoon fishing.

From 4:20 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. I used the 8-15 mph NW wind to drift from Schiebe's cabin to our cabin in 8-10 feet of water. The air temperature was 75 degrees. I used a 1/16 oz. orange Northland Neon-tone Gum-Ball jig with a silver blade spinner tipped with 3" Gulp minnows in smelt color.

I caught a few perch, a couple of bluegills, a handful of rock bass and a couple of crappie, one of which tipped the scales at about 1 1/2 pounds, a real slab if there ever was one. All fish were released.

August 28, 2008

The temperature today was 75 degrees, the wind was stiff at 10-20 mph out of the west, driving waves and white caps directly toward us. It wasn't the greatest day for fishing, and since we needed groceries anyway, Kathleen, Joe and I went into Bemidji for an "errand run."

No fishing on Leech Lake today for us.

August 27, 2008 on Leech Lake

Today Joe and I decided to do some panfishing together, so we started down by the Birches in 12 feet of water and drifted toward shore with the aid of the 5-12 mph wind out of the west. We used jigs tipped with 2" Gulp lime-green grubs and caught numerous perch, crappie and rock bass. Joe even hooked a pike.

After an hour or so of catching panfish, we moved our Lund 1800 IFS to the reeds and grass in front of Norm's cabin to do some bass fishing. We switched to 4/0 offset hooks and 5" Senkos rigged weightless Texas style. We each caught a nice largemouth bass in the neighborhood of 18".

The temperature today was 72 degrees and the water temperature had dropped to 71 degrees.

Periodic Reminder

For those reading this blog, the reason you're seeing August 2008 posts in April 2009, is that last year I spent roughly 6 months at our lake house on Leech Lake and was so into living life at the lake that I spent very little time in front of the PC.

During that time I kept a day-to-day, hand-written fishing journal where I recorded the air and water temperature, wind speed, other relevant weather data, fish caught, tackle used, fishing location, and tidbits of information about what was going on in my life.

Now that I'm back in California, I decided to post my fishing journal notes on my Fishing Leech Lake blog in chronological order.

Now on to the rest of August's posts.

August 26, 2008

It was back to work today. A couple of days ago Joe, Kathleen and I stained the lake-side deck. Today, while Kathleen took her Mom and sister back to St. Cloud, Joe and I stained the front porch.

It was a nice day to work outside, with the temperature hitting 80 degrees as a high, winds out of the SW at 8-17 mph and clear blue skies.

It took us most of the day to get the porch stained, and I was just cleaning up when Kathleen returned from St. Cloud.

We all enjoyed a cold, malted beverage on the dock as we watched the sun sink into the western sky. Although there was no fishing today, it was still another great day at Leech Lake.