August 15, 2008 on Leech Lake

The temperature today was near 80 degrees, the sky was clear blue, the wind was nearly calm and the water temperature was between 74-75 degrees.

For the past several days the panfishing has been fantastic so I thought I'd use the exact same tactics and try to boat some perch, crappie and bluegill.

I have noticed for the past several weeks that the lack of rain has really dropped the water level of Leech Lake. I once was told by a member of the Army Corps of Engineers stationed at the Federal Dam on the far east side of Leech Lake, that on sunny days the water evaporation rate can be as high as 1/4 per day. If you figure we haven't had rain in several weeks, couple that with sunny skies and a steady wind, it's no surprise that the lake level has dropped a full 12" from early June.

The panfish bite today was much slower than it's been. I caught several small- to medium-sized perch, but no crappie or bluegill. So after fishing from 12:30 p.m to 3:00 p.m., I decided to call it a day.