I got up around 8:30 a.m. this morning since I had stayed up to nearly 2:00 a.m. last night. After getting dressed I made my way to the kitchen for coffee and a check of the fishing conditions, i.e., the weather.
The sky was overcast and grey and the wind blew from the NE at 5-10 mph. It looked like it was going to rain again today, but by 1:00 p.m. when Rick and I hit the water, no rain had fallen.
We started drifting in about 8-10 feet of water straight out in front of our house moving in the wind toward Second Duck Point. We were using jigs and shiners and caught a handful of medium-sized perch, all of which went back into the water.
I then fired up the 150hp Mercury Verado and piloted my Lund Pro-V 1800 IFS north on Sucker Bay toward the old Bay Shore Resort. There is a hole up there that is more than 200 yards long, 100 yards wide and drops to 18 feet. In the past, I've had pretty good luck up there catching big perch and walleye.
No sooner did Rick and I drop in our jigs tipped with shiners than we started to catch some small perch. About 15 minutes later Rick caught a healthy 14" walleye, which he released. We ran out of shiners about 30 minutes later, so which switched tactics and began trolling crankbaits from one end of "The Hole" to the other. Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything.
At 3:30 p.m. we motored back to the house, read the paper, checked email and just hung out. We have now finished dinner and will most likely go trolling at 9:00 p.m. tonight.
We did indeed go out at 9:00 p.m. We were joined by 6 other boats right in front of our house, but soon after dark all of them left. We probably should have as well as the fish just weren't biting. The wind was out of the NE at about 10-15 mph and that made conditions unfavorable.
Rick did manage to catch a small hammer handle and a 14" and 15" walleye. I, on the other hand, got skunked.
We'll try again tomorrow.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
June 6, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
The high today did hit 50 degrees, but the low was once again in the mid-30s. I had a fire going most of the day to take the chill out of the air. The sky was overcast and grey and it sprinkled rain throughout the day. Yep, June in Northern Minnesota. Luckily, the wind was relatively light at 8-12 mph from the NW, or it would have felt even colder.
Rick and I went fishing from noon to 2:00 p.m. As we do most of the time during the day, we used jigs and shiners off Second Duck Point and the Birches trying to tempt a walleye into biting. We caught several perch, but no walleye.
We went out trolling at 9:00 p.m., and no sooner did we hit the water than it started to rain. At first it was just a light rain, but within an hour it was coming down hard. We were undeterred and continued to troll our Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water. There was a full moon tonight, but we could not see it through the very black rain clouds overhead.
Rick caught only one 12" walleye, although he had several hits that went unhooked. I caught a 12", a 13" and a 21 1/2" walleye and also had several other hits that didn't hook.
We came in around 11:15 p.m. I showered, got into some warm sweats since the temperature had dropped into the high 30s, and watched the movie "For Your Consideration."
Another great day at Leech Lake.
Rick and I went fishing from noon to 2:00 p.m. As we do most of the time during the day, we used jigs and shiners off Second Duck Point and the Birches trying to tempt a walleye into biting. We caught several perch, but no walleye.
We went out trolling at 9:00 p.m., and no sooner did we hit the water than it started to rain. At first it was just a light rain, but within an hour it was coming down hard. We were undeterred and continued to troll our Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water. There was a full moon tonight, but we could not see it through the very black rain clouds overhead.
Rick caught only one 12" walleye, although he had several hits that went unhooked. I caught a 12", a 13" and a 21 1/2" walleye and also had several other hits that didn't hook.
We came in around 11:15 p.m. I showered, got into some warm sweats since the temperature had dropped into the high 30s, and watched the movie "For Your Consideration."
Another great day at Leech Lake.
June 5, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
It's as if Northern Minnesota has decided to go from spring directly to autumn without a summer. The high temperature today was 46 degrees with a low of 34. The winds were very strong most of the day ranging from 15-20 mph from the NW. The wind, coupled with the low temperatures, made the wind-chill somewhere in the mid-30s all day long.
Last November, during the opening weekend of deer hunting season, the man who used to live in our house stopped by to say hi. Whenever Clancy is in the area, visiting one of his old neighbors, he likes to stop by and check out his old house. During this particular visit, Clancy was kind enough to give me a couple of very nice elk surlion steaks from a elk he took while hunting in Washington state. Anyway, those steaks had sat in my freezer until tonight.
I decided to BBQ the elk steaks on the grill and share them with Rick, since he had never had elk. We both enjoyed the elk meat very much.
By the time we finished dinner and had cleaned up, the wind had begun to die down. By 9:00 p.m. the wind was only at 8 mph out of the NW -- time to go trolling.
Rick and I got into the boat and immediately got our Minnow Raps in the water. We trolled in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught five small walleyes around 13" and one 17 1/2" walleye which he released. I caught 14", 13" and 19" walleyes. The moon tonight was 96 percent waxing, just about a day from being full.
Although it was too windy to fish most of the day, we did get in some good walleye fishing on Leech Lake this evening.
Last November, during the opening weekend of deer hunting season, the man who used to live in our house stopped by to say hi. Whenever Clancy is in the area, visiting one of his old neighbors, he likes to stop by and check out his old house. During this particular visit, Clancy was kind enough to give me a couple of very nice elk surlion steaks from a elk he took while hunting in Washington state. Anyway, those steaks had sat in my freezer until tonight.
I decided to BBQ the elk steaks on the grill and share them with Rick, since he had never had elk. We both enjoyed the elk meat very much.
By the time we finished dinner and had cleaned up, the wind had begun to die down. By 9:00 p.m. the wind was only at 8 mph out of the NW -- time to go trolling.
Rick and I got into the boat and immediately got our Minnow Raps in the water. We trolled in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught five small walleyes around 13" and one 17 1/2" walleye which he released. I caught 14", 13" and 19" walleyes. The moon tonight was 96 percent waxing, just about a day from being full.
Although it was too windy to fish most of the day, we did get in some good walleye fishing on Leech Lake this evening.
June 4, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
New stairs on the side of the cabin.
The temperature today was a little warmer, it hit a high of 68 degrees. The low was near 40. The skies were dark and threatening all day and the wind was strong at 15-25 mph out of the SW, with gusts well over 30 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and I only saw one or two boats on Sucker Bay all day.
It was a good day for projects around the property, and with master-builder Rick on hand we quickly found a project. On the north side of the cabin the wrap-around decks ends, but there are no stairs to get to the ground. It's only 3 feet up, but not everyone wants to jump to the ground, so we decided to build some stairs.
There were some old stairs stashed out behind the game room, I'm not sure what they were for originally, so Rick and I decided to use those. After some modifications, the stairs were ready to attach. Rick did a great job securing the stairs to the deck and extending the railing to tie in with the existing deck railing.
All that's left to do is get some paint when we go into town next and the new stairs will match the rest of the deck. Thanks Rick!
June 3, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
I felt much better today so Rick and I decided to go out fishing at 10:30 a.m. The temperature hit a high of 65 degrees today, the sky was partly sunny and the wind was calm to 8 mph out of the south. The water temperature was 63 degrees.
We drifted off Second Duck Point in 7-12 feet of water using jigs and shiners and caught numerous perch and a couple of rock bass, but no walleye. At 12:15 p.m. we went back to the cabin for lunch.
We went out on the lake again at 2:30 p.m. and this time we drifted in the south breeze from Norm's cabin to the Birches. Using jigs and shiners we again caught numerous perch, although this time Rick added a nice 15" walleye, which we released.
After fishing for walleye for about an hour I motored the big 150hp Mercury Verado to the Harbor (also known as Third Duck Point) where we deployed the MinnKota electric trolling motor and started throwing spinner baits in 3 feet of water for largemouth bass.
Rick caught 4 nice largemouth and I added 3 more bucketmouths to the tally. At one point, in about 5 feet of water near Scheibe's cabin, something very big followed Rick's spinnerbait to the boat. I could only see it for a moment, but it was either a very large pike or decent sized muskie. At 5:00 p.m. we made our way home for dinner.
Later that evening, at around 9:00 p.m., we went out fishing yet again. As is our typical method of evening and night fishing, we trolled crankbaits; or more specifically, Rapala Minnow Raps.
With the winds having died down to near calm and clear skies, the 85-percent waxing moon filled the night with light. We trolled from Malay's in the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught walleyes measuring 18", 11" and 16", while I caught one 15 1/2" walleye.
I caught another walleye, my biggest of the season, but Rick had trouble netting the lunker and it came unbuttoned right at the boat's edge. Both Rick and I got a very good look at the fish and we both estimated it to be at least 25", maybe bigger.
Another great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
We drifted off Second Duck Point in 7-12 feet of water using jigs and shiners and caught numerous perch and a couple of rock bass, but no walleye. At 12:15 p.m. we went back to the cabin for lunch.
We went out on the lake again at 2:30 p.m. and this time we drifted in the south breeze from Norm's cabin to the Birches. Using jigs and shiners we again caught numerous perch, although this time Rick added a nice 15" walleye, which we released.
After fishing for walleye for about an hour I motored the big 150hp Mercury Verado to the Harbor (also known as Third Duck Point) where we deployed the MinnKota electric trolling motor and started throwing spinner baits in 3 feet of water for largemouth bass.
Rick caught 4 nice largemouth and I added 3 more bucketmouths to the tally. At one point, in about 5 feet of water near Scheibe's cabin, something very big followed Rick's spinnerbait to the boat. I could only see it for a moment, but it was either a very large pike or decent sized muskie. At 5:00 p.m. we made our way home for dinner.
Later that evening, at around 9:00 p.m., we went out fishing yet again. As is our typical method of evening and night fishing, we trolled crankbaits; or more specifically, Rapala Minnow Raps.
With the winds having died down to near calm and clear skies, the 85-percent waxing moon filled the night with light. We trolled from Malay's in the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught walleyes measuring 18", 11" and 16", while I caught one 15 1/2" walleye.
I caught another walleye, my biggest of the season, but Rick had trouble netting the lunker and it came unbuttoned right at the boat's edge. Both Rick and I got a very good look at the fish and we both estimated it to be at least 25", maybe bigger.
Another great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
June 2, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
I woke up this morning not feeling well and spent most of the day either in bed or taking it easy around the house.
Rick finished up the trim work on the door in the game room and replaced a broken window in the cabin.
The weather today was not conducive to fishing anyway, with winds from the NW at 15-25 mph, with gusts up over 30 mph. The lake was covered in big waves and white caps. The high temperature today just hit 60 degrees.
No fishing on Leech Lake today.
Rick finished up the trim work on the door in the game room and replaced a broken window in the cabin.
The weather today was not conducive to fishing anyway, with winds from the NW at 15-25 mph, with gusts up over 30 mph. The lake was covered in big waves and white caps. The high temperature today just hit 60 degrees.
No fishing on Leech Lake today.
June 1, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
The high temperature today hit 60 degrees with a low of only 37. The winds were relatively calm to 5-8 mph out of the ESE. The water temperature was 60 degrees.
Using jigs and shiners, Rick and I drifted the boat off Second Duck point in 8-12 feet of water and caught several perch, including a few nice jumbos. All were released.
We then came back on shore to finish hanging the door in the game room. With that chore mostly complete -- some trim work still needed to be finished -- I cleaned and cooked the 16 3/4" walleye from the other night for dinner.
After dinner, from 9:00 -- 10:20 p.m., Rick and I again trolled Minnow Raps for walleye. We fished in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points to the south.
Rick caught two small 12" walleyes and I didn't catch anything. Nonetheless, it was good to be out on Leech Lake.
Using jigs and shiners, Rick and I drifted the boat off Second Duck point in 8-12 feet of water and caught several perch, including a few nice jumbos. All were released.
We then came back on shore to finish hanging the door in the game room. With that chore mostly complete -- some trim work still needed to be finished -- I cleaned and cooked the 16 3/4" walleye from the other night for dinner.
After dinner, from 9:00 -- 10:20 p.m., Rick and I again trolled Minnow Raps for walleye. We fished in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points to the south.
Rick caught two small 12" walleyes and I didn't catch anything. Nonetheless, it was good to be out on Leech Lake.
May 31, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
Rick and I went out fishing on Leech Lake today on two separate occasions. The first time we went out from 1:00 - 3:45 p.m. and used jigs and shiners as we drifted off Second Duck Point in 7-10 feet of water. We caught a few perch but no walleye.
The temperature today was a cool 52 degrees, the wind was 5-15 mph from the ESE, the sky was overcast and grey and it rained off and on all day.
After dinner, we went out again, this time from 8:00 - 11:15 p.m. We trolled Rapala Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water with the Mercury Smartcraft gauge set at 570 rpm. With this method we did much better than we did earlier in the day.
Rick caught a 23" and 12" walleye and I caught walleyes of 16 3/4" and 18 1/2". We kept the 16 3/4" fish for dinner. As we headed back to the boat lift we caught two more walleye at the same time, a doubleheader! The first time Rick and I have hooked walleyes at the same time.
Rick reeled in a nice 22" eyeball and my fish measured 17 1/4". Both were released.
Another great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
The temperature today was a cool 52 degrees, the wind was 5-15 mph from the ESE, the sky was overcast and grey and it rained off and on all day.
After dinner, we went out again, this time from 8:00 - 11:15 p.m. We trolled Rapala Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water with the Mercury Smartcraft gauge set at 570 rpm. With this method we did much better than we did earlier in the day.
Rick caught a 23" and 12" walleye and I caught walleyes of 16 3/4" and 18 1/2". We kept the 16 3/4" fish for dinner. As we headed back to the boat lift we caught two more walleye at the same time, a doubleheader! The first time Rick and I have hooked walleyes at the same time.
Rick reeled in a nice 22" eyeball and my fish measured 17 1/4". Both were released.
Another great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
May 30, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
New door leading from the game room to the garage
It was very windy all day today. The winds were out of the WNW at 15-25 mph with gusts over 30 mph. The lake was covered with large waves and white caps. The high temperature today was 64 degrees with a low of around 40.
Rick and I went into town today to pick up a pre-hung door to go between the game room and the garage at the cabin. In addition to being an engineer, Rick both enjoys and is very good at any type of home repair or building project. Last year he repaired the deck at the cabin, this year it was the new door in the game room.
We picked up other supplies in town as well, and made it home around 4:00 p.m. -- just as it started to rain.
No fishing on Leech Lake today.
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