Water Level -- October 31, 2010

This is by no means a scientific measurement of Leech Lake water levels, merely a benchmark against which I can measure water levels in future years on Halloween.

At the cabin landing the water covers 5 of the cement pilings completely, while lapping up on the sixth. The "marker rock" at the house, is completely under water as well. This may not be a high-water mark, but it is a huge improvement over last year, and the year prior.

At Leech Lake -- Halloween, 2010 (Last full day at Leech Lake this year)

Happy Halloween from Leech Lake.

This morning at 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 24 degrees, the wind was calm (not even a ripple on the lake), the sky was mostly sunny with just a few clouds gathered in the west on the horizon. The ground, the roofs of the buildings and the truck were covered in frost. It felt and looked like a winter day, albeit with no snow.

Today is my last full day at Leech Lake until, well, I don't know when. Next year Kathleen and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we hope to spend some time here at the lake, as well as visiting Lake Itasca and maybe Bayfield, Wisconsin (and the Apostle Islands). So maybe my next visit might not be until late June, 2011; which would be my latest visit to the lake in any given year since we bought the place in 2001.

My cleaning has already begun. The sheets have been stripped from the bed and are in the wash. After a cup of coffee I'll clean out the fireplace, then clean and vacuum the living room. From there, I'll go room by room cleaning leaving the kitchen and master bathroom for last.

With the calm waters on the lake, it would be a great day to go fishing, but I don't want to bother Tom Malay by asking him to get his 14-foot aluminum boat into the water. Some day, when we live here year round, I'll have a small boat so I can go fishing on days like today after my big boat has been stored for the winter.

I was out on the dock taking some pictures of the lake, because it's so calm, when Rome Van Rossum stopped by. He'd be threatening a visit since I saw him at the Ottertail Peninsula Association potluck dinner a couple of weeks ago. I was coming up the dock when I spotted him coming around the corner of the house. We stood out in the backyard (lakeside) and talked for about 20 minutes. I invited him in for some coffee (three times, like you're supposed to in MN), but he refused (all three times), saying he knew how much I had to do to get ready to leave tomorrow. It's true, I've got a lot of cleaning yet ahead of me.

But first, I'm going to finish this pot of coffee, then make myself a cheese, onion and tomato omelet for breakfast. That's about all the food I have left in the fridge.

I cleaned the house throughout the day, but still managed to take a walk down the dirt road to "swamp 1" and later a walk in the woods. I also grabbed a rod and reel and made several casts off the dock using a lipless crankbait trying to scare up a swallow-swimming walleye, perch or nothern, but I didn't hook a thing. Nonetheless, it was still fun to throw a lure into the water.

At 5:45 p.m., with a light wind of 5 mph out of the SSW, a temperature of 38 degrees and clear skies, I went out onto the end of the dock to watch one last sunset this visit and enjoy a Wild Blue Beer. What a peaceful, wonderful way to close out my last evening at Leech Lake for the foreseeable future.


A Halloween sunset over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake

From 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. the cleaning continued. I vacuumed the bedrooms and hallway, cleaned the kitchen counters, stove and sink, and cleaned two bathrooms. I also found time for a quick sandwich (my dinner considering all the food is gone) and got on the PC to check the scores of the NFL games and the Giants' progress against the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the World Series.

Stupid MLB forced the Giants flagship radio station, KNBR, to stop streaming live broadcasts of the games on the Internet. I guess MLB and Bud Selig want to squeeze a few more dollars out of people to get them to subscribe to Gameday radio. This is yet another reason I HATE baseball. I guess it's on to the NHL and the San Jose Sharks. Here's what the lamebrains at MLB had KNBR post:

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT STREAMING:

Please note that some of our broadcast partners have asked KNBR to block the Internet audio streaming of their programming:

ALL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES

This unfortunately Includes ALL SF GIANTS GAMES

For streams of MLB games, please go to MLB.com and subscribe to their Gameday audio service.

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It's now 8:21 p.m. and Aubrey Huff just hit a two-run homer for the Giants. Giants lead 2-0 in the top of the third inning, and 2 games to 1 in the Series. By the way, the first three games of this year's World Series were available on streaming audio on KNBR.com; until today that is.

Since it's Halloween, I decided to watch a classic horror movie, the original 1931 release of Frankenstein. I love this movie, and it was one that always terrified me when I was a kid.

I just checked the score of the Giants game, and they won 4-0 and now lead the Series 3 games to 1. They can win the World Series with a win tomorrow. Of course I'll be traveling, so I won't know the final score of the game -- and if the Giants won the Series or not -- until we land in San Jose.

I'll make one final entry tomorrow before I leave for the airport. Until then, good night from Leech Lake

At Leech Lake -- October 30, 2010

The temperature at 9:00 a.m. this morning was 36 degrees and that would stay the high all day. The sky varied from mostly cloudy, to partly sunny, and now at 3:30 p.m. there are just a couple of blue patches to been seen here and there. The winds are light at about 8-12 mph out of the north.

Clarence, the guy who we bought the house from, stopped by today to say hello. He and I chatted for about 45 minutes before he went back over the Newman's cabin. The Newmans aren't there, but Clarence was going to go back into the woods to get the deer stands ready for deer season, which opens in two weeks. John Newman won't hunt, but he will be in the stand with his son Greg who is in his third or fourth year of hunting.

After Clarence left I went over to the cabin and blew more leaves of the yard. I didn't get it all done, but it's better than in years past when I didn't blow any of the leaves off the yard. I also took a nice walk down the dirt road.

I came inside just in time to hear a Prairie Home Companion on MPR. It was a good show tonight. I always like listening to PHC when I'm here at the lake. Somehow it just seems more fun, and relevant, than when I try to listen to it in California.

It's Saturday evening and I'm getting ready to turn in for the night. Tomorrow will be a very busy day. I've got to clean the entire house, clear out the refrigerator, do laundry, clean out the fireplace, and make some "stairway to heaven" mouse traps. I leave for California on Monday morning which means everything needs to be wrapped up tomorrow.

At 11:40 p.m. there is no wind and the temperature is 30 degrees. No rain or snow predicted tonight.

I'll make one last post from Leech Lake tomorrow, then it's back to San Jose...

At Leech Lake -- October 29, 2010

This morning at 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 26 degrees, the sky was gray and the wind was about 8-10 mph out of the west.

I heard from Tom Malay yesterday that Shore Brothers, the outfit that removes docks and boat lifts for nearly all of the residents on W. Shores Rd., won't be out to our area until Monday; the day I leave for California.

The weather the past few days -- with the high winds -- has Shore Bros. running several days behind schedule. I had hoped to see Mark from Shore Bros. in person because I have a question for him about some repair options on my harbor. Ice in the Spring time has done some damage to the harbor wall and I want to know how best to have it fixed. I guess we'll have to discuss it over the phone when I'm back on the West Coast.

It's just before 2:00 p.m. and I just wrapped up a couple of work calls, so now it's time to go outside. The wind has died down to near calm, with a slight breeze of 5 mph out of the south. The sky is still gray, but the temperature has warmed to 36 degrees.

I'll start with putting the lawn furniture away for the season. I kept thinking I'd sit on the porch and enjoy a cold beer while watching the sun set, but the high winds and rain this week have kept me inside. Now it's time to put the furniture away. After that, I think I'll go for a walk down the dirt road, and then maybe take an ATV ride, either around the peninsula one last time or just through the woods.

The sun is dropping quickly into the West as we approach 5:45 p.m. I've been outside for the past couple of hours enjoying the nonexistent wind and temperatures near 40. It's amazing how warm 38, 36 or even 34 degrees can seem when you're outside working.

After my walk I took the ATV for a ride in the woods. There were no major trees down blocking the main trail, but I didn't check any of the side trails. After storing the ATV for the winter, I got the electric blower out and started clearing leaves over at the cabin. Due to rain and winds for the past 5 or 6 days, this chore was not possible.

I got about 1/5 of the yard done before the light started to fade, so I came home. I'm going to clean out the fireplace so I can have a fire tonight. I can smell the ribs I've got cooking in the oven as I write this. They smell great and I know will taste incredible as well. I'll round out the dinner with a baked potato and some type of veggie and/or fruit.

I'm going to focus on having as much fun here at the lake as possible the next couple of days, even while I'm cleaning the house and closing things up for the winter. Come Monday, I might not be back to Leech Lake for six months or more. I sure wish I could figure out a way to be here full time. Oh well...

At Leech Lake -- October 28, 2010

Last night the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 11-7 at AT&T Park in SF in the first game of the 2010 World Series. It sure would be fun if the Giants could win it all this year -- it would be their first championship since moving to SF.

The temperature at 8:00 a.m. this morning was 26 degrees. The wind was blowing at 15-18 mph out of the WNW and the sky was overcast and gray. It looks like it might rain/snow, but the forecast calls for no precipitation today whatsoever.

This morning I took it easy. Did some work emails, read the news on CNN.com and other sites, then had a late breakfast. I have a few outdoor chores left to do, mainly get the power disconnected from the boat lift, then I think I'll go for a walk down our dirt road. I only wish Kathleen was here with me; she loves walking down W. Shores Rd.

I just came back inside. The time is 2:15 p.m. The wind has picked up again and is blowing out of the WNW at 25 mph. The temperature is 26 degrees, but with the wind, it feels much colder. The sky has cleared some, and is currently mostly sunny with lots of patches of blue.

I took a brisk 2-mile walk to just past Paulsen's and back. It felt great to walk quickly in the cold late-October air. On the dirt road it wasn't as breezy, so it was basically the perfect temperature for a good walk.

On my way home I stopped at the cabin to disconnect the heavy-gauge power cord from the boat lift. I have it zip tied to the dock in numerous spots to keep it above the water line, so I have to get down on my hands and knees and lean over the edge of the dock to cut the zip ties. The waves were coming in strong enough that the dock was wet from the spray, so as a result the knees in my pants and the elbows of my sweatshirt are wet too.

There was a thin coat of ice around the cord due to the waves and the cold temps, so by the time I had disconnected the cord and stored it in the garage, my hands and fingers were numb from handling it. I could barely move a couple of the fingers on my left hand. Just know I'm getting a strong tingling feeling back in my fingers as I warm them up by typing this post.

After a light dinner of primarily vegetables and fruit, I got a fire going in the fireplace. I also got the World Series game on the Internet -- Gamecast on ESPN.com and on the radio on KNBR.com. The Giants played a great game and ended up beating the Texas Rangers 9-0 in Game 2. The Giants are now up 2 games to none as the Series heads to Texas for the next 3 games.

Well, good night from Leech Lake, where the temperature at midnight is 22 degrees and the wind is out of the WNW at 15 mph. No rain or snow.

At Leech Lake -- October 27, 2010

Nothing.

Zilch. Nada.

For all the dire reports of a Winter Storm Warning yesterday, I thought I'd awake today to a blanket of snow covering the ground. But when I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and looked outside it was still very windy, and wet, yet there was no snow. Not a flake. So I went back to bed.

I got up again at 8:30 a.m. and still no snow. The wind is blowing at about 25 mph out of the WNW, not as strong as yesterday, there's light rain falling, and the temperature is 34 degrees. Sure, it's a cold, gray and wet Fall day, but it's surely nothing that warrants a Winter Storm Warning. And stop calling me Shirley.

After several hours of work calls -- including a new business win with a company called YoHolla -- I loaded the trash and recycling into the truck to take it down for disposal at the community center bins. On the way there I saw Norm Hansen out in front of his place clearing a fallen tree. I stopped and offered to help, but he had most of it already cleared and was in the final stages of moving a few smaller branches.

Apparently several people on the road had trees go down in the heavy winds during the past 36 hours including Jerry Schiebe and the Lichtennegger's; the later of whom were in Bemidji when a big tree fell and blocked access to their driveway. What a fun thing to find after returning home from town!

So far, no trees down on the lakeside properties here at the house and cabin. I'm sure there are trees down in the woods across the street, but I haven't ventured back there to find out.

The weather at 4:15 p.m. is windy -- probably 20-25 mph out of the WNW -- gray and overcast with a light rain, and a temperature of only 34 degrees. The weather service has now pushed out any snow forecast until late tonight or early tomorrow morning; but they were wrong about snow last night, so who knows...

I was on a call late this afternoon when I noticed two otters bobbing in the water just outside the harbor near the dock. They swam in the water for a while before disappearing. A minute or two later I saw one of the otters run across the yard near the harbor before jumping into the lake. It was nice to see a couple of the local animals for which this peninsula was named -- Ottertail Peninsula.

At 6:30 p.m.the winds have picked up and are now blowing more than 30 mph out of the WNW. The waves and white caps on the bay have really kicked up. The temperature is right at 32 degrees, so if it does start raining again there's a good chance it'll turn to snow. But no snow yet.

It's now 11:30 p.m. and I'm ready to shut down for the night. The wind is still at 25+ mph out of the WNW, the temperature is 32 degrees and there is a cold, light, stinging rain blowing parallel to the ground. Still no snow.

Until tomorrow, good night from Leech Lake.

At Leech Lake -- October 26, 2010 (The Storm!)

The early parts of the storm gathering on Sucker Bay

At 8:00 a.m. this morning there was a light rain falling, the sky was very overcast and gray, there was virtually no wind, the temperature was 50 degrees and the forecast was for a major storm to be moving toward Leech Lake and Northern Minnesota.

At 9:15 a.m. the locksmith arrived and changed the locks on the front doors on both the house and cabin; a task long over due. He left about an hour later and from 10:30 a.m. till noon I was on a work call. Just after noon, I checked the barometer in the hallway of the house and saw it had dropped to a record low of 28.4 inches of mercury -- way, way past the storm setting. The temperature has also dropped to 44 degrees.

It's now 12:50 p.m. and I have another work call in 10 minutes and the wind has picked up considerably. I'd say it's probably 20 mph out of the WNW, creating white caps on the lake. The updated forecast calls for winds to exceed 40 mph by 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. I am planning to visit Noel Hancock, one of our neighbors (who is personally battling cancer), later this afternoon, but I'll have to keep an eye on this storm. I don't want to be out if the storm gets really bad.

The wind has really picked up. At 2:05 p.m. the temperature has dropped to 40 degrees and the wind is up over 25 mph now out of the WNW, with big white caps rolling toward our shoreline. The barometric pressure, believe it or not, has dropped even further to 28.35 inches of mercury. The lowest I've ever seen.

At 3:00 p.m. I drove down to Noel Hancock's for a visit and to share a pot of coffee. After an hour or so of trying to solve the world's problems, to no avail, I bid Noel goodbye and drove down to Malay's house.

The purpose of my visit to Tom and Elaine's was to drop off a set of the new front door keys, but I stuck around to share a beer and chat about the weather. According to Tom's rain gauge, more than 2 inches of rain has fallen today, and it was still coming down hard went I left their house at just after 5:00p.m.

When I drove into our driveway I noticed several standing puddles around the yard. This is the wettest I've seen the properties since we bought it in 2001. The wind continues to howl at close to 30 mph out of the WNW, the temperature has dropped to 38 degrees (snow is predicted tonight) and the barometric pressure hovers near 28.4 inches of mercury. Crazy midwestern storm.

I just checked the National Weather Service web site (5:45 p.m. CT) and here's the Winter Storm Warning that they issued for Northern Minnesota:

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT WEDNESDAY.

* RAIN WILL MIX WITH THEN CHANGE TO WET SNOW THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT... THEN CONTINUE INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY.

* SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE 3 TO 6 INCHES BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* SNOW WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY WINDS OF 30 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS.

* WET SNOW WILL STICK TO SOME ROADS AND MAKE THEM SLIPPERY. THICK FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE DANGEROUSLY LOW VISIBILITY AND DRIFTING SNOW. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... USE CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

This could get crazy!! I love Northern Minnesota!

Well, it's 10:30 p.m. and I'm going to call it a night. It's still very windy out, but it's stopped raining. According to the latest weather, it's supposed to start snowing sometime around 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. It'll be interesting to see if the ground is covered in snow when I wake up tomorrow.

Good night from Leech Lake.

At Leech Lake -- October 25, 2010 (Boat to Bemidji)

Today was gray and overcast with rain off and on all day long. The temperature varied from 40 degrees early this morning to a high of 50 degrees by 3:00 p.m. The wind was light out of the east at 5-8 mph.

After breakfast and some email work, I went next door to the cabin, got in the truck and drove it to Corner Sports in Bemidji with the trailered boat in tow. It's always hard to leave the boat in town and know that my open water fishing, at least in my boat, is over for the season. Who knows when my boat will once again sit afloat on Leech Lake. Next May? Next June? I don't really know.

I took care of some errands in town and came back to Leech Lake around mid-afternoon. I did some work work, had dinner, and went to bed early.

More from Leech Lake tomorrow.

In Leech Lake -- October 24, 2010

It must have rained some last night because I awoke this morning to a wet landscape. The sky is gray and overcast, and it looks like it could rain again. The temperature is 40 degrees and the wind is out of the ENE at 10 mph.

After eating a cup of yogurt, I got in the truck and drove it next door. Once there, I attached the boat trailer to the 2" ball on the receiver hitch on the truck, connected the electrical wiring, and secured the trailer with the heavy wire cables.

I then walked down the dock and got into the boat. One by one I removed the bungee cords that hold the heavy vinyl canopy onto the boat lift. Once all of the cords had been removed, it was a relatively easy process of popping the canopy off the lift and then to pile it up on the dock. I then dragged the canopy onto shore and left it on the ground near the cabin. It is completely covered in sea gull guano, so I think I'll have it professionally cleaned this year. I just don't think I could get all of the crap off of it myself.

With the canopy off the lift, I was ready to move onto the next phase of pulling my boat out of the water. I backed the truck down the landing putting the trailer into the water. I then got on my waders, walked out to the end of the dock, lowered the boat into the water, got in the water myself and then guided the boat off the lift, around the dock and onto the trailer. I clipped tow strap to the hook at the bow of the boat and began cranking the handle. Slowly the boat moved up the trailer until at last it was completely on the trailer.

I got out of the water, took off my waders, got into the truck and drove up the ramp pulling the boat and trailer behind me. I pulled the drain plug out of the stern of the boat, put on the safety straps and transom saver, and then decided to take a break for some breakfast.

-------

It's now 1:10 p.m., the sky is a grayish white and it looks like it could rain at any moment. Oops, just checked again and it is raining. The wind is still about 10 mph out of the ENE. A little later on this afternoon I'm going to go next door to the cabin, get everything out of the boat and then put the cover on the boat. My plan is to take the boat to Corner Sports in Bemidji tomorrow, where they'll winterize and store the boat until next Spring.

It's now 4:45 p.m., everything is out of the boat, but hanging up in the garage to dry out, and the cover is on the boat. The boat is ready to take into town tomorrow morning. I'm having a late lunch and listening to the Arizona-Seattle game on the NFL Radio network. We don't have TV here at the lake, so all of my sports updates are from either the radio or Internet.

My final entry of the night will be a weather report. It's 9:45 p.m., the wind has died down, the temperature is 39 degrees and there's a light mist falling; everything is wet. Tomorrow I'll take the boat into Bemidji, run a few errands and then come home to finalize some the winterization chores around the property.

I guess if I am going to go fishing again before leaving for California it'll have to be with Tom Malay in his 14-foot aluminum boat. I hope I do get one more chance to catch a walleye before I have to leave Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October 23, 2010

The sky was gray, the temperature was 36 degrees and the winds were out of the ENE at 8-12 mph at 9:00 a.m. this morning. Jackson was the only one awake when I came into the living room; Sandy and Tim awoke within the next 45 minutes.

Since they had to go back to St. Cloud at noon today, Tim, Jackson and I decided to go fishing one more time. We got into the boat at 10:20 a.m. and made our way to 13 feet of water in front Malay's cabin. We deployed the drift sock and began drifing toward Second Duck Point.

Out on the water the wind was stronger than it was on shore, closer to 15 mph out of the ENE. The water temperature was under 50 degrees for the first time since I've been here, registering at 49.5 degrees.

As always, we tipped our jigs with fatheads in search of perch and walleye. We were joined this chilly October morning on Sucker Bay by three other boats, including Duane Paulsen and Ron Geppart from here on Ottertail Peninsula.

We made two drifts and the only fish we caught was a small perch Tim landed. We were all cold and Tim and Jackson still had to pack up for their trip home, so we motored ashore. When we got on the dock, we released the 16" walleye Tim had caught a couple of days earlier since it really isn't worth keeping just one small walleye for a dinner for a family of three.

While we were on the water, I had seen Tom Malay out on his dock working on this boat lift motor. I thought he was trying to get his boat trailered to pull it out of the water, so I called Elaine Malay to tell her to tell Tom to wait until I got to shore and I'd help him. She told me that Tom was having problems with the lift motor and that he was unable to lower the boat into the water. I told Elaine that I have a hand crank that I use for manually raising and lower my lift when necessary and that I'd be happy to bring the crank down to see if it would work on Tom's lift.

Once on shore, I took the crank to Tom's cabin, but it wasn't the right size, so it was of no help. Tom was going to continue working on the motor (we think that there's a bad connection in the motor) to see if he can get it to operate properly. Before I left, Tom and I agreed to help each other get our boats out of the water and trailered on Sunday. I can't believe the open water fishing season is over for me. The last fish I caught this season was that walleye I boated yesterday.

Tim, Sandy and Jackson headed for home about 12:30 p.m. I decided to take care of some of the many winterization chores that remain on the properties. I walked over to the cabin and removed all of the screens from the windows and replaced them with storm windows. They aren't the best storm windows available, but they should provide a little better insulation than screens.

I also cleaned out the fireplace in preparation for fire tonight. According the the National Weather Service, there's a very good chance of some light rain tonight and the temperatures are supposed to drop to around 35 degrees. A good night for a warm fire.

At 5:00 p.m. this evening I plan to listen to a Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio. I enjoy listening to Garrison Keillor; especially when I'm here at Leech Lake.

Well, after listening to the "News from Lake Woebegon" tonight, I was not that impressed. Garrison seemed to take the night off, although Sarah Watkins and the Old Crow Medicine Show were very good.

From a sports perspective, today was a great day for me. The SF Giants advanced to the World Series against the Texas Rangers after the Giants beat the Phillies 4 games to 2 in the NLCS. The Michigan State Spartans went to 8-0 after beating the Northwestern Wildcats 35-27, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on the road. All of my teams won. Of course the Detroit Lions and the SF 49ers still suck, but other than that, it was great day.

Good night from Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October 22, 2010

The temperature this morning at 8:30 a.m. was just 30 degrees. The sky was sunny and the wind was out of the west at 7-10 mph. The forecast called for the temperatures to climb to 60 degrees by 3:00 p.m., and sure enough, it was just about 60 degrees by mid-afternoon.

Tim, Jackson and I started fishing today at just before 11:00 a.m. I had a work call at 1:00 p.m., so I wanted to be back on shore by 12:30 p.m. That gave us a good 1 1/2 hours on the water.

The water temperature was 50.1 degrees and the air temperature was in the low 40s when we backed the boat off the lift and onto the water. I motored the boat toward Second Duck Point in 13 feet of water. With the drift sock deployed, the boat drifted toward our house and slightly toward shore. This path kept us fishing in 10-12 feet of water.

Almost as soon as I dropped my Bass Pro Shops XPS 1/4-oz. walleye jig tipped with a fathead into the water I felt that familiar "weight" at the end of line that typically indicates that a walleye is interested in my lure. I let the fish hold the minnow in its mouth for a moment before setting the hook. Sure enough, I had a good walleye on the line. Jackson manned the net and we brought on board a nice 21 1/2" walleye, although it had some weird growth on it's side. I unhooked the fish and put it back into the water.

We made several drifts before having to back to shore. We caught numerous perch, but no more walleye. And again, Jackson did not boat a fish of any kind.

After my call, some lunch, and some general work around the house and cabin, Tim, Jackson and I went out on the water a second time; this time at 3:30 p.m.

By this time the air temperature had warmed to near 60 degrees and the wind had died down to barely 3-5 mph out of the west.

I again positioned the boat in 13 feet of water just north of Second Duck Point, and again we fished with jigs and fatheads. But with the winds barely blowing, the fishing had tapered off as well. We did manage to catch a few perch, and Jackson finally caught a fish when he hooked into a 20" northern pike. But by in large, the fishing in this spot had turned cold. So we moved.

I took us down to "The Birches" where in 9-10 feet of water we caught a few more perch. Just before we decided to go ashore because of the poor fishing, Tim hooked into something with some weight to it. At first, we thought it was a big walleye, but it turned out to be an eelpout in excess of 20 inches. I'm estimating its weight at between 3-4 pounds. A good sized 'pout, but like all of the burbot I catch, this one went back into the lake.

We came ashore just at sunset, about 6:15 p.m. As we were motoring toward the lift we saw the full moon rising over the eastern horizon, down by Bass Bay. What a beautiful sight.

Sometime around 7:30 p.m. I started dinner. Tonight we had a classic Leech Lake fish fry consisting of batter fried walleye fillets, French fries (with malt vinegar, of course), and Cole slaw. Ummm. Tasty.

After dinner we hung out, talked, and watched a DVD. Another great day at Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October 21, 2010

The temperature this morning at 8:00 a.m. was 33 degrees. By 1:00 p.m. it had warmed only to 35 degrees. The air definitely has that cold feel of impending winter to it. The wind was moderate at 10 mph out of the NNW, with gusts up to 15 mph. Coupled with the cool temperature, the wind made being outside a brisk experience.

Nonetheless, I was out all morning doing various chores, including blowing all the leaves off the yard on the lake side of the house, picking up fallen branches and tree limbs, dismantling the hammock and storing it for winter, and a variety of little outdoor projects.

I finally came inside around 12:15 p.m. for some lunch, warm up a bit and take care of some work work.

At 4:00 p.m., Sandy and Jackson arrived. After unloading their car and chatting for a while, Tim, Jackson and I decided to go fishing.

We got out on the water at 5:00 p.m. exactly, and motored out to 12 feet of water directly in front of Newman's cabin. The wind was blowing at 8-10 mph from WNW, so with the drift sock in the water the boat was pushed toward shore and our house at just under 1/2 mph. The water temperature was 50.5 degrees.

We used jigs tipped with fathead minnows caught several perch, and Tim caught a 16" walleye which we kept. Unfortunately, Jackson didn't catch anything.

We stayed out on the water until just after sunset and then motored in for a dinner of pizza and salad. If the weather permits, we'll go out fishing again tomorrow.

On Leech Lake -- October 20, 2010

The forecast for today is very strong winds, in excess of 25 mph, with high temperatures in the mid-50s. At 10:00 a.m., however, the winds were still fairly light at 10-12 mph out of the WNW, so Tim and I decided to do some fishing before the winds picked up. The temperature was 42 degrees.

After getting the boat in the water, I motored out to 11 feet of water in front of Newman's cabin, deployed the drift sock, and let the wind push the boat toward shore and our cabin, at about 1/2 mph. As usual, Tim and I used jigs (1/4 oz.) tipped with fathead minnows. The water temperature was 51.8 degrees.

We made three drifts, but didn't catch anything. I didn't even get a bite.

We came ashore about 11:30 a.m., had some lunch, did a few household chores and got ready to head into Bemidji. I needed to get some supplies ranging from light bulbs to batteries to food to a longer cable for my printer.

While in town we ate an early dinner at Mi Rancho, the newest Mexican restaurant in town. Now I live in San Jose so I have access to pretty good, and authentic, Mexican food at literally hundreds of restaurants, but I have to say, the food at Mi Rancho was good.

After completing our mission in town we drove home, arriving just before sunset. The wind was still blowing very hard out of the NW at more than 20 mph. There would be no trolling for walleye tonight.

The temperature had dropped to just under 40 degrees, so I got a fire going to take the chill out of the house.

Tomorrow I have more chores to do, including blowing leaves at both the house and cabin. Sometime around mid-afternoon, Tim's wife Sandy and their son Jackson are due to arrive at Leech Lake. I hope the weather cooperates so I can take Tim and Jackson out fishing.

Stay tuned...

At Leech Lake -- October 19, 2010 (Happy Birthday Kathleen)

Today is my wife Kathleen's birthday. Happy birthday honey. You're more beautiful today than the day I first met you (and you were pretty cute back then too!). I hope you have a wonderful day and an even better year. I only wish you could be here at Leech Lake with me. I know how much you enjoy the lake, especially in the autumn.

The temperature for most of the day was in the high 40s and low 50s. It was windy all day long, with winds in excess of 15 mph out of the WNW sending white caps rolling across Sucker Bay toward our shore. As a result, Tim and I did not go fishing, but rather turned our attention to the many chores of getting the property ready for the winter.

We took down the tire swing at the cabin, so it would not fill with snow. I cleaned out the gutters at the house, which took me close to three hours to complete. I crawled underneath the house in the cramped crawlspace to put up insulation in the vents, which in the spring and summer provide much needed ventilation to keep moisture and mildew from building up under the house, but in the winter would let in cold Arctic air making the floor of the house even colder than it usually is.

And at about 5:00 p.m. I started dinner. I made oven-fried chicken, stuffing and green beans. It was a tasty and hearty meal after a long day of working outside.

I am by no means done with the winterization chores, however. I still have to blow more leaves off the yard here at the house and at the cabin, put up storm windows at the cabin, and sometime over the weekend or on Monday, take the canopy off the boatlift, pull the boat out of the water and take it into Bemidji to be winterized and stored until next spring.

After dinner I called Kathleen to wish her a happy birthday. She was enjoying dinner with Melissa, Joe, Ashley and Jayden. Apparently, the chocalate cake was a big hit with everyone, but especially Jayden. Kathleen, we'll have to celebrate your birthday in a special way when I get back to California.

Until then, good night from Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October 18, 2010

Today the high reached only 46 degrees. The sky was mostly cloudy and gray, and the wind was out of the WNW at 10-14 mph.

I had a lot of work work to do, so I was tied up in my house until 5:00 p.m. when my last call ended. At that point I had to get outside, so despite a little rougher water than I like to go out onto, Tim and I went fishing.

Since we had such good luck yesterday drifting and jigging fatheads, I thought we'd try that method again today. We started in about 11 feet of water in front of the Giza's cabin and drifted toward shore and the Malay's. Even with the drift sock in the water we were moving at nearly 2/3 mph. The water temperature had cooled slightly from yesterday, to 52.7 degrees.

We made several passes but couldn't even scare up a perch. In fact, neither Tim nor I had a bite in nearly an hour. We decided to one more pass then come in. That's when Tim hooked into a good sized fish as we drifted through 10 feet of water directly in front of our house. He reeled it in and we could see it was a walleye. I grabbed the net and scooped up a very nice 17 1/2-inch walleye. We decided to put it in the live well and add it to our growing walleye collection back at the dock.

We completed the drift without another bite and then came ashore just as the sun was setting; around 6:30 p.m.

Tim removed the walleye from the live well and added it to the bucket that contained the other two walleyes we kept from Sunday. After taking off my heavy parka and bib overalls, I took the fish into the cabin and cleaned them. We now have 6 nice walleye fillets for dinner when Tim's wife Sandy and their son Jackson come up to Leech Lake later this week.

The temperature around midnight when I turned off the lights was 39 degrees. Tomorrow should be another cool, breezy day. I think I'll turn my attention to the many winterization chores around the property. Lots to do in the week ahead to get the place ready for the harsh Northern Minnesota winter.

Good night from Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October, 17, 2010

My brother-in-law Tim is visiting me for a week here at Leech Lake, and like myself, Tim enjoys spending time on the water in pursuit of walleye and perch. Since it was Sunday, with no work for either of us, we planned to spend as much time on Leech Lake as possible.

We did take it easy in the morning, having breakfast, reading the paper and drinking coffee, so it wasn't until just before noon that we went out fishing. The sky was partly sunny, the wind was out of the WNW at 8-10 mph, the air temperature was just over 50 degrees and the water temperature was 53.8 degrees.

The direction of the wind dictated the way I set up the boat for drifting. I motored out to about 11 feet of water in front of our cabin and the wind blew the boat toward shore and slightly south toward Newman's cabin. With the drift sock in the water the speed of the boat was just less than 1/2 mph.

Both Tim and I were using 1/8 oz. jigs tipped with fathead minnows.

We caught dozens of perch, maybe as many as 30, all of which we put back into the lake, as well as a few walleye. I caught a 19-inch walleye, which went back into the water, and Tim caught two -- an 18 1/4" walleye which went back into the lake and a 16 1/2" walleye which we kept.

At some point during one of our drifts something very big hit my jig and started peeling off line. I played it long enough to get a glimpse of it off the back of the boat. It was either a very big northern or a muskie. It must have been close to 3 feet long. My 6 lb. test Fireline Crystal was no match for the toothy critter, however, and the fish bit through the line and returned to the depths.

We came ashore around 3:00 p.m. and drove up to Birch Ridge Resort to grab a beer, eat a pizza and watch the Vikings game. I'm not a Vikings fan, but Tim is and they were playing the Dallas Cowboys in what was a must-win game for both 1-3 teams. The Vikings won the game.

Tim and I decided to go back out on the water around 5 p.m. for more drift action, before we switched to trolling after sunset.

The perch bite had cooled off, and between us we caught probably no more than 10 perch while jigging. Just after sunset we stowed our jigging rods and started trolling using Minnow Raps. I caught a 21-inch walleye and Tim caught an 18-inch and a 21-inch walleye. All fish went back into the lake.

At 7:30 p.m. we came ashore, got a fire going because the expected temperature at 11:00 p.m. was 32 degrees. All in all, a very successful day of fishing on Leech Lake.

On Leech Lake -- October 15, 2010

The temperature when I checked this morning at 8:30 a.m. was 38 degrees. The winds were light at 8 mph out of the SSW and the sky was sunny. As the morning went on, the temperature rose quickly to 46 and then 50 degrees. The wind stayed at 8-10 mph. It was under these conditions that I decided to take a break from work and do some fishing.

I got out on the water around 11:00 a.m. and found the water temperature to be 56 degrees. Using the drift sock, I drifted from 7 1/2 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin out to 10-11 feet of water in front of our cabin. During that pass northward, I caught several decent sized perch, but put them all back into the lake.

I saw John Newman on the water. He was in his little 12-foot Lone Star row boat. I asked if he'd like to join me in my Lund, and he agreed. After leaving his boat on shore, I picked him up at the end of my dock and then repositioned my boat in front of Giza's cabin for another drift.

John and I caught several more perch and we kept seven of them. John wants to take some fish home on Sunday morning so he can have a fish fry with his family on Sunday evening.

By 12:15 p.m. we came ashore since both John and I had work to do. We agreed to meet up after our respective conference calls for more fishing. My call ended early, so by 4:45 p.m. John and I were back on the lake.

Our plan was to do several drifts from Giza's to my cabin using 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Then, right after sunset, we would shift gears and start trolling Minnow Raps.

For an hour an forty-five minutes, John and I made several drifts. We each caught a few nice perch, which we kept. In addition, I caught a 17-inch walleye, which I kept, and a 22-inch eelpout. Yes, an eelpout. Usually eelpout are caught only through the ice in January and February when they spawn in the cold water. Catching one in open water, with water temperatures in the mid-50s is not common.

The sunset lake at Leech Lake at 6:31 p.m. CDT today, and by 6:35 p.m. John and I had stowed our jigging rods and switched to our trolling rigs. We trolled in 7-10 feet of water from Malay's cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. On a pass just between Giza's and Newman's, I hooked a very solid 21-inch walleye, which had to immediately go back into the lake because it fell into the 18-26" slot limit.

Unfortunately, as the fish thrased about in the net, it twisted the line around the two treble hooks of my Minnow Rap. Rather than cut the lure off and do a quick re-tie, John suggested we head to shore and start dinner.

We dined on a delicious grilled pork loin, accompanied with baked potatoes and a Caesar salad. Tasty indeed. We then retired to the fire pit for some malted beverages and conversation.

The sky was covered with stars; the way it is when you're deep enough into the woods so there is little ambient light.

I gave John the walleye I caught the other night, my contribution to his family's fish fry, and kept the one I caught tonight, which will become dinner on Sunday when my brother-in-law visits Leech Lake.

The forecast for Saturday is very windy, with gusts up over 25 mph, so I might not get out onto the water. If not, I'll write here again the next time I'm out fishing.

On Leech Lake -- October 13, 2010 (Melissa's Birthday)

Let me start by wishing my daughter Melissa a very happy birthday!

I arrived at Leech Lake yesterday, and today was my first full day at the lake since late July, when I was here with my friend Rick putting a new roof on the cabin.

I started the day doing work work, but then switched midday to doing work around the property. It is going to take me a week or more to do all of the maintenance necessary to prepare the house and cabin for the harsh Minnesota winter.

The day started cool with temps hovering around 42 degrees until it warmed to the mid-50s by 3 p.m. Likewise, the wind started light, at about 7-10 mph out of the WNW, but by noon had picked up to 15+ mph out of the NW. It wasn't until 5:00 p.m. that the wind slowed to 8-10 mph making ideal "walleye chop" on the water.

At 5:30 p.m. John Newman and I hit the water. I got my boat fired up and onto the lake for the first time in nearly 10 weeks. The Mercury Verado started up with the first turn of the key and performed perfectly throughout the night.

The water temperature was 59 degrees and there was a half moon.

We started the evening drifting in the 10 mph WSW wind from 10 feet of water to near shore in front of our house. John and I each caught a couple of decent sized perch, but we through them back into the water. I hooked into something larger, it felt like a walleye, but it came off before I could get it to the boat. Just before sunset, I hooked into a 22" northern pike, which also went back into the lake.

John and I switched gears as the sun dropped below the horizon and started trolling Rapala Minnow Raps. On our first pass, in 9 feet of water, I hooked a 16 1/2 inch walleye in front of Giza's cabin. It was a perfect size for the frying pan, so I put it in the live well. We made several passes in "The Alley" between Second Duck Point and the Malay's, but that one walleye was the only fish we hooked.

We made back on shore at just before 8:00 p.m. and it was already completely dark. The forecast for tomorrow is a high of 60 degrees by 3:00 p.m., but with strong winds from the NNW at 15-20 mph. It might be too breezy to do any fishing tomorrow, but a good day to blow the mountains of leaves off the lawn.

Goodnight from Leech Lake.