Yes, I do know the way to San Jose and am there now. It is quite a shock to be back in a metropolitan area of nearly 15 million people when for the past three months I've been in a remote area of northern Minnesota where the nearest town of 850 people was 25 miles away.
Just a quick post to say that during the next several weeks I'll be posting pictures from my recent stay at Leech Lake. Until then...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Water Level -- Labor Day, 2011
The date is actually August 26, 2011, but I won't be here for Labor Day to take a measure of the Leech Lake water levels. I typically like to take measurements on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day and then again as close to Halloween as I can.
As of today, the water is covering three (3) cement pilings at the boat ramp at the cabin. That is down from a high of seven (7) earlier this year. I suppose the Army Corps of Engineers has already started the Fall "draw down" of water in anticipation of the northern Minnesota winter snow fall.
When I return in the Fall I will report again on Leech Lake water levels.
As of today, the water is covering three (3) cement pilings at the boat ramp at the cabin. That is down from a high of seven (7) earlier this year. I suppose the Army Corps of Engineers has already started the Fall "draw down" of water in anticipation of the northern Minnesota winter snow fall.
When I return in the Fall I will report again on Leech Lake water levels.
August 26, 2011-- Leaving Leech Lake
At 1:00 a.m. this morning I was still awake. I'm not sure why, but I always have trouble sleeping the night before I have to leave Leech Lake. It's not that I'm anxious about flying, since I've logged more than a million miles in the air. It must be all of the things running through my head that I must do before leaving. Because once I leave, I won't be back for several weeks, or even months.
I must of dozed off shortly after 1:00 a.m. because I woke up and looked at the clock to see it was 2:00 a.m. I woke again at 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., 5:30 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. The last time I gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed.
After making the bed and straightening up the bedroom, I went next door to the cabin and began securing the boat. I took out all of the rods and reels, put away the landing net and tackle boxes, then raised the boat in the boat lift fairly high just in case there are any storms that produce high waves. I don't want the boat battered around in the waves.
From there it was back to the house where I ate a little breakfast, started gathering up the food to give to the Malays, throwing away food that was no good and collecting the garbage. Normally all of these cleaning activities are done throughout the week, but when I'm getting ready to leave for a period of time, they are all condensed into just two days or so.
Since I had gotten up so early I was actually ahead of schedule in terms of my preparations for leaving. That gave me an opportunity to lay in the hammock for 20 minutes or so and I took it. It was great laying there with the 8-12 mph WSW wind blowing through the trees. The temperature was 64 degrees, but it felt a bit humid and I wasn't cold at all, even with just a t-shirt and jeans on. The extra time also gave me a chance to post to this blog before I leave.
Well, no sooner than I thought I had extra time than the plan has changed. Instead of leaving at 11:30 or 11:45 a.m., the Malays want to leave at 11:00 a.m. so they can stop at the bank in Cass Lake to get something notarized. Luckily, most everything is complete.
I just finished taking the left over food to the Malays (that's when I learned in the change in plans), took the garbage to the community center drop-0ff site, put the truck away in the garage with the trickle charger on the battery, closed up the cabin and activated the security system and then came home and took shower and got ready for the flight to Minneapolis.
One last weather report. The wind has shifted and has picked up slightly. It's now blowing out of the north at 10-15 mph. The sky is still clear and blue, and the temperature is 70 degrees. It should be a beautiful day in the northwoods.
The Malays should be here in 10 minutes and I've still got a couple of things to wrap up, so I'll say so long. This will be the last of my "on site" posts from Leech Lake until my return in the Fall. Until then, goodbye from Leech Lake.
I must of dozed off shortly after 1:00 a.m. because I woke up and looked at the clock to see it was 2:00 a.m. I woke again at 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., 5:30 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. The last time I gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed.
After making the bed and straightening up the bedroom, I went next door to the cabin and began securing the boat. I took out all of the rods and reels, put away the landing net and tackle boxes, then raised the boat in the boat lift fairly high just in case there are any storms that produce high waves. I don't want the boat battered around in the waves.
From there it was back to the house where I ate a little breakfast, started gathering up the food to give to the Malays, throwing away food that was no good and collecting the garbage. Normally all of these cleaning activities are done throughout the week, but when I'm getting ready to leave for a period of time, they are all condensed into just two days or so.
Since I had gotten up so early I was actually ahead of schedule in terms of my preparations for leaving. That gave me an opportunity to lay in the hammock for 20 minutes or so and I took it. It was great laying there with the 8-12 mph WSW wind blowing through the trees. The temperature was 64 degrees, but it felt a bit humid and I wasn't cold at all, even with just a t-shirt and jeans on. The extra time also gave me a chance to post to this blog before I leave.
Well, no sooner than I thought I had extra time than the plan has changed. Instead of leaving at 11:30 or 11:45 a.m., the Malays want to leave at 11:00 a.m. so they can stop at the bank in Cass Lake to get something notarized. Luckily, most everything is complete.
I just finished taking the left over food to the Malays (that's when I learned in the change in plans), took the garbage to the community center drop-0ff site, put the truck away in the garage with the trickle charger on the battery, closed up the cabin and activated the security system and then came home and took shower and got ready for the flight to Minneapolis.
One last weather report. The wind has shifted and has picked up slightly. It's now blowing out of the north at 10-15 mph. The sky is still clear and blue, and the temperature is 70 degrees. It should be a beautiful day in the northwoods.
The Malays should be here in 10 minutes and I've still got a couple of things to wrap up, so I'll say so long. This will be the last of my "on site" posts from Leech Lake until my return in the Fall. Until then, goodbye from Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 25, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (One Day and Counting)
Unlike yesterday morning where the wind was howling at more than 25 mph, today at 9:00 a.m. the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW. The sky was mostly sunny, although there were a fair amount of clouds and the temperature was 70 degrees. A beautiful day on Leech Lake.
Unfortunately, today was my last full day at Leech Lake. Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. I must make the drive into Bemidji to catch my plane to Minneapolis, and then from there it's on to San Jose. My work load today was full -- with cleaning, stowing boating and fishing gear, closing up buildings and of course, fishing.
My first order of business after breakfast and some initial cleaning was to get out onto the lake. At 11:00 a.m. I motored off the boat lift and toward Second Duck Point in 9 feet of 74 degree water. I deployed the drift sock, letting the breeze push the boat north toward the cabin, put a fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing.
I made three drifts in this area and caught a number of perch, no jumbos however, and one decent sized northern pike. At 12:15 p.m. I was back on shore doing more cleaning.
I took a break to have some lunch and soon afterward went for a bike ride. I did the entire 8-mile loop again and loved every second of the trip. When I got back home I was hot as a result of the 82 degree temperature and my bike ride, so I took a camp bath in the lake.
Thoroughly refreshed from my dip in the lake I took the opportunity to go fishing again. From 3:30 p.m. to just before 5:00 p.m. I once again jigged in an attempt to catch perch and/or walleye.
As a change of pace, I went north to the Birches and did a drift through 8 feet of water from just past Norm's cabin to just before Schiebe's. I didn't catch a single fish. I figured that there was no sense trying another pass at the Birches so I motored out into Duck Bay just past Second Duck Point.
Once again I deployed the drift sock and slowly drifted back toward the boat lift. During this drift I caught several small perch.
At 5:00 p.m. I was back on shore and back at the cleaning.
I took a short break in my cleaning to take one last ride on the ATV. I rode all the way down to the Capone house and then back up Ottertail Point Dr. to Sucker Bay Road and then West Shores Road and home.
While I was riding up by the Capone house I encountered a whitetail doe standing along side the road. I slowed down because it's been my experience that rather than run into the woods on the side of the road where the deer is standing, they prefer, for some odd reason, to dart across the road to the woods on the other side.
Sure enough the doe ran across the road and disappeared into the trees. She was immediately followed, however, by a small fawn, still wearing its white spots. I figured it was now now safe to proceed and started giving the 4-wheeler some gas. Just as I did so, a second fawn came darting out of the woods chasing after its mother and sibling. Startled by my presence, or maybe just because it was a bit clumsy, the fawn, as it ran through the ditch, tumbled and went head over heels landing on its back. It quickly bounded to its feet and retreated back into the woods from which it had come, on the other side of the road from where its mother and sibling had gone.
At this point I continued on my ride. As I came back to the point where I'd first seen the deer, I once again spotted the doe, which turned tail and ran when she heard me approach. It was quite a sight. I'd never seen a deer, or shall I say fawn, tumble like that.
Once home I began cleaning again. After more than 90 minutes of cleaning I took a break to lay in the hammock. It was so peaceful and so warm that I could have fallen asleep there. But I didn't. Instead I got up, ate a quick dinner, then gathered up my gear to go out on the lake for some evening fishing.
I hit the water at 7:45 p.m., just in time to watch the sun sink into the western sky. The sunset tonight was at 8:12 p.m. CDT. I love watching the sunset when I'm on the water.
I started jigging in front of Newman's cabin and slowly drifted to our cabin. In just one pass I caught several good sized perch, but all went back into the lake. On my next pass I caught a number of rock bass, some more perch and a 14" white crappie. It was truly a slab.
At 8:45 p.m. it was already getting dark. I had had the lights on in my boat for the past 30 minutes, and at this point figured it was time to abandon jigging and switch to trolling crankbaits -- Minnow Raps are my preferred lure for trolling.
I trolled from our house out into Duck Bay and back but didn't catch anything. At 9:30 p.m. I headed to shore. I took the minnows and transferred them to a minnow bucket in Newman's harbor. Since there is no point in wasting perfectly good bait I gave more than a full scoop to John. I then came home and commenced cleaning.
Finally at midnight I took a shower and got ready for bed. It's always tough to leave the lake and this time is no exception. I will, however, have to return in the Fall, most likely sometime in early- to mid-October, to close up the properties and pull the boat out of the lake. I'm already looking forward to my return. Until then, so long from Leech Lake.
Unfortunately, today was my last full day at Leech Lake. Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. I must make the drive into Bemidji to catch my plane to Minneapolis, and then from there it's on to San Jose. My work load today was full -- with cleaning, stowing boating and fishing gear, closing up buildings and of course, fishing.
My first order of business after breakfast and some initial cleaning was to get out onto the lake. At 11:00 a.m. I motored off the boat lift and toward Second Duck Point in 9 feet of 74 degree water. I deployed the drift sock, letting the breeze push the boat north toward the cabin, put a fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing.
I made three drifts in this area and caught a number of perch, no jumbos however, and one decent sized northern pike. At 12:15 p.m. I was back on shore doing more cleaning.
I took a break to have some lunch and soon afterward went for a bike ride. I did the entire 8-mile loop again and loved every second of the trip. When I got back home I was hot as a result of the 82 degree temperature and my bike ride, so I took a camp bath in the lake.
Thoroughly refreshed from my dip in the lake I took the opportunity to go fishing again. From 3:30 p.m. to just before 5:00 p.m. I once again jigged in an attempt to catch perch and/or walleye.
As a change of pace, I went north to the Birches and did a drift through 8 feet of water from just past Norm's cabin to just before Schiebe's. I didn't catch a single fish. I figured that there was no sense trying another pass at the Birches so I motored out into Duck Bay just past Second Duck Point.
Once again I deployed the drift sock and slowly drifted back toward the boat lift. During this drift I caught several small perch.
At 5:00 p.m. I was back on shore and back at the cleaning.
I took a short break in my cleaning to take one last ride on the ATV. I rode all the way down to the Capone house and then back up Ottertail Point Dr. to Sucker Bay Road and then West Shores Road and home.
While I was riding up by the Capone house I encountered a whitetail doe standing along side the road. I slowed down because it's been my experience that rather than run into the woods on the side of the road where the deer is standing, they prefer, for some odd reason, to dart across the road to the woods on the other side.
Sure enough the doe ran across the road and disappeared into the trees. She was immediately followed, however, by a small fawn, still wearing its white spots. I figured it was now now safe to proceed and started giving the 4-wheeler some gas. Just as I did so, a second fawn came darting out of the woods chasing after its mother and sibling. Startled by my presence, or maybe just because it was a bit clumsy, the fawn, as it ran through the ditch, tumbled and went head over heels landing on its back. It quickly bounded to its feet and retreated back into the woods from which it had come, on the other side of the road from where its mother and sibling had gone.
At this point I continued on my ride. As I came back to the point where I'd first seen the deer, I once again spotted the doe, which turned tail and ran when she heard me approach. It was quite a sight. I'd never seen a deer, or shall I say fawn, tumble like that.
Once home I began cleaning again. After more than 90 minutes of cleaning I took a break to lay in the hammock. It was so peaceful and so warm that I could have fallen asleep there. But I didn't. Instead I got up, ate a quick dinner, then gathered up my gear to go out on the lake for some evening fishing.
I hit the water at 7:45 p.m., just in time to watch the sun sink into the western sky. The sunset tonight was at 8:12 p.m. CDT. I love watching the sunset when I'm on the water.
I started jigging in front of Newman's cabin and slowly drifted to our cabin. In just one pass I caught several good sized perch, but all went back into the lake. On my next pass I caught a number of rock bass, some more perch and a 14" white crappie. It was truly a slab.
At 8:45 p.m. it was already getting dark. I had had the lights on in my boat for the past 30 minutes, and at this point figured it was time to abandon jigging and switch to trolling crankbaits -- Minnow Raps are my preferred lure for trolling.
I trolled from our house out into Duck Bay and back but didn't catch anything. At 9:30 p.m. I headed to shore. I took the minnows and transferred them to a minnow bucket in Newman's harbor. Since there is no point in wasting perfectly good bait I gave more than a full scoop to John. I then came home and commenced cleaning.
Finally at midnight I took a shower and got ready for bed. It's always tough to leave the lake and this time is no exception. I will, however, have to return in the Fall, most likely sometime in early- to mid-October, to close up the properties and pull the boat out of the lake. I'm already looking forward to my return. Until then, so long from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (Two Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 58 degrees, the sky was clear blue without a cloud in sight, but it was extremely windy with the wind coming out of the WNW at 17-25 mph, with regular gusts up around 35 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and large waves crashed against the shoreline. I could see no boats on Sucker Bay.
Despite the cool weather I put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts because I've got a lot of work to do around the properties today and I know that it'll keep me warm.
I started by doing some laundry and making Joe's bed. It sure was fun having him spend time (nearly a month) at the lake and I hope we get to do it again real soon. I think it was the longest time I've ever spent with my son just one-on-one. It was a great time for us to bond and have a good time at a place we both love -- Leech Lake.
My cleaning continued and included the bathrooms, the kitchen and more laundry. I spent several hours today cleaning. However, I did make the time to go on a bike ride. I did the complete 8-mile loop.
At 4:00 p.m. the sky had begun to cloud over and there was a possibility of a thunderstorm. The temperature was 70 degrees, but it still felt humid. The wind remained very strong and had actually increased to 25-35 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 40 mph.
After some more cleaning, I went for an ATV ride. I rode all the way down the peninsula almost to the Capone house, then all the way on Ottertail Point Drive to Sucker Bay and then back down West Shores Road. On my way down West Shores, just before I got to Norm's, a fish fell from above and landed in the ditch in front of me. I quickly looked up and spotted an immature eagle that must have spotted me at the same time because it took flight from the branch upon which it had been perched. Obviously me driving by interrupted the bird's dinner. Hopefully it came back to retrieve the fish because much of it, a sucker, was still intact.
When I came inside I did some more cleaning, but at 7:15 p.m. I went outside and lay in the hammock. The wind had died down some, but it was still breezy at 12-17 mph out of the WNW. The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and the sky was nearly clear blue, with just a few scattered clouds at the north end of Sucker Bay.
I eventually moved to the end of the dock and sat in one of our lounge chairs sipping a cold Wild Blue while watching the sunset. I raised my bottle to Kathleen, Joe and Melissa who all enjoy a cold malted soda at the end of the dock.
After the sun had been below the horizon for some time I went inside the house. I listened to some music while I prepared some of the food that Joe and I had left over from his stay. As is typical, I'll have more food than days to eat it and will end up giving much to my neighbors the Malays.
I still have to clean the living room, the kitchen floor, the refrigerators, my bedroom and bathroom. The boat must also have all of the gear removed (rods, reels, nets, tackle, etc.), but I'll save that for last since I may have an opportunity to go fishing tomorrow. It's been a busy day, and tomorrow will be even busier. So until then, goodnight from Leech Lake.
Despite the cool weather I put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts because I've got a lot of work to do around the properties today and I know that it'll keep me warm.
I started by doing some laundry and making Joe's bed. It sure was fun having him spend time (nearly a month) at the lake and I hope we get to do it again real soon. I think it was the longest time I've ever spent with my son just one-on-one. It was a great time for us to bond and have a good time at a place we both love -- Leech Lake.
My cleaning continued and included the bathrooms, the kitchen and more laundry. I spent several hours today cleaning. However, I did make the time to go on a bike ride. I did the complete 8-mile loop.
At 4:00 p.m. the sky had begun to cloud over and there was a possibility of a thunderstorm. The temperature was 70 degrees, but it still felt humid. The wind remained very strong and had actually increased to 25-35 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 40 mph.
After some more cleaning, I went for an ATV ride. I rode all the way down the peninsula almost to the Capone house, then all the way on Ottertail Point Drive to Sucker Bay and then back down West Shores Road. On my way down West Shores, just before I got to Norm's, a fish fell from above and landed in the ditch in front of me. I quickly looked up and spotted an immature eagle that must have spotted me at the same time because it took flight from the branch upon which it had been perched. Obviously me driving by interrupted the bird's dinner. Hopefully it came back to retrieve the fish because much of it, a sucker, was still intact.
When I came inside I did some more cleaning, but at 7:15 p.m. I went outside and lay in the hammock. The wind had died down some, but it was still breezy at 12-17 mph out of the WNW. The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and the sky was nearly clear blue, with just a few scattered clouds at the north end of Sucker Bay.
I eventually moved to the end of the dock and sat in one of our lounge chairs sipping a cold Wild Blue while watching the sunset. I raised my bottle to Kathleen, Joe and Melissa who all enjoy a cold malted soda at the end of the dock.
After the sun had been below the horizon for some time I went inside the house. I listened to some music while I prepared some of the food that Joe and I had left over from his stay. As is typical, I'll have more food than days to eat it and will end up giving much to my neighbors the Malays.
I still have to clean the living room, the kitchen floor, the refrigerators, my bedroom and bathroom. The boat must also have all of the gear removed (rods, reels, nets, tackle, etc.), but I'll save that for last since I may have an opportunity to go fishing tomorrow. It's been a busy day, and tomorrow will be even busier. So until then, goodnight from Leech Lake.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Three Days and Counting)
At about 5:30 a.m. this morning there was a thunderstorm in St. Cloud. The room in which I was sleeping lit up with flashes of lightning followed quickly by the loud sound of thunder. Clearly the storm was close by.
By 8:00 a.m., the sun was out, it was already 78 degrees, air was humid with just a slight breeze. The only indication of the earlier storm were a few puddles of water here and there.
Joe and I cleaned up any minor mess we may have made at Grandma Coyle's house, I replaced some light bulbs where necessary and then it was time to go out for breakfast. I had contacted Joe's Aunt Sandy and her son Jackson to see if they wanted to join us, and as it turned out, they did.
We all met at the Perkin's right near Grandma Coyle's house off Hwy. 15 and had a nice time talking and eating breakfast. Then at noon it was time for me to take Joe down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
Getting there is easy enough, take Hwy. 15 south out of St. Cloud, then take Interstate 94 toward Minneapolis, and then 494 around the west and south sides of the Twin Cities to the airport. It took us an hour and a half to make the trip.
I pulled up to the departure area for Sun County Airlines where Joe and I said our goodbyes. It is sure hard leaving our oasis on Leech Lake, but it's also hard taking people to the airport so they can leave.
Like all good major airports it was easy to exit the airport and get back onto 494. I took it back to 35W where I then headed north through downtown Minneapolis and into St. Paul. I continued on 35W until it merged with 35E to simply form Hwy. 35. From there it was north to Moose Lake where I cut over and got onto 73 which I took north to Floodwood and Hwy. 2.
Of course Hwy. 2 took me from Floodwood to Grand Rapids to Deer River (where I stopped at Fred's Baits to buy a scoop of fatheads) to Ball Club and Bena, and eventually to Sucker Bay Road and home. The entire trip from St. Cloud to the airport and then back to Leech Lake took me 7 hours.
Once home I unpacked the truck, started some laundry, made a couple of phone calls and then went fishing.
The wind was out of the SSW at 8-15 mph, breezy, but not enough to keep me off the lake. There were some high wispy clouds, but mostly blue sky and sunshine, the temperature was 80 degrees and it felt humid and muggy.
I started fishing off Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water and let the wind push me northward toward our house. I was using a 1/8 ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig in a green/black color tipped with a fathead minnow. I jigged from 7:20 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. -- 14 minutes after sunset -- and only caught a few small perch. I then put on the navigation lights and started trolling with a Minnow Rap.
I made one long pass from Newman's cabin south into the middle of Duck Bay and then back to the cabin but didn't catch a thing. I came ashore a little after 10:00 p.m. I had a late dinner, cleaned up and then read the paper, which I'd picked up in St. Cloud.
I spoke to Joe on the phone and it was weird thinking that he was already at our house in San Jose. Just this morning I was having breakfast with him in St. Cloud, now he's in San Jose and I'm at Leech Lake. No surprise, both of us wished the trip was just starting rather than having just ended.
As I got ready for bed I made a mental list of all of the things I need to do before I leave on Friday morning. There's so much cleaning up to do, plus closing all the buildings, storing the ATV and truck, securing the boat, etc. I'll be very busy the next two days that's for sure. But if possible, I'm going to try to get out and do as much fishing as I can fit in.
Good night from Leech Lake.
By 8:00 a.m., the sun was out, it was already 78 degrees, air was humid with just a slight breeze. The only indication of the earlier storm were a few puddles of water here and there.
Joe and I cleaned up any minor mess we may have made at Grandma Coyle's house, I replaced some light bulbs where necessary and then it was time to go out for breakfast. I had contacted Joe's Aunt Sandy and her son Jackson to see if they wanted to join us, and as it turned out, they did.
We all met at the Perkin's right near Grandma Coyle's house off Hwy. 15 and had a nice time talking and eating breakfast. Then at noon it was time for me to take Joe down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
Getting there is easy enough, take Hwy. 15 south out of St. Cloud, then take Interstate 94 toward Minneapolis, and then 494 around the west and south sides of the Twin Cities to the airport. It took us an hour and a half to make the trip.
I pulled up to the departure area for Sun County Airlines where Joe and I said our goodbyes. It is sure hard leaving our oasis on Leech Lake, but it's also hard taking people to the airport so they can leave.
Like all good major airports it was easy to exit the airport and get back onto 494. I took it back to 35W where I then headed north through downtown Minneapolis and into St. Paul. I continued on 35W until it merged with 35E to simply form Hwy. 35. From there it was north to Moose Lake where I cut over and got onto 73 which I took north to Floodwood and Hwy. 2.
Of course Hwy. 2 took me from Floodwood to Grand Rapids to Deer River (where I stopped at Fred's Baits to buy a scoop of fatheads) to Ball Club and Bena, and eventually to Sucker Bay Road and home. The entire trip from St. Cloud to the airport and then back to Leech Lake took me 7 hours.
Once home I unpacked the truck, started some laundry, made a couple of phone calls and then went fishing.
The wind was out of the SSW at 8-15 mph, breezy, but not enough to keep me off the lake. There were some high wispy clouds, but mostly blue sky and sunshine, the temperature was 80 degrees and it felt humid and muggy.
I started fishing off Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water and let the wind push me northward toward our house. I was using a 1/8 ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig in a green/black color tipped with a fathead minnow. I jigged from 7:20 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. -- 14 minutes after sunset -- and only caught a few small perch. I then put on the navigation lights and started trolling with a Minnow Rap.
I made one long pass from Newman's cabin south into the middle of Duck Bay and then back to the cabin but didn't catch a thing. I came ashore a little after 10:00 p.m. I had a late dinner, cleaned up and then read the paper, which I'd picked up in St. Cloud.
I spoke to Joe on the phone and it was weird thinking that he was already at our house in San Jose. Just this morning I was having breakfast with him in St. Cloud, now he's in San Jose and I'm at Leech Lake. No surprise, both of us wished the trip was just starting rather than having just ended.
As I got ready for bed I made a mental list of all of the things I need to do before I leave on Friday morning. There's so much cleaning up to do, plus closing all the buildings, storing the ATV and truck, securing the boat, etc. I'll be very busy the next two days that's for sure. But if possible, I'm going to try to get out and do as much fishing as I can fit in.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 22, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (Four Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was a pleasant 72 degrees, the sky was sunny and blue, but the wind was quite strong at 15-20 mph out of the SSW.
Today I must drive Joe down to St. Cloud. He leaves from the Minneapolis airport tomorrow afternoon and rather than make the 5+ hour drive all in one day, we thought we would go down to St. Cloud so Joe could see his grandma, aunt and cousin.
We were on no specific timetable so Joe did as many things as he could before he left Leech Lake. He and I took a bike ride around the loop which is an 8-mile round trip. Joe went swimming in the lake one more time. Joe and I played a game of ping pong, and he played some pinball. Joe spent quite a bit of time just walking around the properties trying to soak in all in so he could keep the memory of the lake with him even though he'll soon be in San Jose.
Joe took a ride back into the woods on the ATV and stopped by to clean up Phantom's grave site. Then at last, it was time for us to load up the truck and drive south to St. Cloud. It is always hard to leave the lake, and there's no more difficult time than when you're driving down our driveway with the lake behind you. At least that's how it is for me.
I drove slowly down West Shores Road so Joe could take pictures as we went. We even stopped at the swamp and again on the long straight away as you approach the community center, two of Joe's favorite spots along our road. Soon we were making the turn onto Sucker Bay Road and heading north to Hwy. 2. For my money, there is no pretty road any time of the year than Sucker Bay Road. With all of its twists and turns, boardered on both sides by huge stands of trees. I noticed some of the sumac along the road was turning red.
We made our way west on Hwy. 2 to Cass Lake and then turned onto Hwy. 371 and headed south toward Walker. Once in Walker we stopped at the Dairy Queen so Joe could get a Blizzard. There's nothing like getting a DQ when you're up north in Minnesota.
We took our time driving to St. Cloud and didn't get into the city limits until just after 7:00 p.m. The temperature in St. Cloud was still 88 degrees and it was very humid. Every time I've visited St. Cloud this summer it seems to be hot and humid.
Our first stop was St. Benedict's Center where Joe's Grandma Coyle lives. We spent more than an hour there visiting with her, but around 8:30 p.m. it was time for us to leave. We were getting hungry for dinner and the residents at St. Ben's needed to get ready for bed. Joe and I stopped at Bravo Burrito's for dinner, but had it take-out. We went back to Grandma Coyle's house where we were going to spend the night.
We ate our dinner while watching the Coen brother's classic, The Big Lebowski. I think it's the third time we've watched the movie since Joe's been in Minnesota, but it's one of our very favorites.
At last it was time for bed. It's always tough to get a good night's sleep before leaving Minnesota for California. I know it is for me, and from Joe told me it was for him too. But nonetheless, it was time to turn off the lights and get ready for the trip to Minneapolis tomorrow.
Good night from St. Cloud.
Today I must drive Joe down to St. Cloud. He leaves from the Minneapolis airport tomorrow afternoon and rather than make the 5+ hour drive all in one day, we thought we would go down to St. Cloud so Joe could see his grandma, aunt and cousin.
We were on no specific timetable so Joe did as many things as he could before he left Leech Lake. He and I took a bike ride around the loop which is an 8-mile round trip. Joe went swimming in the lake one more time. Joe and I played a game of ping pong, and he played some pinball. Joe spent quite a bit of time just walking around the properties trying to soak in all in so he could keep the memory of the lake with him even though he'll soon be in San Jose.
Joe took a ride back into the woods on the ATV and stopped by to clean up Phantom's grave site. Then at last, it was time for us to load up the truck and drive south to St. Cloud. It is always hard to leave the lake, and there's no more difficult time than when you're driving down our driveway with the lake behind you. At least that's how it is for me.
I drove slowly down West Shores Road so Joe could take pictures as we went. We even stopped at the swamp and again on the long straight away as you approach the community center, two of Joe's favorite spots along our road. Soon we were making the turn onto Sucker Bay Road and heading north to Hwy. 2. For my money, there is no pretty road any time of the year than Sucker Bay Road. With all of its twists and turns, boardered on both sides by huge stands of trees. I noticed some of the sumac along the road was turning red.
We made our way west on Hwy. 2 to Cass Lake and then turned onto Hwy. 371 and headed south toward Walker. Once in Walker we stopped at the Dairy Queen so Joe could get a Blizzard. There's nothing like getting a DQ when you're up north in Minnesota.
We took our time driving to St. Cloud and didn't get into the city limits until just after 7:00 p.m. The temperature in St. Cloud was still 88 degrees and it was very humid. Every time I've visited St. Cloud this summer it seems to be hot and humid.
Our first stop was St. Benedict's Center where Joe's Grandma Coyle lives. We spent more than an hour there visiting with her, but around 8:30 p.m. it was time for us to leave. We were getting hungry for dinner and the residents at St. Ben's needed to get ready for bed. Joe and I stopped at Bravo Burrito's for dinner, but had it take-out. We went back to Grandma Coyle's house where we were going to spend the night.
We ate our dinner while watching the Coen brother's classic, The Big Lebowski. I think it's the third time we've watched the movie since Joe's been in Minnesota, but it's one of our very favorites.
At last it was time for bed. It's always tough to get a good night's sleep before leaving Minnesota for California. I know it is for me, and from Joe told me it was for him too. But nonetheless, it was time to turn off the lights and get ready for the trip to Minneapolis tomorrow.
Good night from St. Cloud.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
August 21, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Five Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was a very chilly 50 degrees. I've kept the windows open pretty much all the time since early June, but not today. I shut all the windows and turned on the furnace since the temperature inside the house had fallen to 65 degrees. Plus, I just wanted to make sure the new furnace would fire up after sitting in the off position for several months.
The sky was mostly cloudy with just a bit of blue here and there and the wind was calm to light at 5 mph out of the north.
Since it was Joe's last day at the lake, I wanted him to do whatever he wanted. We started by going on bike ride around the loop -- from our house to the community center, up the dirt portion of Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Point Drive to 26th Ave. and then back to our house on West Shores Road. An 8-mile round trip. We had a wonderful ride and I noticed that some of the sumac is starting to turn red.
After our bike ride, Joe did some yoga and then went swimming in the lake. Then it was time for some fishing.
We started our fishing adventure by jigging fathead minnows in front of our house in 10 feet of water. The water temperature has dropped a bit to 74 degrees. We caught a couple of rock bass, but that was about it.
I then moved the boat to Second Duck Point and had us drift back toward our house. During the drift Joe caught a totally chunky 10-inch perch, which we normally would have kept, but since we were leaving for St. Cloud on Monday it made no sense to keep the fish so it went back into Leech Lake. The was true for the 12-inch perch I caught during the same drift.
We then decided to go try jigging off Ottertail Point since we had marked fish on the Lowrance then other day when we were muskie fishing. Once there we caught a few small perch, although I caught a giant jumbo perch that was nearly 14-inches long. But like the other fish, this true jumbo went back into the lake.
After several drifts around Ottertail Point without much luck we decided to move again. I throttled up the motor and we sped quickly to Duck Point. Just past Duck Point, inside Duck Bay, we dropped Minnow Raps into the water and began trolling in 9-11 feet of water. About half way across Duck Bay Joe hooked into a nice fish. When we got to the side of the boat we could see it was a walleye, so I got the landing net ready and got the fish into the boat. The fish measured a perfect eating size -- 16 inches. But as was the case with the perch, this lucky walleye went back into the lake.
After nearly four hours on the lake we came ashore. Joe got the grill ready because we had decided to have a steak dinner for Joe's last night at the lake; this trip anyway.
Our meal of steak, sauteed mushrooms and onions, grilled potatoes and green beans was delicious. We finished dinner just in time to watch the sunset, which is setting now at just after 8:15 p.m. CDT. With the sun behind the western horizon it was time to get a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin and finish off our dinner with some s'mores.
For the next several hours, Joe and I hung out around the fire, played some ping pong in the game room, talked and of course, made the s'mores. Finally, well after midnight we made our way home. Joe wasn't quite ready to end his final day at the lake, so he made some malted chocolate milks for us as we started to watch a movie on DVD. Unfortunately, the time of day, coupled with the great meal and all the fresh air from being outside for nearly 10 hours was too much for both of us and we needed to go to sleep.
It was a fun, activity packed day and I hope Joe enjoyed it. Tomorrow we are going to drive south to St. Cloud so Joe can see his Grandma Coyle before he leaves for San Jose on Tuesday. I'm going to miss Joe being at the lake. Heck, I'm going to miss being at the lake myself, but life marches onward.
Good night.
[Note: Since Sunday was such a busy day, and we had another busy day on Monday before leaving for St. Cloud, and because I was on the road for nearly 7 hours on Tuesday, I'm a bit behind on my posts to this blog. I will attempt to catch up on Wednesday.]
The sky was mostly cloudy with just a bit of blue here and there and the wind was calm to light at 5 mph out of the north.
Since it was Joe's last day at the lake, I wanted him to do whatever he wanted. We started by going on bike ride around the loop -- from our house to the community center, up the dirt portion of Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Point Drive to 26th Ave. and then back to our house on West Shores Road. An 8-mile round trip. We had a wonderful ride and I noticed that some of the sumac is starting to turn red.
After our bike ride, Joe did some yoga and then went swimming in the lake. Then it was time for some fishing.
We started our fishing adventure by jigging fathead minnows in front of our house in 10 feet of water. The water temperature has dropped a bit to 74 degrees. We caught a couple of rock bass, but that was about it.
I then moved the boat to Second Duck Point and had us drift back toward our house. During the drift Joe caught a totally chunky 10-inch perch, which we normally would have kept, but since we were leaving for St. Cloud on Monday it made no sense to keep the fish so it went back into Leech Lake. The was true for the 12-inch perch I caught during the same drift.
We then decided to go try jigging off Ottertail Point since we had marked fish on the Lowrance then other day when we were muskie fishing. Once there we caught a few small perch, although I caught a giant jumbo perch that was nearly 14-inches long. But like the other fish, this true jumbo went back into the lake.
After several drifts around Ottertail Point without much luck we decided to move again. I throttled up the motor and we sped quickly to Duck Point. Just past Duck Point, inside Duck Bay, we dropped Minnow Raps into the water and began trolling in 9-11 feet of water. About half way across Duck Bay Joe hooked into a nice fish. When we got to the side of the boat we could see it was a walleye, so I got the landing net ready and got the fish into the boat. The fish measured a perfect eating size -- 16 inches. But as was the case with the perch, this lucky walleye went back into the lake.
After nearly four hours on the lake we came ashore. Joe got the grill ready because we had decided to have a steak dinner for Joe's last night at the lake; this trip anyway.
Our meal of steak, sauteed mushrooms and onions, grilled potatoes and green beans was delicious. We finished dinner just in time to watch the sunset, which is setting now at just after 8:15 p.m. CDT. With the sun behind the western horizon it was time to get a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin and finish off our dinner with some s'mores.
For the next several hours, Joe and I hung out around the fire, played some ping pong in the game room, talked and of course, made the s'mores. Finally, well after midnight we made our way home. Joe wasn't quite ready to end his final day at the lake, so he made some malted chocolate milks for us as we started to watch a movie on DVD. Unfortunately, the time of day, coupled with the great meal and all the fresh air from being outside for nearly 10 hours was too much for both of us and we needed to go to sleep.
It was a fun, activity packed day and I hope Joe enjoyed it. Tomorrow we are going to drive south to St. Cloud so Joe can see his Grandma Coyle before he leaves for San Jose on Tuesday. I'm going to miss Joe being at the lake. Heck, I'm going to miss being at the lake myself, but life marches onward.
Good night.
[Note: Since Sunday was such a busy day, and we had another busy day on Monday before leaving for St. Cloud, and because I was on the road for nearly 7 hours on Tuesday, I'm a bit behind on my posts to this blog. I will attempt to catch up on Wednesday.]
Saturday, August 20, 2011
August 20, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Six Days and Counting)
This morning the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was out of the west at 8-15 mph and the temperature was a mere 60 degrees. Mornings are starting to feel like Fall here in the northwoods.
After breakfast and some chores around the house, Joe and I decided to take the entire afternoon and go muskie fishing. Leech Lake has a reputation for being one of the best muskie lakes in Minnesota, if not the entire country, although I've never caught a muskie while targeting them. I did catch a tiger muskie once -- which is a hybrid of a Leech Lake muskie and a northern pike -- while fishing for walleye.
We made sandwiches, packed the cooler with lots of drinks, and set out on our way. The waves and chop on the lake weren't too bad until we cleared Second Duck Point, then the waves got so big that the boat was really getting pounded. I slowed way down, but kept heading south to Ottertail Point, our first stop on our muskie adventure.
Years ago, Joe, my friend Rick and I had fished for muskie off Ottertail Point and Joe had a very large muskie follow his lure all the way to the boat before it turned tail and swam away. Therefore, we thought Ottertail Point would be a good place to start.
We took our time getting to the Point because of the waves, but eventually we made it to our designated destination. I started by throwing a large swim bait while Joe used a inline spinnerbait. After no more than 3 or 4 casts, the braided wire leader I was using snapped during a cast and I lost my swim bait. I'm glad it snapped when it did, because I would have been much more upset if the leader had given out with a muskie on the other end of my line.
I tied on another leader, attached a Bucher top water bait and began fishing again. Joe and I made three passes past the tip of Ottertail Point but didn't get so much as a follow. We decided to switch tactics and locations.
It had been our plan to fish Oak Point/Joe's Landing, which is on the north of the Narrows (and the location that my friend Rick hooked into a 50 1/2-inch muskie several years back) but rather than just motor over there directly, we decided to troll over there since we would be going over a large expanse of 20+ foot water, which has been known to hold a few muskie. I put on a large Rapala Shad Rap while Joe used a jointed Bucher crankbait.
We trolled from Ottertail Point all the way to Goose Island, but never once got a hit.
Once we hit Goose Island we reeled in our lures and I motored over to Oak Point at 25 mph ground speed. We made it to our next destination in a matter of minutes.
The shoreline around Oak Point/Joe's Landing is covered in reeds and wild rice in 6 feet of water and is home to many muskie. Since the weeds are quite thick in this area, the best way to fish them is with a large safety pin style spinnerbait, such as the Northland Tackle Bionic Bucktail Spinnerbait.
We spent nearly an hour meticulously working our way from Oak Point north along the shoreline to Joe's Landing. I had the MinnKota electric trolling motor in the water -- which was set at a slow, constant speed -- and we made cast after cast into the reeds and rice with no luck. When we came to the end of the reeds and wild rice, where the shoreline clears up, I pulled up the electric trolling motor and sped northward to a spot called the Meadows, between Little Hardwood Point and Big Hardwood Point.
As we motored north to the Meadows, both Joe and I kept an eye on the dark clouds that had been moving slowly all afternoon to the northeast, which would eventually put them right over our heads. When we arrived at the Meadows we thought the weather was looking a bit too ominous and decided to move a little closer to home.
I piloted the boat around Big Hardwood Point into Deadhead Bay where Joe continued to throw his spinnerbait while I switched back to my Bucher top water. We made about two dozens casts when I felt that familiar temperature drop that proceeds a storm. I suggested that we high tail it for home ASAP.
We stowed our gear, took our seats and I throttled up the motor and headed across Sucker Bay from Deadhead to Second Duck Point -- a distance of roughly two miles. About half way across Sucker Bay the wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature continued to fall. When we got to the boat lift the waves were quite choppy and getting the boat onto the lift was a bit tricky, but both Joe and I have experience it doing it so we managed to get the boat securely on the lift in short order.
No sooner had we raised the boat out of the water than the rain began to fall. My the time we got on shore and into the house a full-blown storm let loose. The west winds were gusting to nearly 50 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and the waves broke over the end of the dock. Sheets of rain fell from the sky. The temperature was still dropping. We checked the NOAA weather station and found out what we already knew, that a severe thunderstorm was directly over our area. But not to worry, we were safely at home; albeit without a minute to spare.
As the rain fell, Joe and I listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio and just enjoyed being in our dry, warm house. Within an hour the storm had passed and the sun came out. The wind was initially light at 5-8 mph out of the south, but swirled and picked up to 8-15 mph out of the NW.
Around 8:00 p.m., I got the grill going while Joe made some hamburger patties. Then Joe went over the cabin and grilled the burgers while I got the onion rings, baked beans, Cole slaw and condiments out. We had a very tasty dinner and then stayed inside playing poker before watching a movie on DVD.
Although we didn't catch a muskie, it was wonderful spending the day on Leech Lake with Joe. We both love being at the lake so much that it's going to be very hard for both of us to transition back to the hectic pace of San Jose -- which I must do in six days, Joe in just three. I hope we can handle it.
Good night from Leech Lake.
After breakfast and some chores around the house, Joe and I decided to take the entire afternoon and go muskie fishing. Leech Lake has a reputation for being one of the best muskie lakes in Minnesota, if not the entire country, although I've never caught a muskie while targeting them. I did catch a tiger muskie once -- which is a hybrid of a Leech Lake muskie and a northern pike -- while fishing for walleye.
We made sandwiches, packed the cooler with lots of drinks, and set out on our way. The waves and chop on the lake weren't too bad until we cleared Second Duck Point, then the waves got so big that the boat was really getting pounded. I slowed way down, but kept heading south to Ottertail Point, our first stop on our muskie adventure.
Years ago, Joe, my friend Rick and I had fished for muskie off Ottertail Point and Joe had a very large muskie follow his lure all the way to the boat before it turned tail and swam away. Therefore, we thought Ottertail Point would be a good place to start.
We took our time getting to the Point because of the waves, but eventually we made it to our designated destination. I started by throwing a large swim bait while Joe used a inline spinnerbait. After no more than 3 or 4 casts, the braided wire leader I was using snapped during a cast and I lost my swim bait. I'm glad it snapped when it did, because I would have been much more upset if the leader had given out with a muskie on the other end of my line.
I tied on another leader, attached a Bucher top water bait and began fishing again. Joe and I made three passes past the tip of Ottertail Point but didn't get so much as a follow. We decided to switch tactics and locations.
It had been our plan to fish Oak Point/Joe's Landing, which is on the north of the Narrows (and the location that my friend Rick hooked into a 50 1/2-inch muskie several years back) but rather than just motor over there directly, we decided to troll over there since we would be going over a large expanse of 20+ foot water, which has been known to hold a few muskie. I put on a large Rapala Shad Rap while Joe used a jointed Bucher crankbait.
We trolled from Ottertail Point all the way to Goose Island, but never once got a hit.
Once we hit Goose Island we reeled in our lures and I motored over to Oak Point at 25 mph ground speed. We made it to our next destination in a matter of minutes.
The shoreline around Oak Point/Joe's Landing is covered in reeds and wild rice in 6 feet of water and is home to many muskie. Since the weeds are quite thick in this area, the best way to fish them is with a large safety pin style spinnerbait, such as the Northland Tackle Bionic Bucktail Spinnerbait.
We spent nearly an hour meticulously working our way from Oak Point north along the shoreline to Joe's Landing. I had the MinnKota electric trolling motor in the water -- which was set at a slow, constant speed -- and we made cast after cast into the reeds and rice with no luck. When we came to the end of the reeds and wild rice, where the shoreline clears up, I pulled up the electric trolling motor and sped northward to a spot called the Meadows, between Little Hardwood Point and Big Hardwood Point.
As we motored north to the Meadows, both Joe and I kept an eye on the dark clouds that had been moving slowly all afternoon to the northeast, which would eventually put them right over our heads. When we arrived at the Meadows we thought the weather was looking a bit too ominous and decided to move a little closer to home.
I piloted the boat around Big Hardwood Point into Deadhead Bay where Joe continued to throw his spinnerbait while I switched back to my Bucher top water. We made about two dozens casts when I felt that familiar temperature drop that proceeds a storm. I suggested that we high tail it for home ASAP.
We stowed our gear, took our seats and I throttled up the motor and headed across Sucker Bay from Deadhead to Second Duck Point -- a distance of roughly two miles. About half way across Sucker Bay the wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature continued to fall. When we got to the boat lift the waves were quite choppy and getting the boat onto the lift was a bit tricky, but both Joe and I have experience it doing it so we managed to get the boat securely on the lift in short order.
No sooner had we raised the boat out of the water than the rain began to fall. My the time we got on shore and into the house a full-blown storm let loose. The west winds were gusting to nearly 50 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and the waves broke over the end of the dock. Sheets of rain fell from the sky. The temperature was still dropping. We checked the NOAA weather station and found out what we already knew, that a severe thunderstorm was directly over our area. But not to worry, we were safely at home; albeit without a minute to spare.
As the rain fell, Joe and I listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio and just enjoyed being in our dry, warm house. Within an hour the storm had passed and the sun came out. The wind was initially light at 5-8 mph out of the south, but swirled and picked up to 8-15 mph out of the NW.
Around 8:00 p.m., I got the grill going while Joe made some hamburger patties. Then Joe went over the cabin and grilled the burgers while I got the onion rings, baked beans, Cole slaw and condiments out. We had a very tasty dinner and then stayed inside playing poker before watching a movie on DVD.
Although we didn't catch a muskie, it was wonderful spending the day on Leech Lake with Joe. We both love being at the lake so much that it's going to be very hard for both of us to transition back to the hectic pace of San Jose -- which I must do in six days, Joe in just three. I hope we can handle it.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, August 19, 2011
August 19, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (One Week Left)
I was up at 7:15 a.m. this morning in preparation of the window repair guy stopping by at 8:00 a.m. The temperature was 59 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was blowing hard at 17-25 mph out of the NW. White caps and big waves rolled across the lake.
One week from today I leave "our oasis on Leech Lake" and make the journey back to San Jose. I hate to leave here, but I must. I have much to do in the Bay Area and my first week back will be a busy one. Joe leaves next Tuesday, from Minneapolis, so I will be driving him down to St. Cloud on Monday so he can see his Grandma Coyle one more time before going back to California. Then on Tuesday I'll drop him off at the airport, drive back to Leech Lake and begin preparations for my own departure.
Henry from Anderson Windows showed up at 8:10 a.m., fixed part of the problem, but in doing so discovered that other parts had worn out and that they needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, he didn't have the parts with him and it'll take him 10 days or more to get them. By then I'll be in California. I told him to go ahead and order the parts, then when I've got my Fall trip to Leech Lake planned I'll give him a call and schedule a time for him to finish the job.
No sooner had Henry left than Dave stopped by. Dave is a local carpenter who is doing some major remodel work at the Malay's and I asked him to stop by because I noticed a sag in the kitchen floor. Dave took a look at it and determined that when the previous owners of our house remodeled the kitchen, and put in the island, the floor was never reinforced. Over time, the weight of the island has caused the floor to sag. It must be repaired before the weight does some serious damaged. Dave said he could do the work over the winter and we agreed to stay in touch to schedule that work. It's always something.
In the early afternoon Joe and I took a bike ride to the community center and back, a nice 6-mile ride. Then we spent the afternoon just hanging out doing our own thing. Since it was Friday I went into Cass Lake to the Great River Pizzeria to get the Mission Road pizza, which is basically a taco on a pizza -- Mexican flavored taco meat, onions, black olives, jalapeno peppers, and lots of cheese. Then after it's baked we add fresh chopped lettuce, sour cream and salsa. It is unlike any pizza we've ever had and it tastes great!
Nature Update: On my way back from Cass Lake while driving down Sucker Bay Road to our house I counted five small maple trees that had changed into their Fall colors of pinkish red, orange, golden yellow and red. I've noticed that the smaller, younger maple trees change earlier than their more mature relatives. I think there's a children's story book that might come from that observation.
After our pizza, Joe and I decided to go fishing. The wind had calmed down to about 8-12 mph out of the NW, the sky was clear and the temperature was a cool 62 degrees. We motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin and started trolling our Minnow Raps. During our first pass south into Duck Bay I hooked into a fish as we passed Second Duck Point. I reeled it in and found it to be a good-sized fish that measured a full 21 inches; a Leech Lake slot fish. I immediately released it back into the water.
We made several more passes from Second Duck Point into Duck Bay, but neither Joe nor I could hook another fish. We came ashore at 10:30 p.m., watched a movie on DVD (Albert Brook's Mother) then called it a night.
Tomorrow if the weather permits, we're going to try to get in some muskie fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
One week from today I leave "our oasis on Leech Lake" and make the journey back to San Jose. I hate to leave here, but I must. I have much to do in the Bay Area and my first week back will be a busy one. Joe leaves next Tuesday, from Minneapolis, so I will be driving him down to St. Cloud on Monday so he can see his Grandma Coyle one more time before going back to California. Then on Tuesday I'll drop him off at the airport, drive back to Leech Lake and begin preparations for my own departure.
Henry from Anderson Windows showed up at 8:10 a.m., fixed part of the problem, but in doing so discovered that other parts had worn out and that they needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, he didn't have the parts with him and it'll take him 10 days or more to get them. By then I'll be in California. I told him to go ahead and order the parts, then when I've got my Fall trip to Leech Lake planned I'll give him a call and schedule a time for him to finish the job.
No sooner had Henry left than Dave stopped by. Dave is a local carpenter who is doing some major remodel work at the Malay's and I asked him to stop by because I noticed a sag in the kitchen floor. Dave took a look at it and determined that when the previous owners of our house remodeled the kitchen, and put in the island, the floor was never reinforced. Over time, the weight of the island has caused the floor to sag. It must be repaired before the weight does some serious damaged. Dave said he could do the work over the winter and we agreed to stay in touch to schedule that work. It's always something.
In the early afternoon Joe and I took a bike ride to the community center and back, a nice 6-mile ride. Then we spent the afternoon just hanging out doing our own thing. Since it was Friday I went into Cass Lake to the Great River Pizzeria to get the Mission Road pizza, which is basically a taco on a pizza -- Mexican flavored taco meat, onions, black olives, jalapeno peppers, and lots of cheese. Then after it's baked we add fresh chopped lettuce, sour cream and salsa. It is unlike any pizza we've ever had and it tastes great!
Nature Update: On my way back from Cass Lake while driving down Sucker Bay Road to our house I counted five small maple trees that had changed into their Fall colors of pinkish red, orange, golden yellow and red. I've noticed that the smaller, younger maple trees change earlier than their more mature relatives. I think there's a children's story book that might come from that observation.
After our pizza, Joe and I decided to go fishing. The wind had calmed down to about 8-12 mph out of the NW, the sky was clear and the temperature was a cool 62 degrees. We motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin and started trolling our Minnow Raps. During our first pass south into Duck Bay I hooked into a fish as we passed Second Duck Point. I reeled it in and found it to be a good-sized fish that measured a full 21 inches; a Leech Lake slot fish. I immediately released it back into the water.
We made several more passes from Second Duck Point into Duck Bay, but neither Joe nor I could hook another fish. We came ashore at 10:30 p.m., watched a movie on DVD (Albert Brook's Mother) then called it a night.
Tomorrow if the weather permits, we're going to try to get in some muskie fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 8:00 a.m. the temperature was a chilly 54 degrees, the wind was out of the SSW at 8-12 mph, and the sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight.
I ate breakfast and waited for the electrician to show up. During a recent storm some lightning that flashed directly overhead had played havoc with one of our circuit breakers rendering our back porch lights inoperative and also destroying the GFI switch in the bathroom. I also wanted to switch out the circuit breaker on the security system because it was had a GFI component to it and throughout the winter it has a habit of tripping the circuit off which requires my neighbor Tom Malay to drop by and reset the switch. With a non-GFI breaker in place that problem should be eliminated.
At 10:30 a.m., Brian from Todavich Electric showed up. At first, he thought he would have to climb into the attic to fix the problem, but he discovered a faulty circuit breaker was the culprit and was able to fix it at the electrical panel in the kitchen. He then quickly replaced the damaged GFI outlet in the bathroom, before moving next door to the cabin. Once there, it took him only 10 minutes or so to swap out the GFI circuit breaker with one that didn't have the GFI switch. By 11:30 a.m. he was on his way.
Joe and I were hungry, and so we made a classic northwoods breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. And for good measure, Joe had a couple of buckwheat pancakes to boot!
Despite a fairly stiff 12-17 mph WSW wind, Joe and I decided to try to go muskie fishing. The plan was to motor south to Oak Point/Joe's Landing then head north along the western shore of Sucker Bay to Star Point, Little Hardwood Point, Big Hardwood Point and end up in Deadhead Bay. We got about half way between Second Duck Point and Big Hardwood point on our way south, but the waves kept getting bigger and bigger. I had to motor the boat down to just about 7 mph ground speed to keep from bashing the boat in the large swells. At that point Joe suggested we abandon our muskie fishing plans and instead use the wind to drift and jig for perch and walleye.
Since I had planned to focus our angling efforts on muskie I'd left the minnows back at the boat lift. After a brief stop to pick up the fatheads we were once again motoring -- slowly -- back to Second Duck Point. The wind was still blowing at 12-17 mph, with gusts, which came at fairly regular intervals, up over 25 mph. The temperature was 72 degrees and the sky was nearly devoid of all cloud cover. We could just see a few clouds in the extreme northwest. The water temperature was 74.5 degrees.
I deployed the drift sock and took up position in the bow of the boat. Joe took a seat in the stern and we dropped in our jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Joe hooked into something very early into our first pass and whatever it was snapped his line and took his jig. After retying a new jig onto his line Joe got back to fishing.
We caught several small to medium sized perch and I caught a small walleye, that couldn't have measured more than 10- or 11-inches. Joe hooked into something that gave him a bit of battle and when he got it into the boat I saw that he'd caught a nice 12-inch black crappie. Crappie are a very tasty fish, so we put it in the live well and planned to eat it with the jumbo perch that we were going to cook tonight as part of our "man feast."
We made a total of four passes from Duck Bay north toward Malay's. Then we came ashore, with just the one crappie.
Once on shore I cleaned the crappie and got it ready for the beer-batter coating I used it and the jumbo perch. In addition to the fish, we had slow-cooked oven-baked pork spare ribs (with my own dry rub recipe), Cole slaw, and French fries. It was simply delicious!
The wind continued to howl all evening so we didn't go out fishing. Plus, I need to get up early on Friday morning because the Anderson Window repair guy is coming out to fix the latches and cranking mechanism on a couple of the windows in our living room. I called it an early night.
Today was another great day on Leech Lake.
I ate breakfast and waited for the electrician to show up. During a recent storm some lightning that flashed directly overhead had played havoc with one of our circuit breakers rendering our back porch lights inoperative and also destroying the GFI switch in the bathroom. I also wanted to switch out the circuit breaker on the security system because it was had a GFI component to it and throughout the winter it has a habit of tripping the circuit off which requires my neighbor Tom Malay to drop by and reset the switch. With a non-GFI breaker in place that problem should be eliminated.
At 10:30 a.m., Brian from Todavich Electric showed up. At first, he thought he would have to climb into the attic to fix the problem, but he discovered a faulty circuit breaker was the culprit and was able to fix it at the electrical panel in the kitchen. He then quickly replaced the damaged GFI outlet in the bathroom, before moving next door to the cabin. Once there, it took him only 10 minutes or so to swap out the GFI circuit breaker with one that didn't have the GFI switch. By 11:30 a.m. he was on his way.
Joe and I were hungry, and so we made a classic northwoods breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. And for good measure, Joe had a couple of buckwheat pancakes to boot!
Despite a fairly stiff 12-17 mph WSW wind, Joe and I decided to try to go muskie fishing. The plan was to motor south to Oak Point/Joe's Landing then head north along the western shore of Sucker Bay to Star Point, Little Hardwood Point, Big Hardwood Point and end up in Deadhead Bay. We got about half way between Second Duck Point and Big Hardwood point on our way south, but the waves kept getting bigger and bigger. I had to motor the boat down to just about 7 mph ground speed to keep from bashing the boat in the large swells. At that point Joe suggested we abandon our muskie fishing plans and instead use the wind to drift and jig for perch and walleye.
Since I had planned to focus our angling efforts on muskie I'd left the minnows back at the boat lift. After a brief stop to pick up the fatheads we were once again motoring -- slowly -- back to Second Duck Point. The wind was still blowing at 12-17 mph, with gusts, which came at fairly regular intervals, up over 25 mph. The temperature was 72 degrees and the sky was nearly devoid of all cloud cover. We could just see a few clouds in the extreme northwest. The water temperature was 74.5 degrees.
I deployed the drift sock and took up position in the bow of the boat. Joe took a seat in the stern and we dropped in our jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Joe hooked into something very early into our first pass and whatever it was snapped his line and took his jig. After retying a new jig onto his line Joe got back to fishing.
We caught several small to medium sized perch and I caught a small walleye, that couldn't have measured more than 10- or 11-inches. Joe hooked into something that gave him a bit of battle and when he got it into the boat I saw that he'd caught a nice 12-inch black crappie. Crappie are a very tasty fish, so we put it in the live well and planned to eat it with the jumbo perch that we were going to cook tonight as part of our "man feast."
We made a total of four passes from Duck Bay north toward Malay's. Then we came ashore, with just the one crappie.
Once on shore I cleaned the crappie and got it ready for the beer-batter coating I used it and the jumbo perch. In addition to the fish, we had slow-cooked oven-baked pork spare ribs (with my own dry rub recipe), Cole slaw, and French fries. It was simply delicious!
The wind continued to howl all evening so we didn't go out fishing. Plus, I need to get up early on Friday morning because the Anderson Window repair guy is coming out to fix the latches and cranking mechanism on a couple of the windows in our living room. I called it an early night.
Today was another great day on Leech Lake.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning at 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 64 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny with just a few clouds, but it was very windy. The wind was out of the west at 12-17 mph with gusts up over 25 mph. The lake was roiled with white caps and large swells. The flag stood straight out from the flag pole.
I made Joe and I omelets for breakfast and they were very tasty. After we cleaned up, Joe and I went out onto the dock and marveled at how strong the wind was blowing. White caps continued to roll across the lake as a result of the 17-25 mph west wind.
Unable to go out onto the lake to fish, Joe and I instead went on a bike ride. We did the loop, going down West Shores Road to 26th Ave., then left on Ottertail Point Drive, then left onto the unpaved part of Sucker Bay Road up to the community center and then left again onto West Shores Road and home. It's about an 8 mile round trip.
Joe went for a swim/camp bath in the lake when we got back from our bike ride, while I took a more traditional shower later in the day.
Nature Update: I noticed during the bike ride that nearly all of the ferns along side the road have turned yellow and brown. The ferns are usually one of the first plants to burst onto the scene in the Spring, and one of the first to end their season, thus signally the earliest onset of Autumn. We may be more than a month away from the official coming of Fall, but here in the northwoods, that transitional season comes sooner than in other parts of the country.
As the day progressed, the wind continued to blow at more than 20 mph, so we looked for other activities on shore. We read. Took turns resting in the hammock. I got a fire started in the fire pit at the cabin. We played ping pong. I put fresh linens on the beds at the cabin. Those type of activites.
An afternoon campfire at the cabin on Leech Lake
I also got the grill going for a beer-can chicken. I had brined a chicken over night in my own mixture of spices and herbs. Then once the grill was ready, I put a can of beer inside the chicken, put the chicken on the grill, and the result was a golden brown taste treat. Mashed potatoes and salad completed the meal.
The wind continued to blow hard after dark as well, so there was no trolling for walleye tonight.
I made Joe and I omelets for breakfast and they were very tasty. After we cleaned up, Joe and I went out onto the dock and marveled at how strong the wind was blowing. White caps continued to roll across the lake as a result of the 17-25 mph west wind.
Unable to go out onto the lake to fish, Joe and I instead went on a bike ride. We did the loop, going down West Shores Road to 26th Ave., then left on Ottertail Point Drive, then left onto the unpaved part of Sucker Bay Road up to the community center and then left again onto West Shores Road and home. It's about an 8 mile round trip.
Joe went for a swim/camp bath in the lake when we got back from our bike ride, while I took a more traditional shower later in the day.
Nature Update: I noticed during the bike ride that nearly all of the ferns along side the road have turned yellow and brown. The ferns are usually one of the first plants to burst onto the scene in the Spring, and one of the first to end their season, thus signally the earliest onset of Autumn. We may be more than a month away from the official coming of Fall, but here in the northwoods, that transitional season comes sooner than in other parts of the country.
As the day progressed, the wind continued to blow at more than 20 mph, so we looked for other activities on shore. We read. Took turns resting in the hammock. I got a fire started in the fire pit at the cabin. We played ping pong. I put fresh linens on the beds at the cabin. Those type of activites.
An afternoon campfire at the cabin on Leech Lake
I also got the grill going for a beer-can chicken. I had brined a chicken over night in my own mixture of spices and herbs. Then once the grill was ready, I put a can of beer inside the chicken, put the chicken on the grill, and the result was a golden brown taste treat. Mashed potatoes and salad completed the meal.
The wind continued to blow hard after dark as well, so there was no trolling for walleye tonight.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
August 16, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 9:00 a.m. this morning the sky was mostly cloudy, with some very threatening clouds to the south, the wind was out of the SSW at 10-15 mph, with gusts up over 20 mph, and the temperature was 68 degrees.
The forecast called for thunderstorms throughout the day, so the plan was that I'd go into Cass Lake sometime today to pick up some groceries and other supplies since it was unlikely that we'd be able to go fishing; the waves were simply too big and the water too rough.
I left for Cass Lake at 1:30 p.m. and made several stops -- groceries, hardware, post office, and bait. I got back to the lake around 3:30 p.m., and despite the strong breeze, Joe and I decided to go fishing.
Joe helped hold the boat in place as I lowered the boat lift since the strong 15-20 mph SSW wind created a lot of chop in the water. With the boat in the water safely, I motored us out to Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water, deployed the drift sock, put a fresh, lively fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing for perch and walleye.
The Drift Control drift sock in the waters off Second Duck Point, Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
We caught and released several small- to medium-sized perch, and Joe hooked into something that broke his line.
We made several passes from Second Duck Point to in front of the Malays, but never caught anything big enough to keep. At 5:45 p.m. we got the boat back on the boat lift, and went back to the house.
I brined a chicken for tomorrow night's dinner, then Joe and I went out onto the dock to watch the sunset. While the sunset itself wasn't all that spectacular, the cloud formations made an interesting sky prior to the sun dropping below the horizon.
The sun behind clouds over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
We didn't go trolling tonight because the wind was still fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the SSW and I didn't feel like battling the heavy chop to troll for walleye. Especially since the past few times we've been out trolling we haven't hooked anything.
Good night from Leech Lake.
The forecast called for thunderstorms throughout the day, so the plan was that I'd go into Cass Lake sometime today to pick up some groceries and other supplies since it was unlikely that we'd be able to go fishing; the waves were simply too big and the water too rough.
I left for Cass Lake at 1:30 p.m. and made several stops -- groceries, hardware, post office, and bait. I got back to the lake around 3:30 p.m., and despite the strong breeze, Joe and I decided to go fishing.
Joe helped hold the boat in place as I lowered the boat lift since the strong 15-20 mph SSW wind created a lot of chop in the water. With the boat in the water safely, I motored us out to Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water, deployed the drift sock, put a fresh, lively fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing for perch and walleye.
The Drift Control drift sock in the waters off Second Duck Point, Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
We caught and released several small- to medium-sized perch, and Joe hooked into something that broke his line.
We made several passes from Second Duck Point to in front of the Malays, but never caught anything big enough to keep. At 5:45 p.m. we got the boat back on the boat lift, and went back to the house.
I brined a chicken for tomorrow night's dinner, then Joe and I went out onto the dock to watch the sunset. While the sunset itself wasn't all that spectacular, the cloud formations made an interesting sky prior to the sun dropping below the horizon.
The sun behind clouds over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
We didn't go trolling tonight because the wind was still fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the SSW and I didn't feel like battling the heavy chop to troll for walleye. Especially since the past few times we've been out trolling we haven't hooked anything.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 15, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 9:00 a.m. this morning the sky was gray and overcast, the humidity was high at more than 80%, the temperature was 72 degrees and the wind was out of the SE at 5-10 mph. As a result of the overcast sky and the light ripples from the wind, the water looked an odd gray-green color.
I was up for quite some time before Joe finally got up. We had our coffee, ate breakfast, then decided to go bass fishing.
It took us a while to finally get out onto the water, but at 12:30 p.m. we pushed off the boat lift and motored down to the reeds in front of Norm's cabin to begin fishing for largemouth bass. I put the MinnKota electric trolling motor into the water, and began fishing with a spinnerbait. Joe used a 5" Senko rigged Texas style, with no additional weight, on a 3/0 offset hook.
We fished from Norm's all the way north into Bass Bay past the old Hancock place. Joe caught three nice sized largemouth bass and a rock bass, I caught two largemouth but had two more get away. I had one bass all the way to the boat when it leaped into the air and spit the hook. Later, I hooked another bass and it too leaped into the air but this time my line snapped and I not only lost the fish but my spinnerbait as well.
Joe with a nice Leech Lake largemouth bass from Sucker Bay
Two hours after we hit the water we returned home. I got some lunch while Joe did a few things on his own.
By 3:00 p.m. the wind had picked up a bit and was blowing at 8-12 mph out of the SSE. The temperature was 75 degrees and the humidity remained well over 80%. The sky was mostly cloudy with just occasional patches of blue here and there.
I still had a few fatheads left so I decided to go jigging for perch and walleye at 4:45 p.m. Joe elected to stay on shore.
The wind had picked up and was blowing at 10-15 mph out of the SE, but the way we're situated on Sucker Bay, the water at the boat lift was calm, so getting the boat into the water went without a hitch. I motored out toward Second Duck Point in 8 feet of water, deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat northward toward our house and outward into deeper water on the bay.
I caught numerous perch, although none big enough to keep, and a small "hammerhandle" sized pike. When I ran out of minnows I came home.
After dinner Joe and I decided to go trolling for walleye, my third time on the water today. We got on the water around 9:00 p.m., about a half an hour after sunset, and began trolling from Second Duck Point southward across Duck Bay.
We watched as the 96% waning moon, just a little less than a full moon, rose in the east and moved up over the lake. We trolled for a full 90 minutes, but other than a couple of "bumps and misses" we were unable to hook any walleye. At last we motored back to the lift and came ashore.
I was pretty tired, so soon after coming in from fishing I called it a night. Tomorrow the forecast is calling for stiff winds and thunderstorms throughout the day. We probably won't go fishing tomorrow, but our plan is to go on an all-day muskie fishing adventure on Wednesday. Until tomorrow...
I was up for quite some time before Joe finally got up. We had our coffee, ate breakfast, then decided to go bass fishing.
It took us a while to finally get out onto the water, but at 12:30 p.m. we pushed off the boat lift and motored down to the reeds in front of Norm's cabin to begin fishing for largemouth bass. I put the MinnKota electric trolling motor into the water, and began fishing with a spinnerbait. Joe used a 5" Senko rigged Texas style, with no additional weight, on a 3/0 offset hook.
We fished from Norm's all the way north into Bass Bay past the old Hancock place. Joe caught three nice sized largemouth bass and a rock bass, I caught two largemouth but had two more get away. I had one bass all the way to the boat when it leaped into the air and spit the hook. Later, I hooked another bass and it too leaped into the air but this time my line snapped and I not only lost the fish but my spinnerbait as well.
Joe with a nice Leech Lake largemouth bass from Sucker Bay
Two hours after we hit the water we returned home. I got some lunch while Joe did a few things on his own.
By 3:00 p.m. the wind had picked up a bit and was blowing at 8-12 mph out of the SSE. The temperature was 75 degrees and the humidity remained well over 80%. The sky was mostly cloudy with just occasional patches of blue here and there.
I still had a few fatheads left so I decided to go jigging for perch and walleye at 4:45 p.m. Joe elected to stay on shore.
The wind had picked up and was blowing at 10-15 mph out of the SE, but the way we're situated on Sucker Bay, the water at the boat lift was calm, so getting the boat into the water went without a hitch. I motored out toward Second Duck Point in 8 feet of water, deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat northward toward our house and outward into deeper water on the bay.
I caught numerous perch, although none big enough to keep, and a small "hammerhandle" sized pike. When I ran out of minnows I came home.
After dinner Joe and I decided to go trolling for walleye, my third time on the water today. We got on the water around 9:00 p.m., about a half an hour after sunset, and began trolling from Second Duck Point southward across Duck Bay.
We watched as the 96% waning moon, just a little less than a full moon, rose in the east and moved up over the lake. We trolled for a full 90 minutes, but other than a couple of "bumps and misses" we were unable to hook any walleye. At last we motored back to the lift and came ashore.
I was pretty tired, so soon after coming in from fishing I called it a night. Tomorrow the forecast is calling for stiff winds and thunderstorms throughout the day. We probably won't go fishing tomorrow, but our plan is to go on an all-day muskie fishing adventure on Wednesday. Until tomorrow...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
August 14, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 9:30 a.m. this morning the temperature was just under 70 degrees, the sky was mostly clear and blue and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW.
I walked out to the end of the dock and that brief walk across the lawn got my sandals completely wet. Last night the humidity was 88% because the dew point was at 54 degrees and the low temperature overnight was 58 degrees. Thus, the dew on the grass this morning was very heavy.
I counted eight boats in our general vicinity including one boat directly in front of our cabin where the two guys were throwing muskie lures. Figuring it would be a great day to spend some serious time on the water, I got out my two 6-gallon gas cans, filled them up, lugged them down to the boat, and gassed up the boat, just in case we decided to do any long runs on the water. I also plugged in the onboard battery charger to make sure the MinnKota electric trolling motor had full power should we work the reeds for bass.
With my boat maintenance complete, I went inside, washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. When Joe got up he wanted to make buckwheat pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and I wasn't about to dissuade him. The maple syrup we used on our pancakes was made by our neighbor Jerry Schiebe from maple trees right here on Ottertail Peninsula. There's no syrup that's better than locally made maple syrup.
When we were done with breakfast, Joe and I decided to go fishing. We planned to be on the water for some time, so we packed a number of cold drinks, sandwiches and chips for lunch on the water. We started fishing right off Second Duck Point using jigs and fatheads. Joe had the hot stick and caught numerous perch, although no jumbos.
From Second Duck Point we moved south around Ottertail Point and up into Portage Bay where we stopped at Ivan's Bay. A few months ago Rick and I fished Ivan's Bay and I caught several nice sized perch and a keeper 17" walleye, so I figured Joe and I would give it a try. We jigged fathead minnows for about 30 minutes but didn't get so much as a bite.
Joe had been asking to go exploring in other parts of Leech Lake for several days now, and since the weather was good, the wind relatively light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW, we decided to motor up Portage Bay to the mouth of the Leech Lake River, and then into the river itself to the end where boats have to stop because of the dam at Federal Dam.
With three-quarters of a tank of gas in my Lund ProV 1800 Tournament boat we had more than enough fuel to make such a run, so we decided to do it. I throttled up the 150hp Mercury Verado, got the boat on plane and made the 20 minute ride to the mouth of the Leech Lake River.
The river is clearly marked with buoys -- green on the starboard side as you enter the river and red on the port side. The buoys are also numbered starting with 45 and counting down to 1 when you reach the end of the navigable portion of the river about mile later at Federal Dam.
The Leech Lake River is flanked by reeds and wild rice and varies in depth from 3 feet to as deep as 13 feet in some holes. In fact, during a recent professional walleye tournament on Leech Lake the winner -- who took home $65,000 -- caught all of his fish in a 10-foot deep hole on the river.
Joe and I took our time motoring toward Federal Dam since we had never been on the river before. We encountered several boats coming the other way on the river as well as heading toward the dam. There are two boat landings at the river at Federal Dam and apparently it's a popular place for people to launch their boats and pontoons.
The dam at Federal Dam, the end of the Leech Lake River from Leech Lake
Once we reached marker buoy #1, we took a few pictures and then turned around and headed back to the lake. It took us about 40 minutes to go from the mouth of the river to the dam and back again, but we were going slow and enjoying the beauty of the Leech Lake River.
At last we entered Portage Bay again and I throttled up and took us south to Two Points, which is on the east side of Ottertail Peninsula. Once there, Joe and I tipped our jigs with fatheads and did a little fishing. Unfortunately, all we caught were some rock bass.
A small rocky island off Two Points, Portage Bay, Leech Lake
After leaving Two Points we continued south to the tip of the peninsula, Ottertail Point. We again tried jigging minnows for perch and walleye, but again came up empty. I then took us north into Sucker Bay up to Duck Point where we slowed down and began trolling for walleye with Minnow Raps.
We made a long, slow trip across Duck Bay but didn't catch anything. We finally got back to the boat lift around 6:00 p.m., after more than 5 hours on the water. I figured it was more than a 20 mile trip from our house to Federal Dam, one way. I estimated that we traveled close to 50 miles on lake today; probably the most we've done in the 10+ years we've been fishing Leech Lake.
Joe and I spent a lot of time on the water today so we didn't go trolling for walleye this evening, instead we enjoyed watching the sunset, had dinner, and then watched a movie on DVD.
It was a wonderful day of fishing and exploring the big water of Leech Lake. Good night.
I walked out to the end of the dock and that brief walk across the lawn got my sandals completely wet. Last night the humidity was 88% because the dew point was at 54 degrees and the low temperature overnight was 58 degrees. Thus, the dew on the grass this morning was very heavy.
I counted eight boats in our general vicinity including one boat directly in front of our cabin where the two guys were throwing muskie lures. Figuring it would be a great day to spend some serious time on the water, I got out my two 6-gallon gas cans, filled them up, lugged them down to the boat, and gassed up the boat, just in case we decided to do any long runs on the water. I also plugged in the onboard battery charger to make sure the MinnKota electric trolling motor had full power should we work the reeds for bass.
With my boat maintenance complete, I went inside, washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. When Joe got up he wanted to make buckwheat pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and I wasn't about to dissuade him. The maple syrup we used on our pancakes was made by our neighbor Jerry Schiebe from maple trees right here on Ottertail Peninsula. There's no syrup that's better than locally made maple syrup.
When we were done with breakfast, Joe and I decided to go fishing. We planned to be on the water for some time, so we packed a number of cold drinks, sandwiches and chips for lunch on the water. We started fishing right off Second Duck Point using jigs and fatheads. Joe had the hot stick and caught numerous perch, although no jumbos.
From Second Duck Point we moved south around Ottertail Point and up into Portage Bay where we stopped at Ivan's Bay. A few months ago Rick and I fished Ivan's Bay and I caught several nice sized perch and a keeper 17" walleye, so I figured Joe and I would give it a try. We jigged fathead minnows for about 30 minutes but didn't get so much as a bite.
Joe had been asking to go exploring in other parts of Leech Lake for several days now, and since the weather was good, the wind relatively light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW, we decided to motor up Portage Bay to the mouth of the Leech Lake River, and then into the river itself to the end where boats have to stop because of the dam at Federal Dam.
With three-quarters of a tank of gas in my Lund ProV 1800 Tournament boat we had more than enough fuel to make such a run, so we decided to do it. I throttled up the 150hp Mercury Verado, got the boat on plane and made the 20 minute ride to the mouth of the Leech Lake River.
The river is clearly marked with buoys -- green on the starboard side as you enter the river and red on the port side. The buoys are also numbered starting with 45 and counting down to 1 when you reach the end of the navigable portion of the river about mile later at Federal Dam.
The Leech Lake River is flanked by reeds and wild rice and varies in depth from 3 feet to as deep as 13 feet in some holes. In fact, during a recent professional walleye tournament on Leech Lake the winner -- who took home $65,000 -- caught all of his fish in a 10-foot deep hole on the river.
Joe and I took our time motoring toward Federal Dam since we had never been on the river before. We encountered several boats coming the other way on the river as well as heading toward the dam. There are two boat landings at the river at Federal Dam and apparently it's a popular place for people to launch their boats and pontoons.
The dam at Federal Dam, the end of the Leech Lake River from Leech Lake
Once we reached marker buoy #1, we took a few pictures and then turned around and headed back to the lake. It took us about 40 minutes to go from the mouth of the river to the dam and back again, but we were going slow and enjoying the beauty of the Leech Lake River.
At last we entered Portage Bay again and I throttled up and took us south to Two Points, which is on the east side of Ottertail Peninsula. Once there, Joe and I tipped our jigs with fatheads and did a little fishing. Unfortunately, all we caught were some rock bass.
A small rocky island off Two Points, Portage Bay, Leech Lake
After leaving Two Points we continued south to the tip of the peninsula, Ottertail Point. We again tried jigging minnows for perch and walleye, but again came up empty. I then took us north into Sucker Bay up to Duck Point where we slowed down and began trolling for walleye with Minnow Raps.
We made a long, slow trip across Duck Bay but didn't catch anything. We finally got back to the boat lift around 6:00 p.m., after more than 5 hours on the water. I figured it was more than a 20 mile trip from our house to Federal Dam, one way. I estimated that we traveled close to 50 miles on lake today; probably the most we've done in the 10+ years we've been fishing Leech Lake.
Joe and I spent a lot of time on the water today so we didn't go trolling for walleye this evening, instead we enjoyed watching the sunset, had dinner, and then watched a movie on DVD.
It was a wonderful day of fishing and exploring the big water of Leech Lake. Good night.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
August 13, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning was another beautiful day at Leech Lake. The temperature was in the low 70s, the wind was out of the NNW at 8-12 mph, and the sky was mostly cloudy, but with enough open sky to let the sun shine through.
Joe and I drank our coffee on the back porch and took in the beauty of Leech Lake. I never, ever get tired of looking at it. After a light breakfast Joe and I decided to go on a bike ride. Went over the cabin garage, got the bikes, then took off down West Shores Road.
Joe wanted to ride to the end of Ottertail Peninsula, so we turned off at 26th Ave. then took a quick right onto Ottertail Point Drive and began the long part of our ride. When we reached the new Duck Point Woods development we turned in, rode to the end of the road and then rode out onto the wooden boardwalk and took that all the way to the end, where the developers have several floating dock slips.
When we exited Duck Point Woods we went to the end of Ottertail Point Road, turned around and rode back. The temperature, which was still in the low 70s, was perfect for riding, and unlike the last time Kathleen and I rode this route, there were no deer flies harassing us.
After we put the bikes away in the garage, I went for a brief ATV ride while Joe did yoga and took a swim in the lake. When I got back from the ride on the ATV I grabbed a couple of cold drinks, the fathead minnows and went fishing.
With the wind out of the NNW I motored out in front of Malay's cabin into 12 feet of water, deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat to a spot right in front of our house in 8-9 feet of water. I caught several small perch and hooked into something big that I fought for a few seconds before it snapped my line and took my jig. I figured it was a northern pike by the way it battled.
I tied on a new jig, tipped it with another fathead, and got back to fishing. I made a total of three drifts, and while I was catching small perch, I couldn't land another jumbo to go with the one in the basket back at the dock. I finally gave up, fired up the motor and got the boat back on the lift.
Once ashore, I cleaned the jumbo perch I'd caught the other day and got the fillets into the refrigerator. I'm hoping that Joe and I can catch another jumbo perch, or maybe a 16-inch walleye to go with this one lone jumbo.
Joe grilled burgers for dinner, but for some reason both he and I got hit with some heartburn before we could even begin eating, which delayed our dinner by an hour or so while we waited for the unease to pass.
After dinner we decided not to go fishing since it was already 10:00 p.m., so instead we stayed inside and watched a movie on DVD.
According to the weather forecast, the next three or four should be beautiful here at Leech Lake, so we're planning to get out on the water as much as possible. Good night from Leech Lake.
Joe and I drank our coffee on the back porch and took in the beauty of Leech Lake. I never, ever get tired of looking at it. After a light breakfast Joe and I decided to go on a bike ride. Went over the cabin garage, got the bikes, then took off down West Shores Road.
Joe wanted to ride to the end of Ottertail Peninsula, so we turned off at 26th Ave. then took a quick right onto Ottertail Point Drive and began the long part of our ride. When we reached the new Duck Point Woods development we turned in, rode to the end of the road and then rode out onto the wooden boardwalk and took that all the way to the end, where the developers have several floating dock slips.
When we exited Duck Point Woods we went to the end of Ottertail Point Road, turned around and rode back. The temperature, which was still in the low 70s, was perfect for riding, and unlike the last time Kathleen and I rode this route, there were no deer flies harassing us.
After we put the bikes away in the garage, I went for a brief ATV ride while Joe did yoga and took a swim in the lake. When I got back from the ride on the ATV I grabbed a couple of cold drinks, the fathead minnows and went fishing.
With the wind out of the NNW I motored out in front of Malay's cabin into 12 feet of water, deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat to a spot right in front of our house in 8-9 feet of water. I caught several small perch and hooked into something big that I fought for a few seconds before it snapped my line and took my jig. I figured it was a northern pike by the way it battled.
I tied on a new jig, tipped it with another fathead, and got back to fishing. I made a total of three drifts, and while I was catching small perch, I couldn't land another jumbo to go with the one in the basket back at the dock. I finally gave up, fired up the motor and got the boat back on the lift.
Once ashore, I cleaned the jumbo perch I'd caught the other day and got the fillets into the refrigerator. I'm hoping that Joe and I can catch another jumbo perch, or maybe a 16-inch walleye to go with this one lone jumbo.
Joe grilled burgers for dinner, but for some reason both he and I got hit with some heartburn before we could even begin eating, which delayed our dinner by an hour or so while we waited for the unease to pass.
After dinner we decided not to go fishing since it was already 10:00 p.m., so instead we stayed inside and watched a movie on DVD.
According to the weather forecast, the next three or four should be beautiful here at Leech Lake, so we're planning to get out on the water as much as possible. Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, August 12, 2011
August 12, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I slept well last night and didn't get up until 9:00 a.m. this morning. The temperature at that time was 59 degrees, there was virtually no wind, the sky was gray and overcast and a light rain was falling.
For most of the morning and into early afternoon the rain continued to fall. But by 1:00 p.m. the rain had stopped, although the sky was still overcast and gray and looked like it could rain again any time soon. Joe and I decided to take advantage of the break in the rain to go fishing. Joe especially wanted to do some bass fishing.
As is our usual plan for bass fishing, we start at the edge of the reeds in front of Norm's cabin and then work our way north using the MinnKota trolling motor until we reach Schiebe's place. On this outing Joe was throwing a 5" Senko rigged Texas style on a 3/0 offset hook with a spinning reel and rod. I was using a classic spinnerbait rigged on baitcasting rod and reel.
Within the first few minutes of fishing, Joe caught the usual "welcome bass" at Norm's. It was a nice sized fish about 15 inches long. About 20 minutes later I caught a similar sized fish at the halfway point in our journey. And just before we reached the end of the long expanse of reeds Joe hooked another nice bass. This one fought particularly hard, which Joe enjoys.
When we'd reached the end of the reeds, we stowed our bass fishing gear and took a boat ride to the end of Ottertail Point. Joe hadn't been that far down Sucker Bay yet, so he wanted to check it out.
On our way back north to our house, we slowed way down, got out the trolling rods and reels, and began trolling for walleye in Duck Bay, very near Duck Point.
I set the Mercury SmartCraft controls for 570 rpm because there was only a slight SE breeze at 5 mph. The lower rpms meant we could troll at a ground speed of just more than 2.0 mph. I noted that the water temperature was 75 degrees.
We trolled in 10 feet of water across Duck Bay and about halfway across the bay I hooked into a fish. I could tell it was a walleye because of the fish's lack of a fight. Sure enough, we got it into the boat and found it to be a nice 15-inch walleye. Now a lot of folks up here would have kept that fish, but to me, it was just a little too small. I'll keep a walleye between 16-18 inches, but below 16", it goes back into the lake. Any walleye between 18-26 inches has to go back into Leech Lake per Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources regulations.
Once the walleye was back into the lake, Joe and I again set out our Minnow Raps and began trolling. About 15 minutes later I again hooked a fish. When I got it to the boat I found it to be an even smaller walleye, about 13 inches. Again, it went back into the water.
We set out trolling yet again and before we got to Second Duck Point Joe hooked into something big. It was fighting hard and pulling line off Joe's reel. Joe played it perfectly and eventually brought a very good sized northern pike to the boat. I estimated the fish to be 26" at least. I unhooked the pike over the side of the boat, to keep the slime and smell of the northern out of the boat, and then released it back into the lake.
I piloted the boat back toward our house and Joe and I trolled from Second Duck Point to our house, but didn't boat another fish. I did have a fish hooked, but it came unbuttoned on the way to the boat; probably a walleye that was just barely hooked.
We came ashore at 3:45 p.m. and ate lunch.
Tonight is Friday night, so naturally it's pizza night. I left our house at 4:15 p.m. and drove into Cass Lake where I ordered an unbaked large pizza from Great River Pizzeria, ran some other "in town" errands and got home at 6:30 p.m.
After dinner we checked the weather and while there were storm clouds in every direction, the lake was calm, it wasn't raining nor storming, so we decided to go fishing.
I took the boat out into 10 feet of water, Joe and I put our Minnow Raps into the watr and we started troling in the 75 degree water under a full moon.
We made one long pass heading south across Duck Bay toward Duck Point, turned, and then headed north toward our house. The entire time we saw lightning all around us, with the most concentrated in the south and west. But we heard no thunder which led me to believe that the storms were a long way off.
On the northern pass of our trolling session, Joe hooked into a fish. He reeled up to the boat and I scooped it out with the landing net. I was a stout walleye that measured 21 inches long. The was in the Leech Lake slot limit which meant it had to go back into the lake; which it did.
We finished trolling back to our house and then came ashore. We watched a movie on DVD and then went to bed.
We had a great day of multi-species angling on Leech Lake.
For most of the morning and into early afternoon the rain continued to fall. But by 1:00 p.m. the rain had stopped, although the sky was still overcast and gray and looked like it could rain again any time soon. Joe and I decided to take advantage of the break in the rain to go fishing. Joe especially wanted to do some bass fishing.
As is our usual plan for bass fishing, we start at the edge of the reeds in front of Norm's cabin and then work our way north using the MinnKota trolling motor until we reach Schiebe's place. On this outing Joe was throwing a 5" Senko rigged Texas style on a 3/0 offset hook with a spinning reel and rod. I was using a classic spinnerbait rigged on baitcasting rod and reel.
Within the first few minutes of fishing, Joe caught the usual "welcome bass" at Norm's. It was a nice sized fish about 15 inches long. About 20 minutes later I caught a similar sized fish at the halfway point in our journey. And just before we reached the end of the long expanse of reeds Joe hooked another nice bass. This one fought particularly hard, which Joe enjoys.
When we'd reached the end of the reeds, we stowed our bass fishing gear and took a boat ride to the end of Ottertail Point. Joe hadn't been that far down Sucker Bay yet, so he wanted to check it out.
On our way back north to our house, we slowed way down, got out the trolling rods and reels, and began trolling for walleye in Duck Bay, very near Duck Point.
I set the Mercury SmartCraft controls for 570 rpm because there was only a slight SE breeze at 5 mph. The lower rpms meant we could troll at a ground speed of just more than 2.0 mph. I noted that the water temperature was 75 degrees.
We trolled in 10 feet of water across Duck Bay and about halfway across the bay I hooked into a fish. I could tell it was a walleye because of the fish's lack of a fight. Sure enough, we got it into the boat and found it to be a nice 15-inch walleye. Now a lot of folks up here would have kept that fish, but to me, it was just a little too small. I'll keep a walleye between 16-18 inches, but below 16", it goes back into the lake. Any walleye between 18-26 inches has to go back into Leech Lake per Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources regulations.
Once the walleye was back into the lake, Joe and I again set out our Minnow Raps and began trolling. About 15 minutes later I again hooked a fish. When I got it to the boat I found it to be an even smaller walleye, about 13 inches. Again, it went back into the water.
We set out trolling yet again and before we got to Second Duck Point Joe hooked into something big. It was fighting hard and pulling line off Joe's reel. Joe played it perfectly and eventually brought a very good sized northern pike to the boat. I estimated the fish to be 26" at least. I unhooked the pike over the side of the boat, to keep the slime and smell of the northern out of the boat, and then released it back into the lake.
I piloted the boat back toward our house and Joe and I trolled from Second Duck Point to our house, but didn't boat another fish. I did have a fish hooked, but it came unbuttoned on the way to the boat; probably a walleye that was just barely hooked.
We came ashore at 3:45 p.m. and ate lunch.
Tonight is Friday night, so naturally it's pizza night. I left our house at 4:15 p.m. and drove into Cass Lake where I ordered an unbaked large pizza from Great River Pizzeria, ran some other "in town" errands and got home at 6:30 p.m.
After dinner we checked the weather and while there were storm clouds in every direction, the lake was calm, it wasn't raining nor storming, so we decided to go fishing.
I took the boat out into 10 feet of water, Joe and I put our Minnow Raps into the watr and we started troling in the 75 degree water under a full moon.
We made one long pass heading south across Duck Bay toward Duck Point, turned, and then headed north toward our house. The entire time we saw lightning all around us, with the most concentrated in the south and west. But we heard no thunder which led me to believe that the storms were a long way off.
On the northern pass of our trolling session, Joe hooked into a fish. He reeled up to the boat and I scooped it out with the landing net. I was a stout walleye that measured 21 inches long. The was in the Leech Lake slot limit which meant it had to go back into the lake; which it did.
We finished trolling back to our house and then came ashore. We watched a movie on DVD and then went to bed.
We had a great day of multi-species angling on Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
August 11, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Despite going to bed after 2:00 a.m. last night I awoke at 6:30 a.m. this morning and was unable to go back to sleep. I got out of bed 15 minutes later, got dressed and then went fishing.
The wind was coming out of the SW at 10-15 mph which created a strong chop on the lake including some white caps. The temperature was 59 degrees, although it felt muggy, and sky was clear.
When I got out onto the water the sun was just rising above the tree line so I watched it climb into the sky from the lake. I always like watching the sun rise from the water.
I took the boat out in front of Giza's cabin in 11 feet of water, put the drift sock in the lake, tipped my jig with a fathead and started fishing. I made three passes from Giza's to Malay's during the 70 minutes I was on the water during which time I caught several perch, including one 11-inch jumbo that went into the livewell, a couple of rock bass and I had a hit from something that bit clean through my minnow leaving just the head; most likely a northern, but it could have been a walleye.
By 8:20 a.m. I was on shore and feeling tired from the little sleep I'd had. I tried laying in bed and resting, but to no avail. I finally got up and got on with the day.
At noon the temperature had risen to the low 70s and wind had calmed a bit and was blowing out of the SW at 7-10 mph.
From 1:00 p.m. until just before 2:00 p.m., Joe and I went on a bike ride. We rode down to the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center then decided to keep going and did the "loop." We rode down Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Peninsula Drive and then on to 26th Ave and finally back onto West Shores Road and home; a total round trip of just under 8 miles.
After our bike ride both Joe and I were hungry so we had some lunch. Then I went out fishing while Joe stayed on shore and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
With the wind coming out of the SSW at 8-12 mph I was able to motor the boat down to Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water, deploy the drift sock and the drift at 2/3 mph parallel to the shoreline. From 2:30 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. I made three passess from Giza's to Malay's in 12 feet of water, 10 feet of water and in 9 feet. I caught numerous small perch and a small northern pike, but no walleye or jumbos.
At 3:40 p.m. I saw that the storm cloud I'd been following was getting very close. I could feel the temperature drop, the wind pick up and I could sense that the storm was very close. I quickly got the drift sock in the boat and motored back to the boat lift.
On my way to the boat lift the rain started to fall. By the time I got on shore it was raining pretty hard, and in a matter of 15 minutes the rain was coming down in sheets. For the next two hours it rained, there was flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder, some sounded like they were directly overhead.
By 5:30 p.m., the wind had died down so the flag hung limp and the water was without a ripple. The rain had stopped, but the sky dark and stormy and the lake was an eerie light green color. The temperature was 64 degrees. The forecast called for more thunderstorms until midnight. But we'll see. Joe and I plan to go trolling tonight, weather permitting.
At 6:15 p.m. the wind started to pick up and another storm blew in. We had more lightning and thunder and lots of rain. The rain and poor weather continued right up to sunset, so Joe and I made the decision not to trolling tonight.
Instead, we had an early dinner (for us at the lake it was early anyway) and watched a DVD. I was exhausted having had only 4 hours of sleep last night, and after a bike ride and the fresh air from being out fishing I was ready for bed earlier than usual. We closed things down for the night shortly after 10:00 p.m.
Good night from Leech Lake.
The wind was coming out of the SW at 10-15 mph which created a strong chop on the lake including some white caps. The temperature was 59 degrees, although it felt muggy, and sky was clear.
When I got out onto the water the sun was just rising above the tree line so I watched it climb into the sky from the lake. I always like watching the sun rise from the water.
I took the boat out in front of Giza's cabin in 11 feet of water, put the drift sock in the lake, tipped my jig with a fathead and started fishing. I made three passes from Giza's to Malay's during the 70 minutes I was on the water during which time I caught several perch, including one 11-inch jumbo that went into the livewell, a couple of rock bass and I had a hit from something that bit clean through my minnow leaving just the head; most likely a northern, but it could have been a walleye.
By 8:20 a.m. I was on shore and feeling tired from the little sleep I'd had. I tried laying in bed and resting, but to no avail. I finally got up and got on with the day.
At noon the temperature had risen to the low 70s and wind had calmed a bit and was blowing out of the SW at 7-10 mph.
From 1:00 p.m. until just before 2:00 p.m., Joe and I went on a bike ride. We rode down to the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center then decided to keep going and did the "loop." We rode down Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Peninsula Drive and then on to 26th Ave and finally back onto West Shores Road and home; a total round trip of just under 8 miles.
After our bike ride both Joe and I were hungry so we had some lunch. Then I went out fishing while Joe stayed on shore and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
With the wind coming out of the SSW at 8-12 mph I was able to motor the boat down to Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water, deploy the drift sock and the drift at 2/3 mph parallel to the shoreline. From 2:30 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. I made three passess from Giza's to Malay's in 12 feet of water, 10 feet of water and in 9 feet. I caught numerous small perch and a small northern pike, but no walleye or jumbos.
At 3:40 p.m. I saw that the storm cloud I'd been following was getting very close. I could feel the temperature drop, the wind pick up and I could sense that the storm was very close. I quickly got the drift sock in the boat and motored back to the boat lift.
On my way to the boat lift the rain started to fall. By the time I got on shore it was raining pretty hard, and in a matter of 15 minutes the rain was coming down in sheets. For the next two hours it rained, there was flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder, some sounded like they were directly overhead.
By 5:30 p.m., the wind had died down so the flag hung limp and the water was without a ripple. The rain had stopped, but the sky dark and stormy and the lake was an eerie light green color. The temperature was 64 degrees. The forecast called for more thunderstorms until midnight. But we'll see. Joe and I plan to go trolling tonight, weather permitting.
At 6:15 p.m. the wind started to pick up and another storm blew in. We had more lightning and thunder and lots of rain. The rain and poor weather continued right up to sunset, so Joe and I made the decision not to trolling tonight.
Instead, we had an early dinner (for us at the lake it was early anyway) and watched a DVD. I was exhausted having had only 4 hours of sleep last night, and after a bike ride and the fresh air from being out fishing I was ready for bed earlier than usual. We closed things down for the night shortly after 10:00 p.m.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Three Months at Leech Lake
On the evening of May 10, I arrived at Leech Lake. I still remember that initial rush of joy when I first walked into our lake front house and smelled that familiar smell of the lake. There's nothing like it.
Today is August 10, meaning that I've been at the lake for three months now. It doesn't seem like I've been here three weeks, let alone three months. I've been fortunate enough to have many visitors here this summer. Kathleen has made two visits, once in late May/early June and again in late June/early July. My parents have been here, as have Tim and Sandy Coyle and their boys on two occasions. My friend Rick visited from Australia for several weeks in June. My granddaugther Ashley was here with Kathleen and I for nearly a week. And right now my son Joe is here at the lake with me.
I've also made three trips down to St. Cloud, each for several days. So my time at the lake has simply flown by.
During my stay the harbor restoration work was started and completed. All three of the out buildings at the house were painted. And too many other various maintenance chores and projects were done to even recall them all.
Of course some serious fishing was done as well. Numerous walleye were caught, most of which were released back into the lake, but several also graced our dinner table. Bass, northern pike, perch, rock bass and even a bullhead were hooked.
I visited with many of my neighbors, although most of my time with other "Leech Lakers" was spent with the Malays and Newmans.
I've taken many rides on the ATV all over Ottertail Peninsula, including one long ride up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy bait.
I've been blessed to encounter much of the wildlife that surrounds Leech Lake. I've seen eagles, loons, merganser ducks, mallards, Canadian geese, pelicans, herons, kingfishers, cormorants, orioles, finches, redwing black birds, hummingbirds, numerous types of woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, and dozens of other types of birds. I've seen mink, otters, squirrels, woodchucks, and deer. I've seen turtles, frogs, toads and snakes. The variety of wild flowers I've had the pleasure to see are too numerous to name. And of course the back drop for all of it is Leech Lake. The life source for all of the wild life in the area.
Now I'm just two weeks from returning to San Jose, a city of a million people in a region that is home to nearly 15 million. Here at Leech Lake, it's a 30 minute drive into Cass Lake, a small town of barely 800 people. It's just under an hour's drive to Bemidji, the closest "city" to Leech Lake, with it's 12,000 residents, many of which are college students at Bemidji State University.
The contrast from the remote, peaceful and relatively uninhabited area of Leech Lake to the megatropolis of the San Francisco Bay Area will be shocking. But that's one of the reasons all visitors to our "oasis on Leech Lake" love it here so much -- it's so quiet, so peaceful, so sparsely populated that one can literally go days without seeing or hearing another person. When people are here they are able to put the rest of the "real world" behind them, to let go and find an inner peace that is hard to attain when in the midst of a city. That is the true beauty of Leech Lake.
I've been very fortunate, blessed really, to have had the opportunity to be at Leech Lake for three months now. I try very hard not to take a minute of my time here for granted, or to fail to recognize the beauty that surrounds me. It will be hard to leave here, but I will forever be grateful for my time at Leech Lake.
Today is August 10, meaning that I've been at the lake for three months now. It doesn't seem like I've been here three weeks, let alone three months. I've been fortunate enough to have many visitors here this summer. Kathleen has made two visits, once in late May/early June and again in late June/early July. My parents have been here, as have Tim and Sandy Coyle and their boys on two occasions. My friend Rick visited from Australia for several weeks in June. My granddaugther Ashley was here with Kathleen and I for nearly a week. And right now my son Joe is here at the lake with me.
I've also made three trips down to St. Cloud, each for several days. So my time at the lake has simply flown by.
During my stay the harbor restoration work was started and completed. All three of the out buildings at the house were painted. And too many other various maintenance chores and projects were done to even recall them all.
Of course some serious fishing was done as well. Numerous walleye were caught, most of which were released back into the lake, but several also graced our dinner table. Bass, northern pike, perch, rock bass and even a bullhead were hooked.
I visited with many of my neighbors, although most of my time with other "Leech Lakers" was spent with the Malays and Newmans.
I've taken many rides on the ATV all over Ottertail Peninsula, including one long ride up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy bait.
I've been blessed to encounter much of the wildlife that surrounds Leech Lake. I've seen eagles, loons, merganser ducks, mallards, Canadian geese, pelicans, herons, kingfishers, cormorants, orioles, finches, redwing black birds, hummingbirds, numerous types of woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, and dozens of other types of birds. I've seen mink, otters, squirrels, woodchucks, and deer. I've seen turtles, frogs, toads and snakes. The variety of wild flowers I've had the pleasure to see are too numerous to name. And of course the back drop for all of it is Leech Lake. The life source for all of the wild life in the area.
Now I'm just two weeks from returning to San Jose, a city of a million people in a region that is home to nearly 15 million. Here at Leech Lake, it's a 30 minute drive into Cass Lake, a small town of barely 800 people. It's just under an hour's drive to Bemidji, the closest "city" to Leech Lake, with it's 12,000 residents, many of which are college students at Bemidji State University.
The contrast from the remote, peaceful and relatively uninhabited area of Leech Lake to the megatropolis of the San Francisco Bay Area will be shocking. But that's one of the reasons all visitors to our "oasis on Leech Lake" love it here so much -- it's so quiet, so peaceful, so sparsely populated that one can literally go days without seeing or hearing another person. When people are here they are able to put the rest of the "real world" behind them, to let go and find an inner peace that is hard to attain when in the midst of a city. That is the true beauty of Leech Lake.
I've been very fortunate, blessed really, to have had the opportunity to be at Leech Lake for three months now. I try very hard not to take a minute of my time here for granted, or to fail to recognize the beauty that surrounds me. It will be hard to leave here, but I will forever be grateful for my time at Leech Lake.
August 10, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Your host motoring the boat back to the boat lift after muskie fishing on Leech Lake
This morning was much warmer than yesterday. The temperature at 10:00 a.m. 68 degrees, the humidity was 70% (so it felt warmer than 68), the sky was mostly cloudy with some sun and blue sky visible, and the wind was 8-15 mph out of the SW. The lake had some occasional white caps, but it is no where near as rough as it was yesterday.
Joe and I had a slow morning, and then just after noon took a bike ride down to the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, a 6-mile round trip. I hadn't taken a bike ride in several weeks so it felt great to be out peddling on West Shores Road, one of the prettiest roads anywhere in the country.
Once home, Joe wanted to do yoga and just hang out, so I took a brief ride on the ATV and then went fishing. Joe said he didn't want to go fishing since I was going to be doing some drifting and jigging and that's not a fishing method he particularly enjoys.
I took the boat out between the house and cabin in 13 feet of water, deployed the drift sock and let the west wind push the boat toward shore and into shallower water. The water temperature was 76 degrees.
As usual I tipped my jig with a fathead minnow and got to work. I caught a few small perch, a rock bass and then a smallish northern pike. When I reached down to pick up the pike and remove the jig, it thrashed hard in the water and bit through the line taking my jig with it.
I retied a new jig on and was ready to fish, but the dark cloud that I'd been eyeing for the past 30 minutes was moving closer and I could see it was about to rain, and hard. I quickly stowed my rod and reel, put away the other gear on the deck of the boat, pulled in the drift sock and then motored back to shore. No sooner than I stepped onto the dock than it started raining. I ran back to the house to avoid getting drenched in what was a hard rain, although it lasted only 10 minutes or so.
Once the brief rain storm had passed, the sun came out, the wind died down a bit to around 5-10 mph, although it seemed to be swirling, coming out of the SW one moment and then out of the NW the next.
Joe had been wanted to try some muskie fishing so we thought we give it a try this afternoon. During the past several weeks I've seen numerous boats with muskie fishermen in them throwing heavy lures. Those boats have been positioned from in front of our house and as far north as Schiebe's cabin. With the wind periodically blowing from the SW, I thought we could start by fishing in front of the cabin and letting the wind blow us north toward Schiebe's place.
I took the boat out to 10-12 feet of water and positioned us over an expansive weed bed and stretches the entire length from our house to Schiebe's. Both Joe and I threw inline spinner baits. We fished for more than an hour and didn't get so much as a follow. Pretty typical for muskie fishing, even here on Leech Lake.
We came ashore just before 6:00 p.m. and we got dinner going. I had been slow cooking ribs all day so all we had to make is the grilled corn and Cole slaw. We took our time both preparing the meal and eating it, so were weren't done with dinner until sunset.
We watched the sun sink into the western horizon and the beautiful glow it left behind, then went inside where is played dominoes, listened to music and then finally watched a DVD. No fishing tonight for us.
Before I knew it it was already 2:00 a.m. and I hurried off to bed. Another wonderful day at Leech Lake.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
August 9, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (Painting Complete)
I woke up at just before 7:00 a.m. this morning and the house was actually cold. The temperature outside was 55 degrees and the wind was howling at more than 20 mph out of the north. The sky was mostly cloudy, with just a few patches of blue sky here and there. The temperature in the house was a cool 66 degrees. After all of the hot and humid weather of the past month, it felt good to have to put on a sweatshirt.
As the morning approached noon the wind continued to blow at more than 20 mph out of the NNW and white caps rolled across the lake. I went to the boat lift and raised the boat up a little higher because the waves were hitting the bottom of the hull. The flag is standing straight out and the flag pole is bending against the wind.
The forecast called for a thunderstorm this afternoon but it actually cleared as the day moved on. As a result of the weather, it turned out to be a perfect day for me and Joe to complete the painting of the fish-cleaning house and then to the green trim on all three buildings.
The "ATV garage" with new paint
The "bunkhouse" with its new paint job
The "fish-cleaning house" with its new paint
After we were done painting, Joe and I cleaned up, grilled chicken wings for dinner and then just hung out at home. The wind had died down a bit, but was still blowing at 12-17 mph out of the NNW making it too rough to go out trolling tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
A good day's work at Leech Lake.
Monday, August 08, 2011
August 8, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning was cooler than the past several weeks with temperatures in the high 60s most of the morning. It was also breezy with winds out of the west at 8-15 mph, with gusts up over 20 mph. The sky was overcast and gray and it rained on and off. It was the perfect day for Joe and I to go into Bemidji.
We need to get more paint so we can finishing painting the fish-cleaning house and since we're going into town to get more paint I decided we should get another gallon of the green paint we use for the fascia board and trim on the out buildings. I have one gallon left over when we painted the cabin, but I'd hate to run out of it and need more.
While we were in town, Joe and I saw a movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and then had lunch at Mi Rancho. We picked up the paint, got some groceries and then came home.
Once home Joe and I went out onto the dock to survey the weather conditions. It was clear that a storm was on the way and would arrive within the hour. Sure enough, less than 30 minutes later a storm hit. The rain was coming down in sheets, the wind was blowing hard and there was occasional lightning.
A ray of sun shines through the clouds before a storm hit Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
The passed quickly, however, and in an hour the wind had calmed to 5-8 mph out of the west, the skies cleared, although the temperature had dropped to the low 60s.
Joe and I finished dinner, watched the sunset, then decided to go trolling for walleye. Last night Joe piloted the boat, but with the wind a little stronger tonight and the possible threat of another storm blowing through, I took the controls.
I motored the boat off the lift and out into 9 feet of water where we dropped our Minnow Raps into the water. I warned Joe that since a storm had just passed through we were likely to hook big clumps of weeds which had been torn loose from the wind and waves.
Sure enough, we both caught weeds within minutes of starting our troll. But we kept at it and eventually Joe hooked into a fish. At first he thought he'd hooked more weeds, but then he felt that familiar "wiggle" of a fish at the end of the line. Unfortunately, it wasn't a walleye, but a decent sized northern pike. I don't like bringing pike into the boat because of the slime on their bodies and the smell they leave behind, so I unhooked this northern over the side of the boat and immediately released it back into the lake.
We then made one final pass through Duck Bay but all we hooked were more weeds.
We came ashore around 10:00 p.m., watched a DVD then called it a night. We didn't have much time on the water today, but it was still to be out on Leech Lake.
We need to get more paint so we can finishing painting the fish-cleaning house and since we're going into town to get more paint I decided we should get another gallon of the green paint we use for the fascia board and trim on the out buildings. I have one gallon left over when we painted the cabin, but I'd hate to run out of it and need more.
While we were in town, Joe and I saw a movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and then had lunch at Mi Rancho. We picked up the paint, got some groceries and then came home.
Once home Joe and I went out onto the dock to survey the weather conditions. It was clear that a storm was on the way and would arrive within the hour. Sure enough, less than 30 minutes later a storm hit. The rain was coming down in sheets, the wind was blowing hard and there was occasional lightning.
A ray of sun shines through the clouds before a storm hit Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
The passed quickly, however, and in an hour the wind had calmed to 5-8 mph out of the west, the skies cleared, although the temperature had dropped to the low 60s.
Joe and I finished dinner, watched the sunset, then decided to go trolling for walleye. Last night Joe piloted the boat, but with the wind a little stronger tonight and the possible threat of another storm blowing through, I took the controls.
I motored the boat off the lift and out into 9 feet of water where we dropped our Minnow Raps into the water. I warned Joe that since a storm had just passed through we were likely to hook big clumps of weeds which had been torn loose from the wind and waves.
Sure enough, we both caught weeds within minutes of starting our troll. But we kept at it and eventually Joe hooked into a fish. At first he thought he'd hooked more weeds, but then he felt that familiar "wiggle" of a fish at the end of the line. Unfortunately, it wasn't a walleye, but a decent sized northern pike. I don't like bringing pike into the boat because of the slime on their bodies and the smell they leave behind, so I unhooked this northern over the side of the boat and immediately released it back into the lake.
We then made one final pass through Duck Bay but all we hooked were more weeds.
We came ashore around 10:00 p.m., watched a DVD then called it a night. We didn't have much time on the water today, but it was still to be out on Leech Lake.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
August 7, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 10:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was hovering just above 60 degrees, but with the humidity at 80% and virtually no wind, it felt much hotter. The sky was overcast and gray, but as the day went on the clouds parted a bit and some blue sky could be seen.
I checked the walleye that I'd caught the other night to see how healthy it was, and discovered it wasn't doing real well and needed to be filleted immediately. So one of my first chores of the morning was cleaning a nice walleye which Joe and I will eat for dinner tonight.
After getting the fish cleaned, and then cleaning up the fish-cleaning house, I went next door to check on the Coyles. They were already in the process of packing up their car and cleaning up the cabin.
I helped strip the beds and get the laundry going while Sandy swept the floor and Connor vacuumed the carpets.
At 1:15 p.m. Tim, Sandy, Connor and Jackson got into the car and drove off, ending their six day visit. It was nice having them here, Joe and I both enjoy their company, but Joe and I are looking forward to having it just be the two of us up here for the next couple of weeks so we can concentrate on finishing the painting, and on doing some serious fishing. We've got plans to do some bass fishing, trolling for walleye, and doing a full-day trip of muskie fishing.
Shortly before 2:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing. I checked the fatheads only to discover that they had all died. Without fatheads to use as bait on my jig, I switched gears and went bass fishing. I asked Joe if he wanted to accompany me, but he wasn't ready to go out on the water and elected to stay on shore.
I motored over the the reeds just out in front of Norm's cabin, dropped the MinnKota trolling motor into the water, grabbed my Shimano Calcutta reel on the St. Croix Triumph rod rigged with a spinnerbait and started fishing.
I slowly worked my way from Norm's north toward Schiebe's along the edge of the large expanse of reeds that come out of the water. About half way between Norm's and Schiebe's I hooked into a bass. The fish immediately began fighting back in a manner bass fishermen can appreciate and made two leaps into the air before I could boat it. I'm guessing it was a 15-inch fish and had to weigh at least two pounds.
After releasing the beautiful bass back into Leech Lake I continued moving north at a very slow pace. I made numerous casts along the way and had one decent-sized northern pike follow my spinnerbait right up to the boat before turning tail and diving into the algae stained water.
Just before I reached Schiebe's cabin, which I had designated as my end point, I hooked into another bass. This one felt a little bigger than the first one, and like the one I'd caught earlier, this one too made two airborne leaps before I could get it into the boat. Once the largemouth was in the boat I did a quick measurement and found out it was a 16-inch bass, which weighed an estimated 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. A nice fish by any measure.
I continued down to Schiebe's but didn't catch another fish. I slowly motored back to the cabin, got the boat onto the lift, came ashore and had some lunch. At this point in the day, approximately 3:00 p.m., the temperature had warmed to 73 degrees, the wind had shifted and was now blowing out of the SSE at 5-10 mph and the sky remained partly cloudy with some blue to be seen.
Joe was interested in getting a fire started in the fire pit at the cabin, but not in the traditional manner. He wanted to use his magnesium strip, knife and flint to get a small spark of a fire going and then use a smoldering ember to start a bigger fire. Joe likes to practice his wilderness survival skills when he's here at the lake.
While Joe was at the cabin working on his fire, I took a ride on the ATV. When I reached the point on Sucker Bay Road where it's a dirt road I passed by the area where people shoot their guns. It's a plot of land that is kept mowed with a high dirt bank at one end where targets can be set up. Today, my neighbors Marty and his son Anthony were there shooting skeet and taking some target practice with their deer rifles and a revolver.
I stopped the ATV and talked with them for a few minutes when Marty asked me if I'd like to shoot the revolver. I took him up on the opportunity and squeezed off 15 rounds. I only hit the target 6 times because the sight was misaligned and so the gun shot high and to the left. I only figured out how to compensate for it with my last few shots. It was fun, and something I had never done.
I then got on the ATV and rode home. Once home I checked in on Joe and then got dinner going -- the walleye from the other night. We enjoyed a tasty meal of beer-battered walleye fillets, French Fries and salad.
Just as the sun was setting into the western horizon, Joe and I went fishing. Since the wind was calm I had Joe take us out. He lowered the boat lift, got the motor positioned correctly, backed the boat off the lift and then piloted the boat while we trolled Minnow Raps for walleye.
As is usual we focused most of our attention in Duck Bay, but since Joe was driving the boat we tended to fish in slightly deeper water than typical. About an hour into fishing I hooked onto something. Initially it was hard to discern if it was a fish or just a large clump of weeds (many large clumps of weeds have been floating throughout Sucker Bay this summer).
I continued to reel into whatever was on the end of my line and soon it became clear it was fish. Joe put the motor in neutral and got the landing net ready while I continued to reel in the fish. When it was close enough to the boat Joe got the net underneath just as it spit the lure.
We got the fish into the boat and measured it to be a 23-inch walleye, roughly a 4 1/2 pound fish. We admired the beauty of the big fish for a moment or two then I gently released it back into the lake.
That was the only fish we boated, and after nearly two hours on the water we headed home.
We watched a DVD and then called it a night. Another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
I checked the walleye that I'd caught the other night to see how healthy it was, and discovered it wasn't doing real well and needed to be filleted immediately. So one of my first chores of the morning was cleaning a nice walleye which Joe and I will eat for dinner tonight.
After getting the fish cleaned, and then cleaning up the fish-cleaning house, I went next door to check on the Coyles. They were already in the process of packing up their car and cleaning up the cabin.
I helped strip the beds and get the laundry going while Sandy swept the floor and Connor vacuumed the carpets.
At 1:15 p.m. Tim, Sandy, Connor and Jackson got into the car and drove off, ending their six day visit. It was nice having them here, Joe and I both enjoy their company, but Joe and I are looking forward to having it just be the two of us up here for the next couple of weeks so we can concentrate on finishing the painting, and on doing some serious fishing. We've got plans to do some bass fishing, trolling for walleye, and doing a full-day trip of muskie fishing.
Shortly before 2:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing. I checked the fatheads only to discover that they had all died. Without fatheads to use as bait on my jig, I switched gears and went bass fishing. I asked Joe if he wanted to accompany me, but he wasn't ready to go out on the water and elected to stay on shore.
I motored over the the reeds just out in front of Norm's cabin, dropped the MinnKota trolling motor into the water, grabbed my Shimano Calcutta reel on the St. Croix Triumph rod rigged with a spinnerbait and started fishing.
I slowly worked my way from Norm's north toward Schiebe's along the edge of the large expanse of reeds that come out of the water. About half way between Norm's and Schiebe's I hooked into a bass. The fish immediately began fighting back in a manner bass fishermen can appreciate and made two leaps into the air before I could boat it. I'm guessing it was a 15-inch fish and had to weigh at least two pounds.
After releasing the beautiful bass back into Leech Lake I continued moving north at a very slow pace. I made numerous casts along the way and had one decent-sized northern pike follow my spinnerbait right up to the boat before turning tail and diving into the algae stained water.
Just before I reached Schiebe's cabin, which I had designated as my end point, I hooked into another bass. This one felt a little bigger than the first one, and like the one I'd caught earlier, this one too made two airborne leaps before I could get it into the boat. Once the largemouth was in the boat I did a quick measurement and found out it was a 16-inch bass, which weighed an estimated 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. A nice fish by any measure.
I continued down to Schiebe's but didn't catch another fish. I slowly motored back to the cabin, got the boat onto the lift, came ashore and had some lunch. At this point in the day, approximately 3:00 p.m., the temperature had warmed to 73 degrees, the wind had shifted and was now blowing out of the SSE at 5-10 mph and the sky remained partly cloudy with some blue to be seen.
Joe was interested in getting a fire started in the fire pit at the cabin, but not in the traditional manner. He wanted to use his magnesium strip, knife and flint to get a small spark of a fire going and then use a smoldering ember to start a bigger fire. Joe likes to practice his wilderness survival skills when he's here at the lake.
While Joe was at the cabin working on his fire, I took a ride on the ATV. When I reached the point on Sucker Bay Road where it's a dirt road I passed by the area where people shoot their guns. It's a plot of land that is kept mowed with a high dirt bank at one end where targets can be set up. Today, my neighbors Marty and his son Anthony were there shooting skeet and taking some target practice with their deer rifles and a revolver.
I stopped the ATV and talked with them for a few minutes when Marty asked me if I'd like to shoot the revolver. I took him up on the opportunity and squeezed off 15 rounds. I only hit the target 6 times because the sight was misaligned and so the gun shot high and to the left. I only figured out how to compensate for it with my last few shots. It was fun, and something I had never done.
I then got on the ATV and rode home. Once home I checked in on Joe and then got dinner going -- the walleye from the other night. We enjoyed a tasty meal of beer-battered walleye fillets, French Fries and salad.
Just as the sun was setting into the western horizon, Joe and I went fishing. Since the wind was calm I had Joe take us out. He lowered the boat lift, got the motor positioned correctly, backed the boat off the lift and then piloted the boat while we trolled Minnow Raps for walleye.
As is usual we focused most of our attention in Duck Bay, but since Joe was driving the boat we tended to fish in slightly deeper water than typical. About an hour into fishing I hooked onto something. Initially it was hard to discern if it was a fish or just a large clump of weeds (many large clumps of weeds have been floating throughout Sucker Bay this summer).
I continued to reel into whatever was on the end of my line and soon it became clear it was fish. Joe put the motor in neutral and got the landing net ready while I continued to reel in the fish. When it was close enough to the boat Joe got the net underneath just as it spit the lure.
We got the fish into the boat and measured it to be a 23-inch walleye, roughly a 4 1/2 pound fish. We admired the beauty of the big fish for a moment or two then I gently released it back into the lake.
That was the only fish we boated, and after nearly two hours on the water we headed home.
We watched a DVD and then called it a night. Another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
August 6, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning was gray, cool and wet. The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 65 degrees, the sky was gray with intermittent rain falling, the wind was out of the NNE at 5-10 mph. Every now and then the low rumble of thunder could be heard.
As the day progressed, the wind picked up to 10-15 mph out of the north and at times gusted to more than 20 mph. Rain fell for most of the day, and at times quite hard. With the weather less than ideal to take Tim and Jackson out fishing, we elected to stay inside and play liar's dice and watch a movie on DVD.
Then at about 7:00 p.m. everyone fell asleep. Joe was in his room resting. Tim fell asleep on the couch at the house, while Sandy and the boys were next door at the cabin resting. I was the only one who didn't take an early evening siesta.
Eventually everyone woke up and they were all hungry, so we decided to grill some hamburgers. I also made some French fries. The burgers tasted great, even if we were eating them after 10:00 p.m. After we cleaned up we sat around the table and talked for several hours. The Coyles went back to the cabin around 1:00 a.m. and shortly there after I showered and went to bed myself.
We didn't get any fishing in today, but it was still a nice day at Leech Lake.
As the day progressed, the wind picked up to 10-15 mph out of the north and at times gusted to more than 20 mph. Rain fell for most of the day, and at times quite hard. With the weather less than ideal to take Tim and Jackson out fishing, we elected to stay inside and play liar's dice and watch a movie on DVD.
Then at about 7:00 p.m. everyone fell asleep. Joe was in his room resting. Tim fell asleep on the couch at the house, while Sandy and the boys were next door at the cabin resting. I was the only one who didn't take an early evening siesta.
Eventually everyone woke up and they were all hungry, so we decided to grill some hamburgers. I also made some French fries. The burgers tasted great, even if we were eating them after 10:00 p.m. After we cleaned up we sat around the table and talked for several hours. The Coyles went back to the cabin around 1:00 a.m. and shortly there after I showered and went to bed myself.
We didn't get any fishing in today, but it was still a nice day at Leech Lake.
Friday, August 05, 2011
August 5, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning was another beautiful day at Leech Lake. The temperature at 10:00 a.m. 76 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny with some big billowy white clouds, the wind was relatively light at 5-8 mph out of the SSE.
The Coyles had planned on heading home sometime midday today but are having so much fun that they've decided to extend their stay through early Sunday. As a result, Jackson and Tim were anxious to get out on the water and do some fishing.
The clouds today were of particular interest. The were gigantic, bright white and very billowy. They almost looked unreal, like someone had painted them against the blue backdrop of the sky.
Big, white billowy cloud over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake. Big Hardwood Point on the left.
With a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches, Tim, Jackson and I lowered the boat into the water and motored to a spot in 12-feet of water off Second Duck Point; the spot where we'd been catching perch the past few days.
We spent maybe a half an hour jigging fatheads in this previously good spot without so much as a bite. The water was relatively calm, with just small ripples on it from the breeze out of the SSE, so we decided to take a run south of Big Hardwood Point; a spot which in the past has produced good walleye fishing.
The run to that spot took about 10 minutes at 35 mph and soon we were again jigging fatheads in search of walleye or perch. We fished in 17 feet of water, and although we saw huge schools of baitfish, most likely shiners, we couldn't produce one bite. So after 30 minutes of unproductive fishing we motored north to Big Hardwood Point.
I've caught several big walleye and perch off Big Hardwood, including a few walleye in the 25-inch range and jumbo perch over 11 inches. But not today. We fished for probably 45 minutes with only a couple of bites and no boated fish. It was time to move again.
This time I motored the boat to the tip of Ottertail Peninsula, which has in the past been home to big walleye, perch and muskie. The three of us again jigged fathead minnows. About 15 minutes into fishing this spot Jackson caught a small perch; our first fish of the day. Unfortunately, it would be the only fish we could coax into the boat in more than a half an hour at the spot.
Off we went toward Sandy Beach, south of Two Points in Portage Bay. Back in June when Rick was visiting from Australia he and I fished this spot and I caught several perch and a very nice walleye so I had high hopes that this spot would produce something today. We fished for about 40 minutes and had only a couple of nibbles, but no hooked fish.
As our last effort of the day we headed back into Sucker Bay and made our way to Second Duck Point, the first spot we'd fished today some 3 hours previous. We gave our "home" spot about 20 minutes and when it produced no fish, or even bites, we finally gave up and went ashore.
While we had been out fishing, Sandy had driven into Cass Lake and had picked up pizzas at Great River Pizzeria. Since we had plenty of food we invited John Newman to join us. During our dinner of pizza and salad, John told us he'd been out fishing all afternoon as well, in spots we didn't fish such as Submarine Island and other spots on the main part of Leech Lake, and didn't have any success either. He didn't catch one fish. The fish must have taken today off.
As the afternoon wore on, those big white billowy clouds darkened and grew more menacing and by 6:30 p.m. a thunderstorm had developed and moved right over us. It rained extremely hard for about 20 minutes and was accompanied by strong winds, lightning and thunder. Within an hour, however, the storm had passed, the skies cleared and all signs of the treacherous weather were gone.
The storm clouds as they moved south over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
With the lake again relatively calm and the weather stable, we decided to go out trolling in Duck Bay. Tonight, Joe joined Tim, Jackson and I in the boat. Jackson fished the port side of the boat while Joe and I traded off fishing the starboard side. During a southward pass off Second Duck Point I felt that familiar tug of a fish on the line. I quickly gave the rod to Joe who reeled in a very nice 17-inch walleye, which went into the livewell for a future meal.
That one walleye was the only fish we caught during our nighttime troll, and only one of two fish caught all day. Although the fishing wasn't the greatest, we all still had a great time on Leech Lake.
The Coyles had planned on heading home sometime midday today but are having so much fun that they've decided to extend their stay through early Sunday. As a result, Jackson and Tim were anxious to get out on the water and do some fishing.
The clouds today were of particular interest. The were gigantic, bright white and very billowy. They almost looked unreal, like someone had painted them against the blue backdrop of the sky.
Big, white billowy cloud over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake. Big Hardwood Point on the left.
With a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches, Tim, Jackson and I lowered the boat into the water and motored to a spot in 12-feet of water off Second Duck Point; the spot where we'd been catching perch the past few days.
We spent maybe a half an hour jigging fatheads in this previously good spot without so much as a bite. The water was relatively calm, with just small ripples on it from the breeze out of the SSE, so we decided to take a run south of Big Hardwood Point; a spot which in the past has produced good walleye fishing.
The run to that spot took about 10 minutes at 35 mph and soon we were again jigging fatheads in search of walleye or perch. We fished in 17 feet of water, and although we saw huge schools of baitfish, most likely shiners, we couldn't produce one bite. So after 30 minutes of unproductive fishing we motored north to Big Hardwood Point.
I've caught several big walleye and perch off Big Hardwood, including a few walleye in the 25-inch range and jumbo perch over 11 inches. But not today. We fished for probably 45 minutes with only a couple of bites and no boated fish. It was time to move again.
This time I motored the boat to the tip of Ottertail Peninsula, which has in the past been home to big walleye, perch and muskie. The three of us again jigged fathead minnows. About 15 minutes into fishing this spot Jackson caught a small perch; our first fish of the day. Unfortunately, it would be the only fish we could coax into the boat in more than a half an hour at the spot.
Off we went toward Sandy Beach, south of Two Points in Portage Bay. Back in June when Rick was visiting from Australia he and I fished this spot and I caught several perch and a very nice walleye so I had high hopes that this spot would produce something today. We fished for about 40 minutes and had only a couple of nibbles, but no hooked fish.
As our last effort of the day we headed back into Sucker Bay and made our way to Second Duck Point, the first spot we'd fished today some 3 hours previous. We gave our "home" spot about 20 minutes and when it produced no fish, or even bites, we finally gave up and went ashore.
While we had been out fishing, Sandy had driven into Cass Lake and had picked up pizzas at Great River Pizzeria. Since we had plenty of food we invited John Newman to join us. During our dinner of pizza and salad, John told us he'd been out fishing all afternoon as well, in spots we didn't fish such as Submarine Island and other spots on the main part of Leech Lake, and didn't have any success either. He didn't catch one fish. The fish must have taken today off.
As the afternoon wore on, those big white billowy clouds darkened and grew more menacing and by 6:30 p.m. a thunderstorm had developed and moved right over us. It rained extremely hard for about 20 minutes and was accompanied by strong winds, lightning and thunder. Within an hour, however, the storm had passed, the skies cleared and all signs of the treacherous weather were gone.
The storm clouds as they moved south over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
With the lake again relatively calm and the weather stable, we decided to go out trolling in Duck Bay. Tonight, Joe joined Tim, Jackson and I in the boat. Jackson fished the port side of the boat while Joe and I traded off fishing the starboard side. During a southward pass off Second Duck Point I felt that familiar tug of a fish on the line. I quickly gave the rod to Joe who reeled in a very nice 17-inch walleye, which went into the livewell for a future meal.
That one walleye was the only fish we caught during our nighttime troll, and only one of two fish caught all day. Although the fishing wasn't the greatest, we all still had a great time on Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
August 4, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Today was another beautiful day at Leech Lake. This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 74 degrees, the sky was blue and the sun was shining and there was a good wind blowing at 12-15 mph out of the SSW.
Since I was the only one awake, I decided to start painting the fish-cleaning house. I had found a gallon of paint over at the cabin so I thought I'd use that since I only had about a third of gallon from the five gallons I'd purchased earlier in the week.
I got the front part of the fish-cleaning house with the remaining third of a gallon of paint and went to use the unopened can of paint when I realized it was an oil-based stain rather than the latex paint I had been using; although the same color. Rather than mix oil-based and latex on the same building, I decided to wait and buy some more latex-based paint. So the fish-cleaning house will have to sit unpainted until our next trip into Bemidji.
Once the Coyles were up, Tim, Jackson and I decided to go fishing. Joe, Connor and Sandy elected to stay on shore.
We got out onto the water just after 2:00 p.m. and I found that the SW wind to be stronger than I originally expected, blowing at 12-18 mph with gusts up over 20 mph. The sky was sunny and the temperature was close to 80 degrees. The water temperature was 80 degrees.
With swell of 18" to 2 feet I keep the boat moving slowly as we motored out past Second Duck Point into Duck Bay in 10-12 feet of water.
We deployed the drift sock, tipped our jigs with fathead minnows and began fishing. We caught numerous perch during our three hours on the water, but only one 10-inch keeper. Together with the 6 perch caught from the other day, we'll have 7 filleted perch to eat for dinner tonight.
We came back to shore shortly after 5:00 p.m. I cleaned the perch, and then jumped into the lake to cool off and to clean off.
I got the grill started at 7:30 p.m. and then went home to prep the fish for beer-battering. Joe and Sandy prepped the "danger dogs" and brats. We had a very tasty and filling meal of beer-battered perch, brats, danger dogs, salad and fruit.
We decided to stay on shore tonight and play games rather than go trolling. We played several rounds of liar's dice, the set Rick brought over from Australia, which was a lot of fun. Eventually Tim and Sandy made their way back to the cabin while Joe, Connor, Jackson and I watched the new remake of True Grit on DVD.
It was another fun day at Leech Lake. Good night.
Since I was the only one awake, I decided to start painting the fish-cleaning house. I had found a gallon of paint over at the cabin so I thought I'd use that since I only had about a third of gallon from the five gallons I'd purchased earlier in the week.
I got the front part of the fish-cleaning house with the remaining third of a gallon of paint and went to use the unopened can of paint when I realized it was an oil-based stain rather than the latex paint I had been using; although the same color. Rather than mix oil-based and latex on the same building, I decided to wait and buy some more latex-based paint. So the fish-cleaning house will have to sit unpainted until our next trip into Bemidji.
Once the Coyles were up, Tim, Jackson and I decided to go fishing. Joe, Connor and Sandy elected to stay on shore.
We got out onto the water just after 2:00 p.m. and I found that the SW wind to be stronger than I originally expected, blowing at 12-18 mph with gusts up over 20 mph. The sky was sunny and the temperature was close to 80 degrees. The water temperature was 80 degrees.
With swell of 18" to 2 feet I keep the boat moving slowly as we motored out past Second Duck Point into Duck Bay in 10-12 feet of water.
We deployed the drift sock, tipped our jigs with fathead minnows and began fishing. We caught numerous perch during our three hours on the water, but only one 10-inch keeper. Together with the 6 perch caught from the other day, we'll have 7 filleted perch to eat for dinner tonight.
We came back to shore shortly after 5:00 p.m. I cleaned the perch, and then jumped into the lake to cool off and to clean off.
I got the grill started at 7:30 p.m. and then went home to prep the fish for beer-battering. Joe and Sandy prepped the "danger dogs" and brats. We had a very tasty and filling meal of beer-battered perch, brats, danger dogs, salad and fruit.
We decided to stay on shore tonight and play games rather than go trolling. We played several rounds of liar's dice, the set Rick brought over from Australia, which was a lot of fun. Eventually Tim and Sandy made their way back to the cabin while Joe, Connor, Jackson and I watched the new remake of True Grit on DVD.
It was another fun day at Leech Lake. Good night.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
August 3, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I woke up this morning at 9:00 a.m. to a perfectly clear blue sky, a light breeze from the SW at 5 mph, a temperature of 76 degrees and humidity at 80%. A wonderful Leech Lake morning.
I walked over to the cabin and moved the fatheads from the aerated bucket by the garage to a minnow bucket I could put in the lake. With the fatheads recharging in lake water I started back to the garage when I encountered Tim Coyle coming out of the cabin. The rest of his family was still sleeping, as was Joe back at the house, so I suggested that the two of us go fishing.
We got the minnows into the boat, lowered the boat into the water and slowly motored out past Second Duck Point to a spot in 12 feet of water. I got the drift sock in the water just to keep the boat from turning in the breeze, Tim and I tipped our jigs with minnows and began fishing.
It wasn't too long before I caught a perch. Then Tim caught one. And soon we'd caught numerous perch including three jumbo perch which we kept and added to the live well.
After about 1 1/2 hours on the water we came ashore. Tim went to the cabin to get something to eat and see his family, while I went home, where I cooked Joe and I a hearty breakfast.
At 1:30 p.m., Joe, Jackson, Tim and I went out fishing for perch. Again I motored the boat out past Second Duck Point in 12 feet of water and deployed the drift sock. All four of us put a fathead minnow on a jig and began fishing. During the next 2 1/2 hours we made several drifts and caught numerous perch, but only three jumbos big enough to keep; bringing our total to six perch for the day.
When we got back on shore we found that Sandy had prepared a wonderful lasagna dinner, complete with fresh garden salad and garlic bread. It was very tasty.
Just before sunset, Jackson, Tim and I went out onto the water to do some trolling for walleye. While we were on the water, Joe was to clean the perch that we caught earlier in the day.
The water temperature was 80 degrees, the air temperature was around 70 degrees, the wind was out of the SSW at 8-10 mph and the sky was almost completely clear, with just a few wispy clouds on the western horizon. It was so clear, in fact, that after sunset when the sky was dark enough, we could easily see the Milky Way while on the water trolling.
Jackson used my trolling rod while I set up Tim with Joe's. Both were pulling #9 Rapala Minnow Raps -- Jackson had a perch colored lure while Tim's was purpledescent.
There is a lot of new weed growth in Sucker Bay, so to avoid getting hung up on the weeds, we trolled from Second Duck Point south toward Duck Point in 10-12 feet of water.
On our second pass through Duck Bay Jackson hooked into a very nice 22 1/2 walleye. We took a picture of it on his phone since it was the biggest walleye he'd ever caught. On the very next pass Jackson hooked an 18-inch walleye that was just a tad too big to keep since it clearly measured 18 inches which put it in the Leech Lake slot limit. So like the 22 1/2-inch walleye before, the 18-inch fish went back into the lake.
We came ashore at 10:30 p.m. and I checked with Joe to see if he'd cleaned the perch. Unfortunately he had an accident with my custom-made Leech Lake fillet knife, and had broken off the tip of the knife. Luckily Joe didn't cut himself, but it was unfortunate that the knife was damaged since it was not only a very nice knife, but a gift to me from Kathleen.
The knife wasn't damaged enough to where I couldn't use it, however, so I ended up cleaning five of the perch. I'm hoping we can add another few perch or a small, eater walleye to the mix so we can have a nice fish dinner tomorrow night.
After cleaning the fish, I cleaned myself --in the shower. Being on the water three different times throughout the day, as well as handled dozens of fish and bait fish, and cleaning the perch, required that I clean off. It felt great.
Joe and I then talked to Kathleen on the phone for a while, listened to some music and watched a DVD before heading off to bed. It was day spent mostly fishing on Leech Lake, which meant it was a great day.
Good night from Leech Lake.
I walked over to the cabin and moved the fatheads from the aerated bucket by the garage to a minnow bucket I could put in the lake. With the fatheads recharging in lake water I started back to the garage when I encountered Tim Coyle coming out of the cabin. The rest of his family was still sleeping, as was Joe back at the house, so I suggested that the two of us go fishing.
We got the minnows into the boat, lowered the boat into the water and slowly motored out past Second Duck Point to a spot in 12 feet of water. I got the drift sock in the water just to keep the boat from turning in the breeze, Tim and I tipped our jigs with minnows and began fishing.
It wasn't too long before I caught a perch. Then Tim caught one. And soon we'd caught numerous perch including three jumbo perch which we kept and added to the live well.
After about 1 1/2 hours on the water we came ashore. Tim went to the cabin to get something to eat and see his family, while I went home, where I cooked Joe and I a hearty breakfast.
At 1:30 p.m., Joe, Jackson, Tim and I went out fishing for perch. Again I motored the boat out past Second Duck Point in 12 feet of water and deployed the drift sock. All four of us put a fathead minnow on a jig and began fishing. During the next 2 1/2 hours we made several drifts and caught numerous perch, but only three jumbos big enough to keep; bringing our total to six perch for the day.
When we got back on shore we found that Sandy had prepared a wonderful lasagna dinner, complete with fresh garden salad and garlic bread. It was very tasty.
Just before sunset, Jackson, Tim and I went out onto the water to do some trolling for walleye. While we were on the water, Joe was to clean the perch that we caught earlier in the day.
The water temperature was 80 degrees, the air temperature was around 70 degrees, the wind was out of the SSW at 8-10 mph and the sky was almost completely clear, with just a few wispy clouds on the western horizon. It was so clear, in fact, that after sunset when the sky was dark enough, we could easily see the Milky Way while on the water trolling.
Jackson used my trolling rod while I set up Tim with Joe's. Both were pulling #9 Rapala Minnow Raps -- Jackson had a perch colored lure while Tim's was purpledescent.
There is a lot of new weed growth in Sucker Bay, so to avoid getting hung up on the weeds, we trolled from Second Duck Point south toward Duck Point in 10-12 feet of water.
On our second pass through Duck Bay Jackson hooked into a very nice 22 1/2 walleye. We took a picture of it on his phone since it was the biggest walleye he'd ever caught. On the very next pass Jackson hooked an 18-inch walleye that was just a tad too big to keep since it clearly measured 18 inches which put it in the Leech Lake slot limit. So like the 22 1/2-inch walleye before, the 18-inch fish went back into the lake.
We came ashore at 10:30 p.m. and I checked with Joe to see if he'd cleaned the perch. Unfortunately he had an accident with my custom-made Leech Lake fillet knife, and had broken off the tip of the knife. Luckily Joe didn't cut himself, but it was unfortunate that the knife was damaged since it was not only a very nice knife, but a gift to me from Kathleen.
The knife wasn't damaged enough to where I couldn't use it, however, so I ended up cleaning five of the perch. I'm hoping we can add another few perch or a small, eater walleye to the mix so we can have a nice fish dinner tomorrow night.
After cleaning the fish, I cleaned myself --in the shower. Being on the water three different times throughout the day, as well as handled dozens of fish and bait fish, and cleaning the perch, required that I clean off. It felt great.
Joe and I then talked to Kathleen on the phone for a while, listened to some music and watched a DVD before heading off to bed. It was day spent mostly fishing on Leech Lake, which meant it was a great day.
Good night from Leech Lake.
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