From the phone message I received yesterday from Lake Country Power I didn't expect to have electricity from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. this morning. All morning long I went about my business of closing up the house and cabin before leaving for the airport at 11:15 a.m., the whole time waiting for the power to go out. But so far (at 9:35 a.m.) it's still on.
The temperature at Leech Lake this morning at 8:00 a.m. was 35 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NNE.
By 8:30 a.m. I was going about the various tasks that I perform before I leave the lake. I gathered up the garbage and took it down to the waste and recycling center at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, then stored the truck in the cabin garage for the winter. I closed up the cabin and set the security alarm. I did several other little chores required for closing up the places before I leave. It'll be a long, cold winter on the shores of Leech Lake and the properties need to be secured.
At 10:00 a.m. the electricity was still on, and I have to believe that at this point Lake Country Power isn't going to be cutting off our power. That enabled me to finish up some of the tasks that require water, such as cleaning the bathroom, since our well pump is powered by electricity. At this point I've pretty much got everything in order and think I'll take one last quick walk in the woods.
After my walk in the woods I went out and sat at the end of the dock for a while. There were a couple of loons right in front of me, most likely a mated pair, diving for fish then resurfacing a little distance away.
It is now 11:00 a.m. The Malays will be here in a matter of 15 minutes or so, so I need to sign off and shut down the computer. Goodbye from Leech Lake.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
October 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
Today is my final full day at Leech Lake for this visit, which means most likely my final day at Leech Lake in 2011.
It was cold again this morning, 31 degrees at 9:00 a.m., but there was little to no wind. It was sunny out, but the sky was filled with high clouds. As the morning progressed, a fog or haze settled in over the lake, but by noon it had burned off as the temperature increased to 43 degrees.
John took his small boat out for about an hour, but I decided to stay inside and focus my time on cleaning the house. The fireplace had to be cleaned out and vacuumed, the floors throughout the house needed to be vacuumed, the bed linens needed to be washed, the refrigerator needed to be cleaned out, and dozens of other little chores required my attention.
About 3:00 p.m. I did meet up with John and we stored his small 14-foot boat in the garage at the cabin. I doubled checked to make sure I could easily park the truck in the garage, and there was plenty of room for the truck and the boat. John's bigger boat, or my Lund, couldn't fit in the garage while the truck was in it too, but a small boat like the "Blue Fin" fit fine.
I paced myself and did numerous chores throughout the course of the day. I also made time for a walk in the woods which evolved into a walk down to Paulsens' and back. In all, about a 3-mile trek. It felt great and I actually got a bit hot with a sweatshirt on. The temperature had risen to 45 degrees, there was no wind or even breeze, and it was sunny despite some very high, wispy clouds.
About an hour before sunset I decided to take another walk in the woods. I love being here on Ottertail Peninsula, be it in our woods hiking the trails, out on Leech Lake fishing or boating, or just sitting in our living room looking at the lake. But the beauty of the sight and smell of the woods in the Fall I find particularly enjoyable.
I tried to keep things simple and finish off the little food I have left rather than make a big dinner. I still have a few more areas to clean, but I'll attend to those in the morning.
As for this blog, this will be my final post that chronicles this visit. Normally I like to make one final post on the day I'm leaving, but tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lake Country Power will be shutting off the electricity to this area so they can perform some routine maintenance, which means that most of the time leading up to my departure -- at 11:15 a.m. -- will be spent with no power. What little time I do have left with electricity will be spent closing up the house and cabin, such as setting the thermostats, the security alarms, shutting off the well pump, etc.
So let me say goodnight and goodbye from Leech Lake. I'm sure I'll write some follow-up posts with some of the pictures I took during this visit, but I won't be writing from the shores of Leech Lake until sometime next year; most likely around Walleye Opener in May.
So long...
It was cold again this morning, 31 degrees at 9:00 a.m., but there was little to no wind. It was sunny out, but the sky was filled with high clouds. As the morning progressed, a fog or haze settled in over the lake, but by noon it had burned off as the temperature increased to 43 degrees.
John took his small boat out for about an hour, but I decided to stay inside and focus my time on cleaning the house. The fireplace had to be cleaned out and vacuumed, the floors throughout the house needed to be vacuumed, the bed linens needed to be washed, the refrigerator needed to be cleaned out, and dozens of other little chores required my attention.
About 3:00 p.m. I did meet up with John and we stored his small 14-foot boat in the garage at the cabin. I doubled checked to make sure I could easily park the truck in the garage, and there was plenty of room for the truck and the boat. John's bigger boat, or my Lund, couldn't fit in the garage while the truck was in it too, but a small boat like the "Blue Fin" fit fine.
I paced myself and did numerous chores throughout the course of the day. I also made time for a walk in the woods which evolved into a walk down to Paulsens' and back. In all, about a 3-mile trek. It felt great and I actually got a bit hot with a sweatshirt on. The temperature had risen to 45 degrees, there was no wind or even breeze, and it was sunny despite some very high, wispy clouds.
About an hour before sunset I decided to take another walk in the woods. I love being here on Ottertail Peninsula, be it in our woods hiking the trails, out on Leech Lake fishing or boating, or just sitting in our living room looking at the lake. But the beauty of the sight and smell of the woods in the Fall I find particularly enjoyable.
I tried to keep things simple and finish off the little food I have left rather than make a big dinner. I still have a few more areas to clean, but I'll attend to those in the morning.
As for this blog, this will be my final post that chronicles this visit. Normally I like to make one final post on the day I'm leaving, but tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lake Country Power will be shutting off the electricity to this area so they can perform some routine maintenance, which means that most of the time leading up to my departure -- at 11:15 a.m. -- will be spent with no power. What little time I do have left with electricity will be spent closing up the house and cabin, such as setting the thermostats, the security alarms, shutting off the well pump, etc.
So let me say goodnight and goodbye from Leech Lake. I'm sure I'll write some follow-up posts with some of the pictures I took during this visit, but I won't be writing from the shores of Leech Lake until sometime next year; most likely around Walleye Opener in May.
So long...
Sunday, October 23, 2011
October 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 38 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the WSW and the sky was overcast and grey with a light rain falling.
I puttered around the house this morning, making coffee, checking ESPN.com for sports scores, and calling my parents to see how they were doing. Then around 11:00 a.m. I got a call from John Newman asking if I wanted to join him on the water for a little fishing.
With a light, cold rain falling, temperatures hovering around 40 degrees and the wind at 8-12 mph out of the SW most people would have been content to stay inside their warm, dry houses sipping coffee and reading the Sunday paper, but I donned my Cabela's Guidewear rain gear and walked out to the end of my dock.
John was already on the water fishing, and if fact was directly in front of my house, so he easily spotted me and then brought the boat to the end of the dock where I got in. We then motored out to 11 feet of 47-degree water in front of John's cabin and let the wind push the boat toward shore and north toward Malay's.
On our very first pass something hit my jig and minnow hard and bit it right off. I tied on a new jig, tipped it with a fresh minnow and continued fishing. We had a few bites, but were unable to boat any perch or walleye.
We made a total of four passes and during one of them John hooked into a nice perch, which he added to his total of jumbos in the basket, and I caught a whitefish, which I kept and will deliver to my neighbor Ken Lichttenegger who nets whitefish and then smokes them in a smokehouse. Ken gave me one of his smoked whitefish last year and I shared it with my brother-in-law Tim and my nephew Jackson and all three of us loved it.
We came ashore at 1:20 p.m. at which time I ate a very late brunch, cleaned up a bit and then I took the whitefish down to Lichttenegger's. Well, it turns out that my whitefish was really a cisco, also known as a tullibee. Although they look similar to whitefish the way you can tell the difference, so I learned, is that the tullibee has a longer lower jaw while the whitefish has a longer top jaw. As a result, the fish went back into the lake.
After visiting with Ken for a bit I drove the ATV over to Newman's where he was talking with Tom Malay. John had purchased Tom's old 14-foot aluminum boat and Tom was there delivering the boat. The three of talked for a while then Tom went home. John asked if I wanted to go with him for a brief fishing adventure in his new small boat and I quickly agreed. I went home, cleaned up the kitchen, then met John at his boat lift at 3:30 p.m.
We made several passes from 11 feet of water to as little as 7 feet of water but neither John nor I got as much as a bite. Well, that's not true, right at the end of our 90 minutes on the water John got a bite from a perch but it came off before he could get it to the boat. At least the weather had improved. Gone was the rain, the sky was clear and sunny, although the wind had picked up a bit and was blowing at 10-15 mph from the WSW. The temperature was 54 degrees.
We came ashore at 5:15 p.m. and parted ways. John was going to haul his big boat into Bemidji where he'll leave it for the winter while I came home to have an early dinner.
I spent the evening listening to music and having a roaring fire in the fireplace. At about 9:00 p.m. I did put on a sweatshirt and went out to the end of the dock to look at the stars. The sky was clear and I could see the bright white band of the Milky Way stretching across the sky, I could see the planet Uranus as it rose in the eastern sky and I could see millions of stars. What a wonderful treat it is to be able to really see the night sky. In San Jose there is simply too much light pollution to see anything more than the moon and a few of the brightest stars.
Although my fishing experience was not all that successful today, I still had a fantastic day on, and near, Leech Lake.
I puttered around the house this morning, making coffee, checking ESPN.com for sports scores, and calling my parents to see how they were doing. Then around 11:00 a.m. I got a call from John Newman asking if I wanted to join him on the water for a little fishing.
With a light, cold rain falling, temperatures hovering around 40 degrees and the wind at 8-12 mph out of the SW most people would have been content to stay inside their warm, dry houses sipping coffee and reading the Sunday paper, but I donned my Cabela's Guidewear rain gear and walked out to the end of my dock.
John was already on the water fishing, and if fact was directly in front of my house, so he easily spotted me and then brought the boat to the end of the dock where I got in. We then motored out to 11 feet of 47-degree water in front of John's cabin and let the wind push the boat toward shore and north toward Malay's.
On our very first pass something hit my jig and minnow hard and bit it right off. I tied on a new jig, tipped it with a fresh minnow and continued fishing. We had a few bites, but were unable to boat any perch or walleye.
We made a total of four passes and during one of them John hooked into a nice perch, which he added to his total of jumbos in the basket, and I caught a whitefish, which I kept and will deliver to my neighbor Ken Lichttenegger who nets whitefish and then smokes them in a smokehouse. Ken gave me one of his smoked whitefish last year and I shared it with my brother-in-law Tim and my nephew Jackson and all three of us loved it.
We came ashore at 1:20 p.m. at which time I ate a very late brunch, cleaned up a bit and then I took the whitefish down to Lichttenegger's. Well, it turns out that my whitefish was really a cisco, also known as a tullibee. Although they look similar to whitefish the way you can tell the difference, so I learned, is that the tullibee has a longer lower jaw while the whitefish has a longer top jaw. As a result, the fish went back into the lake.
After visiting with Ken for a bit I drove the ATV over to Newman's where he was talking with Tom Malay. John had purchased Tom's old 14-foot aluminum boat and Tom was there delivering the boat. The three of talked for a while then Tom went home. John asked if I wanted to go with him for a brief fishing adventure in his new small boat and I quickly agreed. I went home, cleaned up the kitchen, then met John at his boat lift at 3:30 p.m.
We made several passes from 11 feet of water to as little as 7 feet of water but neither John nor I got as much as a bite. Well, that's not true, right at the end of our 90 minutes on the water John got a bite from a perch but it came off before he could get it to the boat. At least the weather had improved. Gone was the rain, the sky was clear and sunny, although the wind had picked up a bit and was blowing at 10-15 mph from the WSW. The temperature was 54 degrees.
We came ashore at 5:15 p.m. and parted ways. John was going to haul his big boat into Bemidji where he'll leave it for the winter while I came home to have an early dinner.
I spent the evening listening to music and having a roaring fire in the fireplace. At about 9:00 p.m. I did put on a sweatshirt and went out to the end of the dock to look at the stars. The sky was clear and I could see the bright white band of the Milky Way stretching across the sky, I could see the planet Uranus as it rose in the eastern sky and I could see millions of stars. What a wonderful treat it is to be able to really see the night sky. In San Jose there is simply too much light pollution to see anything more than the moon and a few of the brightest stars.
Although my fishing experience was not all that successful today, I still had a fantastic day on, and near, Leech Lake.
Fall 2011 Nature Update
I often insert "Nature Updates" into my regular posts, but thought I'd try something a little different this time and combine them into one post. Here are some of the interesting wildlife sightings I've had during my recent stay.
* This is typically the time of year when I see mink running around near the harbor and this year was no exception. I've seen several mink frolicking near the harbor, darting in and out of tiny spaces between rocks and boulders and swimming along the shoreline. They are long and lean, ideally shaped for squeezing into tiny places to hide from predators. And of course their luxurious coats protect them from the cold water while swimming in search of food. I really enjoy watching their antics along the shoreline.
* While I've not seen them in the act, the evidence of skunks is obvious throughout my yard. In the Fall skunks will often root for grubs which live a few inches under the grass. I've discovered dozens of small, shallow holes in the yard where skunk have been hunting their prey.
* Whitetail deer are abundant in this part of the country and I've seen dozens of deer while driving Sucker Bay and West Shores Roads. Deer hunting season begins in this part of Minnesota the first weekend of November, and tens of thousands of hunters will sit quickly in stands all over the northwoods hoping to take a deer. Among those that will be hunting are many of my neighbors, including John Newman's son Greg, the former owner of my house Clancy T., Dick Schiebe, Rome Von Rossum and many others.
* Loons are among the last birds to leave Leech Lake and fly south. In addition, many loons from Canadian lakes that are making their way south stop at Leech Lake to rest and feed before their long journey south to Florida, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. While I'm on the water fishing, or just working outside in the yard, the calls of the loons fill the Autumn air.
* The animals I come into contact with the most at Leech Lake are fish. During my brief Autumn visit to Leech Lake I've handled walleye, pike, perch, and of course, fathead minnows. I have not targeted muskie, bass or crappie, nor have I unintentionally hooked an eelpout. But for sheer numbers, fish, and particularly perch, are the animal I encounter most often.
* By far the most amazing and spectacular wildlife sighting this trip was my viewing of a bald eagle. I was sitting in our living room, which has floor to ceiling windows, talking on the phone and looking out toward the harbor. Out of the sky came an eagle -- talons extended, head held high, swooping down through the trees and plucking something (a fish?) out of the harbor. This took place no more than 50 feet in front of me. I had a prime view of a master predator, a giant flying raptor, doing what it does best -- hunting.
When I next return to Leech Lake, be it in the winter for some hard-water angling or next May around the 2012 Walleye Opener, there will be more wildlife to see and enjoy. That's one of the many benefits to spending time in this northwoods paradise.
* This is typically the time of year when I see mink running around near the harbor and this year was no exception. I've seen several mink frolicking near the harbor, darting in and out of tiny spaces between rocks and boulders and swimming along the shoreline. They are long and lean, ideally shaped for squeezing into tiny places to hide from predators. And of course their luxurious coats protect them from the cold water while swimming in search of food. I really enjoy watching their antics along the shoreline.
* While I've not seen them in the act, the evidence of skunks is obvious throughout my yard. In the Fall skunks will often root for grubs which live a few inches under the grass. I've discovered dozens of small, shallow holes in the yard where skunk have been hunting their prey.
* Whitetail deer are abundant in this part of the country and I've seen dozens of deer while driving Sucker Bay and West Shores Roads. Deer hunting season begins in this part of Minnesota the first weekend of November, and tens of thousands of hunters will sit quickly in stands all over the northwoods hoping to take a deer. Among those that will be hunting are many of my neighbors, including John Newman's son Greg, the former owner of my house Clancy T., Dick Schiebe, Rome Von Rossum and many others.
* Loons are among the last birds to leave Leech Lake and fly south. In addition, many loons from Canadian lakes that are making their way south stop at Leech Lake to rest and feed before their long journey south to Florida, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. While I'm on the water fishing, or just working outside in the yard, the calls of the loons fill the Autumn air.
* The animals I come into contact with the most at Leech Lake are fish. During my brief Autumn visit to Leech Lake I've handled walleye, pike, perch, and of course, fathead minnows. I have not targeted muskie, bass or crappie, nor have I unintentionally hooked an eelpout. But for sheer numbers, fish, and particularly perch, are the animal I encounter most often.
* By far the most amazing and spectacular wildlife sighting this trip was my viewing of a bald eagle. I was sitting in our living room, which has floor to ceiling windows, talking on the phone and looking out toward the harbor. Out of the sky came an eagle -- talons extended, head held high, swooping down through the trees and plucking something (a fish?) out of the harbor. This took place no more than 50 feet in front of me. I had a prime view of a master predator, a giant flying raptor, doing what it does best -- hunting.
When I next return to Leech Lake, be it in the winter for some hard-water angling or next May around the 2012 Walleye Opener, there will be more wildlife to see and enjoy. That's one of the many benefits to spending time in this northwoods paradise.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
October 22, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
A cold October morning, looking north from our dock on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
This morning was beautiful, calm, clear and cold. The temperature at 8:15 a.m. was 26 degrees, the water was so calm it looked like glass reflecting the clear, pale blue and yellow sky, and the wind was nearly nonexistent. This is the most calm and peaceful Leech Lake has looked since my arrival on October 6.
As I cleaned up the kitchen and made coffee I spotted John Newman in his boat directly in front of our house. I could see he was using a slip-bobber rig most likely tipped with a fathead. Last night when we parted ways he said his plan was to "putter" around the house before joining up with me for a mid-morning fishing trip. I guess part of his puttering included some fishing.
I saw John pull his boat into his harbor around 10:30 a.m. Shortly thereafter I received a call from John asking if I wanted to go fishing at 11:15 a.m. I said yes, and met John at his boat lift at the appointed time. In hand I had a spinning rod/reel set up with a slip-bobber and another spinning rod/reel for jigging.
We made our way out to 9-10 feet of water in front of our cabins and joined six other boats fishing the same area. With little to no wind, the conditions were perfect for using a slip-bobber rig tipped with a fathead. We fished in this general area for nearly an hour and the only fish we saw was a northern that chased my minnow all the way to the boat while I was reeling in. The northern, by the way, snapped at the minnow and bit it off just as I was lifting the hook from the water.
Eventually we made our way north to The Birches, but again had no luck. I hooked a small perch that got off, and I don't believe John had a single bite. Finally at 1:15 p.m. we came ashore. We vowed to try again and decided to reconvene at John's boat lift at 2:30 p.m.
During the break in fishing I came home and made Cole slaw for tonight's dinner at John's cabin. I'm also slow-cooking a rack of pork ribs and I've got some chicken wings marinating. The dinner will be rounded out with a bag of crinkle-cut French fries and a cold, malted beverage or two.
At 2:30 p.m. I made my way back to John's boat lift. I didn't see him right away as he was coming down his driveway returning from a walk in the woods with his new puppy Bernard. Eventually the dog was put in the house and we motored our way out to 10 feet of water off Second Duck Point. The water temperature was 47 degrees, while the air temperature was a very pleasant 55 degrees. The wind, more like a light breeze, was out of the SSE at maybe 5 mph. Just enough to push the boat on a slow drift northward out into Sucker Bay.
We tipped our jigs with fathead minnows and set about our business of catching some jumbo perch. The bite was slow and it took us more than two hours to boat four very nice jumbo perch which went into the live well in John's boat; we each caught two.
Just before 5:00 p.m. we came ashore and agreed to meet for our dinner feast sometime after 6:00 p.m.
While I was making some final dinner preparations I turned on A Prairie Home Companion which I love to listen to on Saturday evenings when I'm in northern Minnesota. And for some odd reason, Garrison Keillor read The News From Lake Wobegon before 6:00 p.m. (he usually reads it around 6:40 p.m.) which enabled me to hear my favorite part of the program and still make it to Newman's shortly after 6:00 p.m.
John already had the coals started so it was only a short time before the marinated chicken wings went onto the grill. The Cole slaw was already prepared, so all that was left to do is start the French fries and put the already cooked ribs on the grill for just a little bit of that BBQ flavor.
We had a very pleasant dinner, then retired out the to garage for a little music and conversation. During our time in John's "man cave," I followed the Michigan State (#16) vs. Wisconsin (#6) football game on my Droid X2 smartphone.
Michigan State had a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter, but Wisconsin rallied for two TDs to tie the game with under two minutes to go. The Spartans managed to drive to the Badgers' 44-yard line with just 4 seconds to go in regulation. MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone where it bounced off a Michigan State receiver and was caught by another MSU receiver right at the goal line. The on-the-field call was no TD, that the receiver had been stopped just shy of the goal line. But on further review by instant replay it was determined the ball had "crossed the plane" and MSU was awarded six points and the win -- 37-31! It is the second straight year Michigan State has defeated the undefeated and ranked in the Top Ten Badgers. So far this year the Spartans have beaten Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. No easy feat! [Note: One other oddity of the game, Michigan State committed NO penalties during the entire game.]
After the game, and a good time with John, I made my way home. I wasn't really tired so I stayed up and watched The Wolfman, the old Universal Studios classic with Lon Chaney Jr. Finally I called it a night and got ready for bed.
If the weather permits, John and I will go out fishing one last time before he pulls his boat out of the water for the season. In addition, I'll spend some time blowing leaves off the yard at the cabin. Then the remainder of my stay on Sunday and Monday will be devoted to cleaning up the house before I go back to California on Tuesday.
Good night from Leech Lake...
Friday, October 21, 2011
October 21, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 7:17 a.m. I heard something not natural to the sounds of the northwoods. It was the sound of large truck, and it was coming from the cabin. I looked outside, it was still dark with the sun not yet up over the forest in the east, and could see the Ferrell Gas truck next door delivering propane to our cabin. About 10 minutes later the truck rumbled down our driveway and filled the propane tank here at the house. Content with the situation, I went back to bed for another hour of rest.
When I next checked the weather, at 9:00 a.m., the temperature was a chilly 30 degrees, the sky was mostly clear and the wind was out of the south at 5-10 mph. The forecast was for a beautiful Fall day here in the northwoods and at that time in the morning it looked like the forecast might be right.
Spent a few hours doing some consulting work, and then took a break shortly before noon to check on the work my neighbor John Newman and our mutual friend Clarence T. (from whom I bought our house on Leech Lake) were doing back on the deer stands on our collective properties. For the past several years Clancy, John and John's son Greg have been using a deer stand on my property and another stand in John's part of the woods to hunt whitetail deer. Last year Clancy bagged a 10-point buck on my property. This year everyone is hoping Greg will finally get his first deer.
To get back into the woods I fired up my Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV and drove it out of one of our out buildings, down the driveway and across W. Shores Rd. and into the woods. I have 17.5 acres of wooded land, John Newman and Norm Hansen have similar plots of land, so together we have more than 50 acres of prime northern woods. Our collective properties then abut land from the Chippewa National Forest and the Bowstring State Forest, giving us access to hundreds of acres of woodlands populated with maples, ash, ironwood, basswood and a few oaks. There are also some stands of white pine and sections full of birch trees, which when taken together provide outstanding habitat for not only deer, but for grouse as well. Good hunting in the woods; great fishing in the lake. This is a sportsman's paradise!
I came across John and Clancy as they were coming out of the woods. Most of their minor repair work to the deer stands had been complete, and so they were heading back to John's cabin. We chatted for a while in the woods, then all of us headed back home. Once home, I ate some lunch and the got out the Toro leaf blower and set about clearing the leaves off the road-side of the house.
I've said it before and I'll say it again now, this is a chore that always takes longer than I originally estimate. Today, I spent from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. clearing the leaves and I still have a bit more to do. I stopped when I did because John came over to invite me to an early dinner of freshly cooked roast beef sandwiches, home made potato salad and a variety of malted beverages. I was thoroughly tired of clearing leaves, so I gladly put away the leaf blower and made my way to John's cabin.
John, Clancy and I spent the next hour and a half eating, telling tall tales and enjoying being on the shores of Leech Lake. With the table cleared and the food put away, Clancy headed down to visit a friend of his on Ottertail Peninsula while I made my way home to get ready for a late afternoon, early evening, fishing session with John.
I took with me my spinning rod/reel rigged with a 1/4-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig and my baitcasting rod/reel with a Rapala Minnow Rap tied on for trolling. At the time we motored out of John's harbor, around 5;15 p.m., there were nine boats set up in front of our cabins. Rather than join the flotilla we instead went a bit further north toward Malay's cabin.
With the wind coming out of the NNW at 10-12 mph the boat was pushed toward shore and south toward our cabins. We made several passes through this general area during which I caught a medium-sized northern pike, which bit off my jig right at the side of the boat as I tried to land it, and John caught one nice jumbo perch, probably 11-inches long. Those were the only two fish we caught during the drifting portion of the trip.
After sunset, which occurred around 6:15 p.m., we switched tactics and started trolling. We trolled to the middle of Duck Bay in 8-10 feet of water, and then turned and headed north toward our cabins. The hour-long venture yielded no fish, and only one hit -- something hit my Minnow Rap but didn't get hooked. At this point John wanted to come ashore so he could let the Newman's new puppy, Bernard, out of the kennel so he could go outside.
Once on shore I made my way home, had a frozen pizza for dinner (after all it was Friday night) and then settle in front of the fireplace with a warm, roaring fire. I listened to some relaxing old jazz records on the turntable, did some writing and eventually went to bed well after midnight.
Although I caught only one pike today, it was great to be out fishing on Leech Lake. Since I leave on Tuesday, and since John is pulling his boat out of the water on Sunday, I may only get one, possibly two, days of fishing before I have to fly back to California. At that point, my next time on the lake will most likely be in May 2012 when I return to put the boat back into the water. Of course there is a slight chance of a winter visit which would enable me to get onto the hard water for some ice fishing; something I haven't had the pleasure of doing in several years now.
Good night from Leech Lake.
When I next checked the weather, at 9:00 a.m., the temperature was a chilly 30 degrees, the sky was mostly clear and the wind was out of the south at 5-10 mph. The forecast was for a beautiful Fall day here in the northwoods and at that time in the morning it looked like the forecast might be right.
Spent a few hours doing some consulting work, and then took a break shortly before noon to check on the work my neighbor John Newman and our mutual friend Clarence T. (from whom I bought our house on Leech Lake) were doing back on the deer stands on our collective properties. For the past several years Clancy, John and John's son Greg have been using a deer stand on my property and another stand in John's part of the woods to hunt whitetail deer. Last year Clancy bagged a 10-point buck on my property. This year everyone is hoping Greg will finally get his first deer.
To get back into the woods I fired up my Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV and drove it out of one of our out buildings, down the driveway and across W. Shores Rd. and into the woods. I have 17.5 acres of wooded land, John Newman and Norm Hansen have similar plots of land, so together we have more than 50 acres of prime northern woods. Our collective properties then abut land from the Chippewa National Forest and the Bowstring State Forest, giving us access to hundreds of acres of woodlands populated with maples, ash, ironwood, basswood and a few oaks. There are also some stands of white pine and sections full of birch trees, which when taken together provide outstanding habitat for not only deer, but for grouse as well. Good hunting in the woods; great fishing in the lake. This is a sportsman's paradise!
I came across John and Clancy as they were coming out of the woods. Most of their minor repair work to the deer stands had been complete, and so they were heading back to John's cabin. We chatted for a while in the woods, then all of us headed back home. Once home, I ate some lunch and the got out the Toro leaf blower and set about clearing the leaves off the road-side of the house.
I've said it before and I'll say it again now, this is a chore that always takes longer than I originally estimate. Today, I spent from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. clearing the leaves and I still have a bit more to do. I stopped when I did because John came over to invite me to an early dinner of freshly cooked roast beef sandwiches, home made potato salad and a variety of malted beverages. I was thoroughly tired of clearing leaves, so I gladly put away the leaf blower and made my way to John's cabin.
John, Clancy and I spent the next hour and a half eating, telling tall tales and enjoying being on the shores of Leech Lake. With the table cleared and the food put away, Clancy headed down to visit a friend of his on Ottertail Peninsula while I made my way home to get ready for a late afternoon, early evening, fishing session with John.
I took with me my spinning rod/reel rigged with a 1/4-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig and my baitcasting rod/reel with a Rapala Minnow Rap tied on for trolling. At the time we motored out of John's harbor, around 5;15 p.m., there were nine boats set up in front of our cabins. Rather than join the flotilla we instead went a bit further north toward Malay's cabin.
With the wind coming out of the NNW at 10-12 mph the boat was pushed toward shore and south toward our cabins. We made several passes through this general area during which I caught a medium-sized northern pike, which bit off my jig right at the side of the boat as I tried to land it, and John caught one nice jumbo perch, probably 11-inches long. Those were the only two fish we caught during the drifting portion of the trip.
After sunset, which occurred around 6:15 p.m., we switched tactics and started trolling. We trolled to the middle of Duck Bay in 8-10 feet of water, and then turned and headed north toward our cabins. The hour-long venture yielded no fish, and only one hit -- something hit my Minnow Rap but didn't get hooked. At this point John wanted to come ashore so he could let the Newman's new puppy, Bernard, out of the kennel so he could go outside.
Once on shore I made my way home, had a frozen pizza for dinner (after all it was Friday night) and then settle in front of the fireplace with a warm, roaring fire. I listened to some relaxing old jazz records on the turntable, did some writing and eventually went to bed well after midnight.
Although I caught only one pike today, it was great to be out fishing on Leech Lake. Since I leave on Tuesday, and since John is pulling his boat out of the water on Sunday, I may only get one, possibly two, days of fishing before I have to fly back to California. At that point, my next time on the lake will most likely be in May 2012 when I return to put the boat back into the water. Of course there is a slight chance of a winter visit which would enable me to get onto the hard water for some ice fishing; something I haven't had the pleasure of doing in several years now.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
October 20, 2011 -- In Leech Lake
As is typical, the weather report about today's weather have so far been inaccurate. So much for AccuWeather.
Forecasts had called for light winds of 5-7 mph out of the NNW when instead they closer to 8-15 mph out of the north. Temperatures were supposed to be in the low 50s. Well, at 8:30 a.m. the temperature here at Leech Lake was 30 degrees and the ground was covered in a white blanket of frost. The overnight low, according to Minnesota Public Radio, was 19 degrees in Bemidji. I guess it could still warm up to the 50s, but it sure doesn't feel like it. The forecast also predicted sunny skies with no clouds, when the opposite is the case. The sky is completely cloudy and grey without a sliver of blue sky to be seen anywhere.
I had hoped that the forecast would be accurate because I need to take the boat out of the water today and I probably still will. It's just that it will be a more difficult task with windy conditions.
I ate a light breakfast then decided to bite the bullet and get the boat out of the water. I drove the truck next door and hooked the boat trailer to the receiver hitch on the truck. The next step in the process was to remove the canopy from the boat lift. First I removed all the bungie cords that hold the canopy onto the metal frame of the lift, then removed the canopy itself. With the north wind blowing it was a bit tricky but I managed to get the canopy onto the dock where I could then drag it on shore.
I then backed the truck and trailer down the ramp and into the water. With the trailer in position, I donned my wadders, lowered the boat off the lift and into the water, got into the water myself, guided the boat around the dock and lined it up straight to the trailer. I then clipped the hauling strap onto the boat, and began cranking the winch to pull the boat onto the trailer.
With the boat securely on the trailer, I got into the truck, and carefully drove up the ramp with the boat/trailer in tow. I came to rest by the garage where I proceeded to unload everything from the boat which I'll store it for the winter in the garage, and then put on the boat cover for transport into town. Before I left for Bemidji, however, I took the time to fold up the boat lift canopy and store it in the garage.
By the time I was ready to drive the boat into Bemidji, around 3:00 p.m., the wind had died down to nearly calm, the sky was clear and blue, and the temperature had warmed to 52 degrees. The weather report was correct after all, just six hours late!
I'm still very nervous, and cautious, when I tow the boat into town or back from Bemidji to the lake. Ever since I had the trailer hitch come off the ball while driving down Sucker Bay Road I'm always on edge when pulling the boat behind the truck. Luckily, the adjustments I'd made to the hitch were adequate and the trailer remained connected to the truck until I separated them purposely in the side lot of Corner Sports in Bemidji.
I spent about a half an hour inside Corner Sports talking to the woman behind the counter, Rhonda, about the things I wanted done to my boat -- winterize it, check the back running light which had been finicky during most of the season, replace the spark plugs on the Verado, and do a double check on the trailer hitch to make sure my adjustments were done correctly and in a way to ensure safety.
With the boat in safe hands for the winter I left Corner Sports and drove back to the lake, stopping briefly in Cass Lake to get some gas in the truck. Once home I had some dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the night in front of a roaring fire. I listened to some music, read a little and then went to bed. A busy and productive day at Leech Lake. I love it here.
Forecasts had called for light winds of 5-7 mph out of the NNW when instead they closer to 8-15 mph out of the north. Temperatures were supposed to be in the low 50s. Well, at 8:30 a.m. the temperature here at Leech Lake was 30 degrees and the ground was covered in a white blanket of frost. The overnight low, according to Minnesota Public Radio, was 19 degrees in Bemidji. I guess it could still warm up to the 50s, but it sure doesn't feel like it. The forecast also predicted sunny skies with no clouds, when the opposite is the case. The sky is completely cloudy and grey without a sliver of blue sky to be seen anywhere.
I had hoped that the forecast would be accurate because I need to take the boat out of the water today and I probably still will. It's just that it will be a more difficult task with windy conditions.
I ate a light breakfast then decided to bite the bullet and get the boat out of the water. I drove the truck next door and hooked the boat trailer to the receiver hitch on the truck. The next step in the process was to remove the canopy from the boat lift. First I removed all the bungie cords that hold the canopy onto the metal frame of the lift, then removed the canopy itself. With the north wind blowing it was a bit tricky but I managed to get the canopy onto the dock where I could then drag it on shore.
I then backed the truck and trailer down the ramp and into the water. With the trailer in position, I donned my wadders, lowered the boat off the lift and into the water, got into the water myself, guided the boat around the dock and lined it up straight to the trailer. I then clipped the hauling strap onto the boat, and began cranking the winch to pull the boat onto the trailer.
With the boat securely on the trailer, I got into the truck, and carefully drove up the ramp with the boat/trailer in tow. I came to rest by the garage where I proceeded to unload everything from the boat which I'll store it for the winter in the garage, and then put on the boat cover for transport into town. Before I left for Bemidji, however, I took the time to fold up the boat lift canopy and store it in the garage.
By the time I was ready to drive the boat into Bemidji, around 3:00 p.m., the wind had died down to nearly calm, the sky was clear and blue, and the temperature had warmed to 52 degrees. The weather report was correct after all, just six hours late!
I'm still very nervous, and cautious, when I tow the boat into town or back from Bemidji to the lake. Ever since I had the trailer hitch come off the ball while driving down Sucker Bay Road I'm always on edge when pulling the boat behind the truck. Luckily, the adjustments I'd made to the hitch were adequate and the trailer remained connected to the truck until I separated them purposely in the side lot of Corner Sports in Bemidji.
I spent about a half an hour inside Corner Sports talking to the woman behind the counter, Rhonda, about the things I wanted done to my boat -- winterize it, check the back running light which had been finicky during most of the season, replace the spark plugs on the Verado, and do a double check on the trailer hitch to make sure my adjustments were done correctly and in a way to ensure safety.
With the boat in safe hands for the winter I left Corner Sports and drove back to the lake, stopping briefly in Cass Lake to get some gas in the truck. Once home I had some dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the night in front of a roaring fire. I listened to some music, read a little and then went to bed. A busy and productive day at Leech Lake. I love it here.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
October 19, 2011 -- On Leech Lake -- Happy Birthday Kathleen!
Kathleen at our Leech Lake house this past summer. Happy Birthday!
Today is the birthday of my beautiful wife Kathleen. I'm not going to say how old she is, but I will say she's in great shape! I wish she could be here with me since Fall is her favorite time of the year at Leech Lake.
The wind finally died down a bit today, blowing at 8-12 mph out of the north. The temperature was a cool 34 degrees and the sky was overcast and grey at 9:00 a.m. It wasn't just cold outside, it looked cold outside.
I again spent the morning and into early afternoon doing consulting work, but finally at about 1:15 p.m. I pushed myself away from the PC and decided to go fishing.
I got the remaining fathead minnows, lowered the boat into the water, fired up the Mercury Verado, which had been sitting idle for more than a week, and motored out to a spot in front of Malay's cabin in 9 feet of water. I deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat south toward Second Duck Point.
Jigging with a fathead was my presentation and although I made two passes over areas where I was marking fish on the Lowrance I couldn't catch one fish. In fact, I didn't even get a bite. After more than an hour on the water, which was 48 degrees, I made my way to shore.
Once on shore I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then set about clearing off all of the leaves on the lake side of the house with the Toro leaf blower. As always, this particular chore takes longer than I expect, although I do have some fondness for it since I'm outside near the lake.
At 5:00 p.m. I switched off the leaf blower and went inside. I did a little more consulting work, then realized that the sun has been setting before 6:30 p.m. so it might be a good time to get in some early evening trolling.
I pulled on my heavy-duty Cabela's Guidewear rain gear, which also works great against the wind and cold, and made my way over to the boat lift at roughly 6:15 p.m. Once out on the lake I got the boat ready for some evening trolling -- I got the running lights on, put the rod holder in place, extended the landing net and set the motor on cruise control and set off south toward Second Duck Point.
I trolled out to the middle of Bass Bay without as much as a tap so I did a slow turn and headed back toward our house. I was trolling in 8-10 feet of water using a Rapala Minnow Rap in a yellow perch color.
Just off of Second Duck Point I hooked a fish. It turned out to be a northern pike so I unhooked it over the side of the boat and got it back into the water quickly. I continued trolling north to our cabin then turned the boat and began trolling south again. Once again I went past Second Duck Point without so much as a tap.
Then on my way north again I hooked into a fish. I got it up to the boat and saw that it was a walleye so I quickly grabbed the landing net and scooped the fish out of the lake and into the boat. I unhooked the fish and took a quick measurement. The walleye taped out at 22 inches. And it was a stout fish too, with shoulders, as they say. I released the beautiful walleye back into the lake.
During the time it took to unhook and measure the fish the wind had blown the boat in toward shore and south toward Second Duck Point. I engaged the motor and went back out into 8 feet of water and repositioned the boat so I was once again heading north; into the wind.
No sooner had I started trolling than I hooked another fish. This fish didn't put up as much a fight as the first fish so I could tell right away it was a smaller fish, but I still wasn't sure if it was a walleye. By this time it was dark outside so I had to get the fish right up next to the boat to see that it was walleye.
Again I unhooked the fish and took a quick measurement. This walleye was a perfect eating sized fish at 16 1/2 inches. I thought about keeping it for a minute, but then decided to put it back into the lake. I have lots of food I need to eat before my Tuesday departure so I figured that this fish would live to fight another day.
I finally came in at just before 8:00 p.m. I didn't realize how cold I was until I was inside the warm house and my hands and fingers began to tingle as they warmed up. I made some dinner, watched a DVD and called Kathleen to wish her happy birthday and to say goodnight.
If the weather reports are to be believed, it is supposed to be in the low 50s tomorrow, sunny, with a light wind of 5-10 mph from the north. If those are indeed the conditions, then I'm pulling the boat out of the water tomorrow morning. With the way the weather is here in northern Minnesota, I may not get another good day to remove the boat lift canopy and get the boat out of the water before I have to go back to California.
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
October 18, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 32 degrees, the sky was dark and overcast and the wind was strong at 17-22 mph out of the NNW. Today is the fifth straight day of windy conditions.
All morning and into early afternoon I spent doing consulting work. I took a break just after 1:00 p.m. when Henry came by to fix the Anderson Windows in our living room. Over the years the latches to lock the windows had become worn and weren't working properly and the cranks that open and close the window were also worn out. Henry had come by in August when I was here and determined what the problem was and ordered the necessary parts. The problem was I was already back in California when the parts came in. Today was the first day Henry had free on his calendar to come out and repair the windows.
Later today, just before sunset, I took a walk in our woods.
One of the many trails in our woods on Ottertail Peninsula
After dinner I got a fire going, listened to music and read the paper. I stayed up rather late before finally calling it a night. Another day of no fishing on Leech Lake.
All morning and into early afternoon I spent doing consulting work. I took a break just after 1:00 p.m. when Henry came by to fix the Anderson Windows in our living room. Over the years the latches to lock the windows had become worn and weren't working properly and the cranks that open and close the window were also worn out. Henry had come by in August when I was here and determined what the problem was and ordered the necessary parts. The problem was I was already back in California when the parts came in. Today was the first day Henry had free on his calendar to come out and repair the windows.
Later today, just before sunset, I took a walk in our woods.
One of the many trails in our woods on Ottertail Peninsula
After dinner I got a fire going, listened to music and read the paper. I stayed up rather late before finally calling it a night. Another day of no fishing on Leech Lake.
Monday, October 17, 2011
October 17, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
For the fourth day in a row I awoke to strong winds and cool temperatures. The wind by 9:30 a.m. was blowing at 18-25 mph out of the WNW with gusts up over 30 mph. The sky, for the first time in days, was a clear pale blue and the temperature (according to our thermometer on the back porch) was 32 degrees. A beautiful, if not breezy, mid-Autumn day at Leech Lake.
I spent all morning and into the afternoon doing consulting work. That had me glued to the PC and the phone for a good portion of the day. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., I drove into Cass Lake to pick up a couple of grocery items. That will probably be my last grocery run during my stay here at Leech Lake this Fall, since next Tuesday, October, 25, I fly back to San Jose.
I did a little more consulting work when I returned from Cass Lake, but finally shut things down around 4:00 p.m. I took a walk in the woods, and during my walk I thought I should check the hitch on the boat trailor since it had given me problems this Spring when I picked up the boat from Corner Sports in Bemidji.
When I got back from my walk in the woods I got out the ATV and drove it over to the cabin where the boat trailor is stored. I tried attaching the trailor to the 2" ball on the ATV but the hitch just wouldn't fit on the ball securely. I got out my socket wrench set and adjusted a nut on the underside of the trailor hitch, and after several tries got the hitch to fit snuggly and securely onto the ball on ATV.
I then pulled the trailor from its summer resting spot and positioned it at the top of the boat ramp. There was no way I could remove the boat lift canopy and trailor the boat today, however, because the wind was howling at near 30 mph out of the west. I am feeling better about the trailor hitch. If it fit well on the 2" ball on the ATV it should fit securely on the receiver hitch on the truck since the ball is the same size.
After decoupling the trailor from the ATV I took a little ride on the four-wheeler. I was making my way past Dick Schiebe's house when I spotted him standing outside, so I quickly turned around and drove up his driveway. Dick was there with his youngest daughter Lynne. While we were talking Ken Lichttennegger stopped by. Ken and his wife Terry own the property between the two Schiebe brothers, Jerry and Dick. The four of us caught up on the gossip around the peninsula and Dick's plans for the upcoming deer hunting season. Dick also showed me the remodeling he's doing in his cabin -- new oak cabinets and panelling in the kitchen and new black ash panelling on the walls and ceiling of the living room. It looked very good.
After my brief visit with my neighbors I got on the ATV and rode home. The sun is setting before 6:30 p.m. now so by 5:30 or 5:45 p.m. it's starting to get dark. Today was even darker than usual because of the dark clouds that had gathered throughout the day in the western sky. It wasn't raining, but it sure looked like it could. The temperature was hovering around 40 degrees and the wind was still strong at 22-30 mph out of the WNW.
I ate an early dinner, and then got a fire going in the fireplace. I really enjoy watching the fire. It would be infinitely better, however, if Kathleen were here to enjoy the fire with me.
I listened to some music, and followed the Sharks losing effort against the Ducks on my smartphone, before calling it a night and going to bed. Yet another windy day with no fishing. I may not have a chance to fish again before I am forced to pull the boat out of the water. Goodnight from Leech Lake.
I spent all morning and into the afternoon doing consulting work. That had me glued to the PC and the phone for a good portion of the day. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., I drove into Cass Lake to pick up a couple of grocery items. That will probably be my last grocery run during my stay here at Leech Lake this Fall, since next Tuesday, October, 25, I fly back to San Jose.
I did a little more consulting work when I returned from Cass Lake, but finally shut things down around 4:00 p.m. I took a walk in the woods, and during my walk I thought I should check the hitch on the boat trailor since it had given me problems this Spring when I picked up the boat from Corner Sports in Bemidji.
When I got back from my walk in the woods I got out the ATV and drove it over to the cabin where the boat trailor is stored. I tried attaching the trailor to the 2" ball on the ATV but the hitch just wouldn't fit on the ball securely. I got out my socket wrench set and adjusted a nut on the underside of the trailor hitch, and after several tries got the hitch to fit snuggly and securely onto the ball on ATV.
I then pulled the trailor from its summer resting spot and positioned it at the top of the boat ramp. There was no way I could remove the boat lift canopy and trailor the boat today, however, because the wind was howling at near 30 mph out of the west. I am feeling better about the trailor hitch. If it fit well on the 2" ball on the ATV it should fit securely on the receiver hitch on the truck since the ball is the same size.
After decoupling the trailor from the ATV I took a little ride on the four-wheeler. I was making my way past Dick Schiebe's house when I spotted him standing outside, so I quickly turned around and drove up his driveway. Dick was there with his youngest daughter Lynne. While we were talking Ken Lichttennegger stopped by. Ken and his wife Terry own the property between the two Schiebe brothers, Jerry and Dick. The four of us caught up on the gossip around the peninsula and Dick's plans for the upcoming deer hunting season. Dick also showed me the remodeling he's doing in his cabin -- new oak cabinets and panelling in the kitchen and new black ash panelling on the walls and ceiling of the living room. It looked very good.
After my brief visit with my neighbors I got on the ATV and rode home. The sun is setting before 6:30 p.m. now so by 5:30 or 5:45 p.m. it's starting to get dark. Today was even darker than usual because of the dark clouds that had gathered throughout the day in the western sky. It wasn't raining, but it sure looked like it could. The temperature was hovering around 40 degrees and the wind was still strong at 22-30 mph out of the WNW.
I ate an early dinner, and then got a fire going in the fireplace. I really enjoy watching the fire. It would be infinitely better, however, if Kathleen were here to enjoy the fire with me.
I listened to some music, and followed the Sharks losing effort against the Ducks on my smartphone, before calling it a night and going to bed. Yet another windy day with no fishing. I may not have a chance to fish again before I am forced to pull the boat out of the water. Goodnight from Leech Lake.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
October 16, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
It was one week ago today that I was last out on the water at Leech Lake. Between the weather and my brief trip to St. Cloud, it's not been possible for me to go fishing. And today will be another day spent on shore.
The wind, for the third straight day, is howling at 22-30 mph out of the WNW creating large waves and white caps on the lake. I did not see a single boat on the water all morning long. The official temperature as posted in Federal Dam was 40 degrees at 11:00 a.m., but the thermometer on the back porch read 33 degrees at the same time. The sky was mostly sunny with a large number of billowy white clouds being blown across the sky by the high winds.
My was to finish the job of cleaning out the gutters on the house, but I managed to keep putting it off until 2:15 p.m. I took a break from following the Lions vs. 49ers football game on the PC and started where I'd left off yesterday, on the lake-side of the house.
I climbed up onto the roof and cleaned the gutters from up high rather than trying to move the ladder every 15 feet. I worked my way over the living room, around the south side of the house and finishe up at the back of the garage. By this time my hands were wet, cold and numb from the 42 degree air temperature and the 30+mph WNW wind. I made my way down the ladder, moved the ladder to the front of the house, then came inside to warm up and check on the Lions.
The Lions eventually lost their first game of the season to the San Francisco 49ers (the one time I want the Niners to lose) 25-19. Both teams are now 5-1 on the season.
With the "big" game of the day over, I went back outside and spent the better part of an hour to finish cleaning out the gutters on the house. All done, for this season. When I came back inside I immediately went straight to the crawl space under the house and put up all the insulation into the vent holes and blocked them up for the season. No need to have cold air blowing underneath the floor of the house.
With the dirty chores of cleaning out the gutters and closing up the vents under the house out of the way, I took a shower and got cleaned up myself.
I made dinner and had finished eating before 7:00 p.m., that's early for dinner here at the lake. After dinner I made a small fire in the fireplace, listened to some music and eventually decided to watch an old Hammer Productions horror movie -- The Curse of the Werewolf. Not nearly as good as the old Universal classic, but appropriate for this Halloween season.
When I went to bed 'round midnight, the wind was still blowing at more than 20 mph and the temperature was 38 degrees. Apparently, according to the weather report, there more windy conditions and cool weather in store for the next two days.
Again no fishing on Leech Lake today, although other tasks were completed. Good night.
The wind, for the third straight day, is howling at 22-30 mph out of the WNW creating large waves and white caps on the lake. I did not see a single boat on the water all morning long. The official temperature as posted in Federal Dam was 40 degrees at 11:00 a.m., but the thermometer on the back porch read 33 degrees at the same time. The sky was mostly sunny with a large number of billowy white clouds being blown across the sky by the high winds.
My was to finish the job of cleaning out the gutters on the house, but I managed to keep putting it off until 2:15 p.m. I took a break from following the Lions vs. 49ers football game on the PC and started where I'd left off yesterday, on the lake-side of the house.
I climbed up onto the roof and cleaned the gutters from up high rather than trying to move the ladder every 15 feet. I worked my way over the living room, around the south side of the house and finishe up at the back of the garage. By this time my hands were wet, cold and numb from the 42 degree air temperature and the 30+mph WNW wind. I made my way down the ladder, moved the ladder to the front of the house, then came inside to warm up and check on the Lions.
The Lions eventually lost their first game of the season to the San Francisco 49ers (the one time I want the Niners to lose) 25-19. Both teams are now 5-1 on the season.
With the "big" game of the day over, I went back outside and spent the better part of an hour to finish cleaning out the gutters on the house. All done, for this season. When I came back inside I immediately went straight to the crawl space under the house and put up all the insulation into the vent holes and blocked them up for the season. No need to have cold air blowing underneath the floor of the house.
With the dirty chores of cleaning out the gutters and closing up the vents under the house out of the way, I took a shower and got cleaned up myself.
I made dinner and had finished eating before 7:00 p.m., that's early for dinner here at the lake. After dinner I made a small fire in the fireplace, listened to some music and eventually decided to watch an old Hammer Productions horror movie -- The Curse of the Werewolf. Not nearly as good as the old Universal classic, but appropriate for this Halloween season.
When I went to bed 'round midnight, the wind was still blowing at more than 20 mph and the temperature was 38 degrees. Apparently, according to the weather report, there more windy conditions and cool weather in store for the next two days.
Again no fishing on Leech Lake today, although other tasks were completed. Good night.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
October 15, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
At 9:30 a.m. this morning the sky was mostly clear, with some big white billowy clouds hovering above, the wind was again strong at 18-22 mph out of the west, the lake was very choppy with some occasional white caps and the temperature was brisk 35degrees.
Unlike yesterday when no boats were on the water, I saw four boats out on Sucker Bay today. Three are clumped closely together in front of the Newman's and the fourth was in front of our house. With the wind blowing from the west, that means it's coming directly across the bay and straight onto shore. The boats appeared to be drifting from the middle of the bay toward shore, and then when they would get into 8 feet of water or less, they would motor back out into the bay for another drift. It's the same style of fishing I prefer -- drifting with a jig and minnow.
The fishermen out today are most likely staying at the resort, or came up specifically this weekend for some Fall walleye fishing on Leech Lake. With the weather conditions the way they are today, I would bet that not many of the residents of Leech Lake are out on the water. But I suppose if you made a long drive up here to fish, you are probably willing to brave the cold and rough conditions to spend some time fishing. For me, the conditions will have to improve significantly throughout the day if I'm to take my boat out fishing.
At 11:15 a.m. I walked out to the end of the dock at our house to get a better feel for the wind and a closer look at the boats out fishing. During my entire time outdoors yesterday I wore nothing heavier than a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. Today that was not enough. It is pretty cold and the wind quickly striped the heat from me. I'll need to wear a sweatshirt when I work on cleaning out the gutters on the house. While standing at the end of the dock surveying the situation on the lake, two of the four boats left the area and headed back toward the resort.
By 11:30 a.m., the wind had picked up even more and was coming out of the WNW at 20-25 mph with gusts again over 30 mph. The sky was still partly sunny and the temperature had warmed a bit to 42 degrees.
After eating a sandwich for lunch I went outside with every intention of cleaning out the gutters on the house. But then I noticed several logs -- about 2 feet long and 8-10 inches in diameter -- stacked up along the outbuilding where I store the ATV and log splitter. The logs were left there by my neighbor John Newman who had cut up a tree a couple of days ago after it came down during some high winds. John had stacked about 20 logs with the request that if I had some time could I split them up with my log splitter into kindling for him. Figuring I should probably get to the splitting sooner than later, I put the gutter cleaning on hold and pulled out my Swisher, 26-tons of power, log splitter.
It took more than three dozen pulls of the cord to finally fire up the splitter which had sat inactively in storage for probably a year or more. But eventually I got it going and I started in on splitting wood. I spent more than an hour splitting about 10 logs into a pile of kindling wood. I figure John can take a good portion of it, but I'll keep some of it for my use as well.
With the wood split and stacked, I put away the log splitter and moved onto my next chore; no, not cleaning the gutters, but pruning the red- and yellow-stem dogwood plants that ring my harbor and provide erosion control. Left alone, the red- and yellow-stem dogwoods will grow to be 12-15 feet tall and very bushy. I keep them pruned to where they never get more than 3-5 feet tall.
I began my pruning on the south side of the harbor where the larger of the two groups of dogwood grow and trimmed them back significantly. I then move to the north side of the harbor and began pruning the smaller plot of dogwood. While reaching out to trim a branch, the clippers slipped out of my hand and dropped into the water of the harbor. With the wind blowing so strongly today the harbor is filled with white foam and locating the clippers visually was impossible, so I was done pruning for this year, or until I get a new set of clippers.
When I came inside I checked the computer for the score of the Michigan State vs. Michigan football game and discovered that for the fourth year in a row the Spartans had defeated the Wolverines, this time by a score of 28-14. Go Green!
After putting off cleaning the gutters all afternoon, I finally got out the 8-foot step ladder set it up on the back porch of the house and climbed up onto the roof at 3:45 p.m. I started on the north end of the house facing the lake and worked my way south toward the sliding door to the kitchen. Just as was the case at the cabin, the gutters here at the house were full of leaves, twigs, maple seed pods and gunk.
I cleaned out the gutter all the way to the point where the roof gets taller above the living room (the great room facing the lake) and called it quits. My hands were wet from the water and sludge in the gutter and the wind was howling so hard that my hands were numb. I suppose I could wear gloves, but when I've tried that in the past I had a hard time getting all of the small pieces of debris removed; so I tackle this chore with my bare hands. But now my hands were too cold to continue so I climbed onto the ladder, made my way onto the back porch, folded up the ladder, and stowed it for use tomorrow. Maybe it won't be so cold.
At 5:00 p.m. I tuned into A Prairie Home Companion on the Bose radio. I have a new Cambridge Audio Azur 650T tuner, but have yet to install a powerful FM antenna, so although I have a great new tuner, it doesn't pull in any signals. Thus the Bose provided more than adequate backup.
It was a particularly good "News from Lake Wobegon" tonight; Garrison Keilior was at the top of his game. By the time A Prairie Home Companion ended, at 7:00 p.m. CDT, it was dark outside. I remember listening to the program this summer and still having 3 hours of sunlight to enjoy after the show ended. Not now.
It was still very windy outside and the temperature was just under 40 degrees, so just as I did last night, I built a fire in the fireplace. For the remainder of the evening I listened to music and watched the fire. Periodically I would check the score of the Sharks game (they would lose to the St. Louis Blues) and the Tigers (who would be eliminated by the Texas Rangers. The Rangers return to the World Series). Eventually I shut everything down and went to bed.
A cold, but productive day at Leech Lake.
Unlike yesterday when no boats were on the water, I saw four boats out on Sucker Bay today. Three are clumped closely together in front of the Newman's and the fourth was in front of our house. With the wind blowing from the west, that means it's coming directly across the bay and straight onto shore. The boats appeared to be drifting from the middle of the bay toward shore, and then when they would get into 8 feet of water or less, they would motor back out into the bay for another drift. It's the same style of fishing I prefer -- drifting with a jig and minnow.
The fishermen out today are most likely staying at the resort, or came up specifically this weekend for some Fall walleye fishing on Leech Lake. With the weather conditions the way they are today, I would bet that not many of the residents of Leech Lake are out on the water. But I suppose if you made a long drive up here to fish, you are probably willing to brave the cold and rough conditions to spend some time fishing. For me, the conditions will have to improve significantly throughout the day if I'm to take my boat out fishing.
At 11:15 a.m. I walked out to the end of the dock at our house to get a better feel for the wind and a closer look at the boats out fishing. During my entire time outdoors yesterday I wore nothing heavier than a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. Today that was not enough. It is pretty cold and the wind quickly striped the heat from me. I'll need to wear a sweatshirt when I work on cleaning out the gutters on the house. While standing at the end of the dock surveying the situation on the lake, two of the four boats left the area and headed back toward the resort.
By 11:30 a.m., the wind had picked up even more and was coming out of the WNW at 20-25 mph with gusts again over 30 mph. The sky was still partly sunny and the temperature had warmed a bit to 42 degrees.
After eating a sandwich for lunch I went outside with every intention of cleaning out the gutters on the house. But then I noticed several logs -- about 2 feet long and 8-10 inches in diameter -- stacked up along the outbuilding where I store the ATV and log splitter. The logs were left there by my neighbor John Newman who had cut up a tree a couple of days ago after it came down during some high winds. John had stacked about 20 logs with the request that if I had some time could I split them up with my log splitter into kindling for him. Figuring I should probably get to the splitting sooner than later, I put the gutter cleaning on hold and pulled out my Swisher, 26-tons of power, log splitter.
It took more than three dozen pulls of the cord to finally fire up the splitter which had sat inactively in storage for probably a year or more. But eventually I got it going and I started in on splitting wood. I spent more than an hour splitting about 10 logs into a pile of kindling wood. I figure John can take a good portion of it, but I'll keep some of it for my use as well.
With the wood split and stacked, I put away the log splitter and moved onto my next chore; no, not cleaning the gutters, but pruning the red- and yellow-stem dogwood plants that ring my harbor and provide erosion control. Left alone, the red- and yellow-stem dogwoods will grow to be 12-15 feet tall and very bushy. I keep them pruned to where they never get more than 3-5 feet tall.
I began my pruning on the south side of the harbor where the larger of the two groups of dogwood grow and trimmed them back significantly. I then move to the north side of the harbor and began pruning the smaller plot of dogwood. While reaching out to trim a branch, the clippers slipped out of my hand and dropped into the water of the harbor. With the wind blowing so strongly today the harbor is filled with white foam and locating the clippers visually was impossible, so I was done pruning for this year, or until I get a new set of clippers.
When I came inside I checked the computer for the score of the Michigan State vs. Michigan football game and discovered that for the fourth year in a row the Spartans had defeated the Wolverines, this time by a score of 28-14. Go Green!
After putting off cleaning the gutters all afternoon, I finally got out the 8-foot step ladder set it up on the back porch of the house and climbed up onto the roof at 3:45 p.m. I started on the north end of the house facing the lake and worked my way south toward the sliding door to the kitchen. Just as was the case at the cabin, the gutters here at the house were full of leaves, twigs, maple seed pods and gunk.
I cleaned out the gutter all the way to the point where the roof gets taller above the living room (the great room facing the lake) and called it quits. My hands were wet from the water and sludge in the gutter and the wind was howling so hard that my hands were numb. I suppose I could wear gloves, but when I've tried that in the past I had a hard time getting all of the small pieces of debris removed; so I tackle this chore with my bare hands. But now my hands were too cold to continue so I climbed onto the ladder, made my way onto the back porch, folded up the ladder, and stowed it for use tomorrow. Maybe it won't be so cold.
At 5:00 p.m. I tuned into A Prairie Home Companion on the Bose radio. I have a new Cambridge Audio Azur 650T tuner, but have yet to install a powerful FM antenna, so although I have a great new tuner, it doesn't pull in any signals. Thus the Bose provided more than adequate backup.
It was a particularly good "News from Lake Wobegon" tonight; Garrison Keilior was at the top of his game. By the time A Prairie Home Companion ended, at 7:00 p.m. CDT, it was dark outside. I remember listening to the program this summer and still having 3 hours of sunlight to enjoy after the show ended. Not now.
It was still very windy outside and the temperature was just under 40 degrees, so just as I did last night, I built a fire in the fireplace. For the remainder of the evening I listened to music and watched the fire. Periodically I would check the score of the Sharks game (they would lose to the St. Louis Blues) and the Tigers (who would be eliminated by the Texas Rangers. The Rangers return to the World Series). Eventually I shut everything down and went to bed.
A cold, but productive day at Leech Lake.
Friday, October 14, 2011
October 14, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
At 8:30 a.m. this morning the temperature was a very cool 34 degrees, the sky was most overcast with just a few slivers of blue peeking through here and there and the wind was blowing even harder than it was yesterday, at 20-25 mph out of the NW. With the low temperature and high wind, I bet the wind-chill factor has to be below freezing. Now this is a typical mid-October day on the shores of Leech Lake.
A scan of Sucker Bay finds that no boats are on the water, and that's a good thing. Only a fool, or someone who had to be on the water today (a rescue worker or professional fisherman), would risk it today.
The morning was spent responding to emails and following up on a few consulting items.
Around 1:00 p.m., with the wind still howling and the temperature about 45 degrees, I went over to the cabin, got out the big 8-foot step ladder and began cleaning out the rain gutters. All of the gutters on the cabin, and on the game room/garage, were completely full of leaves and pine needles. I cleaned all of the debris out of the gutters and then used the garden hose to run water down all the gutters to make sure the down spouts were clear as well.
With the cabin gutters clean I went back to the house to clean up a bit myself. I took care of some more consulting work before going outside again. I took a long walk through our woods, clearing off the trails where branches had fallen due to the strong winds, and eventually made it back out to West Shores Rd. From there I walked to the Paulsen's and back. All together about a 4 mile hike. It felt great to be outside with crisp air and smells of the forest and lake.
I ate dinner tonight before the sunset, which is now coming at just after 6:30 p.m. With the sun down, the temperature started to drop, and at 8:00 p.m. it was 39 degrees outside. The wind was still strong at 18-22 mph out of the NW, with gusts up over 30 mph. As a result, the wind chill, or as some weather stations now call it the "feels like" temperature, must have been hovering around freezing. So I built a fire in the fireplace, the first of the season.
I stayed up pretty late watching the fire and listening to music. I checked the weather reports before going to bed and it looks like tomorrow, and even into Monday, the wind is going to remain up over 20 mph. I might not get any fishing in before I have to pull out the boat. If it is windy again tomorrow, I think I'll focus my attention on getting the gutters on the house cleaned out.
No fishing again today on Leech Lake, but it was still great to be here.
A scan of Sucker Bay finds that no boats are on the water, and that's a good thing. Only a fool, or someone who had to be on the water today (a rescue worker or professional fisherman), would risk it today.
The morning was spent responding to emails and following up on a few consulting items.
Around 1:00 p.m., with the wind still howling and the temperature about 45 degrees, I went over to the cabin, got out the big 8-foot step ladder and began cleaning out the rain gutters. All of the gutters on the cabin, and on the game room/garage, were completely full of leaves and pine needles. I cleaned all of the debris out of the gutters and then used the garden hose to run water down all the gutters to make sure the down spouts were clear as well.
With the cabin gutters clean I went back to the house to clean up a bit myself. I took care of some more consulting work before going outside again. I took a long walk through our woods, clearing off the trails where branches had fallen due to the strong winds, and eventually made it back out to West Shores Rd. From there I walked to the Paulsen's and back. All together about a 4 mile hike. It felt great to be outside with crisp air and smells of the forest and lake.
I ate dinner tonight before the sunset, which is now coming at just after 6:30 p.m. With the sun down, the temperature started to drop, and at 8:00 p.m. it was 39 degrees outside. The wind was still strong at 18-22 mph out of the NW, with gusts up over 30 mph. As a result, the wind chill, or as some weather stations now call it the "feels like" temperature, must have been hovering around freezing. So I built a fire in the fireplace, the first of the season.
I stayed up pretty late watching the fire and listening to music. I checked the weather reports before going to bed and it looks like tomorrow, and even into Monday, the wind is going to remain up over 20 mph. I might not get any fishing in before I have to pull out the boat. If it is windy again tomorrow, I think I'll focus my attention on getting the gutters on the house cleaned out.
No fishing again today on Leech Lake, but it was still great to be here.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
October 13, 2011 -- At Leech Lake -- Happy Birthday Melissa!!
I can't believe that my little girl Melissa turned 30 years old today! I remember so well that crisp, cool, clear Autumn morning in Monterey, California when my beautiful wife Kathleen gave birth to our tiny, feisty redhead. What a wonderful day that was. And how quickly 30 years have passed. Happy birthday Melissa!!
This morning at 9:30 a.m. on the shores of Leech Lake the sky was overcast and grey, a light mist was falling, the wind was strong at 18-22 mph out of the WNW and the temperature was 42 degrees. The furnace ran off and on all day today, and is running now as I write this post.
There have been no posts to this blog the past two days because I spent them in St. Cloud visiting Kathleen's mom, Marge. At 87 years old Marge is doing relatively well health wise, but the Alzheimer's disease leaves her confused and with significant short-term memory loss. Nonetheless, we had a very nice visit and I was glad I could see her.
It's good to be back at the lake, despite the cool temperatures and high winds. I was hoping to get out fishing today, but with the lake riled and covered in white caps due to the strong winds, I stayed inside and spent most of the day doing my consulting work for Allison & Partners. I put in about four good hours of work before I stopped for a break and went for a walk down West Shores Rd. for about 2 miles.
West Shores Rd., NW on Ottertail Peninsula, Leech Lake, MN
After my walk I did a few small chores around the house then did another hour of consulting. The wind continued to howl at about 15-20 mph out of the NW. The temperature never got as high as 50 degrees today, but the sun did come out briefly later in the afternoon, as can be seen in the picture I took during my walk.
This evening was restful spent listening to music after dinner. No fishing today, but a good day at Leech Lake regardless.
This morning at 9:30 a.m. on the shores of Leech Lake the sky was overcast and grey, a light mist was falling, the wind was strong at 18-22 mph out of the WNW and the temperature was 42 degrees. The furnace ran off and on all day today, and is running now as I write this post.
There have been no posts to this blog the past two days because I spent them in St. Cloud visiting Kathleen's mom, Marge. At 87 years old Marge is doing relatively well health wise, but the Alzheimer's disease leaves her confused and with significant short-term memory loss. Nonetheless, we had a very nice visit and I was glad I could see her.
It's good to be back at the lake, despite the cool temperatures and high winds. I was hoping to get out fishing today, but with the lake riled and covered in white caps due to the strong winds, I stayed inside and spent most of the day doing my consulting work for Allison & Partners. I put in about four good hours of work before I stopped for a break and went for a walk down West Shores Rd. for about 2 miles.
West Shores Rd., NW on Ottertail Peninsula, Leech Lake, MN
After my walk I did a few small chores around the house then did another hour of consulting. The wind continued to howl at about 15-20 mph out of the NW. The temperature never got as high as 50 degrees today, but the sun did come out briefly later in the afternoon, as can be seen in the picture I took during my walk.
This evening was restful spent listening to music after dinner. No fishing today, but a good day at Leech Lake regardless.
Monday, October 10, 2011
October 10, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning at 8:30 a.m. the sky was overcast and grey, the wind was out of the SE at 8-12 mph and the temperature was 47 degrees. From the time I arose to sometime after 1:00 p.m. I was doing work for my California job, consulting with a global PR firm called Allison & Partners.
After a quick sandwich for lunch, I went across the street and took a long walk in our woods. The wind was rustling through the trees and every so often it would rain yellow leaves. I love our woods in the Fall. The smells, the beautiful colors, the entire thing. I only wish Kathleen could be here with me because she loves the Fall even more than I do.
When I emerged from the woods I walked down the dirt road to our cabin and began the chore of putting up the storm windows. I took my time and enjoyed the entire process. Just as I had put the last storm window in place and was folding up the ladder the rain came. There had been a forecast of rain throughout the day, but at 2:45 p.m. it really opened up.
Back inside my warm and dry house, I cleaned up and prepared for dinner at the Newman's cabin tonight. John and Karen invited me, as well as Tom and Elaine Malay over for dinner prior to us moving down to the Malay's house to watch Monday Night Football on ESPN. Malays have the Dish Network and get ESPN, where the Newmans don't get it with their basic plan, and we have no TV at all at our house.
I made a salad to bring, while John and Karen provided the Italian meatball sandwiches, chips and veggies. After dinner we cleaned up and then made our way down to the Malays. It was the first time the Detroit Lions had been on MNF in more than a decade, and tonight they were hosting their division rivals the Chicago Bears.
It wasn't a well-played game, but the Lions did manage to win 24-13 to improve to 5-0. It's the first time that Detroit has won five straight games to start a season since 1956, a bit before my time.
I left the Malays just after 11:00 p.m. and came home. The temperature was still a very nice 55 degrees and the sky was clear allowing the light from the 99% waxing moon to bathe the entire peninsula in its soft, white light.
Tomorrow I'm planning to drive down to St. Cloud to see Kathleen's mother, Marge. If all goes well I'll spend some time with her at St. Benedict's and then take her out to dinner. I hope to see my brother- and sister-in-law Tim and Sandy, but Tim said Sandy isn't feeling well and he may have to work tomorrow. I guess I'll have to play it by ear.
I'm planning to be back to the lake sometime later in the day on Wednesday. At that point my only other ventures from Leech Lake will be to go into town to buy groceries.
My next post to this blog will likely be on Thursday, Oct. 13, my beautiful daughter Melissa's 30th birthday. Until then...
After a quick sandwich for lunch, I went across the street and took a long walk in our woods. The wind was rustling through the trees and every so often it would rain yellow leaves. I love our woods in the Fall. The smells, the beautiful colors, the entire thing. I only wish Kathleen could be here with me because she loves the Fall even more than I do.
When I emerged from the woods I walked down the dirt road to our cabin and began the chore of putting up the storm windows. I took my time and enjoyed the entire process. Just as I had put the last storm window in place and was folding up the ladder the rain came. There had been a forecast of rain throughout the day, but at 2:45 p.m. it really opened up.
Back inside my warm and dry house, I cleaned up and prepared for dinner at the Newman's cabin tonight. John and Karen invited me, as well as Tom and Elaine Malay over for dinner prior to us moving down to the Malay's house to watch Monday Night Football on ESPN. Malays have the Dish Network and get ESPN, where the Newmans don't get it with their basic plan, and we have no TV at all at our house.
I made a salad to bring, while John and Karen provided the Italian meatball sandwiches, chips and veggies. After dinner we cleaned up and then made our way down to the Malays. It was the first time the Detroit Lions had been on MNF in more than a decade, and tonight they were hosting their division rivals the Chicago Bears.
It wasn't a well-played game, but the Lions did manage to win 24-13 to improve to 5-0. It's the first time that Detroit has won five straight games to start a season since 1956, a bit before my time.
I left the Malays just after 11:00 p.m. and came home. The temperature was still a very nice 55 degrees and the sky was clear allowing the light from the 99% waxing moon to bathe the entire peninsula in its soft, white light.
Tomorrow I'm planning to drive down to St. Cloud to see Kathleen's mother, Marge. If all goes well I'll spend some time with her at St. Benedict's and then take her out to dinner. I hope to see my brother- and sister-in-law Tim and Sandy, but Tim said Sandy isn't feeling well and he may have to work tomorrow. I guess I'll have to play it by ear.
I'm planning to be back to the lake sometime later in the day on Wednesday. At that point my only other ventures from Leech Lake will be to go into town to buy groceries.
My next post to this blog will likely be on Thursday, Oct. 13, my beautiful daughter Melissa's 30th birthday. Until then...
Sunday, October 09, 2011
October 9, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 8:30 a.m. the temperature was a cool 45 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NW and the sky was slate grey and looked cold. I could only see one boat out in front of our house, where yesterday there was more than a half dozen. Today looked and felt like a Fall morning in the northwoods.
Duck hunting season opened in late September, so on this quiet Sunday morning I could hear the distant "pop, pop" of shotgun blasts as hunters along the shoreline and in flat-bottom duck boats shot at their prey. Last night at the OPA Pot Luck dinner/meeting, one of the attendees, the son of a OPA member, told me he'd been out duck hunting earlier in the day and had bagged several ducks. As much as I'd like to try cooking and eating a wild duck, I've never hunted for them. Nor have I hunted for grouse, pheasant, or whitetail deer. I am strictly a fisherman, at least so far.
At 9:45 a.m. a light rain started to fall, but it lasted only a few minutes; just a sprinkle really. I saw that John and Karen Newman were out fishing and had staged their attack in front of our cabin, letting the light NW wind push them south toward their cabin and Second Duck Point. It was in this location that I caught my four "keeper" perch yesterday.
As was the case yesterday, a cluster of five or six boats eventually gathered in very close proximity to one another as they fished in 10 feet of water in a spot between Giza's cabin and Second Duck Point. I get the fact that walleye often congregate in one location, but do people really need to be right on top of each other to fish? With so much water on Sucker Bay alone, there's plenty of room to -- as Moe of the Three Stooges used to say -- "spread out."
I made a hearty Sunday breakfast of eggs over medium, hash browns, bacon and toast with a big glass of orange juice. I don't eat like that every day, but on Sunday I'll occasionally splurge and have a big breakfast. As I cleaned up after breakfast I noticed that the light rain continued to fall. I stepped out onto the back porch and felt the icy cold rain fall in the 51 degree air temperature. It wasn't raining hard, just enough to make everything wet. The Newmans, as well as the other half dozen boats, remained on the water.
Right around 11:00 a.m., I happened to look out the window and saw that the Newmans were coming in off the water. They'd been out for a couple of hours in the light, cold rain so I figured they needed to come ashore, dry off and warm up.
I surprised somewhat to get a call from John Newman just before noon asking if I wanted to go out for some early afternoon angling with him. At this point the light rain had stopped, not that that would have kept me off the water, and so I agreed to meet him at my boat lift in 15 minutes. By 12:15 p.m. we were on the 60.7 degree water tipping our jigs with fatheads and slowly drifting from Poage's cabin southward in 10 feet of water.
During the next two hours I caught more than a dozen perch, including 4 big jumbos that went into the live well and later into John's bucket. He was trying to get enough fish for a fish fry for his entire family of five, so I was more than happy to chip in with my four big perch.
I also caught a medium-sized northern, which went back into the lake, as well as a 14-inch and a 16-inch walleye, both of which went back into the lake. The larger of the two fish got off on its own. I had hooked the walleye and had gotten it to the side of the boat, but rather than ask John to get the landing net and secure the fish I decided to reach over the side of the boat and land it by hand. Well, the fish turned abruptly and bit through the line and set itself free, with my jig still in the side of its mouth.
At 2:15 p.m. we came ashore so John could take his wife Karen out for some afternoon fishing. I used the time to clean up the house and eat some lunch.
Then just before 4:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing by myself. I could see John and Karen on the lake and I also spotted Tom Malay in his boat out trolling. Three of the five houses on our little stretch of Ottertail Peninsula had boats on the water at the same time. Not an entirely unusual experience, but with only five boats in sight on Sucker Bay, we represented 60% of them.
Again I used a 1/8-ounce lime-green and silver colored Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig tipped with big fathead minnows. I made several passes from in front of Poage's cabin southward toward Second Duck Point. During the next two hours and 15 minutes I caught a dozen or more perch, including one big jumbo, and three walleyes that measured 14-, 15- and 16-inches. Since I had two big perch in the basket at home for Sunday night dinner, all fish went back into the lake.
At 5:15 p.m. the sun came out and for the first time all day the entire area was basked in the late-Fall light of the Autumn sun. The shoreline looked particularly spectacular with the yellows, golds, oranges and reds of the leaves shimmering in the sunlight with the blue-green water in the foreground. Not that I needed it, but the beauty of Ottertail Peninsula at that particular moment, especially at Second Duck Point, reminded me of why this is where I'd rather be than any place else I've ever visited on the planet.
When 6:15 p.m. rolled around I made my way back to the boat lift and onto shore. Once the boat was secure on the lift and the minnows in the garage with aeration, I made my way to the fish cleaning house to clean the two jumbo perch which were destined to be my dinner. I was waylayed, however, when Karen Newman called to me to come over to their place and meet their new 15-week old dog, Bernard; a lab and springer spaniel mix.
I ended up spending an hour chatting with the Newmans and playing with dog before making my way back to my house to clean the perch. Eventually the perch were cleaned and I could start my dinner preperations.
In addition to beer-batterd perch (using Shore Lunch and Leinenkugel Classic Amber) I made a baked potato and steamed green beans. A tasty and relatively simple dinner.
After dinner I checked some football scores -- the 49ers won big over the Bucs 48-3, the Raiders won in Houston 25-20, and unfortunately the Packers won to go to 5-0 which means the Lions will need to beat the Bears on Monday night to keep pace -- listened to some classical music then went to bed fairly early for me, before midnight.
It was a great day fishing on Leech Lake -- two separate trips -- with two dozen perch caught in addition to five walleye. After some concentrated work time tomorrow, I hope to get out for more fishing, if the weather permits. Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
Duck hunting season opened in late September, so on this quiet Sunday morning I could hear the distant "pop, pop" of shotgun blasts as hunters along the shoreline and in flat-bottom duck boats shot at their prey. Last night at the OPA Pot Luck dinner/meeting, one of the attendees, the son of a OPA member, told me he'd been out duck hunting earlier in the day and had bagged several ducks. As much as I'd like to try cooking and eating a wild duck, I've never hunted for them. Nor have I hunted for grouse, pheasant, or whitetail deer. I am strictly a fisherman, at least so far.
At 9:45 a.m. a light rain started to fall, but it lasted only a few minutes; just a sprinkle really. I saw that John and Karen Newman were out fishing and had staged their attack in front of our cabin, letting the light NW wind push them south toward their cabin and Second Duck Point. It was in this location that I caught my four "keeper" perch yesterday.
As was the case yesterday, a cluster of five or six boats eventually gathered in very close proximity to one another as they fished in 10 feet of water in a spot between Giza's cabin and Second Duck Point. I get the fact that walleye often congregate in one location, but do people really need to be right on top of each other to fish? With so much water on Sucker Bay alone, there's plenty of room to -- as Moe of the Three Stooges used to say -- "spread out."
I made a hearty Sunday breakfast of eggs over medium, hash browns, bacon and toast with a big glass of orange juice. I don't eat like that every day, but on Sunday I'll occasionally splurge and have a big breakfast. As I cleaned up after breakfast I noticed that the light rain continued to fall. I stepped out onto the back porch and felt the icy cold rain fall in the 51 degree air temperature. It wasn't raining hard, just enough to make everything wet. The Newmans, as well as the other half dozen boats, remained on the water.
Right around 11:00 a.m., I happened to look out the window and saw that the Newmans were coming in off the water. They'd been out for a couple of hours in the light, cold rain so I figured they needed to come ashore, dry off and warm up.
I surprised somewhat to get a call from John Newman just before noon asking if I wanted to go out for some early afternoon angling with him. At this point the light rain had stopped, not that that would have kept me off the water, and so I agreed to meet him at my boat lift in 15 minutes. By 12:15 p.m. we were on the 60.7 degree water tipping our jigs with fatheads and slowly drifting from Poage's cabin southward in 10 feet of water.
During the next two hours I caught more than a dozen perch, including 4 big jumbos that went into the live well and later into John's bucket. He was trying to get enough fish for a fish fry for his entire family of five, so I was more than happy to chip in with my four big perch.
I also caught a medium-sized northern, which went back into the lake, as well as a 14-inch and a 16-inch walleye, both of which went back into the lake. The larger of the two fish got off on its own. I had hooked the walleye and had gotten it to the side of the boat, but rather than ask John to get the landing net and secure the fish I decided to reach over the side of the boat and land it by hand. Well, the fish turned abruptly and bit through the line and set itself free, with my jig still in the side of its mouth.
At 2:15 p.m. we came ashore so John could take his wife Karen out for some afternoon fishing. I used the time to clean up the house and eat some lunch.
Then just before 4:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing by myself. I could see John and Karen on the lake and I also spotted Tom Malay in his boat out trolling. Three of the five houses on our little stretch of Ottertail Peninsula had boats on the water at the same time. Not an entirely unusual experience, but with only five boats in sight on Sucker Bay, we represented 60% of them.
Again I used a 1/8-ounce lime-green and silver colored Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig tipped with big fathead minnows. I made several passes from in front of Poage's cabin southward toward Second Duck Point. During the next two hours and 15 minutes I caught a dozen or more perch, including one big jumbo, and three walleyes that measured 14-, 15- and 16-inches. Since I had two big perch in the basket at home for Sunday night dinner, all fish went back into the lake.
At 5:15 p.m. the sun came out and for the first time all day the entire area was basked in the late-Fall light of the Autumn sun. The shoreline looked particularly spectacular with the yellows, golds, oranges and reds of the leaves shimmering in the sunlight with the blue-green water in the foreground. Not that I needed it, but the beauty of Ottertail Peninsula at that particular moment, especially at Second Duck Point, reminded me of why this is where I'd rather be than any place else I've ever visited on the planet.
When 6:15 p.m. rolled around I made my way back to the boat lift and onto shore. Once the boat was secure on the lift and the minnows in the garage with aeration, I made my way to the fish cleaning house to clean the two jumbo perch which were destined to be my dinner. I was waylayed, however, when Karen Newman called to me to come over to their place and meet their new 15-week old dog, Bernard; a lab and springer spaniel mix.
I ended up spending an hour chatting with the Newmans and playing with dog before making my way back to my house to clean the perch. Eventually the perch were cleaned and I could start my dinner preperations.
In addition to beer-batterd perch (using Shore Lunch and Leinenkugel Classic Amber) I made a baked potato and steamed green beans. A tasty and relatively simple dinner.
After dinner I checked some football scores -- the 49ers won big over the Bucs 48-3, the Raiders won in Houston 25-20, and unfortunately the Packers won to go to 5-0 which means the Lions will need to beat the Bears on Monday night to keep pace -- listened to some classical music then went to bed fairly early for me, before midnight.
It was a great day fishing on Leech Lake -- two separate trips -- with two dozen perch caught in addition to five walleye. After some concentrated work time tomorrow, I hope to get out for more fishing, if the weather permits. Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
October 8, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was 52 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was variable at 10-20 mph out of the SW.
By 10:30 a.m. there were a half dozen boats in front of the house fishing in what I'd estimate to be 8 feet of water. According to my neighbor John Newman, who went fishing yesterday and was again on the water this morning, there are walleye out there. John caught 16-inch walleye yesterday, which he kept, and he released a huge walleye, which he estimated to be close to 28-inches.
After having a leisurely breakfast, and enjoying a couple of cups of coffee, I decided to go fishing. I took two spinning rod and reel combinations to the boat, and also brought along my baitcasting rod and reel rigged for trolling. Since I hadn't used my boat since my last visit in August, I also had to put my tackle box and other items into the boat. The last thing I brought aboard was the fathead minnows.
I lowered the boat into the water, noticing that the water level was down several inches since August, fired up the Mercury Verado (which started up first try) and slowly motored out to a spot in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water. The water temperature was 60.5 degrees.
There were already eight boats in the area, so I picked a spot where I would be clear of all of them during my drift northward toward the Malay's cabin. I deployed the drift sock, tipped my lime-green colored jig with a fathead and started fishing.
My first pass I had several bites, and lost three or four minnows, but couldn't hook anything. My lack of time on the water during the past seven weeks has me rusty. During my second pass from Giza's to Malay's I caught a few small perch, which went back into the water. I also caught a small 13-inch walleye, which of course went back into the lake as well.
On my third pass I located a school of good-sized perch. I hooked two 10-inch perch, and although they weren't technically jumbos, I kept them anyway because they were stout fish.
My next pass proved even better. Directly in front of our house I caught another 10-inch perch, which I kept, followed by a 13-inch+ perch that definitely qualified as a jumbo. It was during my fight with the 13-incher that I realized I hadn't loaded the landing net in the boat. No problem, however, I was able to hoist the big boy into the boat and deposit him into the live well. Four perch in the box.
Looking from the boat toward shore on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake. Directly in front of our house.
By 10:30 a.m. there were a half dozen boats in front of the house fishing in what I'd estimate to be 8 feet of water. According to my neighbor John Newman, who went fishing yesterday and was again on the water this morning, there are walleye out there. John caught 16-inch walleye yesterday, which he kept, and he released a huge walleye, which he estimated to be close to 28-inches.
After having a leisurely breakfast, and enjoying a couple of cups of coffee, I decided to go fishing. I took two spinning rod and reel combinations to the boat, and also brought along my baitcasting rod and reel rigged for trolling. Since I hadn't used my boat since my last visit in August, I also had to put my tackle box and other items into the boat. The last thing I brought aboard was the fathead minnows.
I lowered the boat into the water, noticing that the water level was down several inches since August, fired up the Mercury Verado (which started up first try) and slowly motored out to a spot in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water. The water temperature was 60.5 degrees.
There were already eight boats in the area, so I picked a spot where I would be clear of all of them during my drift northward toward the Malay's cabin. I deployed the drift sock, tipped my lime-green colored jig with a fathead and started fishing.
My first pass I had several bites, and lost three or four minnows, but couldn't hook anything. My lack of time on the water during the past seven weeks has me rusty. During my second pass from Giza's to Malay's I caught a few small perch, which went back into the water. I also caught a small 13-inch walleye, which of course went back into the lake as well.
On my third pass I located a school of good-sized perch. I hooked two 10-inch perch, and although they weren't technically jumbos, I kept them anyway because they were stout fish.
My next pass proved even better. Directly in front of our house I caught another 10-inch perch, which I kept, followed by a 13-inch+ perch that definitely qualified as a jumbo. It was during my fight with the 13-incher that I realized I hadn't loaded the landing net in the boat. No problem, however, I was able to hoist the big boy into the boat and deposit him into the live well. Four perch in the box.
Looking from the boat toward shore on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake. Directly in front of our house.
At 3:15 p.m. I went ashore for a little lunch, prior to getting ready for the OPA Pot Luck. Once on shore I stopped by to see John Newman and to give him two of the four perch I had caught -- although I kept the big jumbo for my Sunday night dinner.
------
There were 49 people in attendance at tonight's Ottertail Peninsula Association pot luck dinner/meeting and 30 door prizes to be given away after the meeting. Pretty good odds of winning something, but I managed to beat the odds and come up empty. It's just as well since I haven't donated anything for the past two years.
The wind has died down and the lake is almost calm, the temperature at 7:30 p.m. was 62 degrees, and the sky is partly cloudy.
I wasn't feeling 100% tonight so after getting home from the pot luck I did a little reading, listened to some classical music on KCRB out of Bemidji and went to bed early. Hopefully I'll wake up feeling better tomorrow. I don't want to waste one second of my time at Leech Lake not feeling well. Until tomorrow...
What a Week!!
The marvel of modern travel, and the hectic schedules people keep as a result of it, never ceases to amaze me. Take my week for instance.
On Monday, October 3, I had a meeting in San Francisco with a company for which I'm doing some consulting. They are located in the Transamercia Pyramid complex on Sansome Street. Two days later, on Wednesday, I had a meeting in Palo Alto, directly across the street from Stanford University and the football stadium where the #4 nationally-ranked Cardinal play. And on Friday, October 7, I was on the shores of Leech Lake enjoying the earthy smell of Fall leaves on the ground and the fresh, clean and unique smell of the lake.
Monday, Oct. 3 I was at the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco
On Wednesday, Oct. 5 I was at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA
On Friday, Oct. 7 I was on the shores of Leech Lake, MN
On Monday, October 3, I had a meeting in San Francisco with a company for which I'm doing some consulting. They are located in the Transamercia Pyramid complex on Sansome Street. Two days later, on Wednesday, I had a meeting in Palo Alto, directly across the street from Stanford University and the football stadium where the #4 nationally-ranked Cardinal play. And on Friday, October 7, I was on the shores of Leech Lake enjoying the earthy smell of Fall leaves on the ground and the fresh, clean and unique smell of the lake.
Monday, Oct. 3 I was at the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco
On Wednesday, Oct. 5 I was at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA
On Friday, Oct. 7 I was on the shores of Leech Lake, MN
Over the course of just five days my location and situation couldn't have been more different. Talking about business development strategy at the start of the week and closing it out by discussing just where and how deep the walleye are biting.
We live in an age of marvelous technological innovation, as we were reminded during the past few days as Silicon Valley and world mourned the loss of Apple founder Steve Jobs. But lost among the discussion of iPhones, iPads and Pixar were other more critical inventions that shape our lives daily, such as indoor plumbing, electrified houses, and air travel. It is the later that made my widely diverse week possible.
Now it's time to simplifiy. I'm going to take my cup of coffee, sit in chair and stare at the awesome beauty of Leech Lake.
Friday, October 07, 2011
October 7, 2011 -- Return to Leech Lake
I'm baaaack...
I arrived at the Bemidji airport at 10:15 p.m. last night and made it out to our house on Leech Lake an hour or so later. I couldn't believe how warm it was -- 70 degrees -- at that time of night. When I left San Jose around noon Pacific Time the temperature was barely 60 degrees. Go figure.
This morning when I woke up the temperature was again near 70 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast with occasional patches of blue sky, and the wind was out of the SSE at 20 mph; but because the peninsula blocks the wind from that direction, the lake in front of the house was relatively calm, with just small waves.
Since I got in late last night I didn't have a chance to do any grocery shopping so I went into Bemidji this afternoon to buy groceries and pick up a pie at Perkin's for the OPA Pot Luck tomorrow evening.
On my drive into town the thermometer in the truck read 76 degrees. Talk about an Indian Summer! But it was extremely windy with gusts up to 50 mph. After my shopping and various errands I drove back to Leech Lake.
Rain fell intermittently during the drive, and at times came down in buckets forcing me to set my windshield wipers to full speed. But by the time I got to the house the rain had stopped and there were brief moments of sunshine. That didn't last long.
At 6:30 p.m. a storm began approaching from the south, and with it, more wind and the rumbling of thunder. The sky darkened and the whitecaps on the lake picked up. The temperature, however, remained warm at 75 degrees.
A storm approaches from the south on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
With the groceries all stored away, I went out onto the dock to watch the storm approach. But the light left the sky by 7:00 p.m., so I went back into the house.
John Newman invited me over to his cabin for dinner tonight, so I've got to make a salad in preparation for dinner. For dinner, John had brined some chicken breasts, marinated them in a chipotle sauce then grilled them. We had them on large-sized hamburger buns with potato chips and salad. Great dinner.
After dinner the rain had finally stopped so we moved the party to the driveway where John had set up his portable fireplace. With the temperature still in the mid -60s, sitting outside was very enjoyable. And by 10:00 p.m., the wind had blown the clouds away and we could see the stars above us.
Finally around midnight I wondered home. The wind today, especially when it shifted from the SSE to the SW, made the lake too rough to go fishing. But even though I didn't get out onto the water, it was great to be back at Leech Lake.
I arrived at the Bemidji airport at 10:15 p.m. last night and made it out to our house on Leech Lake an hour or so later. I couldn't believe how warm it was -- 70 degrees -- at that time of night. When I left San Jose around noon Pacific Time the temperature was barely 60 degrees. Go figure.
This morning when I woke up the temperature was again near 70 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast with occasional patches of blue sky, and the wind was out of the SSE at 20 mph; but because the peninsula blocks the wind from that direction, the lake in front of the house was relatively calm, with just small waves.
Since I got in late last night I didn't have a chance to do any grocery shopping so I went into Bemidji this afternoon to buy groceries and pick up a pie at Perkin's for the OPA Pot Luck tomorrow evening.
On my drive into town the thermometer in the truck read 76 degrees. Talk about an Indian Summer! But it was extremely windy with gusts up to 50 mph. After my shopping and various errands I drove back to Leech Lake.
Rain fell intermittently during the drive, and at times came down in buckets forcing me to set my windshield wipers to full speed. But by the time I got to the house the rain had stopped and there were brief moments of sunshine. That didn't last long.
At 6:30 p.m. a storm began approaching from the south, and with it, more wind and the rumbling of thunder. The sky darkened and the whitecaps on the lake picked up. The temperature, however, remained warm at 75 degrees.
A storm approaches from the south on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake
With the groceries all stored away, I went out onto the dock to watch the storm approach. But the light left the sky by 7:00 p.m., so I went back into the house.
John Newman invited me over to his cabin for dinner tonight, so I've got to make a salad in preparation for dinner. For dinner, John had brined some chicken breasts, marinated them in a chipotle sauce then grilled them. We had them on large-sized hamburger buns with potato chips and salad. Great dinner.
After dinner the rain had finally stopped so we moved the party to the driveway where John had set up his portable fireplace. With the temperature still in the mid -60s, sitting outside was very enjoyable. And by 10:00 p.m., the wind had blown the clouds away and we could see the stars above us.
Finally around midnight I wondered home. The wind today, especially when it shifted from the SSE to the SW, made the lake too rough to go fishing. But even though I didn't get out onto the water, it was great to be back at Leech Lake.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
