This morning the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was out of the west at 8-15 mph and the temperature was a mere 60 degrees. Mornings are starting to feel like Fall here in the northwoods.
After breakfast and some chores around the house, Joe and I decided to take the entire afternoon and go muskie fishing. Leech Lake has a reputation for being one of the best muskie lakes in Minnesota, if not the entire country, although I've never caught a muskie while targeting them. I did catch a tiger muskie once -- which is a hybrid of a Leech Lake muskie and a northern pike -- while fishing for walleye.
We made sandwiches, packed the cooler with lots of drinks, and set out on our way. The waves and chop on the lake weren't too bad until we cleared Second Duck Point, then the waves got so big that the boat was really getting pounded. I slowed way down, but kept heading south to Ottertail Point, our first stop on our muskie adventure.
Years ago, Joe, my friend Rick and I had fished for muskie off Ottertail Point and Joe had a very large muskie follow his lure all the way to the boat before it turned tail and swam away. Therefore, we thought Ottertail Point would be a good place to start.
We took our time getting to the Point because of the waves, but eventually we made it to our designated destination. I started by throwing a large swim bait while Joe used a inline spinnerbait. After no more than 3 or 4 casts, the braided wire leader I was using snapped during a cast and I lost my swim bait. I'm glad it snapped when it did, because I would have been much more upset if the leader had given out with a muskie on the other end of my line.
I tied on another leader, attached a Bucher top water bait and began fishing again. Joe and I made three passes past the tip of Ottertail Point but didn't get so much as a follow. We decided to switch tactics and locations.
It had been our plan to fish Oak Point/Joe's Landing, which is on the north of the Narrows (and the location that my friend Rick hooked into a 50 1/2-inch muskie several years back) but rather than just motor over there directly, we decided to troll over there since we would be going over a large expanse of 20+ foot water, which has been known to hold a few muskie. I put on a large Rapala Shad Rap while Joe used a jointed Bucher crankbait.
We trolled from Ottertail Point all the way to Goose Island, but never once got a hit.
Once we hit Goose Island we reeled in our lures and I motored over to Oak Point at 25 mph ground speed. We made it to our next destination in a matter of minutes.
The shoreline around Oak Point/Joe's Landing is covered in reeds and wild rice in 6 feet of water and is home to many muskie. Since the weeds are quite thick in this area, the best way to fish them is with a large safety pin style spinnerbait, such as the Northland Tackle Bionic Bucktail Spinnerbait.
We spent nearly an hour meticulously working our way from Oak Point north along the shoreline to Joe's Landing. I had the MinnKota electric trolling motor in the water -- which was set at a slow, constant speed -- and we made cast after cast into the reeds and rice with no luck. When we came to the end of the reeds and wild rice, where the shoreline clears up, I pulled up the electric trolling motor and sped northward to a spot called the Meadows, between Little Hardwood Point and Big Hardwood Point.
As we motored north to the Meadows, both Joe and I kept an eye on the dark clouds that had been moving slowly all afternoon to the northeast, which would eventually put them right over our heads. When we arrived at the Meadows we thought the weather was looking a bit too ominous and decided to move a little closer to home.
I piloted the boat around Big Hardwood Point into Deadhead Bay where Joe continued to throw his spinnerbait while I switched back to my Bucher top water. We made about two dozens casts when I felt that familiar temperature drop that proceeds a storm. I suggested that we high tail it for home ASAP.
We stowed our gear, took our seats and I throttled up the motor and headed across Sucker Bay from Deadhead to Second Duck Point -- a distance of roughly two miles. About half way across Sucker Bay the wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature continued to fall. When we got to the boat lift the waves were quite choppy and getting the boat onto the lift was a bit tricky, but both Joe and I have experience it doing it so we managed to get the boat securely on the lift in short order.
No sooner had we raised the boat out of the water than the rain began to fall. My the time we got on shore and into the house a full-blown storm let loose. The west winds were gusting to nearly 50 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and the waves broke over the end of the dock. Sheets of rain fell from the sky. The temperature was still dropping. We checked the NOAA weather station and found out what we already knew, that a severe thunderstorm was directly over our area. But not to worry, we were safely at home; albeit without a minute to spare.
As the rain fell, Joe and I listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio and just enjoyed being in our dry, warm house. Within an hour the storm had passed and the sun came out. The wind was initially light at 5-8 mph out of the south, but swirled and picked up to 8-15 mph out of the NW.
Around 8:00 p.m., I got the grill going while Joe made some hamburger patties. Then Joe went over the cabin and grilled the burgers while I got the onion rings, baked beans, Cole slaw and condiments out. We had a very tasty dinner and then stayed inside playing poker before watching a movie on DVD.
Although we didn't catch a muskie, it was wonderful spending the day on Leech Lake with Joe. We both love being at the lake so much that it's going to be very hard for both of us to transition back to the hectic pace of San Jose -- which I must do in six days, Joe in just three. I hope we can handle it.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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