June 23, 2012 -- On Leech Lake

This morning we awoke to more rain. The sky was grey and overcast, a steady rain was falling, the wind was at 8-12 mph out of the southeast and the temperature was a cool 62 degrees.

Jayden was excited to be at the lake, and wanted to do everything at once -- go fishing, play baseball, ride on the ATV, play with his toys, and see his cousins. But with the rain falling, we had to stay inside; at least for a while. By 11:30 a.m. the rain had ceased, the sun was trying to push its way clear of the clouds and the temperature was inching its way toward 75 degrees.

With the weather on our side, we all went outside to enjoy it. Melissa and Ashley went for a bike ride. Connor made his way out onto the end of the dock to enjoy the lake. Kathleen got ready to go for a run. And Tim, Jackson, Jayden and I gathered up our things and went fishing.

The water temperature was 70 degrees, the breeze was blowing at 8-12 mph out of the southeast and the mostly sunny sky made conditions relatively perfect for fishing for walleye and perch. We spent about 45 minutes dragging minnows on our jigs, but all we caught were a few perch and one smallish northern pike. At that point Jayden really wanted to go ashore so I motored the boat back to the lift. Tim and Jackson waited in the boat while I walked Jayden back home so he could see his Mom, grandma and cousin; with his minnow still firmly gripped in his little hand.

With Jayden happily playing on shore, I went back to the boat lift and motored Tim and Jackson back out onto the lake. We spent another 90 minutes catching dozens of perch, but unfortunately only one jumbo and no walleye. Still, it was a lot of fun being on the water.

We were all getting a bit hungry so we came back on shore where I made some chicken salad for sandwiches, while everyone else just relaxed or played in the gameroom.

Everyone just enjoyed being on shore during the late afternoon and into the early evening. I grilled brats, hot dogs and burgers for dinner, and Kathleen made corn on the cob, salad and got some fruit in bowls for us. We all had a wonderful dinner.

After dinner I grabbed my baitcasting reel paired with a lipless crankbait and went out onto the dock to try a few casts. The sky was dark grey and ominous. The air was still and the humidity was high. It felt like we were going to get a storm.

I made a few casts off the dock when I noticed a large fish at the mouth of the harbor. I made a couple of casts toward it and hooked into the 2-foot long dogfish. The fish went crazy after attacking my lure and jumped out of the water, and in the process spit the hooks of the lipless crankbait. The fish bolted from the area, but within minutes was back again.

By this time Tim, Ashley, Connor and Jackson had joined me at the harbor and while looking for the large dogfish discovered a large school of dogfish fry. Ashley, ever the northwoods girl, dipped her hand into the shallow water near the harbor and scooped up a small dogfish. After examining the little dogfish, Ashley carefully released the fish back into the water so it could rejoin the school.

The light rain that had been falling started to get heavier and we all made our way up to the house to seek shelter. Jayden wanted to watch the movie Mary Poppins, so most of the group gathered in the TV room to watch the movie. When Jayden, and Tim,  finally pooped out and went to bed, the rest of us gathered in the living room to play Liar's Dice.

We played several spirited games before Connor and Jackson went back to the cabin to go to bed. No sooner had they left when a heavy thunderstorm hit, complete with lightning, thunder and sheets of rain. I can't believe how much rain has fallen this past week. My unofficial lake water level is now at 8 cement pilings; two higher than it was just 4 weeks ago.

When the storm finally petered out, Ashley and Melissa went to bed while Kathleen and I cleaned up. Although no walleye were caught today, and only one jumbo perch, it was still a fun-filled day on the shores of Leech Lake.

Good night.