From September 20 through September 22 I was solely focused on what Joe wanted to do since he needed to be on a plane first thing Sunday morning. And I do mean first thing. We were at the airport at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The temperature on Thursday the 20th was in the high 60's, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was extremely strong again at 20-30 mph out of the NNW. Waves and white caps were rolling across the lake. As a result of not being able to get out on the water, Joe and I spent the day in and around our properties.
We went for a bike ride down to the Harbor and back, we walked all the trails back in the woods, and we spent time in the game room racing HO slot cars and playing pinball.
In the evening, just after sunset, the wind had calmed to 8-12 mph out of the north so decided to take Joe out trolling since high winds were in the forecast for Friday as well.
We made several passes between our house and the middle of Duck Bay pulling Rapala Minnow Raps in 9-11 feet of 57 degree water. In the 90 minutes we were on the water I caught and released a 24-inch and a 20 1/2-inch walleye. And in our final pass toward home Joe hooked a nice 15-inch walleye, which we also released. It was great that Joe could hook a walleye on what turned out to be his last time on the lake during this visit.
On Friday, September 21, the day that Autumn officially arrived in the northwoods, the weather was just as forecast, windy, chilly, yet sunny. Joe and I couldn't get out onto the water because of high waves and whites caps, but we could enjoy being outside.
As had become our ritual, we rode our bikes down to the harbor and back. Glen Zimmerman, one of the four current households at the Harbor, was getting ready for his annual walleye tournament. It started 10 years ago with just a handful of his friends competing against each other, and has grown to include up to 35 entrants and some pretty decent prize money. I fished the "Z-Man Tournament" back in 2009 but since Joe and I would be on our way to St. Cloud on Saturday I had to let Glen know that I would not be participating this year.
After our bike ride, Joe and I spent a lot of time back in the woods exploring the trails. The trees were changing color and it looked beautiful. I only wish Kathleen could have been here to go for the walk with us because she loves the Autumn colors.
I made us a very tasty grilled steaks for dinner and topped it off with cream soda ice cream floats for dessert. Then we spent a quiet evening listening to music and watching a movie on DVD. Tomorrow we make the drive to St. Cloud so Joe can see his Grandma one more time before he flies home to California.
Saturday, September 22 was a beautiful Fall day. The wind was a bit strong at 12-15 mph, just enough to keep us off the water, especially since Joe had a lot to do to get ready to leave the lake. I let Joe do what he needed to do to prepare to leave the lake. Not only did he do some laundry and clean up his room, but he spent a lot of time walking in the woods, riding the ATV and contemplative time on the end of the dock taking in the beauty of the lake.
It is always hard to leave the lake, and we all deal with departure in our own way.
At last we closed the doors of the truck, made the short drive down the driveway and then out onto W. Shores Rd., Sucker Bay Rd., Hwy. 2 and finally Hwy. 371 south which takes us nearly the entire way to St. Cloud.
We had a nice meal with Marge Coyle, Joe's grandma, and then we made our way to a hotel in Minneapolis just an exit away from the airport. Joe's flight is at 7:00 a.m. so we wanted to spend the night close to the airport rather than drive from St. Cloud in the middle of the night.
With just a couple of hours of sleep, Joe and I awoke very early Sunday morning, September 23. I walked Joe into the terminal and made sure everything was good to go. I said goodbye and left him in the security line.
I had a fantastic time with Joe at the lake and will miss him a lot. Although we enjoy each other's company when we're in California, we have a stronger, closer relationship when we're at the lake. I guess since we don't have TV, and it's a long drive into town, we spend a considerable amount of time together; which is great. And I know for a fact that Joe loves to be at the lake.
Before I left the Twin Cities I stopped at Mickey's Dining Car in downtown St. Paul -- near the Xcel Energy Center where the Minnesota Wild hockey team plays -- to meet John Newman. John had left his wallet in his cabin during his last visit and I was returning it to him. It's a unique, and famous, diner and we had a great breakfast. Then by 7:15 a.m. I was on the road back to Leech Lake.
Once back at the lake I had some lunch then made my way out onto the lake to do some fishing. The weather was perfect -- mid-60s, light breeze, and sunny. While I listened to the Vikings beat the 49ers on the radio, I caught several perch and nice 16" walleye that I thought about keeping, before releasing back into the lake.
I had a very quiet night, with Joe no longer here, and turned in early since I was up and out before 5:00 a.m.
Tomorrow will begin a new segment of my stay at Leech Lake. I'll be alone for only the third short time since my arrival in May. I have a TON of work to do in preparation for the "winter close down," and will begin that work first thing tomorrow.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
September 17-19, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was a cool 47 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was again strong at 15-20 mph out of the WNW which created white caps on the lake and rolling waves that were crashing head on into the shoreline in front of our properties.
Although I have the furnace set at an environmentally-friendly 66 degrees, the furnace was running throughout the morning.
After taking care of some work around the house, I drove into Cass Lake to pick up some groceries for the week while Joe stayed at the lake so he could go for a walk and work out. During his walk down West Shores Rd., Joe spotted a small black bear next to the road across from the Malay's. There have been several bear spottings by folks on the Peninsula the past couple of months. As Joe walked toward the bear it turned and dashed into the woods.
When I got home and got the groceries put away, Joe and I decided to go fishing. We got our rain gear on, mainly to keep us warm rather than protect us from rain, of which there wasn't any, and then got the boat into the water. The water temperature has cooled to 63 degrees, which is still warmer than the air temperature.
Joe and I jigged fatheads for about an hour before calling it quits. The water was pretty rough from the 12-18 mph NW wind and the air temperature was cold. Joe's hands were numb from being wet and being in the cold wind, so we came ashore. We only caught a couple of small perch during our time on the water.
Once inside the house, I got a fire going in the fireplace since not only were we cold at the time, but because the temperature was supposed to get down into the mid-30s overnight. We had a quiet evening at home hanging out by the warm fire. Good night from Leech Lake.
The weather on Tuesday was also cool, with the high climbing to no more than 55 degrees. The sky was mostly cloudy and the wind was out of the NW varying from 10-20 mph.
We did get out to do some fishing, again jigging with fatheads, and this time we had a little more success. Both Joe and I caught several perch, including a couple big enough for us to keep but since we have four in the basket for dinner we let them go. We also caught several northern pike and even a couple of rock bass.
Once on shore, Joe got the crayfish out of the trap and cleaned up so we could eat them as an appetizer before our perch fish fry. We also made Cole slaw and fries. A classic northwoods fish dinner.
On Wednesday, our friend Rick's birthday, the weather was cool and very windy. The was varied through out the day, but never stopped blowing at less then 20 mph. Many gusts were up over 30 mph and the lake was covered in white caps.
Joe and I spent our day around the properties and going for a bike ride. Later in the day we got the chain saw out and went back into the woods to clear off some of the four or five fallen trees that are blocking the trail. We spent about an hour cutting up a big maple tree before decided we'd had enough lumberjacking for one day and headed home for dinner.
The temperature during the night was supposed to drop down near 30 degrees, and with the strong wind blowing, it was again cold enough for a fire in the fireplace. Joe and I enjoyed a warm fire, listened to some music and eventually watched a movie on DVD. Another great evening at Leech Lake. Too bad Joe has to catch a plane early Sunday morning to fly back to California. I know he loves it here as much as I do.
Although I have the furnace set at an environmentally-friendly 66 degrees, the furnace was running throughout the morning.
After taking care of some work around the house, I drove into Cass Lake to pick up some groceries for the week while Joe stayed at the lake so he could go for a walk and work out. During his walk down West Shores Rd., Joe spotted a small black bear next to the road across from the Malay's. There have been several bear spottings by folks on the Peninsula the past couple of months. As Joe walked toward the bear it turned and dashed into the woods.
When I got home and got the groceries put away, Joe and I decided to go fishing. We got our rain gear on, mainly to keep us warm rather than protect us from rain, of which there wasn't any, and then got the boat into the water. The water temperature has cooled to 63 degrees, which is still warmer than the air temperature.
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| A windy overcast afternoon at Leech Lake |
Once inside the house, I got a fire going in the fireplace since not only were we cold at the time, but because the temperature was supposed to get down into the mid-30s overnight. We had a quiet evening at home hanging out by the warm fire. Good night from Leech Lake.
The weather on Tuesday was also cool, with the high climbing to no more than 55 degrees. The sky was mostly cloudy and the wind was out of the NW varying from 10-20 mph.
We did get out to do some fishing, again jigging with fatheads, and this time we had a little more success. Both Joe and I caught several perch, including a couple big enough for us to keep but since we have four in the basket for dinner we let them go. We also caught several northern pike and even a couple of rock bass.
Once on shore, Joe got the crayfish out of the trap and cleaned up so we could eat them as an appetizer before our perch fish fry. We also made Cole slaw and fries. A classic northwoods fish dinner.
On Wednesday, our friend Rick's birthday, the weather was cool and very windy. The was varied through out the day, but never stopped blowing at less then 20 mph. Many gusts were up over 30 mph and the lake was covered in white caps.
Joe and I spent our day around the properties and going for a bike ride. Later in the day we got the chain saw out and went back into the woods to clear off some of the four or five fallen trees that are blocking the trail. We spent about an hour cutting up a big maple tree before decided we'd had enough lumberjacking for one day and headed home for dinner.
The temperature during the night was supposed to drop down near 30 degrees, and with the strong wind blowing, it was again cold enough for a fire in the fireplace. Joe and I enjoyed a warm fire, listened to some music and eventually watched a movie on DVD. Another great evening at Leech Lake. Too bad Joe has to catch a plane early Sunday morning to fly back to California. I know he loves it here as much as I do.
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 16, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
Today the wind was out of the north at 15-25 mph which kept the lake covered in waves and white caps. The temperature hit only a high of 64 degrees and the sky was mostly cloudy and grey.
Joe and I waited all day for the wind to die down a bit so we could get out on the water to do some fishing, but by 5:30 p.m. it was clear that the wind wasn't going to ease up.
So instead, we spent some time back in the woods checking out the trails, seeing where the trees were blocking the trails and clearing out some of the growth that grew up during the summer that was somewhat obscuring the trail.
We also spent time at the game room racing Joe's HO slot cars, and Joe took out another red squirrel, keeping it from getting into our cabin and chewing through the electrical wiring.
Later in the evening, after dinner, Joe and I went next door to John Newman's to watch the Sunday night football game between the San Francisco Forty-Niners and the Detroit Lions, a game the Niners won 27-19.
We then came home, watched a movie on DVD and got ready for bed. We're hoping to get out and do some fishing on Monday, but the weather forecast is for strong winds again, and then a frost warning Monday night with the temperature dropping to around 30 degrees. We'll just have to play it by ear.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Joe and I waited all day for the wind to die down a bit so we could get out on the water to do some fishing, but by 5:30 p.m. it was clear that the wind wasn't going to ease up.
So instead, we spent some time back in the woods checking out the trails, seeing where the trees were blocking the trails and clearing out some of the growth that grew up during the summer that was somewhat obscuring the trail.
We also spent time at the game room racing Joe's HO slot cars, and Joe took out another red squirrel, keeping it from getting into our cabin and chewing through the electrical wiring.
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| Joe with another squirrel |
We then came home, watched a movie on DVD and got ready for bed. We're hoping to get out and do some fishing on Monday, but the weather forecast is for strong winds again, and then a frost warning Monday night with the temperature dropping to around 30 degrees. We'll just have to play it by ear.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
September 15, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was 55 degrees, the sky was sunny and blue and the wind was again out of the SE at 10 mph. The water along our shoreline was calm, with the waves starting to form about a third of the way across Sucker Bay, due to the orientation of Ottertail Peninsula to the wind.
After breakfast Joe and I decided that we would spend the afternoon on the water fishing. We packed up some sandwiches and drinks into the cooler, lowered the boat into the 64 degree water and motored out to a spot in front of the Malay's cabin. Once there we deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat north on Sucker Bay and out away from shore.
The weather couldn't have been nicer for a late-summer day in Northern Minnesota. The temperature was in the low 70's, the breeze was about 10 mph out of the south and the sky was mostly sunny, which sparkled off the water. It was the perfect day to be on the water and enjoy a Saturday afternoon listening to the Bemidji State football game on the radio.
We had only a dozen or so fatheads left from the scoop I'd purchased at the resort the other day, and we went through those quicker than I had anticipated. Rather than switch to plastic, artificial bait, we decided to come ashore so I could make a run up to the resort to buy more minnows. We would have gone by boat, but neither Joe nor I had any money on us.
Back on shore Joe did some yoga while I drove the truck to Birch Ridge Resort where I picked up two good scoops of minnows; more than enough to last us for a few trips on the water.
About an hour after landing on shore we were back on the lake fishing. Again we set up shop in front of the Malay's and drifted north toward the Birches. We hooked numerous small- to medium-sized perch, a few northern pike and even a couple of rock bass.
As the afternoon progressed, Joe and I did start catching perch that were a bit bigger, and by the time we came in at 7:00 p.m. -- after A Prairie Home Companion, which we listened to on the water -- we had put four perch in the live well, ranging from 9-10 1/2 inches. Enough for another tasty fish fry.
We stopped by the Newman's once we were back on shore again for a couple of beers and so Joe could see Karen and Johnny, neither of whom he'd seen in several years. We had a nice visit before coming home and having a simple dinner.
We ended the evening with another long Skype video call with Kathleen, Melissa and Jayden. Joe and I had a wonderful day at the lake, and it's going to be very difficult for both of us to readjust to life in Silicon Valley. It's just so quiet and peaceful here. As Karen Newman said tonight, "when I'm at the lake if feels like my soul can relax." Ain't it the truth.
Good night from Leech Lake.
After breakfast Joe and I decided that we would spend the afternoon on the water fishing. We packed up some sandwiches and drinks into the cooler, lowered the boat into the 64 degree water and motored out to a spot in front of the Malay's cabin. Once there we deployed the drift sock and let the wind push the boat north on Sucker Bay and out away from shore.
The weather couldn't have been nicer for a late-summer day in Northern Minnesota. The temperature was in the low 70's, the breeze was about 10 mph out of the south and the sky was mostly sunny, which sparkled off the water. It was the perfect day to be on the water and enjoy a Saturday afternoon listening to the Bemidji State football game on the radio.
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| Second Duck Point and Duck Point in the distance from Sucker Bay |
Back on shore Joe did some yoga while I drove the truck to Birch Ridge Resort where I picked up two good scoops of minnows; more than enough to last us for a few trips on the water.
About an hour after landing on shore we were back on the lake fishing. Again we set up shop in front of the Malay's and drifted north toward the Birches. We hooked numerous small- to medium-sized perch, a few northern pike and even a couple of rock bass.
As the afternoon progressed, Joe and I did start catching perch that were a bit bigger, and by the time we came in at 7:00 p.m. -- after A Prairie Home Companion, which we listened to on the water -- we had put four perch in the live well, ranging from 9-10 1/2 inches. Enough for another tasty fish fry.
We stopped by the Newman's once we were back on shore again for a couple of beers and so Joe could see Karen and Johnny, neither of whom he'd seen in several years. We had a nice visit before coming home and having a simple dinner.
We ended the evening with another long Skype video call with Kathleen, Melissa and Jayden. Joe and I had a wonderful day at the lake, and it's going to be very difficult for both of us to readjust to life in Silicon Valley. It's just so quiet and peaceful here. As Karen Newman said tonight, "when I'm at the lake if feels like my soul can relax." Ain't it the truth.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
September 14, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning the temperature at 9:30 a.m. was only 50 degrees. Although by midday, the temperature had climbed to 68 degrees and it was warm enough to go without a sweatshirt and wear only a long-sleeve shirt; even on the water. The sky was sunny and blue, and the wind was relatively light at 8-12 mph out of the south shifting to the SE as the day progressed.
Joe felt like making a hearty breakfast today, so he made French toast, sausages and bacon. After breakfast, and cleaning up the kitchen, we spent some time just hanging out around the properties, and hunting red squirrels, before deciding to go fishing.
As we did the last time we were on the water, we fished with jigs tipped with fathead minnows. We started fishing in a spot in Duck Bay out in front of Newstrand's house near the reeds in about 7 feet of water. I'd heard that both walleye and jumbo perch were being caught in this area so we thought we fish here first. The water temperature through Sucker Bay today varied between 64-66 degrees.
We spent about 30 minutes fishing Duck Bay but didn't get so much as a bite, so we relocated to Second Duck Point. We drifted across the Point but again didn't get any bites so we moved a little further north to a spot in 9 feet of water in front of the Newman's cabin. With the drift sock in the water, we drifted north toward Malay's and slightly further from shore at a ground speed of approximately .35 mph.
We made about a half a dozen drifts between Newman's and eventually past Schiebe's to the north. During the 4-plus hours we were on the water I caught and unhooked probably six to eight northern pike measuring between 18- and 26-inches, and had my line bit off another 4 times. In addition, Joe and I both caught dozens of small- to medium-sized perch, including a 9-inch perch that Joe caught and that we decided to keep to go along with the 10 1/2-inch jumbo in our basket back at the dock.
During one pass in 10 feet of water in front of the Birches, I hooked into what I assumed was yet another northern so I handed the rod to Joe to let him reel it in. While I don't like to keep or eat pike the way some people do, they are fun to catch, especially on light spinning tackle and 6-lb test line such as I was using.
Joe played the fish perfectly as it made several runs away from the boat, each time it peeled out line and made the drag on my Shimano Stella scream. After several minutes Joe got the fish close enough to the surface for us to see that it wasn't a northern pike as we had expected, but a big walleye. I scrambled to get the landing net and positioned myself in the back of the boat to scoop the fish out of the water.
Again, Joe played the fish perfectly bringing it close to the boat without lifting it out of the water, and thus risk losing the fish, and I quickly slipped the net under it and hauled it into the boat. We could tell right away that it was a medium-sized Leech Lake slot fish -- somewhere between 18- and 26-inches -- but I would have to get the jig out of the walleye's mouth and measure it to tell just how big a fish it was.
As I went to put my left hand around the fish's 'shoulders' in order to pick it up, the fish flopped in the net and its sharp, big, pointed teeth bit me on the thumb creating two small, but painful, cuts that surprisingly produced a good deal of blood. I slipped on my Lindner fishing glove and this time had no trouble picking up the walleye, removing the jig and putting it down on The Judge tournament fish measuring rule. The walleye measured 23 1/2-inches, making it one of the bigger walleye, if not the biggest, I've caught this summer. Joe took a quick photo of me holding the fish before I released it back into Sucker Bay unharmed. It was a great team effort between me and Joe to hook, play, land and release a beautiful Leech Lake walleye.
Although catching the walleye was the highlight of the afternoon, there was still more fishing to do. We didn't catch another walleye, but we did catch many more perch including an 11-inch jumbo that I landed and kept just shortly before we packed up our gear and headed for shore.
Once on shore, Joe got a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin while I took the three perch inside the cabin to clean them. With six clean perch fillets on a plate, I took them back to the house and put them in the refrigerator, grabbed a beer and went next door to the Newman's to compare how their day on the water was to ours.
It turns out they went up into the far end of Sucker Bay into Sucker River, where they caught some bass, a northern and many small perch, but no jumbos or walleye. We agreed that we would try to get together on Saturday night since neither Karen nor Johnny, the Newman's oldest son, had yet to see Joe during his stay. And Joe also wanted to meet the Newman's new dog Bernard, which Joe has yet to see. I then left to go home and get dinner started.
We had a very tasty meal of beer-battered fresh perch fillets, French fries and salad. And for dessert I made Joe and I cream soda floats, with IBC Cream Soda and Kemp's vanilla ice cream. Boy were they good.
We finished off the evening by watch National Lampoon's Vacation on DVD and then doing a long Skype video call with Kathleen, Melissa and Jayden. It sure was fun to see their faces again.
It was a great day on Leech Lake, and Joe and I are looking forward to another several hours on the water again on Saturday; weather permitting. Good night from Leech Lake.
Joe felt like making a hearty breakfast today, so he made French toast, sausages and bacon. After breakfast, and cleaning up the kitchen, we spent some time just hanging out around the properties, and hunting red squirrels, before deciding to go fishing.
As we did the last time we were on the water, we fished with jigs tipped with fathead minnows. We started fishing in a spot in Duck Bay out in front of Newstrand's house near the reeds in about 7 feet of water. I'd heard that both walleye and jumbo perch were being caught in this area so we thought we fish here first. The water temperature through Sucker Bay today varied between 64-66 degrees.
We spent about 30 minutes fishing Duck Bay but didn't get so much as a bite, so we relocated to Second Duck Point. We drifted across the Point but again didn't get any bites so we moved a little further north to a spot in 9 feet of water in front of the Newman's cabin. With the drift sock in the water, we drifted north toward Malay's and slightly further from shore at a ground speed of approximately .35 mph.
We made about a half a dozen drifts between Newman's and eventually past Schiebe's to the north. During the 4-plus hours we were on the water I caught and unhooked probably six to eight northern pike measuring between 18- and 26-inches, and had my line bit off another 4 times. In addition, Joe and I both caught dozens of small- to medium-sized perch, including a 9-inch perch that Joe caught and that we decided to keep to go along with the 10 1/2-inch jumbo in our basket back at the dock.
During one pass in 10 feet of water in front of the Birches, I hooked into what I assumed was yet another northern so I handed the rod to Joe to let him reel it in. While I don't like to keep or eat pike the way some people do, they are fun to catch, especially on light spinning tackle and 6-lb test line such as I was using.
Joe played the fish perfectly as it made several runs away from the boat, each time it peeled out line and made the drag on my Shimano Stella scream. After several minutes Joe got the fish close enough to the surface for us to see that it wasn't a northern pike as we had expected, but a big walleye. I scrambled to get the landing net and positioned myself in the back of the boat to scoop the fish out of the water.
Again, Joe played the fish perfectly bringing it close to the boat without lifting it out of the water, and thus risk losing the fish, and I quickly slipped the net under it and hauled it into the boat. We could tell right away that it was a medium-sized Leech Lake slot fish -- somewhere between 18- and 26-inches -- but I would have to get the jig out of the walleye's mouth and measure it to tell just how big a fish it was.
As I went to put my left hand around the fish's 'shoulders' in order to pick it up, the fish flopped in the net and its sharp, big, pointed teeth bit me on the thumb creating two small, but painful, cuts that surprisingly produced a good deal of blood. I slipped on my Lindner fishing glove and this time had no trouble picking up the walleye, removing the jig and putting it down on The Judge tournament fish measuring rule. The walleye measured 23 1/2-inches, making it one of the bigger walleye, if not the biggest, I've caught this summer. Joe took a quick photo of me holding the fish before I released it back into Sucker Bay unharmed. It was a great team effort between me and Joe to hook, play, land and release a beautiful Leech Lake walleye.
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| Your humble author holding a Leech Lake walleye caught on September 14, 2012 |
Once on shore, Joe got a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin while I took the three perch inside the cabin to clean them. With six clean perch fillets on a plate, I took them back to the house and put them in the refrigerator, grabbed a beer and went next door to the Newman's to compare how their day on the water was to ours.
It turns out they went up into the far end of Sucker Bay into Sucker River, where they caught some bass, a northern and many small perch, but no jumbos or walleye. We agreed that we would try to get together on Saturday night since neither Karen nor Johnny, the Newman's oldest son, had yet to see Joe during his stay. And Joe also wanted to meet the Newman's new dog Bernard, which Joe has yet to see. I then left to go home and get dinner started.
We had a very tasty meal of beer-battered fresh perch fillets, French fries and salad. And for dessert I made Joe and I cream soda floats, with IBC Cream Soda and Kemp's vanilla ice cream. Boy were they good.
We finished off the evening by watch National Lampoon's Vacation on DVD and then doing a long Skype video call with Kathleen, Melissa and Jayden. It sure was fun to see their faces again.
It was a great day on Leech Lake, and Joe and I are looking forward to another several hours on the water again on Saturday; weather permitting. Good night from Leech Lake.
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| The trees starting to change colors along the shoreline of our house/cabin, Sucker Bay |
Friday, September 14, 2012
September 13, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
It was a bit breezy on Thursday, September 13, but nothing like yesterday. The temperature was also much cooler with the high today hitting no more than 65 degrees. The wind was out of the WNW shifting to the north at 8-12 mph with gusts up over 15 mph. The sky was mostly cloudy, but with some extended periods of sunshine.
After cleaning up around the house and doing some touch up painting, Joe and I decided to do some exploring on the ATV. There was a spot on the southern part of Ottertail Peninsula, where some land had been cleared for an eventually cabin, that Joe wanted to show me. It's a great spot of land with 475 feet of shoreline on 4.3 acres complete with a little cove which would be perfect for a boat lift and dock, and another spot with a fairly large sandy beach. The entire property is something Kathleen would absolutely love. Not that she doesn't like our properties, but this tract has the sandy beach which is something our land lacks and is a feature she would love to have available.
Joe and I also hiked along the boardwalk at Duck Point Woods and did some exploring along a spot of beach on Portage Bay which is often referred to as 'Hormel Beach' although that is not it's official name. All in all, Joe and I spent a sizable chunk of the afternoon outside exploring.
After some lunch and some brief work around the house, Joe and I decided to go fishing. Earlier in the day I had made a run up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy a scoop of fatheads. For the past several trips out onto the water Joe and I have been fishing with artificial bait with mixed results so I figured we would change things up a little and try fishing with some live bait.
While at the resort I checked the holding tank outside the fish-cleaning house and saw that some of the guests had kept slot fish, which is illegal. On Leech Lake, any walleye between 18- and 26-inches is considered a 'slot fish' and must be immediately returned to the water. Fishermen can keep only one walleye bigger than 26-inches and can have no more than four walleye in possession per day.
The walleye in the holding tank were probably 21- to 23-inches long; clearly illegal fish. I pointed this out to Frank after he'd gotten me my scoop of fatheads, and by his furrowed brow I could tell he was concerned. However, he's in a tough spot. Fishing hasn't been great this season and if one of his guests, say a group of guys from Chicago, come up to the lake for some fishing and have the expectation to go home with a cooler full of fillets, it must be tough for him to refuse to clean their illegally-sized fish.
At roughly 5:00 p.m. Joe and I backed the Lund 1850 Pro-V off the lift and into the 64 degree water. We both noticed that the water level in the lake has dropped during the past several weeks. This is due to several factors. First and foremost is the lack of rain. Since the big storm back on July 2, we've had very little rain; probably no more than an inch or two in the past two and a half months. Not unlike the rest of the United States, Leech Lake is experiencing drought conditions.
Second, natural evaporation. On a hot, calm day during the summer, the lake can drop up to 1/2-inch per day due to simple evaporation. Couple that with strong winds, which increases the rate of evaporation, the lake level drops even more.
And finally, the US Army Corps of Engineers controls the amount of water flowing out of Leech Lake at Federal Dam and they usually let out more water in the Fall in preparation for the winter and the expected snow fall.
With all of those factors combined, the lake level has fallen to where it covers only 4 of the cement pilings on my boat ramp, down from a high earlier this summer of 8 or even 9 pilings. That equates to probably a drop of 14-18 inches in the surface of the lake.
Joe and I set up in a spot between our house and cabin in 11 feet of water, deployed the drift sock, and began a drift toward shore and slightly south toward Newman's cabin. Using jigs tipped with fathead minnows, we each caught a couple of small perch, but no jumbos and no walleye.
We made three or four more drifts, each time repositioning the boat further north until our final pass was made in front of 'the Birches.' At this point it was nearly 7:00 p.m. and although we contemplated staying out past sunset -- another half hour or so -- to do some trolling, we decided to go ashore since both of us were getting cold.
The temperature had dropped to around 50 degrees, and with the 10 mph north wind, it felt even colder. In fact, the National Weather Service issued a frost warning for tonight with temperatures expected to fall to around 35 degrees. Although Joe and I both have cold-weather clothes to keep us warm, neither of us was wearing them this evening. So we made our way back to the boat lift and inside our warm house.
With the temperature steadily dropping into the high 40s, we decided to start a fire in the fireplace, our first of the season. Earlier in the day, in anticipation of the cold weather, I had made some beef stew and let it slow cook in the Crock Pot all day. It was the perfect meal to warm us up after getting chilled to the bone on the waters of Leech Lake.
After dinner, Joe and I watched the movie Goon, a flick about a hockey enforcer in the minor leagues. It's probably the only hockey we'll see this year with the NHL facing a lockout by the owners.
We had a another great day at the lake, and look forward to getting out onto the water for some more fishing tomorrow. We need another jumbo perch or two to add to the one we have in the basket in order to have a Friday night fish fry. The pressure is on. More tomorrow...
After cleaning up around the house and doing some touch up painting, Joe and I decided to do some exploring on the ATV. There was a spot on the southern part of Ottertail Peninsula, where some land had been cleared for an eventually cabin, that Joe wanted to show me. It's a great spot of land with 475 feet of shoreline on 4.3 acres complete with a little cove which would be perfect for a boat lift and dock, and another spot with a fairly large sandy beach. The entire property is something Kathleen would absolutely love. Not that she doesn't like our properties, but this tract has the sandy beach which is something our land lacks and is a feature she would love to have available.
Joe and I also hiked along the boardwalk at Duck Point Woods and did some exploring along a spot of beach on Portage Bay which is often referred to as 'Hormel Beach' although that is not it's official name. All in all, Joe and I spent a sizable chunk of the afternoon outside exploring.
After some lunch and some brief work around the house, Joe and I decided to go fishing. Earlier in the day I had made a run up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy a scoop of fatheads. For the past several trips out onto the water Joe and I have been fishing with artificial bait with mixed results so I figured we would change things up a little and try fishing with some live bait.
While at the resort I checked the holding tank outside the fish-cleaning house and saw that some of the guests had kept slot fish, which is illegal. On Leech Lake, any walleye between 18- and 26-inches is considered a 'slot fish' and must be immediately returned to the water. Fishermen can keep only one walleye bigger than 26-inches and can have no more than four walleye in possession per day.
The walleye in the holding tank were probably 21- to 23-inches long; clearly illegal fish. I pointed this out to Frank after he'd gotten me my scoop of fatheads, and by his furrowed brow I could tell he was concerned. However, he's in a tough spot. Fishing hasn't been great this season and if one of his guests, say a group of guys from Chicago, come up to the lake for some fishing and have the expectation to go home with a cooler full of fillets, it must be tough for him to refuse to clean their illegally-sized fish.
At roughly 5:00 p.m. Joe and I backed the Lund 1850 Pro-V off the lift and into the 64 degree water. We both noticed that the water level in the lake has dropped during the past several weeks. This is due to several factors. First and foremost is the lack of rain. Since the big storm back on July 2, we've had very little rain; probably no more than an inch or two in the past two and a half months. Not unlike the rest of the United States, Leech Lake is experiencing drought conditions.
Second, natural evaporation. On a hot, calm day during the summer, the lake can drop up to 1/2-inch per day due to simple evaporation. Couple that with strong winds, which increases the rate of evaporation, the lake level drops even more.
And finally, the US Army Corps of Engineers controls the amount of water flowing out of Leech Lake at Federal Dam and they usually let out more water in the Fall in preparation for the winter and the expected snow fall.
With all of those factors combined, the lake level has fallen to where it covers only 4 of the cement pilings on my boat ramp, down from a high earlier this summer of 8 or even 9 pilings. That equates to probably a drop of 14-18 inches in the surface of the lake.
Joe and I set up in a spot between our house and cabin in 11 feet of water, deployed the drift sock, and began a drift toward shore and slightly south toward Newman's cabin. Using jigs tipped with fathead minnows, we each caught a couple of small perch, but no jumbos and no walleye.
We made three or four more drifts, each time repositioning the boat further north until our final pass was made in front of 'the Birches.' At this point it was nearly 7:00 p.m. and although we contemplated staying out past sunset -- another half hour or so -- to do some trolling, we decided to go ashore since both of us were getting cold.
The temperature had dropped to around 50 degrees, and with the 10 mph north wind, it felt even colder. In fact, the National Weather Service issued a frost warning for tonight with temperatures expected to fall to around 35 degrees. Although Joe and I both have cold-weather clothes to keep us warm, neither of us was wearing them this evening. So we made our way back to the boat lift and inside our warm house.
With the temperature steadily dropping into the high 40s, we decided to start a fire in the fireplace, our first of the season. Earlier in the day, in anticipation of the cold weather, I had made some beef stew and let it slow cook in the Crock Pot all day. It was the perfect meal to warm us up after getting chilled to the bone on the waters of Leech Lake.
After dinner, Joe and I watched the movie Goon, a flick about a hockey enforcer in the minor leagues. It's probably the only hockey we'll see this year with the NHL facing a lockout by the owners.
We had a another great day at the lake, and look forward to getting out onto the water for some more fishing tomorrow. We need another jumbo perch or two to add to the one we have in the basket in order to have a Friday night fish fry. The pressure is on. More tomorrow...
September 11-12, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
Tuesday was the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in NYC and Washington D.C. As someone who had taken those flights from Boston and New York City to San Francisco I once again thanked, whoever it is one thanks at times like these, that I wasn't on that flight on that day.
Today was warmer than yesterday and eventually hit a high of 78 degrees. The wind was light out of the south at 5-8 mph and the sky was mostly sunny. Again, the northwoods is struggling to let go of summer before Autumn takes over.
It was good weather to start painting the door on the lakeside deck and that's exactly what I did. The color of the paint looked much more like magenta to me than burgundy so after applying a heavy coat of paint I decided to let it dry a full day to see if the color is what I was hoping it would be or if I would have to go into Bemidji and get an alternate color.
And since watching paint dry is not all that interesting, Joe and I decided to go fishing.
With the breeze out of the SSW at 8 mph we used the drift sock to keep the boat moving north along the shoreline of Sucker Bay in 9-11 feet of water. The water temperature had fallen to 67. Both Joe and I were using Northland jigs tipped with 4-inch plastic screwtail grubs.
We fished for about two and half hours, during which time a caught a couple of good-sized pike, a small pike, a handful of small perch and one jumbo perch which I kept. Joe has yet to eat any Leech Lake-caught fish during his current stay and I figured that this perch would be a tasty treat for him. Unfortunately, Joe didn't hook a single fish.
We had a simple dinner tonight of sandwiches made from the left over grilled chicken with North Alabama White BBQ sauce, but as an appetizer, we had a mess of crayfish that Joe had trapped over the past several days. Cooking them is a simple matter of boiling them in water, the way you would a lobster, then serving them with drawn butter. There's not a lot of meat in them, the tail section yielding a piece of meat a little bigger than the size of a raisin, but they are tasty.
We finished off the evening watching a DVD. Good night from Leech Lake
The wind on Wednesday was the primary feature of the day's weather. It was blowing out of the north at 15-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph at times. The lake was rolling with waves which were crested with white caps. The temperature hit a high of 68 degrees and the sky was mostly sunny, but with a healthy helping of clouds.
I took advantage of the blustery day to finish painting the doors; the front door and the deck door. The wind dried the latex paint quickly enabling me to apply a second coat where needed. I'm sure I'll have to do some touch up on Thursday, but 99% of the job is complete.
Joe and I have been using Joe's .22 rifle to eliminate the red squirrels that are so prevalent in around our house. Normally I would not 'hunt' squirrel, but these little pests find their way into the house and leave caches of pine nuts and other seeds underneath the cushions of our furniture. How they get into our house beats me, but I'm not about to have them ravage our house throughout the winter.
Joe and I have been keeping a tally of how many squirrels we've been able to hit, and as of today, Joe atop the leader board with 5 squirrels to my 3.
Since we couldn't go fishing due to the rough water, we took a walk today and it's becoming more obvious that Autumn is rapidly approaching. The leaves are changing color, although are probably still a week or more from 'peaking.'
As the sun sank into the western horizon, the wind began to die down a bit, but neither Joe nor I felt like it was calm enough to go out trolling, so we stayed on shore and enjoyed another beautiful Leech Lake sunset. I never get tired of watching the sunsets here at the lake.
We had another quiet night of reading, watching a DVD and listening to music after our spaghetti dinner. I'm really hoping we can get out on the water tomorrow since Joe only has a little more than a week left here at Leech Lake before he has to fly back to California. Heck, I'm only going to be here a few more weeks myself, and would love to catch a couple of walleye, or even some jumbo perch, before I have to go back to the Golden State.
More reports from Leech Lake tomorrow (or the next day).
Today was warmer than yesterday and eventually hit a high of 78 degrees. The wind was light out of the south at 5-8 mph and the sky was mostly sunny. Again, the northwoods is struggling to let go of summer before Autumn takes over.
It was good weather to start painting the door on the lakeside deck and that's exactly what I did. The color of the paint looked much more like magenta to me than burgundy so after applying a heavy coat of paint I decided to let it dry a full day to see if the color is what I was hoping it would be or if I would have to go into Bemidji and get an alternate color.
And since watching paint dry is not all that interesting, Joe and I decided to go fishing.
With the breeze out of the SSW at 8 mph we used the drift sock to keep the boat moving north along the shoreline of Sucker Bay in 9-11 feet of water. The water temperature had fallen to 67. Both Joe and I were using Northland jigs tipped with 4-inch plastic screwtail grubs.
We fished for about two and half hours, during which time a caught a couple of good-sized pike, a small pike, a handful of small perch and one jumbo perch which I kept. Joe has yet to eat any Leech Lake-caught fish during his current stay and I figured that this perch would be a tasty treat for him. Unfortunately, Joe didn't hook a single fish.
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| Looking at our house/cabin as we drifted north on Sucker Bay |
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| A bowl full of Leech Lake crayfish ready for a pot of boiling water |
The wind on Wednesday was the primary feature of the day's weather. It was blowing out of the north at 15-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph at times. The lake was rolling with waves which were crested with white caps. The temperature hit a high of 68 degrees and the sky was mostly sunny, but with a healthy helping of clouds.
I took advantage of the blustery day to finish painting the doors; the front door and the deck door. The wind dried the latex paint quickly enabling me to apply a second coat where needed. I'm sure I'll have to do some touch up on Thursday, but 99% of the job is complete.
Joe and I have been using Joe's .22 rifle to eliminate the red squirrels that are so prevalent in around our house. Normally I would not 'hunt' squirrel, but these little pests find their way into the house and leave caches of pine nuts and other seeds underneath the cushions of our furniture. How they get into our house beats me, but I'm not about to have them ravage our house throughout the winter.
Joe and I have been keeping a tally of how many squirrels we've been able to hit, and as of today, Joe atop the leader board with 5 squirrels to my 3.
Since we couldn't go fishing due to the rough water, we took a walk today and it's becoming more obvious that Autumn is rapidly approaching. The leaves are changing color, although are probably still a week or more from 'peaking.'
As the sun sank into the western horizon, the wind began to die down a bit, but neither Joe nor I felt like it was calm enough to go out trolling, so we stayed on shore and enjoyed another beautiful Leech Lake sunset. I never get tired of watching the sunsets here at the lake.
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| The sun's final glow over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
More reports from Leech Lake tomorrow (or the next day).
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
September 9-10, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
Sunday September 9 was a beautiful day. The temperature climbed to 82 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SW. It was the perfect day to go muskie fishing. Joe and I made sandwiches, gathered some drinks in the cooler, loaded our muskie rods/reels, lures and net into the boat and then left just before noon for an afternoon of muskie fishing on Leech Lake.
We started by motoring for about 30 minutes to a location in the main part of the lake called Submarine Island. It is a spot in the lake where the bottom rises from the rest of the lake floor to a depth of no more than 8-10 feet. Surrounding Submarine Island is water as deep as 35 feet. Bait fish often hold on the sunken island which is why muskie tend to be in the area.
Joe and I spent a good 30 to 45 minutes casting lures around the large submerged hump, but didn't even have a follow. We decided to change tactics and troll around Submarine Island. At 2.25 mph ground speed, it takes about 30 minutes to complete one circuit around the Submarine Island. We made two passes with no luck. We did pass the time by listening to the Vikings-Jaguars game, a game the Vikings won in OT by a field goal.
From Submarine Island we motored another 20 minutes or so north into Portage Bay to a spot on the eastern shoreline known as Five Mile Point. Just north of the point is a large, shallow bay with reeds and weeds; a perfect habitat for muskie. Five Mile Point is known as one of the best muskie spots on Leech Lake and has produced some very big fish, and in fairly good numbers.
Joe and I spent more than nearly two hours casting lures around the bay and point but again couldn't produce as much as a follow. I did see a big fish (a muskie?) break the surface of the water near the shoreline with a colossal splash, but repeated casts to the spot all came up empty.
With sun dropping in the sky and the wind beginning to pick up, and with a good 35 minutes needed to motor home at 40 mph, we decided it was time to stow the gear and head home. I put the Mercury Verado into gear, got the boat on plane, and at 40 mph drove the boat south on Portage Bay, around Ottertail Point and then north on Sucker Bay toward Second Duck Point.
Once the boat was securely on the lift, Joe and I got all of the muskie gear out of the boat and made our way home for dinner. Earlier in the day I had put a rack of pork spare ribs in the oven to slow-cook, and it was now time to put them on the grill for a quick searing. Along with Cole slaw and French fries we had a hearty and very tasty dinner.
Although we didn't hook a muskie, or even get a follow, it was still a wonderful day on the lake with my son. I couldn't have asked for a better day.
The weather on Monday couldn't have been more different from Sunday. The wind was blowing at 15-20 mph out of the NW, the sky was mostly cloudy and temperature was at its high at 74 degrees. It's as if the northwoods is struggling to let summer go before Autumn fully takes its grasp.
I spent a good portion of the day working on a presentation and some other work, while Joe enjoyed reading and the kind of quiet that only the lake can provide.
Once my work was complete I set about painting the trim and framework around the front door and the door on the lakeside deck. I painted it a shade of dark brownish-green called muddled basil. Who comes up with these color names anyway? Muddled basil, really? It actually looks much better than its name might suggest. Tomorrow and Wednesday I'll paint the doors themselves; in burgundy if you were wondering. That's a name I understand, since the paint is the same color as burgundy wine.
As the day progressed the wind began to die down and the forecast for Tuesday was much calmer waters, so maybe we can get out for some fishing tomorrow.
Joe and I both realized that we might not get too many more chances, if any, to go swimming in the lake this year so despite cool air temperatures and even colder water temperatures we donned our swimming trunks, walked to the end of the dock and took the plunge. I've been in the lake more than a dozen times this summer, but this was the first time hitting the water took my breath away. Not because I did a belly-flop or something, but because the water was downright cold.
I didn't stay in long opting to take a hot shower to clean off. Joe, however, used our organic soap and cleaned off in the lake. He later said it took him more than an hour to finally warm up.
In addition to slow-cooking ribs yesterday while Joe and I were muskie fishing I was also brining a chicken for tonight's dinner. With the chicken brined for more than 24 hours, it was time to put in on the grill (with indirect heat) in preparation of adding the North Alabama White BBQ sauce. In addition to the chicken we had a the left over Cole slaw, biscuits and mashed potatoes. Another outstanding northwoods dinner.
But before we enjoyed that amazing dinner we enjoyed a spectacular sunset from the end the dock. Joe and I have tried to make it a habit to get out to the end of the dock every evening at sunset to take in the splendor that the lake offers at that time of day. Tonight was one of the best we've seen during Joe's current stay.
We spent the rest of the night quietly, watching some DVDs and reading. Good night from Leech Lake.
We started by motoring for about 30 minutes to a location in the main part of the lake called Submarine Island. It is a spot in the lake where the bottom rises from the rest of the lake floor to a depth of no more than 8-10 feet. Surrounding Submarine Island is water as deep as 35 feet. Bait fish often hold on the sunken island which is why muskie tend to be in the area.
Joe and I spent a good 30 to 45 minutes casting lures around the large submerged hump, but didn't even have a follow. We decided to change tactics and troll around Submarine Island. At 2.25 mph ground speed, it takes about 30 minutes to complete one circuit around the Submarine Island. We made two passes with no luck. We did pass the time by listening to the Vikings-Jaguars game, a game the Vikings won in OT by a field goal.
From Submarine Island we motored another 20 minutes or so north into Portage Bay to a spot on the eastern shoreline known as Five Mile Point. Just north of the point is a large, shallow bay with reeds and weeds; a perfect habitat for muskie. Five Mile Point is known as one of the best muskie spots on Leech Lake and has produced some very big fish, and in fairly good numbers.
Joe and I spent more than nearly two hours casting lures around the bay and point but again couldn't produce as much as a follow. I did see a big fish (a muskie?) break the surface of the water near the shoreline with a colossal splash, but repeated casts to the spot all came up empty.
With sun dropping in the sky and the wind beginning to pick up, and with a good 35 minutes needed to motor home at 40 mph, we decided it was time to stow the gear and head home. I put the Mercury Verado into gear, got the boat on plane, and at 40 mph drove the boat south on Portage Bay, around Ottertail Point and then north on Sucker Bay toward Second Duck Point.
Once the boat was securely on the lift, Joe and I got all of the muskie gear out of the boat and made our way home for dinner. Earlier in the day I had put a rack of pork spare ribs in the oven to slow-cook, and it was now time to put them on the grill for a quick searing. Along with Cole slaw and French fries we had a hearty and very tasty dinner.
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| Another beautiful sunset over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
The weather on Monday couldn't have been more different from Sunday. The wind was blowing at 15-20 mph out of the NW, the sky was mostly cloudy and temperature was at its high at 74 degrees. It's as if the northwoods is struggling to let summer go before Autumn fully takes its grasp.
I spent a good portion of the day working on a presentation and some other work, while Joe enjoyed reading and the kind of quiet that only the lake can provide.
Once my work was complete I set about painting the trim and framework around the front door and the door on the lakeside deck. I painted it a shade of dark brownish-green called muddled basil. Who comes up with these color names anyway? Muddled basil, really? It actually looks much better than its name might suggest. Tomorrow and Wednesday I'll paint the doors themselves; in burgundy if you were wondering. That's a name I understand, since the paint is the same color as burgundy wine.
As the day progressed the wind began to die down and the forecast for Tuesday was much calmer waters, so maybe we can get out for some fishing tomorrow.
Joe and I both realized that we might not get too many more chances, if any, to go swimming in the lake this year so despite cool air temperatures and even colder water temperatures we donned our swimming trunks, walked to the end of the dock and took the plunge. I've been in the lake more than a dozen times this summer, but this was the first time hitting the water took my breath away. Not because I did a belly-flop or something, but because the water was downright cold.
I didn't stay in long opting to take a hot shower to clean off. Joe, however, used our organic soap and cleaned off in the lake. He later said it took him more than an hour to finally warm up.
In addition to slow-cooking ribs yesterday while Joe and I were muskie fishing I was also brining a chicken for tonight's dinner. With the chicken brined for more than 24 hours, it was time to put in on the grill (with indirect heat) in preparation of adding the North Alabama White BBQ sauce. In addition to the chicken we had a the left over Cole slaw, biscuits and mashed potatoes. Another outstanding northwoods dinner.
But before we enjoyed that amazing dinner we enjoyed a spectacular sunset from the end the dock. Joe and I have tried to make it a habit to get out to the end of the dock every evening at sunset to take in the splendor that the lake offers at that time of day. Tonight was one of the best we've seen during Joe's current stay.
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| A spectacular sunset over Leech Lake |
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
September 7-8, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
On Friday morning September 7 I woke up freezing. While the temperatures have been cooler, they haven't dropped far enough to make the house truly cold, until today. We had several of the windows open, so I went around the house closing them in preparation for turning on the furnace.
With the windows closed I went to the thermostat to turn on the heat and saw that the temperature in the house was only 60 degrees. I turned the furnace up to 68 and waited for the house to warm up.
Outside the sky was mostly cloudy, the temperature was only 52 degrees and the wind was howling at 15-25 mph out of the WNW. A very cool, blustery day at Leech Lake. And several times throughout the day the sky would darken and a light rain would fall for a few minutes. Nothing heavy, just enough to keep the ground and trees damp, thus making the day seem even cooler.
With waves pounded the shoreline and white caps on the lake, Joe and I didn't see any boats on the water until just after 6:00 p.m. when John and Karen Newman decided to brave the heavy seas for some perch fishing. John has been up at the lake for a day or two, but Karen arrived just today. John had mentioned to me that Karen really wanted to get out and do some fishing, and lucky for them the wind had calmed a bit, but it was still a little too rough for me to want to venture out onto.
Instead, Joe and I spent a quiet day at home. I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon working on a work presentation, while Joe read and played some video games.
Later in the day, just before sunset, Joe found his old HO slot car track and cars and decided to take them next door and set it up on the ping pong table in the game room. For the next several hours Joe and I raced the little slot cars around the track. We both had forgotten how much fun it can be.
The weather on Saturday was even more harsh than on Friday. The wind was blowing at speeds between 20-30 mph out of the WNW, the temperature never got up over 60 degrees and the sky was grey and dark all day with occasional periods of light rain.
Joe and I decided it would be a good day to go into town for supplies. I needed to pick up some paint for the front door and trim, we needed to mail a package to Jayden and we needed groceries. We took our time getting ready and didn't actually hit the road until just after 1:00 p.m. On our drive into Bemidji we listened to the University of Minnesota football game, a game they eventually won by a score of 44-7 over the University of New Hampshire.
When we had completed our tasks in Bemidji we stopped in Cass Lake on the drive home to pick up a couple of pizzas. We had invited John and Karen Newman over for a simple dinner and some conversation. At 7:30 p.m. John stopped by without Karen. Apparently she had gotten up much too early in the day and was tired, so she stayed at home while John had pizza with us.
After John went home, Joe and I stayed up and watched some DVDs before going to bed.
Good night from Leech Lake.
With the windows closed I went to the thermostat to turn on the heat and saw that the temperature in the house was only 60 degrees. I turned the furnace up to 68 and waited for the house to warm up.
Outside the sky was mostly cloudy, the temperature was only 52 degrees and the wind was howling at 15-25 mph out of the WNW. A very cool, blustery day at Leech Lake. And several times throughout the day the sky would darken and a light rain would fall for a few minutes. Nothing heavy, just enough to keep the ground and trees damp, thus making the day seem even cooler.
With waves pounded the shoreline and white caps on the lake, Joe and I didn't see any boats on the water until just after 6:00 p.m. when John and Karen Newman decided to brave the heavy seas for some perch fishing. John has been up at the lake for a day or two, but Karen arrived just today. John had mentioned to me that Karen really wanted to get out and do some fishing, and lucky for them the wind had calmed a bit, but it was still a little too rough for me to want to venture out onto.
Instead, Joe and I spent a quiet day at home. I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon working on a work presentation, while Joe read and played some video games.
Later in the day, just before sunset, Joe found his old HO slot car track and cars and decided to take them next door and set it up on the ping pong table in the game room. For the next several hours Joe and I raced the little slot cars around the track. We both had forgotten how much fun it can be.
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| Joe watching the sunset over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
The weather on Saturday was even more harsh than on Friday. The wind was blowing at speeds between 20-30 mph out of the WNW, the temperature never got up over 60 degrees and the sky was grey and dark all day with occasional periods of light rain.
Joe and I decided it would be a good day to go into town for supplies. I needed to pick up some paint for the front door and trim, we needed to mail a package to Jayden and we needed groceries. We took our time getting ready and didn't actually hit the road until just after 1:00 p.m. On our drive into Bemidji we listened to the University of Minnesota football game, a game they eventually won by a score of 44-7 over the University of New Hampshire.
When we had completed our tasks in Bemidji we stopped in Cass Lake on the drive home to pick up a couple of pizzas. We had invited John and Karen Newman over for a simple dinner and some conversation. At 7:30 p.m. John stopped by without Karen. Apparently she had gotten up much too early in the day and was tired, so she stayed at home while John had pizza with us.
After John went home, Joe and I stayed up and watched some DVDs before going to bed.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
September 4-6, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
The weather these past few days is sending us clear signals that Autumn is just around the corner. On Tuesday the temperature hit a high of near 80 under sunny skies, but on Wednesday the high didn't even reach 70 degrees and with the wind blowing at 12-20 mph out of the WSW -- creating big waves on the lake -- it felt a lot cooler than 70 degrees. And by Thursday, the temperature at 11:00 a.m. was only 60 degrees under mostly cloudy, grey skies.
The cooler weather didn't dissuade Joe and I from spending time outside. Joe really enjoys hanging out at the game room at the cabin and around the fire pit, which is where I can find him often throughout the day. We also have continued our bike riding, riding around 5 miles a day. On Tuesday, Joe finished off his bike ride with some exercises and a dip in the lake; something that by Wednesday would not have been a very comfortable venture.
I've found time to go fishing every day, although with basically no success. I fished several parts of Sucker Bay including Second Duck Point, in front of our house/cabin, in front of Malay's, drifting from Norm's to Schiebe's including The Birches, but with very limited success. My technique was drifting with a Northland Mimic Minnow Spin, a method that has produced both walleye and jumbo perch in the past, but only a handful of tiny perch these past couple of days. I'm hoping with the cooler temperatures, the fish will begin their Fall feeding pattern and that the fishing will improve considerably.
On Wednesday evening, after the high winds had died down, Joe and I went out after sunset to do some trolling for walleye. We used our favorite crankbait -- the Rapala Minnow Rap -- pulled 60 feet behind the boat at a depth of roughly 9-11 feet of 74 degree water.
The strong wind and rough water throughout the day churned up a lot of dying vegetation in the lake and we spent more time taking weeds off our lures than actually fishing. As a result, we spent only about an hour on the water before coming ashore.
Thursday the temperature was cooler still and maybe hit a high of 65 degrees. The sky was overcast and rain fell sporadically throughout the day. The wind wasn't too strong, but breezy enough to keep the lake covered in medium sized waves.
I spent a good portion of the day doing some work work, before Joe and I decided to take an ATV ride down the peninsula. Joe said he found a small beach that he was previous unaware of and wanted to show it to me. On our way down Ottertail Point Road the rain started to pick up and rather than get soaking wet, we turned and headed home.
We spent the rest of the day quickly at home reading, watching a movie on DVD and just hanging out. I hope that tomorrow we'll get a chance to get out on the water.
The cooler weather didn't dissuade Joe and I from spending time outside. Joe really enjoys hanging out at the game room at the cabin and around the fire pit, which is where I can find him often throughout the day. We also have continued our bike riding, riding around 5 miles a day. On Tuesday, Joe finished off his bike ride with some exercises and a dip in the lake; something that by Wednesday would not have been a very comfortable venture.
I've found time to go fishing every day, although with basically no success. I fished several parts of Sucker Bay including Second Duck Point, in front of our house/cabin, in front of Malay's, drifting from Norm's to Schiebe's including The Birches, but with very limited success. My technique was drifting with a Northland Mimic Minnow Spin, a method that has produced both walleye and jumbo perch in the past, but only a handful of tiny perch these past couple of days. I'm hoping with the cooler temperatures, the fish will begin their Fall feeding pattern and that the fishing will improve considerably.
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| Classic MN clouds over Leech Lake |
The strong wind and rough water throughout the day churned up a lot of dying vegetation in the lake and we spent more time taking weeds off our lures than actually fishing. As a result, we spent only about an hour on the water before coming ashore.
Thursday the temperature was cooler still and maybe hit a high of 65 degrees. The sky was overcast and rain fell sporadically throughout the day. The wind wasn't too strong, but breezy enough to keep the lake covered in medium sized waves.
I spent a good portion of the day doing some work work, before Joe and I decided to take an ATV ride down the peninsula. Joe said he found a small beach that he was previous unaware of and wanted to show it to me. On our way down Ottertail Point Road the rain started to pick up and rather than get soaking wet, we turned and headed home.
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| A look at our dock at the house from the cabin dock |
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Labor Day Weekend, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
The weekend was warm, mostly sunny and the wind varied between dead calm and quite breezy. High temperatures hit close to 90 degrees, but luckily it wasn't too humid. We did have some very strong winds on Monday, including a light sprinkling of rain. But for the most part, it was a beautiful late-summer weekend in the northwoods.
Joe and I did get out to do some bass fishing, but with no luck. We tried a variety of tactics -- spinnerbaits pulled quickly and rolled, Texas-rigged weightless Senko's and jigs -- but none produced fish. I also spent time on the water on Saturday, Sunday and Monday doing some drifting for perch (or maybe the stray walleye) but caught only a handful of small- to medium-sized perch. Actually, I did catch one jumbo perch, a very nice 11-inch fish, but after putting it in the live well for a brief period I eventually released it since it was the only one I caught and one perch isn't enough for a meal for two people, even if it is a jumbo.
Joe and I found time to do some bike riding and swimming. We also had a fire, played some dominoes and watched some shows on DVD. We BBQed for dinner, including a very tasty brined, grilled chicken with North Alabama White BBQ sauce.
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It's hard to believe we've already hit the "unofficial" end of summer; complete with the end of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Minnesota and was preparing to get the boat in the water, get the canopy on the boat lift, and, oh well, enough reminiscing and whining. It's September and we all have to brace ourselves for the onslaught of Fall and Winter and all that comes with it.
I'm just happy for the time I have to spend with my son at Leech Lake. And it does a man's heart good to know that his son is as fond as he is of the northwoods, campfires, fishing, shooting guns and not seeing other people for days at a time.
Until tomorrow, or maybe next week...
Joe and I did get out to do some bass fishing, but with no luck. We tried a variety of tactics -- spinnerbaits pulled quickly and rolled, Texas-rigged weightless Senko's and jigs -- but none produced fish. I also spent time on the water on Saturday, Sunday and Monday doing some drifting for perch (or maybe the stray walleye) but caught only a handful of small- to medium-sized perch. Actually, I did catch one jumbo perch, a very nice 11-inch fish, but after putting it in the live well for a brief period I eventually released it since it was the only one I caught and one perch isn't enough for a meal for two people, even if it is a jumbo.
Joe and I found time to do some bike riding and swimming. We also had a fire, played some dominoes and watched some shows on DVD. We BBQed for dinner, including a very tasty brined, grilled chicken with North Alabama White BBQ sauce.
------------
It's hard to believe we've already hit the "unofficial" end of summer; complete with the end of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Minnesota and was preparing to get the boat in the water, get the canopy on the boat lift, and, oh well, enough reminiscing and whining. It's September and we all have to brace ourselves for the onslaught of Fall and Winter and all that comes with it.
I'm just happy for the time I have to spend with my son at Leech Lake. And it does a man's heart good to know that his son is as fond as he is of the northwoods, campfires, fishing, shooting guns and not seeing other people for days at a time.
Until tomorrow, or maybe next week...
Monday, September 03, 2012
Lake Water Levels -- Labor Day, 2012
Today is Monday, September 3, 2012 -- Labor Day. This is one of the days throughout the year that I record an unofficial measure of the water levels on Leech Lake. Using the cement pilings at the cabin boat ramp as a constant against which to water level of the lake, I can look back and see how this year's water level stack up against previous years.
At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, five (5) of the cement pilings were under water, with the ripples and light waves lapping up onto piling six. By comparison, last year on August 26 the water covered only three (3) pilings. While the water level isn't as high currently as earlier in the season, it remains relatively high for this time of year.
I am guessing that the Army Corps of Engineers will start drawing down the water level in the lake in the next several weeks in preparation for the winter season. I may take another reading around Halloween, if I'm still at Leech Lake.
At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, five (5) of the cement pilings were under water, with the ripples and light waves lapping up onto piling six. By comparison, last year on August 26 the water covered only three (3) pilings. While the water level isn't as high currently as earlier in the season, it remains relatively high for this time of year.
I am guessing that the Army Corps of Engineers will start drawing down the water level in the lake in the next several weeks in preparation for the winter season. I may take another reading around Halloween, if I'm still at Leech Lake.
August 27-31, 2012, In, On, and At Leech Lake
Week in Review
This was a busy week, one that kept me from making daily posts to this blog. Therefore, I thought I'd do a quick week in review. As the title of this post suggests, Joe and I spent it at Leech Lake working, we spent some time in Leech Lake swimming and to cool off, and we spent time on Leech Lake fishing. But mostly, this week was defined by our work staining the roadside and lakeside decks.
On Monday, which was a warm day in the high 70s, Joe and I started in on staining the roadside deck. We worked for nearly 6 hours straight and were able to complete the entire job. After cleaning up and putting the stain away, I set up a small barricade in front of the front stairs to keep people from walking on the freshly stained deck. Of course what I could not have predicted is a visit during the night from "Buck," the abandoned dog that makes periodic appearances at our house. Sometime during the night, the dog walked around the barricade and up onto the porch. It then walked the entire length of the porch leaving paw prints in the still sticky stain. Joe and I were not about to redo entire deck, which is what it would have taken eliminate the paw prints, so we decided to live with a few dog prints.
On Tuesday, the weather was hotter. The temperature hit a high of 85 degrees and the humidity made it very muggy. Joe and I spent 5 hours working on section 1 of the lakeside deck; which included the railing on the south end of the deck, and the fascia and other woodworking along the bottom of the deck. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a cool swim in the lake. It felt great to cool off and to get clean using our organic soap to take a camp bath.
Wednesday was hotter even still. The temperature climbed to 92 degrees and it remained humid making our staining of section 2 of the deck slow and not very comfortable. Joe and I finished the railing on the north end of the deck, including all of the fascia and other wood and then once again took a dip in the lake to cool off. Tomorrow we're taking the day off from staining to go into Bemidji. I've got to get the truck serviced -- and to finally fix the broken passenger-side power-window motor -- get groceries and run other errands.
Thursday proved to be a breezy day, with heavy cloud cover. It looked like it might rain, which wouldn't be ideal for the drying of the deck railing, but it turned out to only sprinkle around mid-afternoon. The temperature went up to 84 degrees, it felt fairly humid, and in Bemidji we saw several big flashes of lightning followed by loud claps of thunder. But, as I said, we didn't see any rain of consequence. By the time we got home, and put away all of the groceries, it was after 5:30 p.m. and I wanted to do some fishing. Joe joined me, and we fished for about 90 minutes and caught nothing but a few small perch. We were, however, treated to the sight of the full moon, a blue moon, rising in the east over the Malay's cabin.
NOTE: On the nature front, when Joe and I pulled into the driveway this afternoon, we spotted 9 ruffed grouse eating the fruit from our small crab apple tree. It's good to know that we have so many grouse in the area. Some day, I'd like to hunt for, and eat, some local ruffed grouse.
On Friday, Joe and I set about staining the final portion of the lakeside deck, the walking surface itself. We spent more than 6 hours on the task and by 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening we were done with our staining project. Just as we were cleaning up, our peninsula neighbor Ken Lichttenegger stopped by to give us a smoked whitefish. He has a license to net them in Leech Lake and every year he catches and smokes a number of fish. The past few years he's been kind enough to share one with me, and as in the past, it was delicious.
After we had cleaned up all the stain and the various equipment we'd used during our project, Joe and I went for a long bike ride followed by a swim in the lake. The lake water is still hovering around 74 degrees, which is plenty warm enough to go for a dip after work. It was then time to relax and have a pizza on Friday night.
It feels good to have the project complete, and now we can focus on doing some fishing. Joe wants to fish not only for walleye and perch, but largemouth bass and muskie. I'm sure we'll get in plenty of fishing during the next couple of weeks.
This was a busy week, one that kept me from making daily posts to this blog. Therefore, I thought I'd do a quick week in review. As the title of this post suggests, Joe and I spent it at Leech Lake working, we spent some time in Leech Lake swimming and to cool off, and we spent time on Leech Lake fishing. But mostly, this week was defined by our work staining the roadside and lakeside decks.
On Monday, which was a warm day in the high 70s, Joe and I started in on staining the roadside deck. We worked for nearly 6 hours straight and were able to complete the entire job. After cleaning up and putting the stain away, I set up a small barricade in front of the front stairs to keep people from walking on the freshly stained deck. Of course what I could not have predicted is a visit during the night from "Buck," the abandoned dog that makes periodic appearances at our house. Sometime during the night, the dog walked around the barricade and up onto the porch. It then walked the entire length of the porch leaving paw prints in the still sticky stain. Joe and I were not about to redo entire deck, which is what it would have taken eliminate the paw prints, so we decided to live with a few dog prints.
On Tuesday, the weather was hotter. The temperature hit a high of 85 degrees and the humidity made it very muggy. Joe and I spent 5 hours working on section 1 of the lakeside deck; which included the railing on the south end of the deck, and the fascia and other woodworking along the bottom of the deck. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a cool swim in the lake. It felt great to cool off and to get clean using our organic soap to take a camp bath.
Wednesday was hotter even still. The temperature climbed to 92 degrees and it remained humid making our staining of section 2 of the deck slow and not very comfortable. Joe and I finished the railing on the north end of the deck, including all of the fascia and other wood and then once again took a dip in the lake to cool off. Tomorrow we're taking the day off from staining to go into Bemidji. I've got to get the truck serviced -- and to finally fix the broken passenger-side power-window motor -- get groceries and run other errands.
Thursday proved to be a breezy day, with heavy cloud cover. It looked like it might rain, which wouldn't be ideal for the drying of the deck railing, but it turned out to only sprinkle around mid-afternoon. The temperature went up to 84 degrees, it felt fairly humid, and in Bemidji we saw several big flashes of lightning followed by loud claps of thunder. But, as I said, we didn't see any rain of consequence. By the time we got home, and put away all of the groceries, it was after 5:30 p.m. and I wanted to do some fishing. Joe joined me, and we fished for about 90 minutes and caught nothing but a few small perch. We were, however, treated to the sight of the full moon, a blue moon, rising in the east over the Malay's cabin.
 |
| Full moon rising over Leech Lake |
On Friday, Joe and I set about staining the final portion of the lakeside deck, the walking surface itself. We spent more than 6 hours on the task and by 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening we were done with our staining project. Just as we were cleaning up, our peninsula neighbor Ken Lichttenegger stopped by to give us a smoked whitefish. He has a license to net them in Leech Lake and every year he catches and smokes a number of fish. The past few years he's been kind enough to share one with me, and as in the past, it was delicious.
After we had cleaned up all the stain and the various equipment we'd used during our project, Joe and I went for a long bike ride followed by a swim in the lake. The lake water is still hovering around 74 degrees, which is plenty warm enough to go for a dip after work. It was then time to relax and have a pizza on Friday night.
It feels good to have the project complete, and now we can focus on doing some fishing. Joe wants to fish not only for walleye and perch, but largemouth bass and muskie. I'm sure we'll get in plenty of fishing during the next couple of weeks.
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