The Early Summer Cycle

The Early Summer Cycle

June bugs, midges, dragonflies
Burst upon the scene
When the leaves turn green
Then each and every one, dies

Lacy ferns sprout and unfurl
Purple lilac blooms
Dark thunderstorm looms
In the wind the waves do curl

Bluegills, northern pike, walleye
Spawning beds they clear
Round patches, weeds near
A bald eagle fills the sky

Small green leaves grow to full size
Maples, ash, basswood
Neither bad nor good
Living again is the prize

-- June 29, 2009

June 28, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

The rough water on Sucker Bay this evening

Today it is even windier than yesterday, with a WNW wind at 25-30 mph blowing all day long. The lake is churning with large waves and white caps. I don't remember seeing the lake this rough.

I saw a sailboat on the lake this morning, but by 11:00 a.m. it was too rough to sail. The wind kept the air feeling cooler than the 74 degrees which was today's high. The sky was filled with large white billowy clouds, but we never any rain today.

Tim and Jackson left for home by 1:15 p.m. I hung out and read the Sunday paper, then eventually made my way over to the Newman's where we ate beer-can chicken, baked beans and potato salad -- a real summertime feast.

I came home at 7:15 p.m. and sat on the dock watching the waves pound the shoreline. This is the fourth straight day I haven't been out on the lake fishing, and I'm getting antsy. I hear the wind is supposed to be blowing like crazy again tomorrow, so I may have to wait until Tuesday to do any walleye fishing.

Nonetheless, it's great to be on the shores of Leech Lake.

June 27, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

I returned home from St. Cloud last evening. I had spent Thursday, June 25 and Friday, June 26 at my mother-in-law's (Marge) house. She and I had a very nice visit. On Thursday, we ran a bunch of errands around town. On Friday, in celebration of the 28th anniversary of me marrying Kathleen, Marge's daughter, Marge and I went to the Newman Center Catholic Church for a noon-time mass. I sure wish Kathleen could have been in Minnesota with me.

Mid-afternoon on Friday I went to the grocery store, loaded up on supplies and headed back to Leech Lake. The temperature in St. Cloud had been 89 degrees and humid, but by the time I got to Leech Lake at 7:00 p.m., the temperature had cooled to 80 degrees; although it was still humid.

Kathleen's brother Tim and his son Jackson arrived around 9:00 p.m. on Friday night. They plan to stay until mid-day Sunday. I hope the weather is good enough for us to go out fishing.

I awoke on Saturday morning to rain. The temperature 70 degrees, the air is humid and the sky is gray and rainy. The wind is out of the WSW at 8-12 mph. I don't think Tim and Jackson have rain gear, so unless they feel like getting soaking wet while fishing, we might have to wait until this storm passes to go fishing.

As the day progressed, the wind picked up, sometimes with gusts out of the west nearing 30 mph, and the sky darkened further and rain continued to fall. Finally, around 7:00 p.m. the sky began to clear, and the wind began to let up a little, but it was still too rough to go fishing comfortably.

After dinner, Tim, Jackson and I got a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin, played ping pong and pinball, and just hung out. John Newman joined us at the fire pit around 9:30 p.m. At 11:30 p.m., I doused the fire and everyone went home to bed.

Although we couldn't fish today because of the high winds, we all had a very pleasant day at Leech Lake.

June 24, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

I was originally scheduled to fly back to California today. But plans changed and instead I'm still here at Leech Lake; and for that I am truly grateful.

I spent most of today cleaning -- specifically, I cleaned all of the bathrooms. Not a fun job to say the least, but one that must be done regularly. At about 3:30 p.m. I decided I had cleaned enough for one day and decided to go fishing.

The temperature today was in the mid-80s, the sky was mostly sunny, the air was humid and the wind was out of the WSW at 10-15 mph. The water temperature this afternoon was between 74.5 and 74.9 degrees.

I started fishing from in front of Newman's cabin and let the wind push me north toward Malay's. I was in 10 feet of water using an XPS jig in lime green/black tipped with fathead minnows. I caught numerous perch, but no jumbos or walleyes.

At 5:15 p.m. Lainey Malay called me on my cell phone and invited me over for a beer. Since the fishing was slow, I packed up my gear and took the boat back to the boat lift. The lift, by the way, seems to be working much better since Shore Brothers came out today and replaced the clutch plate.

I had a nice time chatting with Tom and Elaine Malay and finally made my way home around 7:00 p.m. After a quick dinner I decided I'd go out trolling.

I hit the water at 9:15 p.m. just as the sun was getting ready to set. The wind was still blowing out of the WSW but had slowed a bit to 8-12 mph. The sky was clear and the water temperature varied from 73.9 to 74.7 degrees depending on my location and depth.

I trolled from south of Second Duck Point to north of Malay's cabin using my #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel in 8-11 feet of water. I caught one small northern pike, 3 stupid rock bass and a very nice 21 3/4" walleye. Catching the walleye made battling the bugs on the lake worth the trip.

As I was getting ready to come ashore, I watched as the sliver of the 6 percent waxing moon set in the western sky. The sky still had some orange, pale green, blue, and purple color to it and the bright white of the moon really stood out in the darkening sky. In the east and overhead stars were becoming visible.

I pulled onto the boat lift and was met by swarms of mayflies and a host of other flying insects. It seems as if every night now some new insect is hatching in the water and making its way to the surface. I guess that's a sign that Leech Lake is alive and healthy.

Tomorrow I'm driving down to St. Cloud to visit Kathleen's mom. I may be able to report from there, but if not, I'll post again here on Friday night. Until then...

June 23, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

The torential rain during the early-afternoon thunderstorm

It was near 80 degrees and the sun was shining at 9:00 a.m. this morning, but as the morning progressed it kept getting darker, and cooler. By noon, the sky was gray, overcast and was actually as dark as it is typically around 9:30 p.m. The temperature had dropped to 70 degrees.

I did a quick check of the weather on the NOAA marine station on my Uniden Atlantis 250 two-way VHF marine radio, and discovered that the National Weather Service had issued severe thunderstorm warning 497 for this part of northern Minnesota.

By 12:40 p.m. it started to rain, the wind out of the SW picked up to more than 20 mph, with gusts exceeding 30 mph according to the NOAA station. The storm was upon us. I could hear the near constant rumbling of thunder over the lake.

A large blue heron flew by with purpose, possibly on her way back to the nest to check on the safety of her chicks. The trees contorted in the wind and the white caps lashed at the rocky shoreline. Another Northwoods thunderstorm was here.

By 2:00 p.m. the sky had cleared, a gentle 8-12 mph wind was blowing from the SW and the temperature had once again warmed to 80 degrees. I heard that in the southern part of Minnesota the temperatures were in the 90s and in some parts of the state the heat index (which is the opposite of wind chill) was 115 degrees. Heat advisories had been issued in many cities in southern Minnesota.

At 3:30 p.m I decided to go fishing. I started in a spot between Duck and Second Duck Points in 8-11 feet of water. I used a jig and a fathead minnow, but caught only a couple of small perch. I relocated to Second Duck Point, but again caught only a couple of small perch.

I ended up in front of our house, and while more and bigger perch were biting, I still didn't hook any jumbos or walleyes. At 5:00 p.m. I came ashore to get dinner started.

Evening Fishing Data:

Time -- 9:15 - 10:45 p.m.
Temperature -- 70 degrees
Wind -- 8-15 mph WSW
Water temperature -- 72.9 -73.1 degrees
Locations -- Malay's to south of Second Duck Point
Water depth -- 8-10 feet
Lure -- #9 Rapala Minnow Rap
Ground speed -- 2.15 - 2.55 mph
RPM --570 - 600
Fish caught -- four rock bass, one perch, 15" walleye

Good night from Leech Lake.

June 22, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

Today was hot and humid. Temperature at mid-day was near 80 degrees and the humidity was probably close to 90 percent. There was little to no wind, and the sky was mostly sunny with some big white billowy clouds.

Due to a variety of circumstances, my stay at Leech Lake has been extended. Instead of leaving on Wednesday, June 24, I will now be staying at the lake until the end of July -- very welcome news from my perspective. I only wish Kathleen could join me. But she will be busy with work back in California. I miss her and can't wait until we can be together here at the lake; maybe this Fall.

Since I had planned on leaving in two days, most of my day was spent cleaning the house. I vacuumed throughout the house, did laundry, changed the bed linens, etc., before learning that I would be able to stay longer. As a result of doing my chores, I did not go fishing this afternoon. I may go out trolling later tonight however.

Tom and Lainey Malay invited me to stop by to have a beer this evening, so I did. Ron and Sandy Neustrand were there as well, and the five us had a nice chat.

This evening at 9:15 p.m. I did go fishing. The air was heavy with 95 percent humidity, there was no wind and the temperature was a muggy 69 degrees. The bugs were out in full force led by swarms of mosquitoes. The water temperature varied from 72.7 to 73 degrees.

I was joined on the water by four other boats. Two were camped out in front of our house and the other two were using their electric trolling motors to maneuver between our cabin and Newman's cabin. I opted to troll The Alley at 570 rpm, or roughly 2.35 mph ground speed, in 8-9.5 feet of water. I was using my favorite #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel.

At 9:45 p.m. I caught a 3-4 lb. northern pike, which I immediately released. Then between 10:05 and 10:30 p.m. I caught an 18 1/2" walleye and a 21" walleye. Even if they hadn't been in the slot I would have released them. I had a nice walleye dinner last night and I'm not a FIB meat-hunter who keeps every fish he catches.

I made one last pass from Second Duck Point to our house with no fish on. At that point I'd had enough of the mosquitoes and other flying and biting bugs so I decided to come ashore.

I had a very nice day at Leech Lake, and best of all, I learned I will be able to stay here a little longer.

June 21, 2009 -- Father's Day and Summer Solstice

Happy Father's Day dad, and to all you fathers out there.

Today is also the summer solstice. Officially summer arrived at 12:45 a.m. CDT (5:45 a.m. UTC). Solstice is from the Latin, the sun stands still. At the solstices the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator. On the summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer.

At 11:00 a.m. here at Leech Lake on Father's Day and the summer solstice the temperature was 80 degrees. The wind was out of the south at 8-12 mph, with gusts up to 15-20 mph. The sky was overcast, gray and threatening to rain.

I ate a quick breakfast of yogurt and coffee, then went out for a long ride on the ATV. I rode all the way to the end of Otter Tail Point Dr., went to the boardwalk at Duck Point Woods, rode out to Two Points, and eventually to the Community Center and home. The entire trip took me about an hour and a half. It was a great ride, and it was the first time I'd made that trip during this visit.

On my way home I stopped in to see the Malays, but Tom was getting ready to up to Birch Ridge Resort to help Frank mow the grass, so it was a short visit. I came home, had a quick bite of lunch, and then went out fishing.

I fished both in front of our house in 8-12 feet of water and off Second Duck Point, and while the perch were biting, the walleye weren't. I was using fathead minnows on a jig in the 69 degree water of Sucker Bay.

I came in at 3:30 p.m. because it started to rain. It wasn't raining hard, but I wasn't wearing any rain gear and I didn't feel like getting soaked. Later this evening I'll clean that 17" walleye I caught last night and enjoy it for my Father's Day dinner. Depending on the weather I may go fishing later tonight.

I did in fact clean and eat the 17" walleye. Well, I ate one of the two fillets. I have the other fillet tomorrow for lunch.

At 9:00 p.m., with a steady rain falling, I decided to go fishing. I leave for California on Wednesday, so I'm trying to get in as much fishing at possible, regardless of the weather.

I started trolling in front of Malay's cabin in 9.5 feet of water. The water temperature had cooled to 68 degrees. The air temperature was 60 degrees, but it felt cooler because of the 12 mph SSE wind.

I pulled my hot steel colored #9 Minnow Rap to Second Duck Point, then back to Malay's. I then did one additional pass through The Alley, but tonight, I caught no fish at all. No rock bass. No northern pike. And no walleye.

I was also the only boat on the water. I guess most people would rather sit at home in front of the TV on a Sunday night than get pelted by a cold rain on a charcoal colored lake. For me, however, being rocked back and forth by the waves on the dark water was a perfect way to wrap up Father's Day at Leech Lake.

June 20, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

By 10:00 a.m. this morning it was already 70 degrees with the expected high by 2:00 p.m. to be in the low 80s. The wind was out of the north at 8-12 mph, with gusts up near 20 mph. The sky at 10:00 a.m. was clear, but by noon big white billowy clouds had blown in making the sky partly cloudy.

I went up to Birch Ridge Resort this morning to pick up a couple of scoops of fathead minnows. I've fished exclusively with spot-tail shiners since my arrival back on May 19, but at $5.99 a scoop I decided to try a live bait that was less "spendy." I've heard that the walleye are biting on fatheads too, but I'll have to find out for myself if that's the case.

By late morning I had once again filled in the cracks in our asphalt driveway and once again battled squadrons of mosquitoes during the process. I hope it doesn't rain for at least 24 hours giving the sealant time to set.

I discussed my driveway, and the shoddy workmanship of Anderson Brothers Construction, with my neighbor Tom Malay. He told me that the reason our driveways are so poorly constructed is that the asphalt was not hot enough when Anderson Brothers applied it.

Both Tom and I had our driveways repaved a couple of years ago by Anderson Brothers and at the time neither of us were happy with the work. Anderson Brothers did give me a discount on the work, but never came back out to fix my driveway or Tom's.

Here's my advice: NEVER USE ANDERSON BROTHERS CONSTURCTION (out of Brainerd, MN) FOR ANY ASPHALT JOB. VERY POOR WORK AND VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Just before 2:00 p.m. I went fishing with the guy who has a cabin next to our cabin, Don Poage. While I've known Don ever since we first came to Leech Lake in 2001, this is the first time he and I have gone fishing together.

Usually when Don is up here at the lake he has lots of family with him and he takes them out in his boat. This visit, however, he is here with just his wife Terry, and his boat is in the shop for repairs. That made it the ideal time to ask if he wanted to go fishing.

We started in about 12 feet of water in front our his place, with the wind out of the north, we drifted toward my house and shore. We used fathead minnows on our jigs and caught a few small perch. Don couldn't stay out long because had a number of things to take care of before he and Terry head home later this evening. At 3:15 p.m. we came ashore.

I stayed close to home for the rest of the afternoon and evening, opting to do laundry, make dinner and listen to "A Prairie Home Companion." Today, Garrison was broadcasting from just outside of Chicago and had as musical guests Elvin Bishop, Norton Buffalo, and Sarah Watkins; a fantastic line up.

At my usual time, 9:00 p.m., I went fishing. The temperature was a muggy 72 degrees, the wind was non-existent, and the mosquitoes and other flying insects were out in full force. I sprayed my hands, neck and ears with Ultra Muskol, which is basically 40% Deet, and yet the mosquitoes still swarmed all over me.

Despite the pesky little blood-suckers, I pressed on, enjoying the sunset, the calls of the loons and the fishing. I trolled The Alley using my #9 Rapala Minnow Rap in the hot steel color. I fished in 8-9.5 feet of water. Just after sunset a caught a medium-sized northern pike and two very big rock bass.

During my next pass, however, I felt the familar pull of a big walleye. I set the hook and kept constant pressure on the line as I reeled the fish closer to the boat. I reached over for the net, grabbed in my left hand and put it underneath the fish as it got close to the boat. In one quick motion I netted the fish and brought it into the boat.

The Grateful Dead's "Touch of Gray" was playing on the radio as I unhooked a very sturdy 22" walleye. I took the entire event as a good omen of things to come in the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. Grateful Dead + catching walleye = good luck.

No sooner had I released the 22" walleye and put my Minnow Rap back in the water than I hooked another fish. I could tell right away it was smaller than the previous fish, but maybe it'd be the perfect size to keep and eat. It was indeed. I netted a very nice 17" walleye which went into the boat's live well.

I trolled one more pass through The Alley with no other fish caught. I did record that the water temperature in 9 feet of water off Second Duck Point was 71.2 degrees and in 8.5 feet of water in front of our house it was a half degree warmer.

At 10:45 p.m. I guided my boat toward the boat lift. As I approached I noticed something sitting on one of the rails of the lift. When I got a little bit closer I could see it was a Common Goldeneye (duck) female. When she realized the boat was headed straight for her, she jumped off the lift, started quacking and was immediately followed by a number of ducklings away from the lift. I could hear her still quacking off in the distance as I raised the boat on the lift.

If a person were squeamish or otherwise bothered by great numbers of insects and bugs, then being on my boat as I secured it on my boat lift would have been a place to avoid. I glanced over at my Mercury Verado motor and it looked as if the entire thing was moving because it was literally covered in a vast quanity, and variety, of insects.

I transfered the 17" walleye from the boat's live well to a wire fish basket, put the basket into the lake, gathered up my few items and hustled back to the house, leaving the millions of flying and crawling bugs to themselves.

Despite the insects, tonight was another fantastic night on Leech Lake.

Cottonwood Tree

The leaves of the cottonwood tree

I drove up to Birch Ridge Resort this morning to pick up a couple of scoops of fathead minnows. On my way there and back, I noticed that the air was full of the white cottony hairs of the cottonwood tree. As I drove home this verse popped into my head.

Cottonwood Tree

Floating through air like a light summer snow
Drifting in the breeze with no one place to go
In the Leech Lake woods they’re everywhere to see
The white fluffy spawn of the cottonwood tree