July 3, 2009 -- At Leech Lake; 300th Post

I started this blog on February 20, 2005 to share my fishing experiences from Minnesota's Leech Lake with anyone who might be interested. Over the past 4 1/2 years, this blog has evolved to include my musings and observations about fishing, Leech Lake and life in general.

But at its core, this blog is still about fishing on Leech Lake. And today, before I drive down to St. Cloud to visit my mother-in-law Marge, I will make a point to get out on the lake to do some fishing and I will report my experience here in my 300th post on Fishing Leech Lake.

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The temperature this morning at 9:00 a.m. was 63 degrees. The sky was mostly sunny with some large patches of gray clouds. The wind is light at 5-8 mph from the NNE.

The Newmans left early this morning for their home in southern Minnesota, but before leaving, John put his boat in my boat lift in my harbor. I store my boat in the boat lift at the cabin because the water level at the end of the dock next door tends to stay deep enough for my boat to be easily removed from, and put back on, the boat lift.

The current water level in the lake is too low in Newman's harbor for him to get his boat on and off his lift. He was forced to use a winch, and the muscle power of his two sons, to get his boat off the lift and into the water. The water level in my harbor tends to be deeper, so John asked, and I agreed, to let him store his boat here. John plans to return to the lake next Friday.

At 11:30 a.m. I decided to go fishing. Yesterday, I had loaned my chain saw to my neighbor Don Poage so he could cut down a dead tree near his cabin. As a show of his gratitude, he purchased for me a scoop of shiners -- a valuable commodity at this time of year.

With my live well bucket of shiners I set out for 13 feet of water in front of our house and cabin. The water temperature had warmed to 71 degrees. The air temperature had also warmed to 75 degrees. It actually got very hot sitting out under the sun on the lake.

I was marking lots of fish on the Lowrance so I figured I was in a good spot. I put a shiner on my XPS lime green/black jig and dropped it into the water. Within minutes I felt a weight at the end of my line and tried to set the hook. Whatever had had my bait in its mouth was no longer there. I reeled in and discovered that my 3 1/2" shiner had been bitten clean through; only the head remained on the hook. The telltale sign of a walleye bite.

About 30 minutes later, I thought I felt another "weight" on my hook and went to set the hook. Again, nothing was there. As I reeled in my jig to check the status/health of my shiner, a 36" to 40" muskie followed my bait all the way to the side of the boat. I was wearing my polarized sunglasses, so I could easily see the big fish as it chased my shiner to within inches of the water surface. But unfortunately it never took the bait in its mouth and instead made a quick turn and headed deep out of sight.

I did manage to catch a couple of small perch, but that was it. By 1:00 p.m. the wind had all but died down, and so too did the perch bite. I decided it was time to come ashore and get ready for my trip to St. Cloud.

As I was coming up to the house, I noticed that a light breeze had started to blow again, but this time out of the SE at no more than 5 mph. If we get a couple of days of wind out of the south, the fishing should be good again by Sunday or Monday.

It's time to get ready now and head off to St. Cloud. It will be nice to see Kathleen's mom, Kathleen's sister Mary, Tim and Sandy Coyle, the St. Joseph Independence Day parade and A Prairie Home Companion, but it is always tough to leave Leech Lake.

Lady's Slipper

The lady's slipper is the Minnesota state flower and one of my wife Kathleen's favorites. They grow in the drainage ditches along many of the dirt roads on Otter Tail Peninsula, and typically bloom around the 4th of July.

Above are several pictures I took today of the lady's slipper near our cabin. Below, is some information about the lady's slipper from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources web site.

Showy Lady's Slipper
Cypripedium reginae

The showy lady's slipper is Minnesota's state flower. Since 1925, the state has regulated the collection and commercial sale of this species. The showy lady's-slipper is one of 43 orchid species that grow in Minnesota. Many people consider it the most beautiful flower in the state.

Identification

General description: A brightly-colored orchid that has one or sometimes two blossoms on a single stem. White petals sit on top of a white pouch (slipper) streaked with pink. Hairy oval leaves clasp the stem.

Length: one to two feet tall.

Color: Pink, red, white, and green.

Reproduction

The lady's slipper flowers from early June to mid-July. It flowers best in bright sunlight, although it will grow in semi-shaded areas. In its first year, this orchid grows only as tall as a pencil point. Each year, the lady's slipper may produce a half-million seeds, which are as fine as flour dust. This flower has a long life span; some may be 100 years old.

Habitat and range

The lady's slipper grows in spruce and tamarack bogs, swamps, wet meadows, wet prairies, and cool, damp woods. It may be found anywhere in Minnesota where these habitats exist.

Population and management

The lady's slipper is uncommon in Minnesota. Population can be hurt by wetland drainage, road construction, tree cuttings, and illegal picking and uprooting. In addition, herbicides used on roadside areas can kill these plants. The best management is to protect the lady's-slipper's native habitat.

Fun facts

Some people can get a rash from touching the leaves of this pretty orchid.

July 2, 2009 -- Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday. I won't reveal how old she is other than to say she remembers World War II. Happy birthday Mom.

The temperature at noon today at Leech Lake was a very pleasant 67 degrees. The sky was mostly cloudy, with a few patches of blue showing, and the wind was out of the north at 8-12 mph, with gusts up near 20 mph. The high today is expected to be 74 degrees.

My neighbor Don Poage called me this morning asking if he could borrow my Stihl chain saw to cut down an old, dead tree. I said sure, and walked over to Don's cabin with the saw in hand. The tree, which was no more than a foot in diameter and 50 feet tall, came down easily.

Don and his step-son Marty are now cutting the tree into small pieces, which they plan to give to me to burn in the fire pit.

My other neighbors, the Newmans, invited me over to their cabin this evening for a rib and chicken BBQ. I look forward to the good food and good conversation.

After the BBQ dinner, John and I went fishing. The wind had died down and the lake was nearly still. The water temperature was 70.3 degrees and the air temperature was 60 degrees. The moon is 81% waxing.

We started trolling in front of Malay's house in 10 feet of water. Both of us were using #9 Minnow Raps. We made several passes through The Alley, and while John got skunked, I caught 3 rock bass, one good sized northern pike and small walleye approximately 13" long.

Since the Newmans are leaving sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, John wanted to go ashore at 10:30 p.m. to help his family pack up. And since most of the bites we were getting were from mosquitoes, I was fine with that suggestion.

Although the walleye fishing has definitely slowed on Sucker Bay, it was still nice to get out this evening on Leech Lake.

July 1, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 55 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy and the wind was out of the north at 10-15 mph. It is not nearly as windy as it has been during the past four days, but still a bit more breezy than I expected today. I had heard the wind was going to be no more than 5-7 mph.

After taking care of some business around the house, I did go out fishing. I hit the water at 1:15 p.m. and stayed out until 3:00 p.m.

I started by fishing in front of our cabin in 13.5 feet of water; deeper than I typically fish, but I'd heard the walleye are biting in deeper water. Sure enough, I was marking a lot of fish on my Lowrance.

I used a 1/16 oz. Lindy Max Gap jig with a Northland grub on it. I got a few bites, but caught no fish. I switched to an in-line keel weight with a Mustad "Slow Death" hook, a Colorado spinner blade and a nightcrawler. Twice something bit off my nightcrawler, and both times I felt some weight on the line. I'm guessing it was a walleye, but I couldn't hook one.

I then switched lures again, this time opting for a Bass Pro Shops XPS Walleye Angler jig in lime green/black tipped with a nightcrawler. Again I got a few bites, but hooked no fish.

By this point I had made three drifts from in front of our cabin in 13.5 feet of water to past Newman's cabin in 10 feet of water. The north wind was pushing south, and closer to shore as I approached Second Duck Point.

Just before I decided to come in, I switched lures one more time, this time to a jointed Shad Rap in silver shad color. I trolled the Shad Rap in 12-13.5 feet of water and caught numerous perch, but no walleye. The water temperature throughout the areas I fished was between 66.7 and 67 degrees.

As the day progresses the wind is diminishing. I'm hoping that this evening the wind will be light enough so I can spend some quality time trolling The Alley.

This evening I got out on the water a little bit earlier than usual. I typically go out trolling shortly after 9:00 p.m. at this time of year because the sun sets at 9:15 p.m. But tonight I got on the water at 8:40 p.m. while the sun was still well above the horizon and shining brightly.

I think that because it was so light when I left the house, I forgot my flashlight. This meant that as soon as it got fairly dark I needed to go ashore, because if I did catch a walleye or northern and needed to extract treble hooks from its mouth, I wouldn't have enough light to do so quickly and easily. So I made up my mind to come in at 10:00 p.m.

I started trolling tonight in deeper water -- 14-16 feet -- from Malay's cabin to past Second Duck Point. And instead of trolling my usual #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel, I started by trolling a Radtke's double-jointed Pike Minnow, a larger lure designed specifically for large walleye, big pike and muskies. I was using the rainbow colored Pike Minnow.

Unfortunately, I didn't hook anything on the Pike Minnow. After several passes between Malay's and Second Duck Point, I switched lures and went back to the Rapala Jointed Shad Rap in a silver shad color. Again I made a couple of passes through The Alley, this time in 9.5 to 11 feet of water, and again nothing.

Finally, I went back to my old trusty #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel and started to troll The Alley. But the light was fading fast and I could only go from Malay's to Newman's before losing the faint light of the setting sun. It was time to go in.

I motored the boat back to the lift and was met with a plethora of flying insects, led by the beefy mayfly. I grabbed my cooler and the rod and reel I used for the Radtke Pike Minnow (which requires a heavier rod, reel and line) and made my way onto shore, through the path between the cabin and house and finally inside.

Tonight was a rare night where I was completely skunked. No rock bass, no perch, no pike, no walleye. I was not alone in my plight however. I spoke with Marty (over at Poage's) and he got skunked as well. I also heard that people at the resort were coming in with pike and some small perch, but no walleye.

I think the four straight days of heavy winds, and the massive cold front that rolled through the area, really knocked down the walleye fishing. I'm sure it will get better as the week progresses, but I'm driving down to St. Cloud on Friday so I'll miss fishing the nights of July 3 and 4.

On the plus side, I'll miss the craziness at the neighbor's next to Malays. I hear they've got 4 or 5 families coming up to celebrate Independence Day. I'm glad I'll be in St. Cloud.

I will be able to fish tomorrow night, and then again on Sunday, and I hope the walleye fishing picks up. I'll report again tomorrow on the fishing situation on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake.

June 30, 2009 -- Eight Years at Leech Lake

The temperature this morning at 9:00 a.m. was 48 degrees. The wind was strong again today at 20 mph out of the NW, and the sky was overcast and gray. The only thing that suggests it's summer is that the leaves on the trees are green. By all other indications, it could be early October.

The weather, however, is not that much different than it was eight years ago -- on the last day of June 2001. That was the day that Kathleen and I signed the papers at the title company in Walker, Minnesota and became the official owners of our house on Leech Lake.

That evening, Kathleen and I sat in lawn chairs out by the lake, bundled up in sweatshirts and coats trying to stay warm against the strong wind as we watched our first sunset over Leech Lake. It was a wonderful evening and the start of many happy years for us at Leech Lake.

Since I can't go fishing, at least safely, I decided to go into Bemidji. I had to run a number of errands including picking up my newly repaired boat trailer from Corner Sports. They replaced the coupling with new style that provides visual confirmation that the trailer is secured on the hitch, as well as new safety cables and brake cable. I had no problems with it driving back to the lake. Of course the real test will come in the Fall when I take my boat back to Corner Sports for winterizing and storage.

I mentioned the problem I had with my Verado motor sputtering and then stalling, and one of the mechanics said he's had to replace the fuel float on a couple of Verados this year. I made arrangements to have a new float installed next winter.

At 4:30 p.m. the sky is still overcast and gray, the wind is blowing at 20 mph out of the NNW and the temperature is 58 degrees.

After dinner I went over to the cabin and got a fire going in the fire pit. A short time later, John, Johnny and Greg Newman stopped by. We sat around the camp fire and talked for more than two hours. When the Newmans left I stayed at the fire for another half hour or so, and finally doused the fire with a pail of lake water and came home.

Although it was too windy to fish again tonight, we all had a very nice time on the shores of Leech Lake.

June 29, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

Today was the third straight day of strong winds on Leech Lake. By its very nature and size, Leech Lake tends to be breezy and is often covered with a "walleye chop." But winds in excess of 20 mph for days only happens a few times per season, and we're in one of those periods now.

The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 55 degrees, the wind was out of the NW at 25 mph and the sky was overcast and gray. In fact, the sky was overcast and gray all day long. And the wind never let up either. The temperature did warm to 67 degrees at the hottest part of the day.

I saw no boats on Sucker Bay fishing today, and there was no way I was going to take my boat out.

Instead, I did some work around the house. Then at 1:30 p.m. I met up with John, Johnny and Greg Newman for some trail clearing and wood chopping in the woods across the street from our cabins.

Between John Newman and I, we own more than 30 acres of woods, and that property is adjacent to another neighbor who has an additional 17 acres. Our private land is surrounded by 100s of acres made up from the Chippewa National Forest and the Bowstring State Forest.

The woods are crossed with many trails, which we use for hiking, riding ATVs and snowmobiles, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. Throughout the year, trees and branches fall across many of the trails making them impassable. So today, with the wind keeping us off the lake, we made our way into the woods to open up the trails.

We wore long sleeve shirts, long pants and applied plenty of DEET-laden bug spray, but that did little to dissuade giant swarms of big mosquitoes from descending upon us. We were, however, undeterred by the flying blood suckers and spent nearly two hours clearing five different spots on several different trails. We used a variety of saws, axes, winches and muscles to remove tree trunks, limbs and branches from the trails.

After we had finished clearing the trails, we took a break to enjoy some cold malted beverages back at Newman's cabin. Once refreshed, I got back on my ATV, attached an old bed spring to the ATV's trailer hitch, and then made numerous passes on the various trails to knock down weeds and brush to further groom the trails.

I'll probably make similar runs on the trails in the next few days, based on the weather conditions. If the weather permits, I'll be spending my time fishing on Leech Lake.

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.