July 8, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

The temperature this morning at 9:00 a.m. was 65 degrees, on its way to a high of 74 degrees. The wind was out of the ESE at 5-10 mph, the sky was mostly sunny and the water temperature was 74 degrees.

Yesterday while fishing, I used the last of the Leech Lake minnows that I had captured in my seining net. With the wind blowing away from shore today, there were no bait fish to be seen near my dock or boat ramp, so I couldn't seine any Leech Lake minnows myself. Therefore, if I wanted to use live bait, which I did, I had to buy minnows from someone.

At 11:00 a.m. I drove up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy a couple of scoops of fathead minnows from Frank (the owner of the resort). While chatting with Frank about various things, the topic of the ever dropping water level in the lake came up.

After complaining about it for some time, I suggested to Frank that we -- lake property owners, resort owners, various lake associations, etc. -- band together to complain directly to the Army Corps of Engineers which is responsible for the maintenance the Federal Dam water flow out of Leech Lake.

Frank said he thought it was a great idea and gave me the name of the clerk on the Otter Tail Peninsula Township governing board whom he said could help me get the ball rolling. When I got home, I called her, and long story short, I'm on the agenda at the next township meeting, which is Monday, July 13.

I figure that a few years ago when the walleye fishing tanked on Leech Lake, numerous groups of concerned individuals got together to put pressure on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources to do something about the decline in walleye fishing.

The result was that the Ojibwe and MN DNR began culling thousands of double breasted cormorants (which eat a pound of fish per day), instituted a new slot limit on Leech Lake for walleye, began an aggressive stocking program, and reduced the legal number of walleye each fisherman could keep. As a result of these measures, in just 3 years time the walleye fishing is back, and in many cases, is better than ever.

I hope to be able to put the same kind of pressure on the right government organizations so that they decide to release less water from Leech Lake into the Mississippi River. As it is today, by July and August of each year the water level in the lake drops to a point where it is often impossible to get boats off of boat lifts, many docks at resorts around the lake are unusable (which causes a drop in revenue for resorts), and it is increasingly difficult for boaters to use public access boat ramps.

This is an issue I plan to push on as long, and as hard, as I can to affect change. I realize I'm fighting the government and that I have little chance for success, but the fight should be fun. Plus, it's better than just complaining about the problem, or doing nothing about it. I'll post updates here as they occur.

At 1:30 p.m. I made it out onto the lake to do some fishing. I went out to "the point," in 14 feet of water. I was using a Northland Fireball jig tipped with a fathead minnow. I caught dozens of perch, but no walleye. At 4:00 p.m. I came ashore.

Tom and Lainey Malay invited me over for dinner tonight because Rosie Frigge, the former owner of the now-closed Bay Shore Resort, was visiting from Phoenix. I went over to the Malay's at 6:45 p.m., we had a nice turkey dinner, chatted, and then called it a night.

By the time I got home it was nearing 10:00 p.m., so I decided not to go out trolling tonight. Before I left the Malay's, Tom mentioned to me that he heard we were supposed to have severe thunderstorms tonight with the possibility of some hail. I did a quick check on the Internet and it looks to me that any storms we might have will not occur until tomorrow morning and afternoon.

That's the latest update from my little slice of Leech Lake.

Ode to George W. Bush

Ode to George W. Bush

Hanging chads
Supreme court decision
Squandered 9/11 momentum
WMDs
Yellow cake
Saddam Hussein
Iraq
Mission Accomplished
Gitmo
Abu Ghraib
Swift boat tactics
Fear
Waterboarding
Torture
TSA
The Patriot Act
Wiretapping US citizens
Valerie Plame
Walter Reed
Katerina
FEMA
"Heck of a job, Brownie."
$4.00 gallon of gas
Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
$10 trillion deficit
Illegal justice department firings
Deregulation
Sub-prime mortgages
Layoffs
Foreclosures
Bailout
Recession
Depression
GOP collapse
W.

Sew-'em-up bugs

Sew-'em-up bugs

Squadrons of blue and black sew-'em-up bugs,
as my Grandma used to call 'em,
Dart and fly and soar above
the pool where the spot-tails swim

Black-red flake Senko lands near the rushes
three-ought hook, rigged Texas style
Sinking, wiggling slowly in the water
Bam! A four-pound bass makes me smile

Fire up the Merc Verado motor
moving to a different spot
Rod bends in half with the walleye's weight
The battle under the bright sun, hot

Later catching perch on Fireball jigs
ambushing them where they lay
I spend the afternoon on Leech Lake, another
multi-species fishing day

July 7, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

Lon Chaney, Jr. in the 1941 Universal Pictures movie, The Wolfman.

I had invited Noel Hancock, one of our Otter Tail Peninsula neighbors, to stop by for coffee this morning, and at about 10:15 a.m. he arrived.

As we drank our coffee I began to ask Noel his advice on how to repair some damage that had been done this past winter to one of the retaining walls in our harbor. After a couple of cups of java, we were adequately charged to take our discussion on site and headed down to the harbor.

We discussed numerous options, but I think we have one that should work. As for next steps, I need to locate some low-priced concrete and weather-treated 2X6 wood.

When Noel left, I did some chores around the house, ate some lunch, and then at 1:15 p.m. I decided to go fishing. I started my afternoon adventure in "the flats," a stretch of sand and gravel with little depth change between Duck and Second Duck Points. I positioned the boat in 14-18 feet of water and started fishing.

On this afternoon my initial method of fishing for walleye was the use of a baitcasting reel, an in-line keel weight and the snell on the end of which I'd tied a Mustad Slow-Death hook. Above the hook I had added a few beads and a willow blade for extra flash. On the end of the Slow-Death hook I put a fat and juicy nightcrawler. I lowered the rig into the water, set my electric trolling motor on 25, which moved the boat at just under 1 mph.

The temperature today on the lake was 76 degrees, the wind was from the SSE at 5-8 mph, the sky was mostly sunny and the water temperature was 75 degrees.

I caught a few perch on my Slow-Death rig, but no walleye. I decided to change tactics, targeted species, and location. I started up my Mercury Verado motor and sped off toward the reeds in front of Norm's cabin.

Once there, I took out another baitcasting rod and reel, this one had a double-bladed spinner bait tied on. I started casting the spinner bait into 5 feet of water along the edge of the reeds. I moved slowly north, letting the south wind push my boat. I used my electric trolling motor only to keep the boat positioned correctly.

From Norm's to Schiebe's I casted my spinner bait, and on three different occasions I hooked into largemouth bass. The second fish I caught skied out of the water at least 2 feet before landing with a splash, and not once did it let up the fight.

Content with a nice battle with largemouth bass, I decided to relocate to "The Point," a spot in 14 feet of water that stretches from Malay's house to our cabin. I had brought with me the Leech Lake minnows that I had captured in my seining net a couple of days ago, and planned to use them in my pursuit of walleye.

My Northland Fireball jig and minnow attracted numerous perch, three northern pike, all of which were more than 20", and one nice walleye. The walleye, as is typical of that breed of fish, took the bait in so slowly that I felt only a small weight on the end of the line. I let out a little line so that the walleye would take the bait completely into its mouth, and then I set the hook.

Immediately I knew I had a good fish on the line because my St. Croix rod bent in half. I battled with the fish for a minute or two before getting to the side of the boat. I spotted the walleye, and it must have spotted the boat because it made a run for the bottom of the lake.

The time it took to reel the fish back to the surface gave me enough of a window to step to the front of the boat, grab my landing net, and then move back to the back of the boat where I planned to net the fish. With rod in one hand and net in the other, I scooped up the fish and brought it aboard.

I easily removed the jig from the side of its mouth and placed the fish on the ruler for a quick measurement. The fish stretched out to 20 1/2". A beautiful Leech Lake walleye, but in the slot requiring that I put it back into the lake.

I admired the fish for a moment, then gently released it back into the water unharmed. I marked the spot with a waypoint on my Lowrance electronics because I have a feeling that that particular fish is not the only walleye in this area.

I came ashore at 5:15 p.m. after nearly 4 hours on the lake. I had caught numerous perch, several pike, 3 big largemouth bass and one beautiful walleye. Truly an afternoon of multi-species fishing.

At 9:15 p.m., I went back out onto Sucker Bay to do some evening trolling for walleye.

By 10:00 p.m. the full moon had risen high enough in the sky to clear the tree line and shine its bright white light onto the dark waters of Leech Lake.

I was making a big, slow turn off Second Duck Point when I felt the familiar tug of fish on the end of my line. I put the motor in neutral and began reeling in the fish. The wind was coming from the north this evening at 8 mph, so with the motor idling, the boat began to turn.

My line became momentarily caught around the motor and I thought I would lose the fish. But after freeing my line from the cover of the Verado motor, I felt that weight of the fish still there. I reeled it up to the side of the boat, lowered the net into the water, and scooped up a beautiful walleye.

I could right away it was close to being a keeper for me -- between 16 1/2" and 17 1/2". As often happens with walleye once they are netted, this fish spit the hook and was free in the net. I picked it up, laid it down on the ruler and found that it was indeed 17 1/2". I measured it a second time just make sure, then carefully put it in the livewell.

I fished for another 45 minutes, and while I had 3 hit and misses, I was unable to catch any other fish.

Once back at the boat lift, I again measured the walleye and it was still 17 1/2". I debated if I should keep it or not, and in the end decided to put it back into the lake. I am not a meat-hunting FIB who keeps every walleye possible (like the guy at Birch Ridge Resort who kept the 9" walleye the other day).

One 17 1/2" walleye is more fish than one person could, or should, eat in one meal. With luck, that walleye will be in the slot by the end of the year and will grow to be in excess of 26".

After staring at the full moon all evening long, I decided to come inside and watch the old 1941 Universal Pictures version of The Wolfman, starring Lon Chaney Jr. What better way to end another great day, and night, at Leech Lake.

July 6, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

The temperature today was a near perfect 75 degrees, the wind varied from 8-15 mph from the north, the sky was mostly sunny and the water temperature fluctuated between 73 and 74 degrees depending on location and depth.

I had some business calls from morning until early afternoon, and then I spent most of the rest of the afternoon washing the windows in our living room. We have wonderful floor to ceiling windows that look out onto Leech Lake, but they are a chore to clean.

I wrapped up cleaning around 4:00 p.m. and hit the water soon after. I used the minnows I had captured during my seining expedition yesterday on the hook end of a Northland Fireball jig in parakeet color. I fished in front of Malay's in 14 feet of water and drifted south toward Second Duck Point.

There is a spot between Malay's cabin and our house in 14-15 feet of water where the floor of the lake comes up a couple of feet creating an underwater point that extends some 200 yards north to south. I've found that fish congregate on either side of the point, so that's where I fished.

I caught numerous small- to medium-sized perch but no walleye. I came in for dinner around 5:45 p.m.

At 9:00 p.m. I went out trolling. The wind had died down and was very slight out of the north. The water temperature was 74 degrees.

I was on the water for no more than 15 minutes when my cell phone rang. It was Tom Malay asking if he could join me. I told him sure, and swung by his dock to pick him up.

For the next hour and a half we trolled The Alley in 8-12 feet of water. I was using a #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel, and Tom was using a #7 Minnow Rap in the same color. The moon was full tonight, so just as the sunlight began to fade, the bright light of the moon illuminated the lake.

A half an hour after moon rise I caught a small northern pike. Then at 10:15 p.m. I felt the pull of something much bigger. I put the motor in neutral and began reeling the fish toward the boat. Just as the fish came up along side the boat it made a run for deeper water. I let the fish pull off a good amount of line and then began reeling it back in again.

Tom grabbed the net, and when I got the fish to the surface, Tom slid the net under the fish and got it into the boat. It was a big walleye. After removing the trailing treble hook from its lip, I measured the big 'eye and it was a full 25" long. The fish was healthy and had a good girth to it. Tom and I marveled at the big fish for a minute or two before I released it back into the dark water.

On the last pass of the night through The Alley, I hooked an 18" walleye which was just a little too big to keep. My ideal fish to keep and eat is between 16 1/2" and 17 1/2". Of course on Leech Lake, all walleye between 18" and 26" must be immediately released back into the lake according to MN DNR regulations.

At 11:15 p.m. we put the boat on the lift and came ashore. It was another great night of fishing on Leech Lake.

July 5, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

I arrived home at Leech Lake from St. Cloud today at 2:00 p.m. After unloading the truck, putting away some groceries and having lunch, I decided to go fishing.

The temperature at 4:00 p.m. was 72 degrees, the wind was out of the north at 8-12 mph, the sky was filled with big white billowy clouds that made it half cloudy and half sunny, and the water temperature was 73 degrees.

As I stepped onto the dock and began walking to the boat lift, I noticed schools of minnows swimming in the shallow water at the end of the boat ramp and underneath the dock. I decided that before I would go fishing, I'd get out the seining net and try to catch some native Leech Lake minnows to use as bait.

I got on my waders, and with seining net in hand, I wadded out into 3 feet of water. My first few attempts at netting the minnows failed miserably; I was simply too slow in closing the net. But after some trial and error, I began to get the hang of it, and within 10 minutes I managed to net several dozen minnows.

I did a thorough check of the minnows to ensure that what I had netted were indeed minnows. With the exception of one tiny walleye fry, which I carefully put back into the lake, I had nothing but minnows. Content with my catch, I put the minnows into my Frabill Flow Troll Bucket, grabbed what few live shiners were left from those Poage gave me, and got into my boat.

I motored the boat out to 14 feet of water directly in front of the Malay's cabin and deployed the drift sock. With the wind blowing at 12 mph from the north, the current would push the boat south toward Second Duck Point and put me in about 13 feet of water as I passed in front of our house and cabin -- which was my desired position.

When using the Leech Lake minnows, I caught numerous perch, and had a solid bite from something bigger (I could tell that whatever it was it had teeth because my minnow was cleaved off just below the head).

I tried using a shiner on a couple of occasions, but didn't get a single bite. When I switched back to the Leech Lake minnows, I again started catching perch. Unfortunately, I was unable to hook a walleye.

I came ashore around 6:30 p.m. It was nice to spend some time out on the water. I love how peaceful it is being rocked by the waves and slowly propelled by wind.

I contemplated going out trolling this evening, but I was hungry and decided to make dinner at 9:00 p.m., which is the time I would have gone trolling. After eating I sat on the dock with cold Leinenkugel and watched the last of the sunlight disappear behind the horizon. Another beautiful evening on Leech Lake.

A Review of the July 4th Broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion

Garrison Keillor on stage (in the white sport coat) during the July 4th broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from Avon, MN


Garrison Keillor during rehearsal before the start of the special 4th of July broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from Avon, MN, "as close to Lake Wobegon as we could get."

Here is my review of the July 4th, and 35th anniversary, broadcast of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion from little Avon, MN.

I've seen APHC on several occasions, the first of which was also on July 4th. That show was broadcast from the football field of St. John's University in Collegeville, MN back in 1982.

It was a fantastic show, and afterward, my mother-in-law Marge took me up on stage to meet Keillor, who is a friend of her sister's family. I had always enjoyed listening to the Saturday evening broadcast of APHC before seeing him in 1982, but after that show I was hooked.

So I was especially looking forward to seeing him in tiny (pop. 1242) Avon, MN, which is on the Lake Wobegon Trail. Not only was the show yesterday a July 4th show, but it was also the 35th anniversary of A Prairie Home Companion which first broadcast on July 6, 1974. Unfortunately, the performance did not live up to my expectations.

First, a bit about the venue. It took place in Lake Wobegon Park, which is located in the center of town. Avon is a small town, and I'm sure its citizens and city employees did the best they could to accommodate the crowds of roughly 10,000 people, but it was painfully obvious they had no idea how to handle a large group of people.

There were not nearly enough portable bathrooms in place, so the lines to use them were always very long. There was limited access to food and water. And it was clear the police on traffic duty had never had to direct that many cars before in their lives because getting into and out of town was a horrendous mess.

Once situated in the park (on our own lawn chairs) we waited for more than 2 hours for the broadcast to begin. Usually at concerts and such outdoor events, the organizers will play recorded music or provide some other type of entertainment for the crowd. But yesterday, there was no pre-show entertainment.

Heck, they could have had the local high school band on stage playing patriotic songs for a couple of hours, it was the 4th of July afterall, but there was nothing. It was a missed opportunity for the city of Avon.

At last the show started. Keillor sang his usual opening tune "Hello Love," and then began to run through the cast of performers that would be joining him on stage throughout the evening. As a long-time listener, I realized that many of the regulars on APHC were absent from this evening's broadcast, which I found odd since it was his 35th anniversary special.

The guests included: The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, Jerry Bierschbach, Father Steve Binsfeld, Senator Amy Klobuchar, World War II veterans Clarence Fischbach and Ralph Lauer, Pastor Steve Hilde, sound effects man Tom Keith, guitarist and St. John's alum John McCutcheon, Avon Mayor John Grutsch, Bud Heidgerken, Minnesota state senator Tarryl Clark, Leigh Lenzmeier, the St. John's Boys Choir, vocalist Andra Suchy, and Vern Sutton (a performer with Garrison on his very first show in 1974).

I won't review each and every segment of the show, but I will say that from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best show possible, I'd rate this show a 4.

The Guy Noir segment was average at best. The interviews with the WW II vets were a nice idea on July 4th, but it was nearly impossible to understand what one of the gentlemen was saying.

The musical guests were OK, but not nearly as good as the acts Keillor usually has on his show. There were no "surprise" special guests, such as Meryl Streep or Martin Sheen (both of whom have appeared as guests before for special occasions). And even the News from Lake Wobegon segment seemed uninspired.

I suppose that after 35 years it gets hard to get excited about doing the show week after week, but this was billed as a coming home party; the place where it all began 35 years earlier. Plus, it was the 4th of July show, usually a big deal for Keillor. But this show lacked anything special.

Still, it was nice to be outside on a bright sunny day, enjoying the company of family, eating good food (which we brought with us), and listening to an average A Prairie Home Companion broadcast.

On my drive north to Leech Lake today I tuned in to the rebroadcast of yesterday's show, and while it might have been a tad better than my initial impression (maybe a 5 out of 10), it still struck me as a flat performance.

I've seen the Grateful Dead on more occasions than I can count (or even remember) and while some of the shows were absolutely incredible -- with Jerry Garcia reaching levels of musicianship never seen anywhere before or since -- other shows were out and out clunkers.

So I guess if the Grateful Dead can have off days (and can be forgiven), I suppose Garrison Keillor can be excused if he can't hit it out of the park with every show either. Still, it would have been nice to see him rev it up like I know he still can.

"And that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all of the children are above average."

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.

<*)))><

--------------------------

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.