September 16, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

Yes, on Leech Lake, not at Leech Lake. Today I got my boat repaired and was able to make it out onto the lake to fish for the first time since the end of July.

I awoke this morning to temperatures of 59 degrees at 7:00 a.m. under heavy cloudy skies and a slight wind of 8-12 mph from the east. After a quick breakfast, I took my boat to Corner Sports in Bemidji for repairs. I arrived at the shop at 8:35 a.m., and by 8:45 a.m. my boat was in the shop hooked up to the computer for a complete diagnostic.

As suspected, the problem with my Mercury Verado motor was a faulty fuel switch. The mechanic at Corner Sports told me that he's fixed maybe three or four fuel switches in Verados this year and about the same number last year. He added that the new switches are much better and I shouldn't have any problems with the motor getting enough fuel again.

My motor was under warranty so the repairs didn't cost me anything, but the privilege of being moved the front of the line during a particularly busy time of season cost me a case of beer. I offered to buy the service guys any beer they wanted, and they selected Busch Light. Go figure.

The boat was out of the shop by 11:00 a.m. and just shortly after noon, my boat was once again perched proudly upon the boat lift at the cabin.

I took care of a few chores around the house and then at 2:15 p.m. I set out for my first day of fishing during this trip. The air temperature had risen to just around 80 degrees, the wind had increased to 12-15 mph out of the east and the water temperature varied from 72.5 to 73.9 degrees depending on the depth and location I was fishing.

I started out in 9-13 feet of water off Second Duck Point using a Northland Slurpie jig head and a Gulp Alive minnow. I caught nothing. I moved to in front of our house, but still was unable to hook into any fish.

I finally switched to a VMC jig head with a Northland Swim'N Grub and moved to the Birches and that's when I started to catch fish. I caught numerous perch, a rock bass, and I hooked into something big but was unable to land it. On my subsequent cast, I caught a medium sized perch and as I reeled it back to the boat a small muskie, no bigger than 30-32 inches, followed the perch right to the side of the boat.

Although I didn't catch any walleyes today it was still a great day on Leech Lake.

Tomorrow I'm going into Walker to volunteer with the MN DNR to help count fish from the organization's netting program. A couple of times each season the Department of Natural Resources does a survey of the fish in Leech Lake by placing nets at various locations around the lake. By counting the fish netted, the DNR can extrapolate the number, and size, of fish species in Leech Lake. I look forward to participating in this season's netting program.

More tomorrow.

September 15, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

Today was a beautiful summer day. The temperature was 80 degrees, the sky was cloudless and blue and there was very little wind. What light breeze there was, was maybe 3-5 mph out of the south.

After finishing up some business calls, I set out to clean my boat. I washed the gunwales, the dashboard, and the motors, I cleaned the windshield and then vacuumed the entire boat. Once the boat was thoroughly cleaned, I loaded it with my fishing rods and reels, tackle boxes, life jackets, landing net, and a variety of other essential items. I was ready to go fishing.

I lowered the boat into the still water and started the Mercury Verado motored and slowly pulled away from the boat lift. I decided to go slowly and let the motor warm up. After several minutes of putzing around the lake, I decided to give the motor some gas and get it running at cruising speed.

When I throttled up, however, the motor coughed and chugged. I immediately put the motor in neutral, but the motor continued to wheeze and eventually stopped altogether. Earlier in the summer I had the same problem and the mechanics at Corner Sports told me that the Verados had had some troubles with the fuel float. I suspected that was the problem I was experiencing.

I got the boat back to the boat lift using my Honda 8 hp kicker motor and got the boat out of the water. I let the motor sit for a while then lowered the boat into the water and tried starting the motor. Again, it coughed and rumbled and ran very rough. I decided to pull the boat out of the water, put it on the trailer and get in it to Corner Sports in the morning.

I called Corner Sports and not only could they see me first thing in the morning, right after they open at 8:30 a.m., but they said they have a fuel float for my motor in stock; if that is indeed the problem. They'll have to hook the motor up to the computer to do a complete diagnostic on it.

Needless to say, I was disappointed about not being able to get out onto Leech Lake to do some fishing today. I'm just hoping the mechanics at Corner Sports can quickly identify the problem with my Verado and fix it while I wait in Bemidji. I'd really like to avoid making multiple trips into town if possible.

I'll post updates on the motor situation tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to post a fishing report as well.

I'm back!! At Leech Lake -- September 14, 2009

The sunset on my first evening back at Leech Lake since July

As predicted, I arrived at Leech Lake at 6:30 p.m. this evening. After unpacking groceries, turning on the well pump, checking to make sure all was right with the house, I opened a cold Leinenkugel Honey Weiss beer and walked out to the end of the dock. I enjoyed my malted beverage as the sun was sinking into the western sky; just before 7:30 p.m.

After the sunset, I went inside the house, got cleaned up, ate some dinner, then relaxed after a long day of traveling.

Tomorrow I have some business calls in the morning, but those should end around 1:30 p.m. or so. Once my business is complete, I'm going to go next door and clean out my boat. During my six week absence the birds decided to use my boat as a target. Even though I have a canopy on my boat lift, the birds managed to fly under it and make quite a mess. Once I get my boat cleaned up, I'll go out and do a little fishing.

I'll have actual "On Leech Lake" fishing reports beginning tomorrow. Until then it's great to be back!

Arrival Imminent

If all goes as planned, one week from today I will arrive at Leech Lake. I get into the Bemidji airport at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 14, and after quick stops to get gas, groceries and a few other supplies, I will drive out to our cabin. I should arrive between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

I may not have a chance to fish on Monday evening, but I will be prepared to do a little fishing come Tuesday. Once I'm "On Leech Lake," I'll begin my daily posts.

So until then...

Equipment: Combo 3, jigging for walleye

Before sunset, I spend more time on Leech Lake jigging for walleye than all other types of fishing combined. Of course, after sunset I spend my time trolling for walleye, but the equipment I use for that method of fishing was covered in an earlier post.

For this entry about the equipment I use while Fishing Leech Lake, I'll focus on my combo for jigging for walleye; and jumbo perch.

The heart and soul of my jigging set up is the Shimano Stella 3000 FB reel, quite simply the best spinning reel on the market today. My wife Kathleen gave me the Stella reel for our 25th anniversary a few years ago and it is by far the best reel I've ever used. The "FB" model has recently been updated to the "FD", but in essence this is the same outstanding reel.

The first thing I noticed when using the Stella is how smooth the gears are. It's as if the bail is floating in the air. Reeling in line is virtually effortless. Yet don't let the easy retrieve of this reel fool you, this is one tough reel -- tough enough to do battle with a 30" walleye or an 10 lb. northern.

The Stella is also balanced in such a way that when it's seated on the rod, it fits comfortably in my hand, and feels as if it becomes weightless. Of course, this type of quality and performance do come at a cost. The Shimano Stella is among the highest priced reels, if not the most expensive, on the market. But as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. And with the Stella you get the best reel for jigging walleye bar none.

I pair the Stella with a 5-foot 9-inch St. Croix Avid AVS59MXF medium-power, extra-fast action spinning rod. The extra-fast tip enables me to feel the slightest tick from a finicky walleye, while the medium-power gives this rod more than enough backbone to load up on a huge Leech Lake sander vitreus.

I like the shorter 5-foot 9-inch rod as opposed to many of the 6-foot 6-inch or even 7-foot spinning rods I have in my arsenal. The sub-six foot rod gives this combo an almost ultra-light feel to it, while being sturdy enough for the job of landing big fish.

For the past two walleye seasons, I've spooled the Stella with 6 lb. test Berkley Fireline Crystal superline. This line is more than 50% thinner than 6 lb. monofilament, but it does not stretch as mono line does. The Fireline is so sensitive that it transmits the slightest tick or bump from walleye which enables me to catch more fish since I know that they're down there touching my jig.

The Fireline Crystal has another feature that I think is important in walleye fishing, it's transparent in the water. Berkley/Pure Fishing scientists developed the Fireline Crystal to appear white when out of the water, but in the water it completely vanishes. Walleye are skitish fish by nature, and having a line that they can't see gives me another advantage when jigging the flats and weed lines in Leech Lake.

I use a number of different jigs. From Northland I use the classic neon-tone Gum-Ball jig and the relatively new Slurp! jig, which is ideal for use with Gulp Alive minnow baits (more on attractants in a minute).

Other favorite jigs of mine are the Lindy Max Gap jig and the classic Fuzz-E-Grub.

With the Northland jigs and the Lindy Max Gap I usually add some type of attractant or bait. Early in the walleye season, say for the first month, and then again after Labor Day, I often add a live shiner to my jig. If shiners aren't available, or if the bait shop is asking too much money for them, I'll downsize slightly and go with a traditional live fathead minnow.

When the water heats up, usually above 70 degrees, I'll switch to a plastic attractant. A Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub is perfect for this task because it comes with a little plastic body and feather tail already attached. But if I'm using a Northland jig or a Lindy Max Gap jig, I need to add a plastic attractant to the jig.

My favorite plastics to add to jigs include the Northland Tackle 3-inch Slurpies Swim'N Grubs "Pro Series" in an Alabama craw color, or the original 3-inch Slurpies Swim'N Grub tails in firetiger cutworm color or Super-Glo ladybug. I also use a lot of 3-inch Berkley Power Grubs in a variety of colors from chartreuse to pumpkinseed to white.

A few years ago the folks at Berkley came up with a biodegradable bait called Gulp Alive that actually dissolves in the water over time. Not only are these baits good for the environment, but they really catch fish. I often pair the Gulp Alive minnow baits with the Slurp! jig when jigging for walleye on Leech Lake.

When I'm jig fishing for walleye with this combo I do so in a couple of different ways. If there's a good breeze blowing, which there often is on Leech Lake, I'll deploy my drift sock and set up controlled drift along a particular contour in the lake bottom or along a weed line.

When fishing in this manner I'll simply drop the jig over the side of the boat, let it drop to the bottom, then adjust the line length so that as the boat drifts the jig moves along at an inch or so above the bottom. This method works particularly well when I'm fishing with live shiners, fatheads or Gulp Alive minnows.

Another of my favorite ways to jig for walleye is to cast the jig out as far as I can, let it sink to the bottom, then reel the jig back to the boat at varying speeds. I rarely retrieve the jig at a single speed. Fish don't swim at a uniform speed or direction, so your bait shouldn't either.

Another way I retrieve a jig after a long cast is to lift up the rod tip pulling the jig toward the boat, then let it sink back to the bottom. I then reel in the slack line and repeat the process all the way back to the boat. This is a very effective way to fish for walleye.

I find that when fishing by lifting my rod tip and retrieving the slack line that I catch 75 percent of the fish when the jig is falling back to the bottom. That's why having a sensitive rod and sensitive line is so important. I want to "feel" as the walleye takes the jig into its mouth ever so gently.

There are numerous other ways to fish jigs successfully -- vertically jigging over the side of the boat, snap jigging, etc. -- but I catch most of my fish either drifting or casting a jig.

As for tying my jig to the line, I use a Palomar knot exclusively. As I've discussed on this blog before, the Palomar knot is not only easy to tie, but it is far and away the strongest knot you can use for tying on a jig or other lure for that matter.

Using this exact rod and reel combo, with Fireline Crystal line and a variety of jigs, live bait and plastics, I have caught hundreds of beautful walleye and jumbo perch while fishing on Leech Lake.

Equipment: Combo 2, throwing Senkos and spinnerbaits for bass

The majority of my time on Leech Lake is devoted to walleye fishing. However, I do enjoy pursuing other species of fish on occasion, including perch, crappie, muskie and bass.

When I decide to go bass fishing, I usually employ one of two primary methods, although I do use other techniques as well.

One way I fish for bass is by Texas-rigging a 5" Senko on a 3/0 offset hook. This a particularly deadly bait, especially when bass are schooled up in the weeds and are in a neutral to negative feeding mood. I once caught more than 20 bass on consectutive casts with the 5" Senko. And it's been my experience that almost any color is effective, so I keep a wide variety of colors in my tackle box.

I've used a variety of different hooks when fishing Senkos, but the one that seems to work best for me is the 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Lock worm hook, which is available at most well-stocked bait and tackle shops, or online at Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops. I like the way shank of the hook near the eye is "offset" which enables me to put the Senko on the hook easily, leaving it straight and weedless.

While many bass fisherman will use 15-, 17-, 20- or even 30-pound test superline when fishing in the weeds, I prefer to use the more sporting 12 lb. test Berkley Fireline. I tie the line directly to the 3/0 hook which allows me to feel every little tick and bump as the Senko slowly sinks into the weeds. It also enables me to feel the exact moment when a bass takes the Senko into its mouth. For this type of fishing, I'll never go back to using monofilament line.

For my rod and reel set up I use a Shimano Stradic ST2500FI spinning reel and a St. Croix Premier PS66MLF 6-f00t, 6-inch spinning rod with medium-light action. The Stradic provides plenty of power for pulling a 5-lb Leech Lake bass out of heavy cover, while the medium-light St. Croix Premier spinning rod is stout enough to handle the battle, but light enough to make catching even a small bass a heart-pounding adventure.

I have caught literally hundreds of Leech Lake bass on this combo so I know it works.

When I want to cover more water in search of actively feeding bass, I switch to a spinnerbait set up. For that I use a Shimano Calcutta 150 baitcasting reel and a 6-foot medium-power St. Croix Triumph TRC60MF baitcasting rod with medium-fast action.

I've got the Calcutta 150 spooled with 8 lb. test Berkley Fireline in chartreuse color. I like the bright chartreuse color because if my spinnerbait gets hung up on a weed, or breaks off entirely, I can usually find it because of the bright line color. Again, most bass fishermen will use a heavier pound test line for throwing spinnerbaits, but I like the feel and castability of the lighter line.

I use a number of different kinds of spinnerbaits, but the ones I use the most often are the Terminator T-1 titanium spinnerbaits with two blades and in a variety of colors, and the Northland Fishing Tackle Reed-Runner spinnerbaits, again with tandem blades and in variety of colors.

I especially like the fact that the Northland Reed-Runner spinnerbaits have an "eye" at the bend of the safety pin shape which allows me to tie on the lure using my favorite knot, the Palomar. The Palomar knot is not only easy to tie, but it's one of the strongest knots you can use for tying superlines, braided lines, florocarbons and monofilament.

The North American Fishing Club has a segment on its TV show called "Knot Wars" where they test the strength of dozens of different knots. In 2008, the winner after seven weeks of competition was the Palomar knot. Here's a link to that show.

My Shimano Calcutta 150 reel, St. Croix Triumph rod, Berkley Fireline 8 lb. test line and Northland Reed-Runner spinnerbait has proven time and again to be an outstanding set up for catching lunker bass on Leech Lake.

In my next "equipment" post, I'll take a look at my favorite rod and reel combo for jig fishing for walleye. Until then, may your lines stay tight.

<*)))><

I Shall Return...

My return date to the Northwoods is set. I'm leaving San Jose in the early morning on Monday, September 14, arriving later that afternoon in Bemidji. By sunset one week after Labor Day I'll be in our house on the shores of Leech Lake.

Once there, I will again post daily updates to this blog providing weather information, fishing conditions with catch/release reports, as well as the general news and happenings from Ottertail Peninsula.

I plan to take part in the local peninsula walleye tournament in late September, fish for Fall muskie, and of course jig and troll for walleye every chance I get.

There will, however, be a number of chores to be attended to such as painting the deck at the cabin and winterizing the house and cabin before my departure in late October.

I will post a few more times between now and my arrival at Leech Lake, so stay tuned.

Equipment: Combo 1, trolling for walleye

When I'm fishing on Leech Lake I use three primary set ups -- one for trolling for walleye, a second for jigging for walleye, and a third for throwing spinner baits for bass.

These three set ups are by no means the only rigs I use -- I also have a couple of rod and reel combos for muskie, a couple different ones for bass (one for throwing plastic worms and another for throwing lipped and lipless crankbaits) and a couple of different walleye rigs (one for Lindy rigging, one for using a slip bobber, and another ultra-light set up) -- but they are my go-to combos.

This post will focus on the first of those three, and the one I use almost every day I'm out on Leech Lake, my trolling rod and reel.

Let's start with the rod. I use a relatively inexpensive ABU Garcia Vantage XL, model number VXLC661MH. It's a one-piece, 6 feet, 6 inches long, medium-heavy action, cork-handled trigger rod that is designed for use with 10-25 lb. test line and 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lures.

I like the medium-heavy action because when a big walleye or pike hits my lure, the stiff "backbone" of the rod loads up quickly and effectively sets the hook for me. I also like the 6'6" length even though the trend these days is long rods, some as big as 12 feet.

Since most of my walleye trolling on Leech Lake is contour trolling, where I'm maneuvering the boat along slight variations in water depth -- say from 8-9 feet -- I tend to hold the rod in my hand as opposed to leaving it in a rod holder. Therefore, a shorter 6'6" rod is easier to use than an 8-12 foot rod.

Another plus to a shorter rod is ease of netting the walleye when I'm in the boat by myself. The shorter rod enables me to bring the fish closer to the boat making it easier to net than if I was using a 12-foot rod, or even an 8-footer.

For my money, and primary use, this is an excellent rod choice for trolling crankbaits for walleye. Unfortunately, this rod has been discontinued by ABU Garcia so if, or when, I need to replace it, it will have to be with a completely different product.

The reel I use is a ABU Garcia Ambassadeur Professional Series and it's a perfect complement to the Vantage XL rod. Unfortunately, like the rod, my Ambassadeur Professional Series reel has been discontinued. In fact, this reel was only on the market for a very short time many years ago and finding any information about it today is next to impossible.

I did a Google search for this reel and basically came up empty. There were a few mentions of it on various auction sites, but when I checked them out, I could not find the model number reel that I own. Who knows, maybe I have a one-of-a-kind reel!

I bought this rod and reel combo many years ago for a great price, although I'm not sure where I purchased the pair -- Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, or even an eBay store. At any rate, the ABU Garcia Vantage XL rod and Ambassadeur Professional Series reel are a perfect rig for trolling crankbaits for walleye on Leech Lake.

While my rod and reel may be discontinued and nearly impossible to find, the rest of the set up is readily available and can be purchased online at Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops.

My line of choice is 10 lb. test Berkley Fireline Original Fused in smoke color. I really like the "no stretch" aspect of the Fireline as well as its ability to transmit every little tick or bump in the water back to the reel.

The old-style, regular monofilament line stretches up to 10 percent, which means if you're trolling with 60 feet of line out and you hook a fish, the line is likely to stretch up to 6 feet before tightening up. That 6 foot stretch may be all that a walleye needs to become unhooked after biting the lure due to the line stretching process.

With Fireline, there is absolutely no stretch whatsoever. Once the walleye hits the lure, the line basically sets the hook itself, meaning many fewer missed walleyes.

At the end of the line I like to tie on a size 12, 30 lb. test Berkley Cross-Lok Snap/Swivel. Unlike typical swivels that use a safety-pin style closure, the Cross-Lok swivels use a unique wire over wire lock doesn’t slip down the shank and is very secure. The tiny barrel swivel prevents line twist enabling the reel to spool the line in a smooth, easy fashion.

And finally, the crankbait itself. Over the years I've used dozens of different makes, models, colors and sizes of crankbaits when trolling for walleye on Leech Lake. But my favorite crankbait of all time is the Rapala #9 Minnow Rap. It's my favorite for one simple reason -- it catches walleye.

While all colors of the Minnow Rap work well, the ones that perform best for me are hot steel, purpledescent, perch, hot tiger, and bleeding pearl. Another favorite of mine is the limited edition Tennessee Shad color which features red hooks and a clear plastic lip, but this lure variation is hard to find in stores.

My usual trolling-for-walleye methodology is the following: I troll in 8-10 feet of water at a ground speed (not water speed) of 1.95 to 2.75 mph. I let out roughly 50-75 feet of Fireline which enables the Minnow Rap to run just above the bottom of the lake, while occasionally hitting bottom kicking up muck and generally causing a disturbance. I start trolling right at sunset and continue for about 2 hours after the sun has set. I have found that on Leech Lake, using this method is as close to a sure thing for catching walleye is as possible.

Once I've got a walleye on the line, the next piece of important equipment is a quality landing net. Again, I've used a number of different styles of nets from a few different manufacturers, but my hands down favorite is the Pro-Formance landing net by Frabill.

This particular Frabill net uses rubber netting which is not only better for maintaining the health of the fish, but makes getting the lure out of the net a breeze. With the old style string nets (even those with rubber coating) treble hooks always seem to get hung up. And trying to unhook a lure from a net at night while being bounced by the Leech Lake waves is not something I enjoyed doing.

The Pro-Formance net also features a telescoping handle with the Frabill Pow’R-Lok™ automatic yoke system which enables me to stow the net in smaller spaces than a net without the ability to collapse the handle. And the automatic yoke system is not only easy to use (I've often extended it with one hand while battling a fish with the other) but it stays secure once it's in place. This net has helped me land literally hundreds of walleye on Leech Lake.

I also rely heavily on my Lowrance electronics, but I will save a the discussion of them for another post.

I'm still planning a Fall trip to the Northwoods in either September or October, so in the not too distant future I will once again be making my "At Leech Lake" posts.

Next up, my equipment for bass fishing with spinner baits.

July 29, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

I Leave Leech Lake Today

I woke up the morning to a beautiful day. The temperature by 9:00 a.m. had reached 60 degrees, yes, we're still in July, the sky was clear and mostly sunny and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the west.

I would have loved to have had some breakfast then go out fishing, but I've got a million and one things to do to get ready to leave for California later today. So rather than fish, I'm spending my morning working around the house. I am allowing myself a little break to have some coffee out on the back deck and to post to the blog.

After many, many chores, I took a break to do some fishing -- couldn't help it. I snuck out onto the lake from 11:00 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Not a long time, but enough for one last excursion for some walleye.

I motored out to 14 feet of water and deployed the drift sock. As the morning had progressed, the sky had begun to cloud over and the wind picked up. By the time I started fishing it was blowing at 12-15 mph out of the WNW.

I was using a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with a Northland Slurpie Grub and managed to catch a couple of medium-sized perch and three northern pike. The first pike spit the jig just as I put my hand on him to lift him out of the water. That was fine with me, I don't like northern slime in my boat anyway.

The second northern got close to the boat before making a mad run for it and snapping my line. I decided to tie on another jig and get back to fishing. The third pike I caught got right up next to he boat, like the first fish had, but unlike the first pike I caught this one made a contorted twist as I was reaching for him and snapped the line.

I had a decision to make, go in or tie on another jig. I tied on another jig.

Despite several bites, I never did hook another fish. So just after noon I came ashore.

I finished up some more chores, took the garbage down to the bins at the community center, came home, took a shower, had some lunch and finished updating the blog.

This will be my last "At Leech Lake" entry for a while. I will be posting to this blog periodically, so do check back. I will have a review of the equipment I was using here at the lake, I'll post some photos from my stay, and I will surely have updates (as they happen) with regard to the Army Corps of Engineers and its desire to lower the water level on Leech Lake.

So until sometime in September (hopefully) I'll be signing off from Leech Lake.