I can't believe it's already the end of September. From a weather standpoint, it's definitely Fall here in the Northwoods. The temperature this morning at 9:00 a.m. at Leech Lake was 40 degrees. The sky is sunny and the wind is out of the ESE at 10-15 mph, and is expected to increase to more than 20-25 mph as the day goes on.
The cool temperatures of the past few days have had an effect on the trees changing colors. For most of the two weeks I've been here, the leaves have been green and only a few trees have showed signs of changing color. But just in the past couple of days the leaves have begun to change to yellow, orange and red. I'd say that the color is no more than 20 percent, but the change is definitely starting.
At 1:30 p.m. I decided to go fishing. I motored the boat out to a spot in 10-12 feet of water in front of our house, tipped my VMC jig with a fathead and started fishing. The wind had shifted and was now blowing from the ENE at close to 18 mph. As I drifted out into Sucker Bay, the waves picked up and turned to white caps and it was cold.
I stayed on the lake for about 90 minutes and caught numerous perch, but no jumbos or walleye.
Once on shore I stopped by Noel Hancock’s place for a quick visit. Weather permitting we’re going to go back into the woods tomorrow and cut up some dead trees for firewood.
I contemplated going out trolling this evening, but the wind was still blowing hard – 18-25 mph – from the ENE, and as the old fishing adage goes, “When the wind’s from the east, the fishing is the least. When the wind’s from the west, the fishing is the best.” I could attest that the fishing earlier in the day had been poor, so with a strong easterly wind blowing I stayed on shore.
The temperature at 11:00 p.m. is 42 degrees. It just might get down to freezing tonight at Leech Lake.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 29, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
Last year on this date the high temperature was only 56 degrees. I did not record the low temperature from a year ago, but I would bet it was as cold as it is currently. Today should be a lot like last year. The high is projected to hit 55 degrees, and currently at 9:00 a.m., the temperature is only 37 degrees. I don't know if it dropped to freezing over night or not, but it sure is cold this morning.
By noon the temperature had warmed to the low 50s, and by 1:30 p.m. it was 55 degrees and I decided to go fishing. Today was the first time in three days that the wind was not blowing at 20+ mph. In fact, when I hit the water, the wind was slight at 5-8 mph out of the ENE. The sky was mostly sunny, and I actually felt warm standing in the boat.
I started by fishing in front of our house in 9-12 feet of water. I used a VMC jig tipped with a fathead. I drifted slowly out into the bay and south toward Second Duck Point. I caught a few small perch, but nothing worth keeping.
I moved toward the Birches and fished there in 8-10 feet of water for a while, but again boated only small perch.
I moved to the spot between Schiebe’s cabin and the government cabins and caught more small to medium perch. I also hooked into something that bit through my 6 lb. Fireline Crystal, forcing me to tie on a new jig. Probably a northern pike.
I came ashore around 3:30 p.m. After some work around the house, some business on the computer and a light dinner, I again went fishing. I was on the water at 6:20 p.m.
The wind had died down completely and the lake was still. The water temperature had cooled considerably in the past few days and was now between 61 and 62 degrees depending on the depth and location I was fishing.
I again started in front of our house in 10 feet of water throwing a VMC jig, this time tipped with a Northland Tackle Slurpie Swim’N Grub, in an orange color. I threw this set up for about 20 minutes, but had no bites.
I switched to my trolling tackle, using an olive colored #9 Minnow Rap. I trolled from Malay’s cabin south to a spot between Duck and Second Duck Points, then curled out into the Bay and fished deeper at 12-13 feet.
I made several passes without getting a bite. As the sky darkened, the 85% waxing moon rose and cast its light over Sucker Bay. At one point a loon surfaced near my boat and was directly in line with the shimmering moon light in the water. It looked like something out of a Les Kouba painting. Beautiful.
I was getting ready to make one last pass when I hooked a nice little 13” walleye just south of Second Duck Point in 12 feet of water. I decided to make another pass between Second Duck and a spot about half way to Duck Point.
On my way north, I again hooked a fish and could tell it was a little bigger. I got it to the boat and into the landing net. I hoisted it into the boat and saw it was a beautiful “eater” walleye; 16 ½” long. I put it in the live well for a future dinner.
At 9:35 p.m. I decided to call it a night and come ashore. I got the walleye from the boat into a wire basket at the end of the dock and made my way back to the house. As I walked from the boat lift to the house I noticed I could see my breath. I knew it was cold, but didn’t realize just how cold.
The thermometer on the back deck at the house read 40 degrees. I heard that it could get down below freezing tonight after midnight. I also heard that the wind is again going to be blowing between 20-30 mph tomorrow. I’m glad I got out onto Leech Lake to do some walleye fishing while I had the chance. And I caught walleyes too!
By noon the temperature had warmed to the low 50s, and by 1:30 p.m. it was 55 degrees and I decided to go fishing. Today was the first time in three days that the wind was not blowing at 20+ mph. In fact, when I hit the water, the wind was slight at 5-8 mph out of the ENE. The sky was mostly sunny, and I actually felt warm standing in the boat.
I started by fishing in front of our house in 9-12 feet of water. I used a VMC jig tipped with a fathead. I drifted slowly out into the bay and south toward Second Duck Point. I caught a few small perch, but nothing worth keeping.
I moved toward the Birches and fished there in 8-10 feet of water for a while, but again boated only small perch.
I moved to the spot between Schiebe’s cabin and the government cabins and caught more small to medium perch. I also hooked into something that bit through my 6 lb. Fireline Crystal, forcing me to tie on a new jig. Probably a northern pike.
I came ashore around 3:30 p.m. After some work around the house, some business on the computer and a light dinner, I again went fishing. I was on the water at 6:20 p.m.
The wind had died down completely and the lake was still. The water temperature had cooled considerably in the past few days and was now between 61 and 62 degrees depending on the depth and location I was fishing.
I again started in front of our house in 10 feet of water throwing a VMC jig, this time tipped with a Northland Tackle Slurpie Swim’N Grub, in an orange color. I threw this set up for about 20 minutes, but had no bites.
I switched to my trolling tackle, using an olive colored #9 Minnow Rap. I trolled from Malay’s cabin south to a spot between Duck and Second Duck Points, then curled out into the Bay and fished deeper at 12-13 feet.
I made several passes without getting a bite. As the sky darkened, the 85% waxing moon rose and cast its light over Sucker Bay. At one point a loon surfaced near my boat and was directly in line with the shimmering moon light in the water. It looked like something out of a Les Kouba painting. Beautiful.
I was getting ready to make one last pass when I hooked a nice little 13” walleye just south of Second Duck Point in 12 feet of water. I decided to make another pass between Second Duck and a spot about half way to Duck Point.
On my way north, I again hooked a fish and could tell it was a little bigger. I got it to the boat and into the landing net. I hoisted it into the boat and saw it was a beautiful “eater” walleye; 16 ½” long. I put it in the live well for a future dinner.
At 9:35 p.m. I decided to call it a night and come ashore. I got the walleye from the boat into a wire basket at the end of the dock and made my way back to the house. As I walked from the boat lift to the house I noticed I could see my breath. I knew it was cold, but didn’t realize just how cold.
The thermometer on the back deck at the house read 40 degrees. I heard that it could get down below freezing tonight after midnight. I also heard that the wind is again going to be blowing between 20-30 mph tomorrow. I’m glad I got out onto Leech Lake to do some walleye fishing while I had the chance. And I caught walleyes too!
Monday, September 28, 2009
September 28, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
At 9:00 a.m. this morning the weather outside looked as if it hadn't changed one little bit since last evening. The wind was still very strong at 22-25 mph out of the NW, the lake was covered in rolling waves and white caps, the sky was gray and completely covered in clouds, it was spitting rain and the temperature was 46 degrees. As was the case yesterday, I can see no boats on the water.
I did a quick of the weather online and learned that the forecast for tonight was more wind and cold. In fact, the temperature is supposed to dip to 29 degrees.
Realizing that freezing temps could cause a problem with anything water related left outside, I decided to drain the pump we use to draw water from the lake to water the yard and plants, store the garden hoses and put the power washer back inside the cabin. I don't know if it will actually freeze tonight, but I'm not taking any chances.
After taking care of the pump, etc., I gathered up all the garbage and recycling and took it down to the community center where we dump our garbage and recycling. From there I went on into Cass Lake to pick up a few grocery items, but is always the case, I forget the main thing I went into town for -- Half & Half. I like having that for my morning coffee, but will have to use 2% milk or drink it black.
It is still very windy, with the wind at 25+mph out of the north with gusts up over 30 mph. the water is very rough and covered with whitecaps. Unless something dramatic happens, i.e., the wind stops blowing so hard, I won't be able to get out on the lake for the second straight day.
The temperature at 11:30 p.m. was 46 degrees, the wind was still blowing like crazy, and for the second day in a row I didn't make out fishing on Leech Lake.
I did a quick of the weather online and learned that the forecast for tonight was more wind and cold. In fact, the temperature is supposed to dip to 29 degrees.
Realizing that freezing temps could cause a problem with anything water related left outside, I decided to drain the pump we use to draw water from the lake to water the yard and plants, store the garden hoses and put the power washer back inside the cabin. I don't know if it will actually freeze tonight, but I'm not taking any chances.
After taking care of the pump, etc., I gathered up all the garbage and recycling and took it down to the community center where we dump our garbage and recycling. From there I went on into Cass Lake to pick up a few grocery items, but is always the case, I forget the main thing I went into town for -- Half & Half. I like having that for my morning coffee, but will have to use 2% milk or drink it black.
It is still very windy, with the wind at 25+mph out of the north with gusts up over 30 mph. the water is very rough and covered with whitecaps. Unless something dramatic happens, i.e., the wind stops blowing so hard, I won't be able to get out on the lake for the second straight day.
The temperature at 11:30 p.m. was 46 degrees, the wind was still blowing like crazy, and for the second day in a row I didn't make out fishing on Leech Lake.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
The roiling water of Leech Lake about an hour before the wind shifted and the rain came
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was a chilly 58 degrees, the wind was strong at 15-18 mph out of the NNW, with gusts up near 25 mph, and the sky was partly sunny. The lake was wild and covered in white caps. Since we're on the eastern side of Sucker Bay, a westerly wind makes this side of the bay very rough.
As I looked out onto the back deck of the house to check the temperature, I noticed a dead ruffed grouse by the floor-to-ceiling windows of our living room. It had obviously crashed into the window knocking itself out, and eventually died. I removed the bird from the deck and placed it in the woods where I'm sure some animal will find it and eat it. Grouse are great eating birds for humans too, and many people up here at Leech Lake hunt them, but I was not about to eat a dead bird.
The wind continued to blow hard throughout the morning and into early afternoon, picking up to 18-25 mph out of the WNW. The lake is now covered in white caps, and there are no boats in sight.
It's now 5:00 p.m. and the wind has actually gotten stronger! It's blowing a continuous 22-28 mph out of the WNW with gusts to 35-38 mph. The lake is angry and boiling with high waves and white caps. I went out onto the end of the dock to take a couple of pictures of the lake, and was nearly blown into the water. It was as if the wind was blowing back to the house. "Go inside. Stay warm, " the wind seemed to be saying.
At 6:00 p.m., the wind suddenly shifted and began blowing out of the north; although it didn’t lessen in strength at all. With the shift in wind direction came the rain. It wasn’t a hard rain, but with the force of the wind, it pelted the house, the windows and anything that happened to be in its way.
The sun set tonight shortly after 7:00 p.m., but it was nearly dark even earlier because of the dark clouds and rain. It's still raining now after 11:00 p.m., the temperature has dropped to 48 degrees and the wind has yet to let up.
I didn't get out on the lake today to do any fishing, and I have no idea if I'll have a chance to get out tomorrow or not. I've got various business calls that should keep me occupied until early afternoon. If the weather permits, I will get out sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening to fish for walleye and perch on Leech Lake.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
September 26, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 54 degrees, the sky was dark and completely covered in heavy clouds and the wind was brisk at 12-15 mph out of the SW. It looked as if it might rain at any moment. Finally a normal Fall day at Leech Lake.
As the morning worn on, however, it didn't rain and the sky gradually began to clear. After I had finished washing the linens and putting them back on the beds at the cabin, the sun finally broke through the clouds casting shadows everywhere. I decided it was a perfect time to go for a walk.
I walked down to Paulsen's house and back -- about a 2 mile round trip. When I got back to the house it was mostly sunny, and the temperature had climbed to 68 degrees although it was still fairly windy. A great time to paint the deck at the cabin I decided.
I changed into my painting clothes, got the paint, tray, roller and other supplies out of the garage and set to work. By 3:30 p.m. I had repainted the back deck at the cabin, and I was hungry.
I had a quick sandwich then figured I'd hit the water for an hour so. I wanted to be back home by 5:00 p.m. to listen to the season opener of A Prairie Home Companion on public radio.
The wind was still 15 mph out of the SW so there was a good chop on the lake, with occasional white caps. I motored the boat out to 10 feet of water in front of our house, put in the drift sock, tipped my VMC jig with a fathead and started fishing.
Almost immediately I hooked into a small northern. That was followed by several small perch, but none big enough to keep, and no walleye.
I got back to the house a little later than I'd hoped to, around 5:15 p.m., but I was still into time to catch Guy Noir and the News from Lake Wobegon. I had my dinner of BBQ ribs, French Fries and salad, and was finished eating at 7:30 p.m., about 20 minutes after sunset.
I looked outside as the light was fading from the western sky and made the decision to go trolling. "No one ever caught a walleye sitting on the couch," I thought to myself. I grabbed my flashlight, some water and a sweatshirt and hustled over to the boat lift.
I was on the water by 7:45 p.m. The wind was still 12-15 mph from the SW, the water temperature was 68.6 degrees, and the moon was 55 percent waxing (basically a half moon).
I trolled The Alley in 9-12 feet of water using my Rapala Minnow Rap, but tonight I didn't get even a hit and miss. Nothing. No fish. Not even a stupid rock bass. Skunked.
I came ashore around 9:15 p.m. I spent the rest of the evening quietly reading as the wind blew through the trees outside. A nice way to cap off a beautiful Fall day at Leech Lake.
As the morning worn on, however, it didn't rain and the sky gradually began to clear. After I had finished washing the linens and putting them back on the beds at the cabin, the sun finally broke through the clouds casting shadows everywhere. I decided it was a perfect time to go for a walk.
I walked down to Paulsen's house and back -- about a 2 mile round trip. When I got back to the house it was mostly sunny, and the temperature had climbed to 68 degrees although it was still fairly windy. A great time to paint the deck at the cabin I decided.
I changed into my painting clothes, got the paint, tray, roller and other supplies out of the garage and set to work. By 3:30 p.m. I had repainted the back deck at the cabin, and I was hungry.
I had a quick sandwich then figured I'd hit the water for an hour so. I wanted to be back home by 5:00 p.m. to listen to the season opener of A Prairie Home Companion on public radio.
The wind was still 15 mph out of the SW so there was a good chop on the lake, with occasional white caps. I motored the boat out to 10 feet of water in front of our house, put in the drift sock, tipped my VMC jig with a fathead and started fishing.
Almost immediately I hooked into a small northern. That was followed by several small perch, but none big enough to keep, and no walleye.
I got back to the house a little later than I'd hoped to, around 5:15 p.m., but I was still into time to catch Guy Noir and the News from Lake Wobegon. I had my dinner of BBQ ribs, French Fries and salad, and was finished eating at 7:30 p.m., about 20 minutes after sunset.
I looked outside as the light was fading from the western sky and made the decision to go trolling. "No one ever caught a walleye sitting on the couch," I thought to myself. I grabbed my flashlight, some water and a sweatshirt and hustled over to the boat lift.
I was on the water by 7:45 p.m. The wind was still 12-15 mph from the SW, the water temperature was 68.6 degrees, and the moon was 55 percent waxing (basically a half moon).
I trolled The Alley in 9-12 feet of water using my Rapala Minnow Rap, but tonight I didn't get even a hit and miss. Nothing. No fish. Not even a stupid rock bass. Skunked.
I came ashore around 9:15 p.m. I spent the rest of the evening quietly reading as the wind blew through the trees outside. A nice way to cap off a beautiful Fall day at Leech Lake.
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
The storm that passed by without dropping any rain on Sucker Bay
As he said they would be, my Dad and Mom were in the car by 10:00 a.m. on their way back to Illinois. I had a very nice visit with them, and I hope they enjoyed their time at Leech Lake as well.
After my parents left, I pulled out the power washer, hooked it up to the hose, started it up, and washed the back deck at the cabin. If it doesn't rain tonight, I'll paint the deck tomorrow morning.
I took care of some business emails and calls, and then around noon I had a chance to get out on the lake to do some fishing. I returned to the spot Duane Paulsen had told me about -- between Schiebe's cabin and the government cabins in 8-11 feet of water -- and immediately hooked a 24-inch northern. I was using a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with a orange Northland Swim'N Grub. I returned the northern to the lake.
After a few more casts, with no bites, I switched to a live fathead minnow on my jig. I caught numerous perch, including two that bordered on being jumbos, so I put those in my live well. I fished until 2:00 p.m. but then came home.
The weather today was beautiful once again. This morning it started out around 56 degrees but warmed to 72 degrees by midday. The wind was out of the SSE at 5-10 mph, a perfect breeze for drifting for perch and walleye. The sky was partly cloudy and the water temperature was 70.6 degrees.
After doing more work and other household chores, I returned to the lake at 5:00 p.m. Once on the water I was met with dark skies in the south, and I was sure I'd have to scramble off the lake in a hurry to avoid getting pelted by the storm. I estimated that the storm was no more than 45 minutes away. But as the evening wore on, the storm dissipated, and blew to the west of Sucker Bay making it a perfect evening on the water.
The wind had picked up, to 8-12 mph, but was still out of the SSE. I used a jig and fatheads exclusively for my evening drift. I once again got things rolling by hooking a northern pike. This one was smaller than the one I caught earlier, around 18".
I caught numerous perch and one 13" walleye. I hoisted the little walleye into the boat without the aid of a net and as soon as it was over the boat it twisted and cut my line. The jig was still hooked in its mouth. I removed the jig, which was bent and needed to be replaced anyway, and put the little walleye back into the lake unharmed.
I retied using an 1/8 oz. VMC Hot Skirt Glow Jig in blue and tipped it with a fathead. I caught a few more perch, but no more walleye. At 7:00 p.m. I came ashore for the night. I decided to not go trolling tonight.
All in all, it was a fun and successful day of fishing on Minnesota's Leech Lake.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
September 24, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
Today was yet another in a series of beautiful Fall days on Leech Lake. The temperature today hit a high of 73 degrees, the sky was clear blue with only some distant clouds to the south. The wind was calm to maybe 3-5 mph out of the south. An absolutely gorgeous September day.
Today is also the last full day of my parents' visit to the Northwoods. Tomorrow they will begin their two-day trip back to Illinois. It's been great having them here, and as usual, their trip went by way too quickly.
This afternoon Duane Paulsen was back in the woods cutting up a couple of fallen trees on John Newman's property. I don't know why, but I had a feeling I needed to go back and check on him. On got on my Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV and went back to where the logging operation was underway.
Sure enough, Duane had managed to get the bar of his chain saw stuck in a large tree trunk and needed assistance freeing it. While Duane used the front loader of his tractor to lift the tree trunk, I grabbed the chain saw and managed to wiggle it free.
At that point Duane said he’d had enough logging for one day and decided to head home. We loaded his front loader with numerous cuts from the tree, and he took them home where he’d split them into firewood later.
At that point my Mom and I decided to go for a walk in the woods. There are many trails that crisscross the woods and while we didn’t take the shortest route, we didn’t go the longest way either. We had a nice walk, and talk, back in the woods.
When we returned it was around 3:00 p.m. The sky was still clear blue and the wind was slight at 3-5 mph. I thought it’d be the perfect time to get a little fishing in. I asked them, but neither my Mom nor my Dad wanted to join me on the water.
While I was helping Duane in the woods, he had mentioned that earlier that morning he’d caught a nice walleye, a northern and numerous good perch in a spot between Schiebe’s cabin and the government cabins in 8-10 feet of water. It had been years since I had fished that spot so I thought that I’d try there.
The water temperature where I stopped to fish was 70.2 degrees. I put a fathead minnow on my Lindy Max Gap jig and lowered it into the water. I caught numerous perch over the next hour, but none that I would classify as “really nice,” or jumbo.
I decided to mix up my presentation slightly, so rather than tip my jig with a minnow I used a Northland Pro Series Swim’N Grub in a silver color. On my first cast I caught a 24” northern pike. After that I caught a couple of small perch, but again, no walleye or jumbo perch.
At 4:30 p.m. I headed back to shore to get the grill going for dinner. The previous day I had started brining a chicken, and tonight I was going to make “beer can” chicken on the grill.
I thought the bird was tender, juicy and very tasty, but it might have been too salty for my parents taste.
After dinner I started doing some work on my Dad’s laptop PC; things like cleaning up the registry, changing the virus protection software on the PC, etc. I finally wrapped up the work shortly after midnight and then hit the hay.
It was nice to have my parents here for a visit at Leech Lake, and I hope they can come up here again during my next visit.
Tomorrow is supposed to be another nice day – with warm temperatures, light winds and clear skies. I plan to get out onto Leech Lake to do some Fall walleye fishing.
Today is also the last full day of my parents' visit to the Northwoods. Tomorrow they will begin their two-day trip back to Illinois. It's been great having them here, and as usual, their trip went by way too quickly.
This afternoon Duane Paulsen was back in the woods cutting up a couple of fallen trees on John Newman's property. I don't know why, but I had a feeling I needed to go back and check on him. On got on my Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV and went back to where the logging operation was underway.
Sure enough, Duane had managed to get the bar of his chain saw stuck in a large tree trunk and needed assistance freeing it. While Duane used the front loader of his tractor to lift the tree trunk, I grabbed the chain saw and managed to wiggle it free.
At that point Duane said he’d had enough logging for one day and decided to head home. We loaded his front loader with numerous cuts from the tree, and he took them home where he’d split them into firewood later.
At that point my Mom and I decided to go for a walk in the woods. There are many trails that crisscross the woods and while we didn’t take the shortest route, we didn’t go the longest way either. We had a nice walk, and talk, back in the woods.
When we returned it was around 3:00 p.m. The sky was still clear blue and the wind was slight at 3-5 mph. I thought it’d be the perfect time to get a little fishing in. I asked them, but neither my Mom nor my Dad wanted to join me on the water.
While I was helping Duane in the woods, he had mentioned that earlier that morning he’d caught a nice walleye, a northern and numerous good perch in a spot between Schiebe’s cabin and the government cabins in 8-10 feet of water. It had been years since I had fished that spot so I thought that I’d try there.
The water temperature where I stopped to fish was 70.2 degrees. I put a fathead minnow on my Lindy Max Gap jig and lowered it into the water. I caught numerous perch over the next hour, but none that I would classify as “really nice,” or jumbo.
I decided to mix up my presentation slightly, so rather than tip my jig with a minnow I used a Northland Pro Series Swim’N Grub in a silver color. On my first cast I caught a 24” northern pike. After that I caught a couple of small perch, but again, no walleye or jumbo perch.
At 4:30 p.m. I headed back to shore to get the grill going for dinner. The previous day I had started brining a chicken, and tonight I was going to make “beer can” chicken on the grill.
I thought the bird was tender, juicy and very tasty, but it might have been too salty for my parents taste.
After dinner I started doing some work on my Dad’s laptop PC; things like cleaning up the registry, changing the virus protection software on the PC, etc. I finally wrapped up the work shortly after midnight and then hit the hay.
It was nice to have my parents here for a visit at Leech Lake, and I hope they can come up here again during my next visit.
Tomorrow is supposed to be another nice day – with warm temperatures, light winds and clear skies. I plan to get out onto Leech Lake to do some Fall walleye fishing.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
September 23, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
Today was another beautiful fall day at Leech Lake. The high temperature today was 73 degrees, the low was right around 50 degrees. The wind was mostly calm, with a slight breeze of 3-5 mph on occasion from the east. The sky was clear and blue. The water temperature was 70.9 degrees in most locations.
My parents, who are visiting me here this week at the lake, and I went into Bemidji today to have dinner, and to pick up some paint I need to repaint the deck at the cabin. We had a nice drive into town and also around the Bemidji State University campus, which is located on the western shore of Lake Bemidji.
We got back to the lake around 6:30 p.m. and shortly before 7:00 p.m. I hit the water to do a little fishing. I started by casting a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with Northland Slurpie Swim'N Grub. I caught nothing.
Just after sunset, which was at 7:13 p.m. this evening, I switched tactics and began trolling my hot steel colored Minnow Rap in 9-12 feet of water in The Alley. Again, I caught nothing. I decided to expand my trolling area to include the flats between Duck Point and Second Duck Point. Still no fish.
At 8:45 p.m., with no fish caught, I headed for shore. This is one of the few times in recent memory where I've been skunked on the water.
Once on shore, my mother and I went out to the end of the dock to look at the stars. With no clouds, and an early moonset (at 9:23 p.m. this evening) the sky was covered in blinking stars. The Milky Way was again clearly visible.
It was a nice way to end another night on Leech Lake.
My parents, who are visiting me here this week at the lake, and I went into Bemidji today to have dinner, and to pick up some paint I need to repaint the deck at the cabin. We had a nice drive into town and also around the Bemidji State University campus, which is located on the western shore of Lake Bemidji.
We got back to the lake around 6:30 p.m. and shortly before 7:00 p.m. I hit the water to do a little fishing. I started by casting a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with Northland Slurpie Swim'N Grub. I caught nothing.
Just after sunset, which was at 7:13 p.m. this evening, I switched tactics and began trolling my hot steel colored Minnow Rap in 9-12 feet of water in The Alley. Again, I caught nothing. I decided to expand my trolling area to include the flats between Duck Point and Second Duck Point. Still no fish.
At 8:45 p.m., with no fish caught, I headed for shore. This is one of the few times in recent memory where I've been skunked on the water.
Once on shore, my mother and I went out to the end of the dock to look at the stars. With no clouds, and an early moonset (at 9:23 p.m. this evening) the sky was covered in blinking stars. The Milky Way was again clearly visible.
It was a nice way to end another night on Leech Lake.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
September 22, 2009 -- On Leech Lake
When I got out of bed this morning and looked outside, the ground was wet from an overnight rain. The sky was cloudy and looked like it could produce more rain at any time. The temperature was 62 degrees and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the south.
As the morning evolved into early afternoon, however, no more rain fell and the sun actually broke through the heavy cloud cover. At 1:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing, and to my surprise and delight, my father asked if he could join me.
While my dad always took us to various northern Michigan locations for summertime vacations in remote cabins, he was never one to get out on the lake for any angling action. On this occasion I was more than happy to have him join me in the boat, even if he chose not to fish.
Once in the boat I noted that the water temperature had cooled to 70.2 degrees. The air temperature had warmed to the low 70s.
I started fishing in front of our house in 9-11 feet of water using a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with a fathead minnow. I caught one small perch. There were seven other boats very close to us, many with licenses that showed them to be from Wisconsin and Iowa, so I decided to move to another location. I don't like fishing in packs of boats.
I moved the boat to 12-14 feet of water in front of the Malay's cabin, and again used a jig and minnow presentation. Again, I caught only a couple of small perch.
I decided it was time for another change of venue and presentation. I motored over to Norm's cabin and began throwing a spinner bait for bass. Using my MinnKota electric trolling motor I navigated along the edge of the reeds while making my way north toward Schiebe's cabin. I didn't catch any bass, but a big muskie broke the surface just in front of the boat. I caught a quick glimpse of its back, and both my dad and me saw and heard the big splash it made as it disappeared back into the water.
With the boat in front of The Birches, I stowed the electric trolling motor and moved the boat out into 9-10 feet of water. I fished The Birches for 20 minutes or so, but caught only one rock bass; again on a jig and minnow presentation.
At just after 3:00 p.m. we made our way back to shore. Within 30 minutes of coming ashore, the sky darkened and the wind shifted to the north and picked up to 12-15 mph. It looked like we were going to get some rain, but the dark clouds passed overhead without dropping any moisture.
The wind was still fairly strong as evening turned to night and rather than go out fishing by myself, I stayed inside and visited with my parents.
Tomorrow we'll be going into Bemidji to run some errands and to eat dinner in town. If the weather permits, I'd like to get out trolling tomorrow evening so I can attempt to catch a 16-18 inch walleye or two so we can have a fish fry dinner before my parents have to leave for home.
More from Leech Lake tomorrow.
As the morning evolved into early afternoon, however, no more rain fell and the sun actually broke through the heavy cloud cover. At 1:00 p.m. I decided to go fishing, and to my surprise and delight, my father asked if he could join me.
While my dad always took us to various northern Michigan locations for summertime vacations in remote cabins, he was never one to get out on the lake for any angling action. On this occasion I was more than happy to have him join me in the boat, even if he chose not to fish.
Once in the boat I noted that the water temperature had cooled to 70.2 degrees. The air temperature had warmed to the low 70s.
I started fishing in front of our house in 9-11 feet of water using a Lindy Max Gap jig tipped with a fathead minnow. I caught one small perch. There were seven other boats very close to us, many with licenses that showed them to be from Wisconsin and Iowa, so I decided to move to another location. I don't like fishing in packs of boats.
I moved the boat to 12-14 feet of water in front of the Malay's cabin, and again used a jig and minnow presentation. Again, I caught only a couple of small perch.
I decided it was time for another change of venue and presentation. I motored over to Norm's cabin and began throwing a spinner bait for bass. Using my MinnKota electric trolling motor I navigated along the edge of the reeds while making my way north toward Schiebe's cabin. I didn't catch any bass, but a big muskie broke the surface just in front of the boat. I caught a quick glimpse of its back, and both my dad and me saw and heard the big splash it made as it disappeared back into the water.
With the boat in front of The Birches, I stowed the electric trolling motor and moved the boat out into 9-10 feet of water. I fished The Birches for 20 minutes or so, but caught only one rock bass; again on a jig and minnow presentation.
At just after 3:00 p.m. we made our way back to shore. Within 30 minutes of coming ashore, the sky darkened and the wind shifted to the north and picked up to 12-15 mph. It looked like we were going to get some rain, but the dark clouds passed overhead without dropping any moisture.
The wind was still fairly strong as evening turned to night and rather than go out fishing by myself, I stayed inside and visited with my parents.
Tomorrow we'll be going into Bemidji to run some errands and to eat dinner in town. If the weather permits, I'd like to get out trolling tomorrow evening so I can attempt to catch a 16-18 inch walleye or two so we can have a fish fry dinner before my parents have to leave for home.
More from Leech Lake tomorrow.
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