October 11, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

It was another cold morning. At 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 26 degrees, the sky was gray and the wind was 12-15 mph out of the WSW.

After some breakfast and a pot of strong coffee I decided I'd go fishing. I didn't actually make it out onto the lake, however, until 1:15 p.m. The wind was supposed to die down to around 5-8 mph out of the SSW, but when I got out on the water it was still blowing at 12-15 mph.

I motored the boat slowly out past Second Duck Point giving the Mercury Verado plenty of time to warm up. I stopped the boat in 9 1/2 feet of water, put the drift sock (which was encased in ice) and put a fathead on my 1/8 oz. VMC Hot Skirt Glow jig.

With the wind out of the SSW, the boat drifted to the north toward our house and cabin. About halfway through the drift, the wind started to pick up. The hour-by-hour weather report had the wind speed dropping, but instead it increased. By the time I got in front of our house the wind was probably blowing at 15-18 mph out of the SSW, there were the beginnings of white caps and I was traveling at a ground speed of almost 1 mph even with the drift sock in the water.
During my entire drift I marked a good deal of fish on the Lowrance electronics, but I didn't get one bite.

Right around 2:30 p.m., and with the boat in front of the Malay's house, and still no bites, I decided to head in. I was cold, the wind was blowing hard and it was even spitting snow. The water temperature was 45 degrees.

I had a tough time getting the boat onto the lift because the waves had become so large and my hands were ice cold grabbing onto the boat lift to steady the boat. Once I got back home it took probably 10 minutes for my hands to warm up. My fingers felt as if they were on fire and being stuck with millions of needles all at the same time.

Once I had thoroughly warmed up, it was time to go outside again. At 5:15 p.m. I took my walk down to Paulsen's and back. It was a great walk and I wasn't cold at all.

On the way home I stopped at the cabin and picked up another few pieces of firewood. With the temperatures due to drop to the mid-20s I knew I needed a fire tonight.

About a half hour after getting home I contemplated going fishing again; this time an evening troll for walleye. It appeared that the wind had died down some, so I got on my Gore-Tex bibs and parka, my wool hat and walked over to the boat lift.

As if it were some kind of warning from the weather gods, several very large gusts of wind hit me just as I was climbing into the boat. I lowered the motor, turned on the power to the boat, and got hit with several more gusts of very strong wind.

I sat in the boat for about five minutes during which time the wind continued to blow very hard. I figured I didn't want to battle rough water and wind at night in the dark and cold, so I went back to the house and started a fire.

I stayed in tonight enjoying the warmth of the fire and reading the Sunday paper. Later I watched a movie before heading off to bed.

I'm hoping the wind dies down tomorrow so I can get in some more fishing on Leech Lake.

October 10, 2009 -- At Leech Lake

Green leaves. White snow. Leech Lake.

I woke up this morning to about a half inch of snow covering the ground, the wind was howling at 20-25 mph out of the WSW covering the lake in white caps, the temperature was 26 degrees and the skies were gray and looked like they could produce more snow.

I heard on the radio yesterday that only eight times in the past 60 years has Minnesota had measurable snow in October. Now I'm not sure how they define "measurable" but the weather reporter said that this weekend we have some. And we sure do.

It's unusual because many of the leaves on the trees still haven't fully changed color. Many leaves are still green. So we have a covering of white snow with green leaves on the trees. Like I said, unusual.

I notice that the sunlight in the kitchen, in fact the whole house, is different with snow on the ground. I guess the light reflects differently off the white of the snow as compared to the green of the grass. But it makes the entire house seem different. Not better or worse, just different. And I like that feel.

It's now getting close to 2:00 p.m. and I just got back from my daily walk. I walk down our road to Paulsen's and back, a roughly two-mile trip. It felt good to be outside in the cold air and strong wind. The temperature is still only 28 degrees and the wind is strong at 20+ mph out of the WSW.

The entire ground is covered in green leaves. It's as if the trees and the weather were having a standoff to see which one would change first. Some of the leaves on the trees had begun to change to yellow, orange and red, but most of the leaves on most of the trees were still green.

Well, the weather couldn't wait. It changed first, bringing with it the first freeze and first snow of the season. Those two factors, coupled with the howling winds, have brought many green leaves to the ground. Northwoods weather 1. Trees 0.

As I walked a light snow started to fall. I only wish Kathleen could be here with me to enjoy the beauty of the changing seasons. She loves the Fall, and the magic of the first snow fall.

After my walk I stopped by the cabin to check on my fathead minnows. I have them in a double-bucket down by the lake. I like to provide the bait with lots of oxygen, so I have an aerator hooked up and the tube and stone in the water with the minnows. The tiny fish have lots of oxygen to breathe and the water isn't frozen, yet. I'll check on them again tomorrow.

I also checked the boat lift to make sure it would still move up and down; since there is ice forming on it. It worked perfectly, and the next calm day we have I'm going to pull the boat out of the water. That might not be until the end of next week if the weather forecast can be believed.

I gathered up some of the chopped firewood we have stacked at the cabin and brought it back to the house. I like to have a fire at night to take the chill out of the house, and we have some nice maple logs next door, so I brought a few back here with me.

After stacking the firewood on the front porch by the door, I walked around the side of the house and checked the propane level. Still at 60% which is fine. I then walked out onto the end of the dock. Boy, the wind sure is fierce out on the end of the dock. And cold too.

I looked around the lake, but didn't see any boats on the water. The combination of the cold wind, snow and freezing temperatures has kept even the bravest of us fisherman off the water this afternoon.

It's time now to go clean out the fireplace in preparation for tonight's fire.

I dumped the ashes from the fireplace outside, then walked over to the cabin for a few more pieces of maple. While I was outside I again walked out onto the end of the dock, being careful not to slip on the snow and ice that had built up on it.

I looked south toward Goose Island and to my surprise, there were three boats bouncing the white caps off Second Duck Point. I couldn't see them well because the wind was blowing straight into my face, and the snow flurries kept hitting me in the eyes, but there were definitely guys out fishing today. Good for them. If I wasn't worried about banging up my boat as I got it off and onto the boat lift, I'd be out there too. I don't mind the cold, the wind or the snow.

I decided since it is so cold that I better get the insulation up in the vents in the crawl space under the house, so I changed into some work clothes, grabbed my gloves and face mask and went under the house.

The vents are now stuffed with insulation and are covered for the winter. It seems as if I mark the seasons with me crawling on my hands and knees under the house. In the spring, the insulation comes out and the vents let in warm, fresh air to keep mold and moisture from building up under the house. In the Fall, the insulation goes back up to keep the crawl space warm and the pipes from freezing.

I noticed that the "stairway to heaven" mouse traps in the crawl space were effective, killing many of the little rodents. I wasn't prepared to clean them out this trip down there, but I'll get to that next week.

Now it's time to listen to the new "A Prairie Home Companion" show live from the Fitzgerald Theatre in downtown St. Paul. I love listening to this show when I'm here at the lake. Tonight the Steele sisters are vocal guests and well as Nico Case.

It's now 9:30 p.m., it's still 28 degrees, the wind is strong out of the WSW, but it's not snowing. Word is that it will snow 1-2 inches tomorrow night. But no more for tonight.

So good night from Leech Lake. Kathleen and Joe, enjoy the Sharks-Wild game tonight at the Tank. Go Sharks!

October 9, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

The birch tree down by the harbor with its yellow leaves at 5:30 p.m.


An inch or more of snow on the back deck at 11:30 p.m.

Kathleen's brother Mike, his wife Barb and their son Sean were supposed to be coming to the lake today for a weekend visit, but apparently something has come up and now they're talking about coming up next weekend.

Next weekend is MEA weekend in Minnesota where the teachers attend seminars and conferences for two days and the kids all have Thursday and Friday off. Basically the whole state shuts down for four days, and for many people it's a last chance to get "up north" to the cabin before winter comes.

Our neighborhood is always buzzing with activity on MEA weekend, and the Ottertail Peninsula Township Association potluck dinner is always on the Saturday evening of MEA weekend.

But that's next weekend, not this weekend. This weekend is supposed to be cold, and the season's first snow showers are predicted for Saturday and Sunday.

Currently, at noon, the temperature is 36 degrees, the sky is mostly cloudy with just a few spots of sun and blue sky peeking through and the wind is light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW.

I'm going to try to get out on the water for a little fishing later this afternoon. Right now, however, I have a few calls to make and few emails to answer.

At 3:15 p.m. I went fishing.

The wind was at 8-10 mph out of the WSW, the sky was partly sunny, the water temperature was 48.3 degrees and the air temperature was 40 degrees.

I tied on a lighter weight 1/8 oz. VMC Hot Glow Skirt jig in chartreuse, I had been using a 1/4 oz. jig, tipped it with a fathead minnow and got to work. I was fishing in 12 feet of water in front of our house and the wind was pushing toward shore and slightly north toward Malays.

I made one pass but caught only a couple of small perch. On my second pass, I positioned the boat in 12 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin so I'd drift toward our cabin and boat lift.

Again I caught a few small perch, as well as a nice jumbo perch. I thought about keeping it, but decided I didn't feel like cleaning a fish tonight so the nice-sized perch went back into the lake.

I was marking lots of fish on my Lowrance LCX-28c electronics, but I couldn't entice them into biting. I guess the fish might be finicky because of that cold front that is blowing in and with it lowering temperatures and bringing the possibility of snow tonight.

After a couple of passes I decided to go ashore. I was back in the house just before 5:00 p.m.

After dinner I turned on the outside (lakeside) light to see that the snow had begun to fall!

The wind has picked up to 15-20 mph out of the WSW and the temperature has dropped to 28 degrees. The snow is not coming down hard, but there are good-sized flakes and I'd characterize it as a snow shower.

It's now 11:45 p.m. the wind is howling at close to 20 mph out of the WSW, the temperature is 26 degrees, the snow continues to fall and about an inch has accumulated on the ground.

It should warm up to the mid-30s tomorrow, and into the mid-40s next week, so the snow won't stick around, but there's something always magical about the first snow fall of the season.

I'm glad I could be here to see the first snow at Leech Lake.

October 8, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 34 degrees, the sky was gray, the wind was out of the WNW at 12-15 mph and the wind chill was 27 degrees. Now this is a Fall day at Leech Lake.

I had a series of long business calls today, as well as a lot of online work, so I didn't wrap up until 5:00 p.m.

Midway through the day, however, I did make time for a walk down to Paulsen's and back, a roughly 2-mile round trip. On my way home, just by Schiebe's cabin, an otter came scurrying out of the bushes on the woods side of the road, probably on its way to the lake. It came to a screeching halt when it spotted me, made a noise that sounded like a cross between a hiss and honk, a "hissonk" maybe, turned and dashed back into the woods. I'd say its body was at least 2 feet long, with a long tail and probably as big around as my arm. A beautiful woodland creature out for a walk, like me, on a Fall day.

At just after 5:00 p.m. I thought I'd get out on the lake for a quick bit of fishing.

The wind was still out of the WNW at roughly 12 mph. It was tricky getting the boat off the lift with the wind essentially pushing the boat back onto the lift, but I managed to get out into the lake without too much trouble.

Once on the lake, I motored out to 12 feet of water in front of our house. My plan was to let the wind push me back toward the boat lift. I'd do one drifting pass, then go back on shore since I was due at the Malay's at 6:00 p.m.

The water temperature was 49.7 degrees, the wind was stronger than it originally appeared and the air temperature was only 36 degrees. On the horizon to the west and to the southwest, I could see three distinct rain fronts moving toward me.

I drifted for no more than 20 minutes and decided to call it quits. No fish. No bites.

I visited with the Malays for about an hour, and when I got home I noticed that the wind had died down and was now blowing at no more than 5-8 mph out of the WNW.

I quickly got on some warm clothes, grabbed my flashlight and went over to the boat lift. I got the boat in the water at 7:20 p.m. and decided I'd do about two passes in The Alley.

I put my #9 Rapala Minnow Rap in the water, set the Mercury SmartCraft controls to where my ground speed was just more than 2 mph, and started trolling. Almost immediately -- directly in front of our house -- I hooked into a good fish.

I put the motor in neutral and began reeling in the fish. I turned the handle of my baitcasting reel only two times when I felt the fish come "unbuttoned." It was a classic walleye light bite. The fish hit the lure just hard enough to become lightly hooked and was able to come free when I began reeling it to the boat.

I made two full passes from past Second Duck Point to the Malays, in water as shallow as 7 1/2 feet and as deep as 12 feet, but had no more bites.

I came ashore around 8:30 p.m. and got a fire going in the fireplace. The outside temperature was now down to 32 degrees, and was supposed to drop as low as 26 over night.

I spent the rest of the evening listening to music, reading the newspaper, and checking up on the Sharks score (BTW: they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in the home opener 6-3).

It was an cold and unproductive (from a fishing standpoint) day on Leech Lake. But at least I was on Leech Lake and not stuck in an office somewhere.

Until tomorrow.

October 7, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

At 9:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was 39 degrees, the sky was partly sunny and the wind was light at 5-10 mph from the SSW. As the morning went on, the temperature warmed a degree to 40 and the clouds moved in blocking out any sunshine. It is now gray and looks as if it could rain again.

I have a few business calls to take care of, but by 1 p.m. I'm hoping to be able to get out on the lake.

I did make it out onto the water at 1:30 p.m. The wind had shifted to the SSE and had picked up to 10-15 mph. The water temperature ranged from 50.5 to 49.3 degrees. The sky was still gray and it looked like it could rain.

With the wind from the south, I started fishing just past Second Duck Point in 9-11 feet of water and used a VMC jig tipped with a fathead minnow. The wind pushed the boat north and out into the bay so by the time I reached Newman's house I was in 13-14 feet of water. I had no bites during that pass.

I motored back toward shore and started my second drift from between Giza's cabin and Newman's. This time I drifted out to in front of Malay's house before I was in 13-14 feet of water. Again, no bites.

I repositioned again, this time starting in front of our cabin and letting the wind push the boat toward The Birches. I also replaced the 1/8 oz. VMC jig with a heavier 1/4 oz. VMC skirted jig in a chartreuse color. For a little more attractant, I tipped the skirted jig with a fathead.

Right in front of The Birches, in 9 1/2 feet of water, I hooked into a beautiful jumbo perch. It was the biggest perch I'd hooked this season. I put it in the live well and continued my drift.

The wind continued to blow stronger, and was now coming out of the SSE at 15-20 mph creating large swells and white caps on the lake. I figured 90 minutes on the water this afternoon was good and headed home at 3:15 p.m.

Once I got back to the boat lift I had quite a challenge getting the boat onto the lift. The waves were pushing the boat north and twisting it sideways. Eventually I got the boat on the lift and decided to take a look at the jumbo in the live well.

The jumbo was on its side from all of the sloshing around in the live well. I figured if I put it in the wire basket at the end of the dock it would probably get pounded by the rough water and die during the night. I didn't feel like cleaning one fish right now, so instead I put the big perch back into the water. I hope to catch him again, with about 5 of his big friends later this week. And if not this weekend, then through the ice this winter.

I stopped by the Malays this evening to share a malted beverage, discuss the water levels in the lake, and just chat. Tom shared with me the weather report he heard. It’s supposed to snow this Saturday and Sunday, not a lot of snow, but some flurries.

Tom and I discussed pulling our boats out of the water sometime next week if the weather continues to get cold. Once the lake begins to freeze, and the boat lifts are encased in ice, it’s impossible to pull your boat out of the lake. And that’s not good.

We’ll both keep a close eye on the weather, because both Tom and I would like to wait as long as possible to end our open-water fishing season on Leech Lake.

October 6, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 40 degrees (maybe my thermometer is stuck there), the sky was dark and gray and there was a light rain falling. The wind is again out of the north at 8-12 mph.

By noon, the wind had picked up a bit because the flag was flapping straight out and the lake had a smattering of white caps across the surface. This cool weather -- down into the 30s at night -- has the leaves changing colors quickly now.

I did a quick check of the forecast for the Cass Lake/Leech Lake area, and the temperature at night for the rest of the week is supposed to be in the mid-30s tonight and then dropping to below 30 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with high temperature in only the low 40s during the day.

With the weather getting colder and the very low water levels in the lake, I think it's getting time to pull the boat out of the water. I'll leave it in this weekend, because Kathleen's brother Mike, along with his wife Barb and son Sean will be visiting our cabin and Sean likes to go walleye fishing with me. But the following weekend, MEA weekend in Minnesota, is when I'll likely take the boat out of the water and into Bemidji for storage for the winter.

At just after 1:00 p.m. the rain started to fall again. The wind is constant at about 8-10 mph out of the north, and the temperature is still 40 degrees. I think I'll clean the bathrooms this afternoon, and do some more work online.

At 3:30 p.m. I went fishing. I motored out to my usual spot in front of the Malay's cabin in 12 feet of water and dropped my VMC jig tipped with a fathead into the 51.5 degree water. I fished for more than 90 minutes and the only bite I got was a toothy critter that bit right through my Fireline. I retied but never got another bite, although I was marking lots of fish on my Lowrance LCX-28c.

I came ashore at 5:15 p.m. under a steady rain, cold temperatures and a wind of 10-15 mph that was shifting from the north to the NNW.

Once on shore I got a fire going in the fireplace to warm up the house. The wind was howling and the rain continued to fall. It was an absolutely perfect day at Leech Lake.

October 5, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

The trees starting to change color along Sucker Bay Road

Today the wind was lighter than it's been the past few days at just 8-12 mph out of the north. But it was a cold breeze. The temperature all day long was a consistent 40 degrees. The sky was gray and it looked like rain, but none fell.

I had business calls to attend to until early afternoon, then had to go into Cass Lake to pick up a few groceries as well as a new scoop of fathead minnows from Froggy's.

On my way into town, on Sucker Bay Road, I saw a number of bald eagles eating some sort of carrion on the side of the road and as I drove past them, they took to the air and flew along side my truck on either side. One mature bald eagle and one immature eagle flying right next to my truck window on either side. What a sight! They are big when you get up close to one. Eventually they banked off to the woods, and I'm sure back to their meal.

Once I was home and got the groceries put away I decided to go fishing. At 4:00 p.m. I motored out to 12 feet of water in front of the Malay's cabin and let the light wind push my boat south toward Second Duck Point. The water temperature was now at 52.6 degrees.

I used a VMC jig in orange and yellow color tipped with a fathead. I caught a couple of small perch, but that was it. I saw Tom Malay on the water. He was trolling, which is his usual method of fishing during all times of day throughout the open-water season. Tom said he hadn't even had a bite.

I repositioned to The Birches, and again caught only a few small perch.

While I was fishing by The Birches I saw another mature bald eagle. This one took flight from a tree at the edge of the water, flew out over the bay, before I lost sight of it. A minute or two later it returned, and it may have had a fish in its talons. When it got close to its tree, I heard the screeches of young eagles in a nest. Obviously the mature eagle was returning to the tree to feed its young.

It certainly was a day for eagles.

At 6:00 p.m., I returned home. Two hours on the lake with wet hands, a north wind and a temperature of 40 degrees had my hands near frozen. I looked forward to warming them up.

After dinner I had a fire in the fireplace, read the newspaper and listened to music. No trolling tonight on Leech Lake.

October 3 and 4, 2009 -- Weekend Edition, On the Road

Saturday

I left Leech Lake this morning at 10:3o a.m. bound for St. Cloud and a visit with Kathleen's mother, Marge. The weather as I pulled out of my driveway was rainy, with dark skies, windy, roughly 12-15 mph out of the NE and cool, the temperature was 44 degrees.

I stopped in Walker on my way south to meet with Terry Holly, owner of the Walker Ace Hardware and Radio Shack store and long-time advocate for the protection of Leech Lake. For the better part of the past five years, Holly has worked hard to bring back walleye fishing to Leech Lake, by working with local business owners, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and various politicians.

Every step of the way Holly and his supporters were opposed by corrupt MN DNR officials and the wealthy Brainerd lakes business owners who provide financial backing. Holly is still working tireless to ensure that the DNR stocks the lake to the levels mandated by the MN state government.

Another issue Holly is involved in is the ever-dropping water levels in Leech Lake. Although the Army Corps of Engineers is technically responsible for the operation of the dam at Federal Dam, one has to wonder who wants the water levels in Leech Lake lowered and for what purpose. Someone, somewhere (probably in the Brainerd Lakes area again) stands to benefit financially if Leech Lake suffers.

I have committed to working with Holly, and others, to find out why Leech Lake is not being preserved and maintained to the same levels as lakes such as Gull Lake, Big Sandy or even Cass Lake.

Eventually I made my way to St. Cloud and was greeted with my mother-in-law's road completely torn up and two new roads in its place. Across the street from Marge's house used to stand a beautiful woods, complete with gravel pit, pond, nesting eagles, and wildlife galore. Today there isn't a tree left standing, the gravel pit is filled in and in its place is going to be a Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. The entire environment ripped to sheds and replaced by big-box junk stores.

My theory is that St. Cloud is trying to lure revenue away from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Brainerd, to the north of St. Cloud is being negatively effected by the expansion of St. Cloud so it in turn must battle to keep revenue from locals and tourists in the Brainerd Lakes area. Thus a new Wal-Mart going in in St. Cloud has ramifications for what happens in Brainerd and ultimately Leech Lake. It's all connected, and not in a good way.

After surveying the devastation of the woods across the street from Marge's house, she and I ran some errands. I took her to the grocery store and we got some dinner.

I watched a little football on TV, since we do not have TV at our house at Leech Lake, and was happy to see Michigan State beat Michigan 26-20 in overtime.

Time for bed. More tomorrow.

Sunday

This morning I made a bacon and egg breakfast for me and Marge before we went to church at Christ Church, Newman Center. That is the same church where Kathleen and I were married more than 28 years ago.

After church we drove home in the light rain, under gray skies and a temperature of 48 degrees. Late last week I cleaned a walleye that I had caught while trolling, and had brought the fillets with me to St. Cloud. As a late lunch, or early dinner, I fried up the walleye fillets, made some French fries and Cole slaw and Marge and I had a nice mid-afternoon meal before it was time for me to drive back to the lake.

I returned to the lake around 7:15 p.m. with a temperature of 44 degrees. The sky was covered in clouds, and although it looked like it could rain, there was none coming down.

I've got a lot of business work to do on Monday, and I also have to make a run into Cass Lake for a few items. It should be a busy week between work, chores around the property, and battling the DNR, Army Corps of Engineers and others who wish to do harm to Leech Lake.

October 2, 2009 -- On Leech Lake

Tomorrow I'm planning on driving down to St. Cloud to see Kathleen's mom. I'll clean the walleye I caught a couple of days ago and take the fillets down with me. After church on Sunday I'll cook us up a little Minnesota fish fry. I'm sure Marge will enjoy that.

It is once again gray and wet this morning, although the wind has calmed down a little. Under very cloudy, dark skies, the temperature is 40 degrees and the wind is out of the NE at 12-15 mph. It looks as if it could rain at any time.

I got out on the water at 12:3o p.m. today in less than ideal conditions. The wind was strong at 15-20 mph out of the NNE, the lake was covered in white caps, the temperature was a chilly 44 degrees and the dark sky spit a stinging rain on and off. I made only one pass from Malay's south past Second Duck Point before calling it quits. It was cold, wet, difficult to maneuver the boat, and worse still, I got no bites.

I spent most of the afternoon on business calls and doing work online before having and early dinner. I watched a movie and went to bed around 11:30 p.m. The temperature at that time was 40 degrees, and the wind was still howling at 20 mph from the NE. A cold night on the shores of Leech Lake.