The forecast for today is very strong winds, in excess of 25 mph, with high temperatures in the mid-50s. At 10:00 a.m., however, the winds were still fairly light at 10-12 mph out of the WNW, so Tim and I decided to do some fishing before the winds picked up. The temperature was 42 degrees.
After getting the boat in the water, I motored out to 11 feet of water in front of Newman's cabin, deployed the drift sock, and let the wind push the boat toward shore and our cabin, at about 1/2 mph. As usual, Tim and I used jigs (1/4 oz.) tipped with fathead minnows. The water temperature was 51.8 degrees.
We made three drifts, but didn't catch anything. I didn't even get a bite.
We came ashore about 11:30 a.m., had some lunch, did a few household chores and got ready to head into Bemidji. I needed to get some supplies ranging from light bulbs to batteries to food to a longer cable for my printer.
While in town we ate an early dinner at Mi Rancho, the newest Mexican restaurant in town. Now I live in San Jose so I have access to pretty good, and authentic, Mexican food at literally hundreds of restaurants, but I have to say, the food at Mi Rancho was good.
After completing our mission in town we drove home, arriving just before sunset. The wind was still blowing very hard out of the NW at more than 20 mph. There would be no trolling for walleye tonight.
The temperature had dropped to just under 40 degrees, so I got a fire going to take the chill out of the house.
Tomorrow I have more chores to do, including blowing leaves at both the house and cabin. Sometime around mid-afternoon, Tim's wife Sandy and their son Jackson are due to arrive at Leech Lake. I hope the weather cooperates so I can take Tim and Jackson out fishing.
Stay tuned...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
At Leech Lake -- October 19, 2010 (Happy Birthday Kathleen)
Today is my wife Kathleen's birthday. Happy birthday honey. You're more beautiful today than the day I first met you (and you were pretty cute back then too!). I hope you have a wonderful day and an even better year. I only wish you could be here at Leech Lake with me. I know how much you enjoy the lake, especially in the autumn.
The temperature for most of the day was in the high 40s and low 50s. It was windy all day long, with winds in excess of 15 mph out of the WNW sending white caps rolling across Sucker Bay toward our shore. As a result, Tim and I did not go fishing, but rather turned our attention to the many chores of getting the property ready for the winter.
We took down the tire swing at the cabin, so it would not fill with snow. I cleaned out the gutters at the house, which took me close to three hours to complete. I crawled underneath the house in the cramped crawlspace to put up insulation in the vents, which in the spring and summer provide much needed ventilation to keep moisture and mildew from building up under the house, but in the winter would let in cold Arctic air making the floor of the house even colder than it usually is.
And at about 5:00 p.m. I started dinner. I made oven-fried chicken, stuffing and green beans. It was a tasty and hearty meal after a long day of working outside.
I am by no means done with the winterization chores, however. I still have to blow more leaves off the yard here at the house and at the cabin, put up storm windows at the cabin, and sometime over the weekend or on Monday, take the canopy off the boatlift, pull the boat out of the water and take it into Bemidji to be winterized and stored until next spring.
After dinner I called Kathleen to wish her a happy birthday. She was enjoying dinner with Melissa, Joe, Ashley and Jayden. Apparently, the chocalate cake was a big hit with everyone, but especially Jayden. Kathleen, we'll have to celebrate your birthday in a special way when I get back to California.
Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
The temperature for most of the day was in the high 40s and low 50s. It was windy all day long, with winds in excess of 15 mph out of the WNW sending white caps rolling across Sucker Bay toward our shore. As a result, Tim and I did not go fishing, but rather turned our attention to the many chores of getting the property ready for the winter.
We took down the tire swing at the cabin, so it would not fill with snow. I cleaned out the gutters at the house, which took me close to three hours to complete. I crawled underneath the house in the cramped crawlspace to put up insulation in the vents, which in the spring and summer provide much needed ventilation to keep moisture and mildew from building up under the house, but in the winter would let in cold Arctic air making the floor of the house even colder than it usually is.
And at about 5:00 p.m. I started dinner. I made oven-fried chicken, stuffing and green beans. It was a tasty and hearty meal after a long day of working outside.
I am by no means done with the winterization chores, however. I still have to blow more leaves off the yard here at the house and at the cabin, put up storm windows at the cabin, and sometime over the weekend or on Monday, take the canopy off the boatlift, pull the boat out of the water and take it into Bemidji to be winterized and stored until next spring.
After dinner I called Kathleen to wish her a happy birthday. She was enjoying dinner with Melissa, Joe, Ashley and Jayden. Apparently, the chocalate cake was a big hit with everyone, but especially Jayden. Kathleen, we'll have to celebrate your birthday in a special way when I get back to California.
Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
Monday, October 18, 2010
On Leech Lake -- October 18, 2010
Today the high reached only 46 degrees. The sky was mostly cloudy and gray, and the wind was out of the WNW at 10-14 mph.
I had a lot of work work to do, so I was tied up in my house until 5:00 p.m. when my last call ended. At that point I had to get outside, so despite a little rougher water than I like to go out onto, Tim and I went fishing.
Since we had such good luck yesterday drifting and jigging fatheads, I thought we'd try that method again today. We started in about 11 feet of water in front of the Giza's cabin and drifted toward shore and the Malay's. Even with the drift sock in the water we were moving at nearly 2/3 mph. The water temperature had cooled slightly from yesterday, to 52.7 degrees.
We made several passes but couldn't even scare up a perch. In fact, neither Tim nor I had a bite in nearly an hour. We decided to one more pass then come in. That's when Tim hooked into a good sized fish as we drifted through 10 feet of water directly in front of our house. He reeled it in and we could see it was a walleye. I grabbed the net and scooped up a very nice 17 1/2-inch walleye. We decided to put it in the live well and add it to our growing walleye collection back at the dock.
We completed the drift without another bite and then came ashore just as the sun was setting; around 6:30 p.m.
Tim removed the walleye from the live well and added it to the bucket that contained the other two walleyes we kept from Sunday. After taking off my heavy parka and bib overalls, I took the fish into the cabin and cleaned them. We now have 6 nice walleye fillets for dinner when Tim's wife Sandy and their son Jackson come up to Leech Lake later this week.
The temperature around midnight when I turned off the lights was 39 degrees. Tomorrow should be another cool, breezy day. I think I'll turn my attention to the many winterization chores around the property. Lots to do in the week ahead to get the place ready for the harsh Northern Minnesota winter.
Good night from Leech Lake.
I had a lot of work work to do, so I was tied up in my house until 5:00 p.m. when my last call ended. At that point I had to get outside, so despite a little rougher water than I like to go out onto, Tim and I went fishing.
Since we had such good luck yesterday drifting and jigging fatheads, I thought we'd try that method again today. We started in about 11 feet of water in front of the Giza's cabin and drifted toward shore and the Malay's. Even with the drift sock in the water we were moving at nearly 2/3 mph. The water temperature had cooled slightly from yesterday, to 52.7 degrees.
We made several passes but couldn't even scare up a perch. In fact, neither Tim nor I had a bite in nearly an hour. We decided to one more pass then come in. That's when Tim hooked into a good sized fish as we drifted through 10 feet of water directly in front of our house. He reeled it in and we could see it was a walleye. I grabbed the net and scooped up a very nice 17 1/2-inch walleye. We decided to put it in the live well and add it to our growing walleye collection back at the dock.
We completed the drift without another bite and then came ashore just as the sun was setting; around 6:30 p.m.
Tim removed the walleye from the live well and added it to the bucket that contained the other two walleyes we kept from Sunday. After taking off my heavy parka and bib overalls, I took the fish into the cabin and cleaned them. We now have 6 nice walleye fillets for dinner when Tim's wife Sandy and their son Jackson come up to Leech Lake later this week.
The temperature around midnight when I turned off the lights was 39 degrees. Tomorrow should be another cool, breezy day. I think I'll turn my attention to the many winterization chores around the property. Lots to do in the week ahead to get the place ready for the harsh Northern Minnesota winter.
Good night from Leech Lake.
On Leech Lake -- October, 17, 2010
My brother-in-law Tim is visiting me for a week here at Leech Lake, and like myself, Tim enjoys spending time on the water in pursuit of walleye and perch. Since it was Sunday, with no work for either of us, we planned to spend as much time on Leech Lake as possible.
We did take it easy in the morning, having breakfast, reading the paper and drinking coffee, so it wasn't until just before noon that we went out fishing. The sky was partly sunny, the wind was out of the WNW at 8-10 mph, the air temperature was just over 50 degrees and the water temperature was 53.8 degrees.
The direction of the wind dictated the way I set up the boat for drifting. I motored out to about 11 feet of water in front of our cabin and the wind blew the boat toward shore and slightly south toward Newman's cabin. With the drift sock in the water the speed of the boat was just less than 1/2 mph.
Both Tim and I were using 1/8 oz. jigs tipped with fathead minnows.
We caught dozens of perch, maybe as many as 30, all of which we put back into the lake, as well as a few walleye. I caught a 19-inch walleye, which went back into the water, and Tim caught two -- an 18 1/4" walleye which went back into the lake and a 16 1/2" walleye which we kept.
At some point during one of our drifts something very big hit my jig and started peeling off line. I played it long enough to get a glimpse of it off the back of the boat. It was either a very big northern or a muskie. It must have been close to 3 feet long. My 6 lb. test Fireline Crystal was no match for the toothy critter, however, and the fish bit through the line and returned to the depths.
We came ashore around 3:00 p.m. and drove up to Birch Ridge Resort to grab a beer, eat a pizza and watch the Vikings game. I'm not a Vikings fan, but Tim is and they were playing the Dallas Cowboys in what was a must-win game for both 1-3 teams. The Vikings won the game.
Tim and I decided to go back out on the water around 5 p.m. for more drift action, before we switched to trolling after sunset.
The perch bite had cooled off, and between us we caught probably no more than 10 perch while jigging. Just after sunset we stowed our jigging rods and started trolling using Minnow Raps. I caught a 21-inch walleye and Tim caught an 18-inch and a 21-inch walleye. All fish went back into the lake.
At 7:30 p.m. we came ashore, got a fire going because the expected temperature at 11:00 p.m. was 32 degrees. All in all, a very successful day of fishing on Leech Lake.
We did take it easy in the morning, having breakfast, reading the paper and drinking coffee, so it wasn't until just before noon that we went out fishing. The sky was partly sunny, the wind was out of the WNW at 8-10 mph, the air temperature was just over 50 degrees and the water temperature was 53.8 degrees.
The direction of the wind dictated the way I set up the boat for drifting. I motored out to about 11 feet of water in front of our cabin and the wind blew the boat toward shore and slightly south toward Newman's cabin. With the drift sock in the water the speed of the boat was just less than 1/2 mph.
Both Tim and I were using 1/8 oz. jigs tipped with fathead minnows.
We caught dozens of perch, maybe as many as 30, all of which we put back into the lake, as well as a few walleye. I caught a 19-inch walleye, which went back into the water, and Tim caught two -- an 18 1/4" walleye which went back into the lake and a 16 1/2" walleye which we kept.
At some point during one of our drifts something very big hit my jig and started peeling off line. I played it long enough to get a glimpse of it off the back of the boat. It was either a very big northern or a muskie. It must have been close to 3 feet long. My 6 lb. test Fireline Crystal was no match for the toothy critter, however, and the fish bit through the line and returned to the depths.
We came ashore around 3:00 p.m. and drove up to Birch Ridge Resort to grab a beer, eat a pizza and watch the Vikings game. I'm not a Vikings fan, but Tim is and they were playing the Dallas Cowboys in what was a must-win game for both 1-3 teams. The Vikings won the game.
Tim and I decided to go back out on the water around 5 p.m. for more drift action, before we switched to trolling after sunset.
The perch bite had cooled off, and between us we caught probably no more than 10 perch while jigging. Just after sunset we stowed our jigging rods and started trolling using Minnow Raps. I caught a 21-inch walleye and Tim caught an 18-inch and a 21-inch walleye. All fish went back into the lake.
At 7:30 p.m. we came ashore, got a fire going because the expected temperature at 11:00 p.m. was 32 degrees. All in all, a very successful day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
On Leech Lake -- October 15, 2010
The temperature when I checked this morning at 8:30 a.m. was 38 degrees. The winds were light at 8 mph out of the SSW and the sky was sunny. As the morning went on, the temperature rose quickly to 46 and then 50 degrees. The wind stayed at 8-10 mph. It was under these conditions that I decided to take a break from work and do some fishing.
I got out on the water around 11:00 a.m. and found the water temperature to be 56 degrees. Using the drift sock, I drifted from 7 1/2 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin out to 10-11 feet of water in front of our cabin. During that pass northward, I caught several decent sized perch, but put them all back into the lake.
I saw John Newman on the water. He was in his little 12-foot Lone Star row boat. I asked if he'd like to join me in my Lund, and he agreed. After leaving his boat on shore, I picked him up at the end of my dock and then repositioned my boat in front of Giza's cabin for another drift.
John and I caught several more perch and we kept seven of them. John wants to take some fish home on Sunday morning so he can have a fish fry with his family on Sunday evening.
By 12:15 p.m. we came ashore since both John and I had work to do. We agreed to meet up after our respective conference calls for more fishing. My call ended early, so by 4:45 p.m. John and I were back on the lake.
Our plan was to do several drifts from Giza's to my cabin using 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Then, right after sunset, we would shift gears and start trolling Minnow Raps.
For an hour an forty-five minutes, John and I made several drifts. We each caught a few nice perch, which we kept. In addition, I caught a 17-inch walleye, which I kept, and a 22-inch eelpout. Yes, an eelpout. Usually eelpout are caught only through the ice in January and February when they spawn in the cold water. Catching one in open water, with water temperatures in the mid-50s is not common.
The sunset lake at Leech Lake at 6:31 p.m. CDT today, and by 6:35 p.m. John and I had stowed our jigging rods and switched to our trolling rigs. We trolled in 7-10 feet of water from Malay's cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. On a pass just between Giza's and Newman's, I hooked a very solid 21-inch walleye, which had to immediately go back into the lake because it fell into the 18-26" slot limit.
Unfortunately, as the fish thrased about in the net, it twisted the line around the two treble hooks of my Minnow Rap. Rather than cut the lure off and do a quick re-tie, John suggested we head to shore and start dinner.
We dined on a delicious grilled pork loin, accompanied with baked potatoes and a Caesar salad. Tasty indeed. We then retired to the fire pit for some malted beverages and conversation.
The sky was covered with stars; the way it is when you're deep enough into the woods so there is little ambient light.
I gave John the walleye I caught the other night, my contribution to his family's fish fry, and kept the one I caught tonight, which will become dinner on Sunday when my brother-in-law visits Leech Lake.
The forecast for Saturday is very windy, with gusts up over 25 mph, so I might not get out onto the water. If not, I'll write here again the next time I'm out fishing.
I got out on the water around 11:00 a.m. and found the water temperature to be 56 degrees. Using the drift sock, I drifted from 7 1/2 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin out to 10-11 feet of water in front of our cabin. During that pass northward, I caught several decent sized perch, but put them all back into the lake.
I saw John Newman on the water. He was in his little 12-foot Lone Star row boat. I asked if he'd like to join me in my Lund, and he agreed. After leaving his boat on shore, I picked him up at the end of my dock and then repositioned my boat in front of Giza's cabin for another drift.
John and I caught several more perch and we kept seven of them. John wants to take some fish home on Sunday morning so he can have a fish fry with his family on Sunday evening.
By 12:15 p.m. we came ashore since both John and I had work to do. We agreed to meet up after our respective conference calls for more fishing. My call ended early, so by 4:45 p.m. John and I were back on the lake.
Our plan was to do several drifts from Giza's to my cabin using 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Then, right after sunset, we would shift gears and start trolling Minnow Raps.
For an hour an forty-five minutes, John and I made several drifts. We each caught a few nice perch, which we kept. In addition, I caught a 17-inch walleye, which I kept, and a 22-inch eelpout. Yes, an eelpout. Usually eelpout are caught only through the ice in January and February when they spawn in the cold water. Catching one in open water, with water temperatures in the mid-50s is not common.
The sunset lake at Leech Lake at 6:31 p.m. CDT today, and by 6:35 p.m. John and I had stowed our jigging rods and switched to our trolling rigs. We trolled in 7-10 feet of water from Malay's cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. On a pass just between Giza's and Newman's, I hooked a very solid 21-inch walleye, which had to immediately go back into the lake because it fell into the 18-26" slot limit.
Unfortunately, as the fish thrased about in the net, it twisted the line around the two treble hooks of my Minnow Rap. Rather than cut the lure off and do a quick re-tie, John suggested we head to shore and start dinner.
We dined on a delicious grilled pork loin, accompanied with baked potatoes and a Caesar salad. Tasty indeed. We then retired to the fire pit for some malted beverages and conversation.
The sky was covered with stars; the way it is when you're deep enough into the woods so there is little ambient light.
I gave John the walleye I caught the other night, my contribution to his family's fish fry, and kept the one I caught tonight, which will become dinner on Sunday when my brother-in-law visits Leech Lake.
The forecast for Saturday is very windy, with gusts up over 25 mph, so I might not get out onto the water. If not, I'll write here again the next time I'm out fishing.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
On Leech Lake -- October 13, 2010 (Melissa's Birthday)
Let me start by wishing my daughter Melissa a very happy birthday!
I arrived at Leech Lake yesterday, and today was my first full day at the lake since late July, when I was here with my friend Rick putting a new roof on the cabin.
I started the day doing work work, but then switched midday to doing work around the property. It is going to take me a week or more to do all of the maintenance necessary to prepare the house and cabin for the harsh Minnesota winter.
The day started cool with temps hovering around 42 degrees until it warmed to the mid-50s by 3 p.m. Likewise, the wind started light, at about 7-10 mph out of the WNW, but by noon had picked up to 15+ mph out of the NW. It wasn't until 5:00 p.m. that the wind slowed to 8-10 mph making ideal "walleye chop" on the water.
At 5:30 p.m. John Newman and I hit the water. I got my boat fired up and onto the lake for the first time in nearly 10 weeks. The Mercury Verado started up with the first turn of the key and performed perfectly throughout the night.
The water temperature was 59 degrees and there was a half moon.
We started the evening drifting in the 10 mph WSW wind from 10 feet of water to near shore in front of our house. John and I each caught a couple of decent sized perch, but we through them back into the water. I hooked into something larger, it felt like a walleye, but it came off before I could get it to the boat. Just before sunset, I hooked into a 22" northern pike, which also went back into the lake.
John and I switched gears as the sun dropped below the horizon and started trolling Rapala Minnow Raps. On our first pass, in 9 feet of water, I hooked a 16 1/2 inch walleye in front of Giza's cabin. It was a perfect size for the frying pan, so I put it in the live well. We made several passes in "The Alley" between Second Duck Point and the Malay's, but that one walleye was the only fish we hooked.
We made back on shore at just before 8:00 p.m. and it was already completely dark. The forecast for tomorrow is a high of 60 degrees by 3:00 p.m., but with strong winds from the NNW at 15-20 mph. It might be too breezy to do any fishing tomorrow, but a good day to blow the mountains of leaves off the lawn.
Goodnight from Leech Lake.
I arrived at Leech Lake yesterday, and today was my first full day at the lake since late July, when I was here with my friend Rick putting a new roof on the cabin.
I started the day doing work work, but then switched midday to doing work around the property. It is going to take me a week or more to do all of the maintenance necessary to prepare the house and cabin for the harsh Minnesota winter.
The day started cool with temps hovering around 42 degrees until it warmed to the mid-50s by 3 p.m. Likewise, the wind started light, at about 7-10 mph out of the WNW, but by noon had picked up to 15+ mph out of the NW. It wasn't until 5:00 p.m. that the wind slowed to 8-10 mph making ideal "walleye chop" on the water.
At 5:30 p.m. John Newman and I hit the water. I got my boat fired up and onto the lake for the first time in nearly 10 weeks. The Mercury Verado started up with the first turn of the key and performed perfectly throughout the night.
The water temperature was 59 degrees and there was a half moon.
We started the evening drifting in the 10 mph WSW wind from 10 feet of water to near shore in front of our house. John and I each caught a couple of decent sized perch, but we through them back into the water. I hooked into something larger, it felt like a walleye, but it came off before I could get it to the boat. Just before sunset, I hooked into a 22" northern pike, which also went back into the lake.
John and I switched gears as the sun dropped below the horizon and started trolling Rapala Minnow Raps. On our first pass, in 9 feet of water, I hooked a 16 1/2 inch walleye in front of Giza's cabin. It was a perfect size for the frying pan, so I put it in the live well. We made several passes in "The Alley" between Second Duck Point and the Malay's, but that one walleye was the only fish we hooked.
We made back on shore at just before 8:00 p.m. and it was already completely dark. The forecast for tomorrow is a high of 60 degrees by 3:00 p.m., but with strong winds from the NNW at 15-20 mph. It might be too breezy to do any fishing tomorrow, but a good day to blow the mountains of leaves off the lawn.
Goodnight from Leech Lake.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
On Leech Lake, July 6, 2010
Rick with a 23" Leech Lake walleye
This morning was filled with work calls for me, so Rick went over to the cabin and began the process of installing the rain gutters.
There are only three places we need the gutters -- the back side of the cabin facing north (which is a 53-foot run) and then in the two valleys of the dormer over the front porch which are 8-foot runs in one direction and 16-foot runs in the other. So a total of 101 feet of gutter is needed.
In the afternoon Rick and I made another run into Bemidji. We returned some of the "ice and snow" material, as well as some metal flashing, to Pro Build, we returned the nail gun to Acme Tools, and two boxes of unused nail coils to Home Depot. All together, we returned nearly $450 of unused supplies.
After a meal at Brigid's Cross, an English pub in downtown Bemidji, we drove back to Leech Lake for a trip out onto the water.
We went fishing at 9:15 p.m. The water temperature was 76.5 degrees, the wind was at 5-8 mph from the WSW, the moon 34% waning, and the air temperature was in the mid-60s.
We trolled our usual route using Minnow Raps at a ground speed bewteen 2.1 and 2.5 mph. We caught only one fish tonight, not counting the stupid rock bass I snagged, but it was nice 23-inch walleye (pictured above). We came ashore at just after 11:00 p.m. It was another beautiful night on Leech Lake.
Monday, July 05, 2010
At Leech Lake -- July 5, 2010, The Roof is Done (sort of)
The completed roof at the cabin.
After more than two weeks worth of hard labor, but easy to figure out work (according to Rick), the roof at the cabin is complete; sort of. The caveat is that there is some stone masonry work to be done on the chimney and I'm going to have to have Mark from Shore Brothers come out and take care of that. Once that's complete, the flashing needs to go in around the chimney and after that, the final shingles.
The temperature today was no more than 80 degrees, but the humidity was very high making working conditions on the roof unbearable during the middle part of the day. We got a little work in during the morning, and then did the final sprint to the finish from 4:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Whew!
I have to say, the gods definitely smiled on us throughout the project because there was only a little rot on the roof to repair, no one got hurt, and most amazingly, there were literally NO mosquitoes. I saw no mosquitoes, not a one. I can't ever remember being at Leech Lake and getting no mosquito bites. That's simple unheard of. But somehow it happened, and I ain't complaining.
Since we worked late into the evening, and then had a late dinner, we didn't go out fishing tonight. Instead, we stayed inside, listened to some old vinyl on the turntable and relaxed. More tomorrow.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
At Leech Lake, July 4, 2010 -- Independence Day
Happy 4th of July!! American is 234 years old, which is actually quite young when compared to any country in Europe.
Guess how Rick and I celebrated Independence Day? That's right, up on the roof of the cabin laying shingles. We got most of the roof complete and with any luck we should be able to wrap up the shingling part of the operation tomorrow.
After cleaning up and eating brats for dinner, we went fishing. We used our usual method of trolling between the cabin and the middle of the bay between Second Duck Point and Duck Point in 9-12 feet of water.
The water temperature tonight was 75.4 degrees, the air temperature was 72 degrees, there was no wind to speak of so the lake was almost still, and the moon was just past half at 49% waning.
Just after sunset we started seeing multiple fireworks display, with the biggest, most impressive and longest lasting coming from Walker, where fireworks filled the night sky for more than an hour.
Throughout the night we caught a few rock bass, but also managed to boat two smallish walleyes. I caught a 16-inch walleye and Rick caught a 14-incher. Both fish were quickly released back into Leech Lake.
We came ashore around 11:00 p.m. and mentally prepared for the final push on the roof the next day. Although it is technically a national holiday, we'll be pounding nails and trying to finish off the roofing project (at least the major part of it). Until tomorrow.
Guess how Rick and I celebrated Independence Day? That's right, up on the roof of the cabin laying shingles. We got most of the roof complete and with any luck we should be able to wrap up the shingling part of the operation tomorrow.
After cleaning up and eating brats for dinner, we went fishing. We used our usual method of trolling between the cabin and the middle of the bay between Second Duck Point and Duck Point in 9-12 feet of water.
The water temperature tonight was 75.4 degrees, the air temperature was 72 degrees, there was no wind to speak of so the lake was almost still, and the moon was just past half at 49% waning.
Just after sunset we started seeing multiple fireworks display, with the biggest, most impressive and longest lasting coming from Walker, where fireworks filled the night sky for more than an hour.
Throughout the night we caught a few rock bass, but also managed to boat two smallish walleyes. I caught a 16-inch walleye and Rick caught a 14-incher. Both fish were quickly released back into Leech Lake.
We came ashore around 11:00 p.m. and mentally prepared for the final push on the roof the next day. Although it is technically a national holiday, we'll be pounding nails and trying to finish off the roofing project (at least the major part of it). Until tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
