At 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 56 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny with half of the sky filled big billowy clouds, and the wind was 10-15 mph out of the west. There were also 38 boats already in front of our house.
It's a little ridiculous when there are so many boats in such a small area, especially on a lake that is 113,000 acres big. However, I can attest that there are walleye in the spot where the boats are fishing, and that's the name of the game. Oh, and I just realized, today is the start of the two-day Leech Lake Walleye Tournament, so of course there are going to be more serious fishermen than usual on the lake today.
We didn't want to join the crowd in front of our house, so instead Rick and I headed down to Bass Bay for some bass fishing. We each threw spinner baits and made our way from the harbor to the old Hancock place. I was able to boat three chunky largemouth bass, and Rick added one of his own.
As the afternoon progressed, the wind began to pick up and by 3:00 p.m. when we came ashore it was blowing at close to 20 mph out of the WNW creating white caps that rolled toward our shore. The temperature was 69 degrees.
Since tonight is Rick's last night at the lake, I was hoping that the weather would permit us one last chance to get out on the water together. And for once, the weather cooperated.
By 8:45 p.m. the wind had slowed to 8-10 mph out of the WNW making conditions perfect for trolling crankbaits. I set the Mercury SmartCraft controls for 550 rpm, which is about 2-2.25 mph ground speed, getting our crankbaits down to 8-10 feet with 50-60 feet of line let out.
I had the rare experience of catching four different fish species while trolling -- perch, northern pike, rock bass and walleye. The walleye was a healthy 16-inch fish which most people probably would have kept, but I put it back into the lake. All other fish also were returned to the lake.
Rick unfortunately caught only one northern, no walleye. We came ashore at 10:00 p.m. since we have to leave the house at 5:20 a.m. tomorrow so Rick can catch his early morning flight out of Bemidji.
Overall, today was a good day on Leech Lake -- largemouth bass in the afternoon, pike and walleye in the evening.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
June 3, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 10:00 a.m. the sky was overcast and a kind of greyish orange in color, it looks like it could rain or thunderstorm (both of which are forecast) and the temperature was a balmy 64 degress. It feels humid. The wind is light at 10 mph out of the SE.
It's Friday of the week after Memorial Day, so all of those tourists that came up for the holiday week are all taking advantage of the good fishing and calm water. There are roughly 20 boats in front of our house in search of walleye.
Despite the crowd, Rick and I went fishing from 1:00 p.m. to roughly 3:00 p.m. We fished in front of the house and cabin, as well as at the Birches. Rick used a slip bobber with a fathead or leech, while I used a Northland jig with a fathead. We caught a few perch, some rock bass and a northern or two.
It's Friday of the week after Memorial Day, so all of those tourists that came up for the holiday week are all taking advantage of the good fishing and calm water. There are roughly 20 boats in front of our house in search of walleye.
Despite the crowd, Rick and I went fishing from 1:00 p.m. to roughly 3:00 p.m. We fished in front of the house and cabin, as well as at the Birches. Rick used a slip bobber with a fathead or leech, while I used a Northland jig with a fathead. We caught a few perch, some rock bass and a northern or two.
After dinner we went fishing again. By this time the temperature had cooled slightly from a high today of 76 degrees (and very humid) down to 66 degrees which was very comfortable. There was practically no wind, and what little breeze did blow was from the SW. The water temperature had risen to 61.7 degrees. The sky was clear and there was just a tiny sliver a moon that set just after sunset.
Using Minnow Raps we trolled from Malay's to the north to a spot between Second Duck and Duck Points. Since there was virtually no wind to contend with, I could set the Mercury SmartCraft controls to 550 rpm, the lowest speed, which kept the boat moving at a ground speed of roughly 2.15 mph.
We fished from 8:45 p.m. until 10:45 p.m., and in addition to catching a few northerns and rock bass, Rick caught a 16-inch and a 19-inch walleye. I boated a very nice 23-inch walleye. When we came ashore there were still four other boats out on Sucker Bay.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
June 2, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
The sky this morning was grey and overcast with a threatening look to it, but no rain present. The temperature was 52 on its way to a high of around 63 degrees. The wind was strong at between 20 and 25 mph, but it was out of the ESE so the water along our shoreline was relatively calm. But about 200 yards off shore the waves started and you could really feel the strength of the wind.
After some calls and a late breakfast, Rick and I decided to go fishing. We didn't have to go far. I pulled the boat in front of our house in 9 feet of water, dropped in the drift sock and then started fishing.
To start, both Rick and I were using slip bobber rigs with small hooks tipped with leeches. This was the method that Rick used last evening when he boated three walleye. Unfortunately, this method did not prove effective and we had to switch gears.
I moved to a small 1/8 ounce Northland Gumball jig in a chartreuse/green color tipped with a fathead. Almost immediately I caught a perch.
We made several drifts from about 9 feet of water outward toward the center of Sucker Bay where the deepest water we fished was 14 feet. Most of our action came in 10-12 feet of water.
During the next two hours I caught numerous perch, including some pretty big ones (although not jumbos), as well as a 13-inch and a 21-inch walleye. As is often the case, when one guy has the hot stick the other guy in the boat often struggles. Last night Rick hooked three walleye while I was catching nothing but rock bass. Today I was catching perch and walleye, and Rick could only hook into a couple of small perch. That's fishing.
We came ashore at 3:00 p.m. because a mechanic from New Leech Lake Campground, Mark Ashe, was supposed to come by to work on my Honda 8hp kicker motor, which isn't running right. As of 4:30 p.m., he had not shown up.
Mark did show up at 5:00 p.m. and determined that I needed new spark plugs. I'll go into town sometime early next week and pick up a couple of new plugs and according to Mark, that should get my motor running great again. I'll report back on it.
Rick and I went out again at 7:15 p.m. and fished for about an hour, but the only fish we caught were the few perch I boated. No walleye.
We ate dinner late, after 9:00 p.m., as the rain was falling. As of 10:30 p.m. there is only a very light rain and winds at 20 mph out of the SE. Until tomorrow...
After some calls and a late breakfast, Rick and I decided to go fishing. We didn't have to go far. I pulled the boat in front of our house in 9 feet of water, dropped in the drift sock and then started fishing.
To start, both Rick and I were using slip bobber rigs with small hooks tipped with leeches. This was the method that Rick used last evening when he boated three walleye. Unfortunately, this method did not prove effective and we had to switch gears.
I moved to a small 1/8 ounce Northland Gumball jig in a chartreuse/green color tipped with a fathead. Almost immediately I caught a perch.
We made several drifts from about 9 feet of water outward toward the center of Sucker Bay where the deepest water we fished was 14 feet. Most of our action came in 10-12 feet of water.
During the next two hours I caught numerous perch, including some pretty big ones (although not jumbos), as well as a 13-inch and a 21-inch walleye. As is often the case, when one guy has the hot stick the other guy in the boat often struggles. Last night Rick hooked three walleye while I was catching nothing but rock bass. Today I was catching perch and walleye, and Rick could only hook into a couple of small perch. That's fishing.
We came ashore at 3:00 p.m. because a mechanic from New Leech Lake Campground, Mark Ashe, was supposed to come by to work on my Honda 8hp kicker motor, which isn't running right. As of 4:30 p.m., he had not shown up.
Mark did show up at 5:00 p.m. and determined that I needed new spark plugs. I'll go into town sometime early next week and pick up a couple of new plugs and according to Mark, that should get my motor running great again. I'll report back on it.
Rick and I went out again at 7:15 p.m. and fished for about an hour, but the only fish we caught were the few perch I boated. No walleye.
We ate dinner late, after 9:00 p.m., as the rain was falling. As of 10:30 p.m. there is only a very light rain and winds at 20 mph out of the SE. Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
June 1, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Last night, or more precisely, early this morning, I awoke to howling winds and a beeping noise. The 35-45 mph winds had obviously blown down a power line because we were without electricity and the carbon monoxide sensors I have plugged into the wall were beeping to alert me that the power was out and the batteries were low. Great.
So at 3:05 a.m. I was up pulling batteries out of shreiking sensors. Welcome to June.
At 9:00 a.m., the temperature was a chilly 44 degrees, the wind was out of the west at 17-25 mph, the sky was mostly sunny and the lake was rolling with white caps.
As a result of the fairly strong wind for most of the day, Rick and I took care of many chores on land. While I was on a business call, Rick took out a small "junk" tree that was growing outside my bedroom window and while he was off doing other chores I planted the new flowering crabapple tree that I picked up in town yesterday.
Later in the day we stopped by Jerry Schiebe's to see the Bobcat and John Deere tractor that are part of the Hancock estate. Both are old and neither are worth much. Rick spoke to Noel's son Jeff today and the ball is just starting to roll regarding Rick's interest in buying the old place. Both parties have some homework to do before they talk again.
By 4:30 p.m. the wind had calmed to around 15 mph out of the NW and it is supposed to weaken even more as the afternoon melts into evening. That should provide us with waters safe enough to do some after-dinner trolling for walleye.
For dinner I filleted the walleye I caught the other night and then fried it up in a Shore Lunch beer batter, along with French fries (with malt vinegar of course) and salad. It was, as always, a very tasty affair.
By the time we finished dinner the wind had died down to near calm. What breeze there was came out of the NW at maybe 3-5 mph. The sky was clear and the temperature was a pleasant 62 degrees. The water temperature has warmed just slightly to 60.7 degrees.
We started fishing directly in front of our house using my MinnKota electric trolling motor. I was using an 1/8 ounce chartreuse Northland jig, while Rick was using a much heavier 1/2 ounce shiner jig in a pink color. We both tipped the jigs with leeeches.
After a few minutes Rick decided to add a classic red and white snap bobber to his line to keep the jig about a foot off the bottom. I continued to use the standard jigging method with no float.
Well, apparently the bobber was the preferred method because Rick caught walleyes of 14-, 18-, and 20-inches; all were returned to the lake. I wasn't skunked, I managed to catch a northern pike and six, count them six, rock bass. Not exactly my favorite fish.
At 9:30 p.m., under clear skies, falling temperatures to about 54 degrees, and a breeze that was starting to pick up to about 7-10 mph out of the NW, we put away our jigging rigs and decided to troll "the Alley."
As usual we both were pulling Minnow Raps (Rick used one in purpledescent, while I used a Tennessee shad color) about 50-60 feet behind the boat at a ground speed of 2.25 mph in 9-11 feet of water.
Trolling seemed to work better for me than jigging this night, because in addition to a northern pike I caught two 15 1/2-inch walleye, both were put back into the lake. Rick didn't catch anything while trolling. At 10:30 p.m. we came ashore.
The final tally was 5 walleye boated in about 2 1/2 hours. Not a bad night of fishing on Leech Lake.
So at 3:05 a.m. I was up pulling batteries out of shreiking sensors. Welcome to June.
At 9:00 a.m., the temperature was a chilly 44 degrees, the wind was out of the west at 17-25 mph, the sky was mostly sunny and the lake was rolling with white caps.
As a result of the fairly strong wind for most of the day, Rick and I took care of many chores on land. While I was on a business call, Rick took out a small "junk" tree that was growing outside my bedroom window and while he was off doing other chores I planted the new flowering crabapple tree that I picked up in town yesterday.
Later in the day we stopped by Jerry Schiebe's to see the Bobcat and John Deere tractor that are part of the Hancock estate. Both are old and neither are worth much. Rick spoke to Noel's son Jeff today and the ball is just starting to roll regarding Rick's interest in buying the old place. Both parties have some homework to do before they talk again.
By 4:30 p.m. the wind had calmed to around 15 mph out of the NW and it is supposed to weaken even more as the afternoon melts into evening. That should provide us with waters safe enough to do some after-dinner trolling for walleye.
For dinner I filleted the walleye I caught the other night and then fried it up in a Shore Lunch beer batter, along with French fries (with malt vinegar of course) and salad. It was, as always, a very tasty affair.
By the time we finished dinner the wind had died down to near calm. What breeze there was came out of the NW at maybe 3-5 mph. The sky was clear and the temperature was a pleasant 62 degrees. The water temperature has warmed just slightly to 60.7 degrees.
We started fishing directly in front of our house using my MinnKota electric trolling motor. I was using an 1/8 ounce chartreuse Northland jig, while Rick was using a much heavier 1/2 ounce shiner jig in a pink color. We both tipped the jigs with leeeches.
After a few minutes Rick decided to add a classic red and white snap bobber to his line to keep the jig about a foot off the bottom. I continued to use the standard jigging method with no float.
Well, apparently the bobber was the preferred method because Rick caught walleyes of 14-, 18-, and 20-inches; all were returned to the lake. I wasn't skunked, I managed to catch a northern pike and six, count them six, rock bass. Not exactly my favorite fish.
At 9:30 p.m., under clear skies, falling temperatures to about 54 degrees, and a breeze that was starting to pick up to about 7-10 mph out of the NW, we put away our jigging rigs and decided to troll "the Alley."
As usual we both were pulling Minnow Raps (Rick used one in purpledescent, while I used a Tennessee shad color) about 50-60 feet behind the boat at a ground speed of 2.25 mph in 9-11 feet of water.
Trolling seemed to work better for me than jigging this night, because in addition to a northern pike I caught two 15 1/2-inch walleye, both were put back into the lake. Rick didn't catch anything while trolling. At 10:30 p.m. we came ashore.
The final tally was 5 walleye boated in about 2 1/2 hours. Not a bad night of fishing on Leech Lake.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
May 31, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
It is the final day of May. It's amazing how fast each month zips by.
Here at Leech Lake, the temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 60 degrees, the sky was partly cloudy, and the wind is extremely strong at 30-40 mph out of the SW. In fact, I had to go out to the end of the dock and lower the US and Australian flags because I was afraid the with the high winds the flag pole might actually snap! White caps roll across the lake, and with the water level as high as it is, waves are hitting the dock and coming up onto it.
At about 11:00 a.m. Rick and I drove into Bemidji to run a host of errands. I needed to settle up with Norton's Heating for the new furnace they put in back in February, I needed to pick up a few items (such as a cable jack and some chain saw bar oil) and groceries. We also stopped at Froggy's Sports in Cass Lake for fatheads and leeches, as well as J&L Oil for a new gas filter for the gas tank here on the property.
While in Bemidji I picked up a Purple Prince crabapple tree, pictured below, to replace the "junk" tree that currently grows outside our bedroom window.
A purple prince crabapple tree like the one to be planted outside our bedroom window.
At 6:00 p.m. the wind was still blowing very hard -- 20-30 mph -- out of the SW. I've never been here when the wind has blown as hard as it is today. I'm actually kind of nervous about the docks, boat and lift being able to withstand the rough, pounding waves created by this extremely strong wind. The sky remained grey and overcast, rain fell intermittently and the temperature dropped from 48 to just 40 degrees. The lake was a strange greenish-grey color.
As I get ready to sign off for the night the wind has not let up. In fact, it's increased! According to the www.weather.com web site, we've got 32-35 mph winds right now and they're expected to blow this hard until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
When I get up tomorrow morning I'll take a tour of the property to assess any damage and to pick up what is likely to be a small forest of fallen tree limbs and branches. Until then...
Here at Leech Lake, the temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 60 degrees, the sky was partly cloudy, and the wind is extremely strong at 30-40 mph out of the SW. In fact, I had to go out to the end of the dock and lower the US and Australian flags because I was afraid the with the high winds the flag pole might actually snap! White caps roll across the lake, and with the water level as high as it is, waves are hitting the dock and coming up onto it.
At about 11:00 a.m. Rick and I drove into Bemidji to run a host of errands. I needed to settle up with Norton's Heating for the new furnace they put in back in February, I needed to pick up a few items (such as a cable jack and some chain saw bar oil) and groceries. We also stopped at Froggy's Sports in Cass Lake for fatheads and leeches, as well as J&L Oil for a new gas filter for the gas tank here on the property.
While in Bemidji I picked up a Purple Prince crabapple tree, pictured below, to replace the "junk" tree that currently grows outside our bedroom window.
A purple prince crabapple tree like the one to be planted outside our bedroom window.
At 6:00 p.m. the wind was still blowing very hard -- 20-30 mph -- out of the SW. I've never been here when the wind has blown as hard as it is today. I'm actually kind of nervous about the docks, boat and lift being able to withstand the rough, pounding waves created by this extremely strong wind. The sky remained grey and overcast, rain fell intermittently and the temperature dropped from 48 to just 40 degrees. The lake was a strange greenish-grey color.
As I get ready to sign off for the night the wind has not let up. In fact, it's increased! According to the www.weather.com web site, we've got 32-35 mph winds right now and they're expected to blow this hard until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
When I get up tomorrow morning I'll take a tour of the property to assess any damage and to pick up what is likely to be a small forest of fallen tree limbs and branches. Until then...
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011 -- Memorial Day On Leech Lake
Early in the morning -- and I'm talking about 2:30 a.m. -- on this Memorial Day, there was thunder and rain. By 9:00 a.m. the rain had stopped, but the sky was dark and overcast, the temperature was a cool 48 degrees (I just heard the furnace kick on) and the wind, from what I can tell my the movement of the flags, is a relatively light 5-7 mph out of the north. According to the National Weather Service, the wind is at 16 mph out of the ESE.
As the day wears on, however, the weather is supposed to get real nasty. Here's a quote from the http://www.weather.com/ web site: "Severe thunderstorms with hail, high winds, and tornadoes will rock the Plains and Upper Midwest on Memorial Day." (That includes Leech Lake.)
In fact, I heard on the radio yesterday that we could get winds up to 25 mph today and as high as 33 mph on Tuesday. If that's the case, we will not be fishing for the next couple of days.
At 11:00 a.m., after a pancake breakfast and maple syrup made by Jerry Schiebe from Ottertail Peninsula maples, Rick and I went fishing. The wind was 10-15 mph out of the ENE, which meant that along our shoreline the water was calm for about 50 yards out from the shore.
There were a dozen boats or more in front of the house, so we motored down to the Birches to try for some perch and maybe a walleye. Once there I decided to fire up the Honda 8hp kicker motor and while it would run while idling it stalled out when put into gear. I'll have to have that checked out by either Mark Ashe (the local mechanic from New Leech Lake Campground) or Corner Sports when I take the boat out in October.
We didn't catch much at the Birches, I think I caught a couple of small perch, so we moved back in front of the house. I caught a few more perch, but Rick came up empty.
Once on shore -- at 1:15 p.m. -- I cleaned one of the two walleye we had in the basket and took it to Jerry Schiebe to repay the favor he did us by giving us a jar of homemade maple syrup. In about 45 minutes from now, Rick and I are going next door for a BBQ with the Newman men -- John, John Jr. and Greg. I understand that "danger dogs" will be on the menu.
The weather remains grey, overcast, with a temperature of 44 degrees. The wind is out of the ENE at about 15 mph and everything is wet. It's not raining per se, it's just wet. Not the kind of Memorial Day weather that entices tourists to Leech Lake; which is fine by me.
Rick and I did dine with John and Johnny Newman (Greg had gone to their home in the Twin Cities with his mom and sister on Sunday). And we did indeed have burgers and danger dogs. After dinner Rick and I came back to my place where we got ready to go fishing.
The weather reports were of a tornado watch for our area and expected severe thunderstorms as the evening progressed, but when we hit the water at 8:15 p.m., there was little sun light peaking through the heavy clouds, the wind was at 12-17 mph out of the ENE, and the temperature was about 63 degrees; it actually felt balmy.
We fished in "the Alley," and saw only three other boats, one of which were the Newman's in their rowboat. The water temperature remained at 60 degrees.
We trolled Minnow Raps (I used my Tennessee Shad color while Rick opted for purpledescent) in 9-13 feet of water. Tonight the bite was slow, I caught three northern pike and a 17 3/4-inch walleye. Rick, for the second time today, came up empty.
As we were motoring back to the lift, we could see flashes of lightening across the sky to the southwest and could hear the low rumble of far-off thunder. It's hard to tell if the storm will move in on us or pass us altogether.
Since the reports are calling for "strong thunderstorms" and possible "damaging hail," I decided to move the truck from its usual spot in the driveway at the house into the big garage at the cabin. On my way back from the cabin I could bright flashes of lightening directly overhead. Maybe the storm is getting closer.
A quick report from the Newman's on their fishing tonight. In their little rowboat (the Johnson 6hp clunked out) they rowed into 10 feet of water and used lighted slip-bobber rigged with Northland Gumball jigs and tipped with fatheads. Foth father and son caught 22-inch walleye, while John Sr. also added a nice "eater" walleye and a jumbo perch. Just goes to show you that you don't need a fancy boat or expensive tackle to catch nice Leech Lake walleye.
The web site http://www.weather.com/ predicted the "severe thunderstorms" to hit our area at 11:30 p.m., and right on time, at exactly 11:30 p.m., the rain started pounded the windows of our living room, lightening lit up the sky, thunder rumbled and the wind began to howl.
As I sign off for the night, it is raining and there are still occasional flashes of lightening. Good night.
As the day wears on, however, the weather is supposed to get real nasty. Here's a quote from the http://www.weather.com/ web site: "Severe thunderstorms with hail, high winds, and tornadoes will rock the Plains and Upper Midwest on Memorial Day." (That includes Leech Lake.)
In fact, I heard on the radio yesterday that we could get winds up to 25 mph today and as high as 33 mph on Tuesday. If that's the case, we will not be fishing for the next couple of days.
At 11:00 a.m., after a pancake breakfast and maple syrup made by Jerry Schiebe from Ottertail Peninsula maples, Rick and I went fishing. The wind was 10-15 mph out of the ENE, which meant that along our shoreline the water was calm for about 50 yards out from the shore.
There were a dozen boats or more in front of the house, so we motored down to the Birches to try for some perch and maybe a walleye. Once there I decided to fire up the Honda 8hp kicker motor and while it would run while idling it stalled out when put into gear. I'll have to have that checked out by either Mark Ashe (the local mechanic from New Leech Lake Campground) or Corner Sports when I take the boat out in October.
We didn't catch much at the Birches, I think I caught a couple of small perch, so we moved back in front of the house. I caught a few more perch, but Rick came up empty.
Once on shore -- at 1:15 p.m. -- I cleaned one of the two walleye we had in the basket and took it to Jerry Schiebe to repay the favor he did us by giving us a jar of homemade maple syrup. In about 45 minutes from now, Rick and I are going next door for a BBQ with the Newman men -- John, John Jr. and Greg. I understand that "danger dogs" will be on the menu.
The weather remains grey, overcast, with a temperature of 44 degrees. The wind is out of the ENE at about 15 mph and everything is wet. It's not raining per se, it's just wet. Not the kind of Memorial Day weather that entices tourists to Leech Lake; which is fine by me.
Rick and I did dine with John and Johnny Newman (Greg had gone to their home in the Twin Cities with his mom and sister on Sunday). And we did indeed have burgers and danger dogs. After dinner Rick and I came back to my place where we got ready to go fishing.
The weather reports were of a tornado watch for our area and expected severe thunderstorms as the evening progressed, but when we hit the water at 8:15 p.m., there was little sun light peaking through the heavy clouds, the wind was at 12-17 mph out of the ENE, and the temperature was about 63 degrees; it actually felt balmy.
We fished in "the Alley," and saw only three other boats, one of which were the Newman's in their rowboat. The water temperature remained at 60 degrees.
We trolled Minnow Raps (I used my Tennessee Shad color while Rick opted for purpledescent) in 9-13 feet of water. Tonight the bite was slow, I caught three northern pike and a 17 3/4-inch walleye. Rick, for the second time today, came up empty.
As we were motoring back to the lift, we could see flashes of lightening across the sky to the southwest and could hear the low rumble of far-off thunder. It's hard to tell if the storm will move in on us or pass us altogether.
Since the reports are calling for "strong thunderstorms" and possible "damaging hail," I decided to move the truck from its usual spot in the driveway at the house into the big garage at the cabin. On my way back from the cabin I could bright flashes of lightening directly overhead. Maybe the storm is getting closer.
A quick report from the Newman's on their fishing tonight. In their little rowboat (the Johnson 6hp clunked out) they rowed into 10 feet of water and used lighted slip-bobber rigged with Northland Gumball jigs and tipped with fatheads. Foth father and son caught 22-inch walleye, while John Sr. also added a nice "eater" walleye and a jumbo perch. Just goes to show you that you don't need a fancy boat or expensive tackle to catch nice Leech Lake walleye.
The web site http://www.weather.com/ predicted the "severe thunderstorms" to hit our area at 11:30 p.m., and right on time, at exactly 11:30 p.m., the rain started pounded the windows of our living room, lightening lit up the sky, thunder rumbled and the wind began to howl.
As I sign off for the night, it is raining and there are still occasional flashes of lightening. Good night.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
May 29, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Today is the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and at 10:00 a.m. this morning there were 21 boats between Second Duck Point and the Malay's. Someone must be reading this blog! The area I call the "Alley" is obviously producing some fish, or at least someone at one of the resorts is saying it's producing fish, because it is very popular spot on Sucker Bay today. There are other good fishing spots on Sucker Bay including, Hardwood Point, the Flats around Goose Island, the flats between Duck and Second Duck Points, and the tip of Ottertail Peninsula, i.e., Ottertail Point.
Although the sky is grey and looks ominous, there is little wind, maybe 5 mph out of the WNW, and the flags are laying limp against the pole. The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 50 degrees. The hourly forecast for the day says that there's a 35% chance of showers around noon and then again at 3:00 p.m.
After we finish breakfast and our coffee Rick and I are going to hit the water as well, although I'm not sure where. I really have no desire to pull into the flotilla of FIBs, so maybe we'll head north toward Bass Bay, try the Birches, or maybe make a run south to Ottertail Point. I'll let Rick make the call.
Sometime today we need to contact Jerry Schiebe so we can get in to see Noel's old place. To some degree, Rick is interested in purchasing it and the obvious next step is to get inside and check out the structural integrity of the house.
At 11:00 a.m. Rick and I launched the boat and made our way out into Sucker Bay where 23 boats were gathered from our cabin to Second Duck Point. I asked Rick how and where he'd like to fish and he suggested we troll Minnow Raps from our cabin down to the middle of the bay between Duck and Second Duck Points in a little deeper water than usual around 13-14 feet.
The water temperature was right around 60 degrees, the wind was out of the SW at 7 mph and the air temperature was 54 degrees.
I set the SmartCraft control at 580 rpm to achieve a ground speed of roughly 2.25 mph, which is the speed that typically works well with Minnow Raps in that depth of water.
During the troll the only fish we managed to boat was a 20-inch northern, which I immediately released into the lake. We then motored south to Ottertail Point where we used Northland Mimic Minnow spins for walleye. Unfortunately, we caught no walleye.
I then motored the boat around the point into Portage Bay and moved up to a small point just south of Two Points. We again used Mimic Minnows in 18 feet of water drifting toward shore into about 13 feet of water. I caught a decent sized perch and a very nice 17 1/4-walleye, which I put into the livewell for a future meal. Unfortunately continued his fishless streak stretching it to three days now.
We came ashore around 1:30 p.m. I called Jerry Schiebe to see when it might be a good time for him to show us the old Hancock place. He replied, "how about now?"
Rick and I walked down to Schiebe's house and then the three of us made our way to Noel's old house. Jerry found the keys and we spent the next hour or more inspecting the old place. According to Rick, the framing looks good, although that's about the only good thing to say about the structure itself. It will need everthing from the roof down to the floorboards.
The other potential downside is that of the 300 feet of shoreline most of it, maybe as much as 225, are swamp. That leaves little room for lake access via a dock.
Rick is going to contact Jeff Hancock on Memorial Day to discuss the property in more detail.
At 7:00 p.m. the sky was overcast and grey, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NW, the temperature was right around 60 degrees. We ate dinner early so we could get out on the water well befor sunset. That is still the plan and we should be departing soon.
We fished from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. When we got out onto the lake to start fishing there were 16 boats clustered between our house and Second Duck Point. Since everyone one else was "zigging," we zagged. I motored the boat to the Birches where we began tossing our Mimic Minnow spins. We fished in 10-12 feet of water, which had a temperature right around 62 degrees. The wind was light, almost nonexistent, at 5 mph out of the NW.
After 40 minutes of fishing the area with no luck, we changed tactics.
I took the boat out to 13-14 feet of water, set the Mercury SmartCraft controls at 580 rpm and we began trolling Minnow Raps. After a pass or two neither Rick nor I caught anything, so he switched colors and began trolling a purpledescent Minnow Rap while I continued to pull my Tennessee Shad colored Rapala.
It turns out the walleye liked the purpledescent color on this night. Rick caught a 13-inch, 16-inch and 16 3/4-inch walleye, the first two went back into the lake. We kept the 16 3/4-inch walleye and it joined my 17 1/4-inch walleye from earlier in the day in the basket. I'll probably fillet one for Jerry Schiebe (since he was kind enough to give us a jar of homemade maple syrup earlier today) and keep the other for us for a meal on Tuesday. I'm really starting to love the beer-batter Shore Lunch on fresh walleye fillets.
All in all, a great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Although the sky is grey and looks ominous, there is little wind, maybe 5 mph out of the WNW, and the flags are laying limp against the pole. The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 50 degrees. The hourly forecast for the day says that there's a 35% chance of showers around noon and then again at 3:00 p.m.
After we finish breakfast and our coffee Rick and I are going to hit the water as well, although I'm not sure where. I really have no desire to pull into the flotilla of FIBs, so maybe we'll head north toward Bass Bay, try the Birches, or maybe make a run south to Ottertail Point. I'll let Rick make the call.
Sometime today we need to contact Jerry Schiebe so we can get in to see Noel's old place. To some degree, Rick is interested in purchasing it and the obvious next step is to get inside and check out the structural integrity of the house.
At 11:00 a.m. Rick and I launched the boat and made our way out into Sucker Bay where 23 boats were gathered from our cabin to Second Duck Point. I asked Rick how and where he'd like to fish and he suggested we troll Minnow Raps from our cabin down to the middle of the bay between Duck and Second Duck Points in a little deeper water than usual around 13-14 feet.
The water temperature was right around 60 degrees, the wind was out of the SW at 7 mph and the air temperature was 54 degrees.
I set the SmartCraft control at 580 rpm to achieve a ground speed of roughly 2.25 mph, which is the speed that typically works well with Minnow Raps in that depth of water.
During the troll the only fish we managed to boat was a 20-inch northern, which I immediately released into the lake. We then motored south to Ottertail Point where we used Northland Mimic Minnow spins for walleye. Unfortunately, we caught no walleye.
I then motored the boat around the point into Portage Bay and moved up to a small point just south of Two Points. We again used Mimic Minnows in 18 feet of water drifting toward shore into about 13 feet of water. I caught a decent sized perch and a very nice 17 1/4-walleye, which I put into the livewell for a future meal. Unfortunately continued his fishless streak stretching it to three days now.
We came ashore around 1:30 p.m. I called Jerry Schiebe to see when it might be a good time for him to show us the old Hancock place. He replied, "how about now?"
Rick and I walked down to Schiebe's house and then the three of us made our way to Noel's old house. Jerry found the keys and we spent the next hour or more inspecting the old place. According to Rick, the framing looks good, although that's about the only good thing to say about the structure itself. It will need everthing from the roof down to the floorboards.
The other potential downside is that of the 300 feet of shoreline most of it, maybe as much as 225, are swamp. That leaves little room for lake access via a dock.
Rick is going to contact Jeff Hancock on Memorial Day to discuss the property in more detail.
At 7:00 p.m. the sky was overcast and grey, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NW, the temperature was right around 60 degrees. We ate dinner early so we could get out on the water well befor sunset. That is still the plan and we should be departing soon.
We fished from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. When we got out onto the lake to start fishing there were 16 boats clustered between our house and Second Duck Point. Since everyone one else was "zigging," we zagged. I motored the boat to the Birches where we began tossing our Mimic Minnow spins. We fished in 10-12 feet of water, which had a temperature right around 62 degrees. The wind was light, almost nonexistent, at 5 mph out of the NW.
After 40 minutes of fishing the area with no luck, we changed tactics.
I took the boat out to 13-14 feet of water, set the Mercury SmartCraft controls at 580 rpm and we began trolling Minnow Raps. After a pass or two neither Rick nor I caught anything, so he switched colors and began trolling a purpledescent Minnow Rap while I continued to pull my Tennessee Shad colored Rapala.
It turns out the walleye liked the purpledescent color on this night. Rick caught a 13-inch, 16-inch and 16 3/4-inch walleye, the first two went back into the lake. We kept the 16 3/4-inch walleye and it joined my 17 1/4-inch walleye from earlier in the day in the basket. I'll probably fillet one for Jerry Schiebe (since he was kind enough to give us a jar of homemade maple syrup earlier today) and keep the other for us for a meal on Tuesday. I'm really starting to love the beer-batter Shore Lunch on fresh walleye fillets.
All in all, a great day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
May 28, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
Today it's a bit warmer, already 60 degrees by mid-morning, but it's also overcast, mostly grey with sun peeking out every so often and the wind is blowing at 15-20 mph out of the SW. The flags (I fly the Australian flag as well as the US flag when Rick is visiting) are straight out from the pole, and there are white caps on the lake.
It rained numerous times throughout the late-morning and all afternoon. Occasionally the storms would subside and the sun would come out for 30 minutes or so, but like clockwork the next front would move in. There was some periods when the rain came down in buckets and the wind blew so hard that the lake was riled with big white caps and was turned a slate grey color.
I hung out inside most of the day, while Rick helped John Newman with a few projects in his garage, such as installing some new light fixtures.
I called Jeff Hancock, my deceased neighbor's son, to inquire about what will be done with Noel's old house. Jeff told me that he and his sister are trying to unload and gave me a quote of $200K for it; which, ironically, was the exact number Rick said he'd be willing to pay for it. Rick and I will probably meet up with Jerry Schiebe in the next day or two to see the inside of the house and garage. Who knows, Rick could a Leech Lake resident by the end of his visit!
I joined Rick in the Newman's garage for a beer, threw some darts and just chatted. After hard rain and strong winds, the storm finally let up as Rick and I made our way home at 6:30 p.m. The temperature was 52 degrees, the wind was out of the WSW at about 15 mph and the sky was filled with clouds, but the sun was shining. Maybe if the weather holds we'll get out to do some trolling for walleye this evening.
I got some brats in a pot of beer and onions in preperation for the grill. After our dinner, I checked the weather the best way I know how, I walked out to the end of our dock at looked. It is very windy, I'm estimating 17-20 mph out of the WSW, and the temperature is 52.
The high winds alone have me nervous about taking the boat out tonight, but there's another obstacle to deal with as well, the crowds of Memorial Day boaters and fishermen. Despite the wind and heavy waves, I counted 16 boats between our house and Second Duck Point. I don't have any desire to try to weave my way through a crowd of FIBs in search of walleye.
Instead of fishing tonight, Rick and I had a fire in the pit over at the cabin. After that we came home and called it a night. Maybe tomorrow conditions will be better for fishing.
It rained numerous times throughout the late-morning and all afternoon. Occasionally the storms would subside and the sun would come out for 30 minutes or so, but like clockwork the next front would move in. There was some periods when the rain came down in buckets and the wind blew so hard that the lake was riled with big white caps and was turned a slate grey color.
I hung out inside most of the day, while Rick helped John Newman with a few projects in his garage, such as installing some new light fixtures.
I called Jeff Hancock, my deceased neighbor's son, to inquire about what will be done with Noel's old house. Jeff told me that he and his sister are trying to unload and gave me a quote of $200K for it; which, ironically, was the exact number Rick said he'd be willing to pay for it. Rick and I will probably meet up with Jerry Schiebe in the next day or two to see the inside of the house and garage. Who knows, Rick could a Leech Lake resident by the end of his visit!
I joined Rick in the Newman's garage for a beer, threw some darts and just chatted. After hard rain and strong winds, the storm finally let up as Rick and I made our way home at 6:30 p.m. The temperature was 52 degrees, the wind was out of the WSW at about 15 mph and the sky was filled with clouds, but the sun was shining. Maybe if the weather holds we'll get out to do some trolling for walleye this evening.
I got some brats in a pot of beer and onions in preperation for the grill. After our dinner, I checked the weather the best way I know how, I walked out to the end of our dock at looked. It is very windy, I'm estimating 17-20 mph out of the WSW, and the temperature is 52.
The high winds alone have me nervous about taking the boat out tonight, but there's another obstacle to deal with as well, the crowds of Memorial Day boaters and fishermen. Despite the wind and heavy waves, I counted 16 boats between our house and Second Duck Point. I don't have any desire to try to weave my way through a crowd of FIBs in search of walleye.
Instead of fishing tonight, Rick and I had a fire in the pit over at the cabin. After that we came home and called it a night. Maybe tomorrow conditions will be better for fishing.
Friday, May 27, 2011
May 27, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I forgot to check the temperature when I woke this morning, but when I checked it at 10:30 a.m. the thermometer read 44 degrees. The sky was grey and overcast and wind was out of the SE at 10-15 mph.
After a frustrating experience dealing with CitiMortgage which I won't go into here, other than to say I was on the phone with them for nearly an hour and didn't get my situation taken care of, Rick and I decided to go fishing.
I put three 6-gallon containers of gas in the boat since I noticed the tank was around 20 percent of capacity last night when we were trolling. Once the boat was gassed up, we launched and made our way to the "perch hole" near Norm's cabin. Both Rick and I were using Northland Tackle Mimic Minnow Spins.
We didn't catch anything in about 15 minutes of fishing, so we moved to "Bass Bay." During about an hour of drifting across the bay I caught maybe 10 perch, no jumbos, while Rick kept his fishless streak alive.
It was very windy in Bass Bay and with the temperature hovering just near 50 degrees, it was quite cool on the water. I had been keeping an eye on the storm that was predicted to hit mid-afternoon and from my perspective from Bass Bay it looked as if it were raining south of us near Goose Island, so I decided to get us back to shore since neither Rick nor I were wearing our rain gear.
Just as we came ashore it started to rain, but only very briefly. Within 15 minutes or so the rain had stopped, but we decided to stay warm and inside just the same.
Around 5:00 p.m. Rick and I went over to the Newman's and hung out in his garage, drank a beer or two and worked on his small boat trailer. It was raining the entire time we were at the Newman's, it rained while Rick and I ate our dinner of beer-battered walleye and it rained right up to the time we went to bed. We had a good deal of rain today.
As a result of the 40 degree temperature and the constant rain, we did not go fishing on Leech Lake this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
After a frustrating experience dealing with CitiMortgage which I won't go into here, other than to say I was on the phone with them for nearly an hour and didn't get my situation taken care of, Rick and I decided to go fishing.
I put three 6-gallon containers of gas in the boat since I noticed the tank was around 20 percent of capacity last night when we were trolling. Once the boat was gassed up, we launched and made our way to the "perch hole" near Norm's cabin. Both Rick and I were using Northland Tackle Mimic Minnow Spins.
We didn't catch anything in about 15 minutes of fishing, so we moved to "Bass Bay." During about an hour of drifting across the bay I caught maybe 10 perch, no jumbos, while Rick kept his fishless streak alive.
It was very windy in Bass Bay and with the temperature hovering just near 50 degrees, it was quite cool on the water. I had been keeping an eye on the storm that was predicted to hit mid-afternoon and from my perspective from Bass Bay it looked as if it were raining south of us near Goose Island, so I decided to get us back to shore since neither Rick nor I were wearing our rain gear.
Just as we came ashore it started to rain, but only very briefly. Within 15 minutes or so the rain had stopped, but we decided to stay warm and inside just the same.
Around 5:00 p.m. Rick and I went over to the Newman's and hung out in his garage, drank a beer or two and worked on his small boat trailer. It was raining the entire time we were at the Newman's, it rained while Rick and I ate our dinner of beer-battered walleye and it rained right up to the time we went to bed. We had a good deal of rain today.
As a result of the 40 degree temperature and the constant rain, we did not go fishing on Leech Lake this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
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