At 8:00 a.m. this morning it was still raining and there was thunder rumbling off in the distance. The temperature was 55 degrees and the wind was strong at 12-17 mph out of the NW. The sky was mostly cloudy, with little patches of blue here and there.
For most of the morning and into the early afternoon rain continued to fall. Finally, around 1:00 p.m. the rain let up so Kathleen and I immediately took advantage of the break and went for a long walk. We walked to the "beaver pond" or as Kathleen calls it, "swamp 1," and back. About a 3 mile walk.
On our way back we saw Tom Malay driving his truck toward the community center. He stopped and informed us that a tree had fallen across West Shores Road between Harbor Dr. and the community center. He told us that he had his chain saw with him and that he planned to clear the road; and get a little firewood in the process.
Once home, I quickly got on the ATV and rode out to the site of the fallen maple to help Tom clear the road. It's always a good idea to have someone with you when you're using a chain saw.
The tree hadn't snapped off in the wind, rather it had simply fell over as a result of the three inches of rain we've had in the past 36 hours. We have standing ponds all over our properties, so it's not hard to imagine a large maple tree toppling over from its own weight in the super-saturated ground.
Ron Newstrand joined Tom and me for the tree-cutting operation. During our efforts a large diesel pickup truck hauling a big back hoe came down the road, but had to stop until we were able to clear the road. A UPS truck came from the other direction on its way to making a delivery, but was able to turn around in the road and go a different route.
After an hour of chain sawing and hauling, the three of us loaded a cut maple into the back of Tom's and Ron's trucks, since both use wood to heat with during the winter. No sooner had we opened up the road than it started to rain.
Since I was on the ATV I took off first for home. I managed to get the ATV stored in the garage and myself into the house before the rain got worse. We did get more rain between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., but by 6:00 p.m., the rain had stopped, the clouds parted somewhat and we actually saw some sunlight. The temperature, however, never got past 60 degrees. The had shifted and was coming out of the west at 12-15 mph.
After dinner it was nice enough to go out onto the dock and watch the sunset; although it was still quite windy. Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny and warm, which will be a welcome relief from the cool temperatures and the rain. I'm hoping to be able to get out onto the water to do some fishing tomorrow.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
June 26, 2011 -- Our 30th Anniversary -- On Leech Lake
Thirty years ago today, my wife Kathleen and I married along the shores of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota. I can't believe it's been 30 years. In some ways it's gone by like a blink of an eye, yet in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago. We were so young!
The temperature here at Leech Lake 10:00 a.m. was 60 degrees, the sky was overcast and grey, and the wind was 10-15 mph out of the SSE, but because of the way we're positioned on the peninsula, the water in front of our property is still and the flag is limp against the pole. The ground was still wet from the overnight rain.
As the day went on it got warmer, and eventually topped out at 73 degrees. The wind remained out of the SSE for most of the day, but shifted to the NNE about 4:00 p.m. For most of the afternoon the sky was partly sunny.
Kathleen went running at 2:30 p.m., which gave me an opportunity to go fishing. I spent a little more than two hours on the lake and tried a number of different tactics to catch some walleye, but came up empty on all counts.
I tried jigging with a leech, casting a Mimic Minnow Spin over the tops of deep weeds (in 14 feet of water) and tried trolling with a jointed Shad Rap, but all I could catch were some perch and rock bass.
The water temperature was 68 degrees.
Once I was on shore and Kathleen was back from her run, we cleaned up and made a wonderful anniversary dinner. Kathleen looked amazing in her little black dress, and we enjoyed a champagne toast to our 30 years of marriage.
After dinner we sat in the living room and talked. As the evening wore on the thunder started to rumble and just after midnight we had a powerful thunderstorm complete with a fantastic lightening show. It was great way to end our anniversary celebration.
The temperature here at Leech Lake 10:00 a.m. was 60 degrees, the sky was overcast and grey, and the wind was 10-15 mph out of the SSE, but because of the way we're positioned on the peninsula, the water in front of our property is still and the flag is limp against the pole. The ground was still wet from the overnight rain.
As the day went on it got warmer, and eventually topped out at 73 degrees. The wind remained out of the SSE for most of the day, but shifted to the NNE about 4:00 p.m. For most of the afternoon the sky was partly sunny.
Kathleen went running at 2:30 p.m., which gave me an opportunity to go fishing. I spent a little more than two hours on the lake and tried a number of different tactics to catch some walleye, but came up empty on all counts.
I tried jigging with a leech, casting a Mimic Minnow Spin over the tops of deep weeds (in 14 feet of water) and tried trolling with a jointed Shad Rap, but all I could catch were some perch and rock bass.
The water temperature was 68 degrees.
Once I was on shore and Kathleen was back from her run, we cleaned up and made a wonderful anniversary dinner. Kathleen looked amazing in her little black dress, and we enjoyed a champagne toast to our 30 years of marriage.
After dinner we sat in the living room and talked. As the evening wore on the thunder started to rumble and just after midnight we had a powerful thunderstorm complete with a fantastic lightening show. It was great way to end our anniversary celebration.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
June 25, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning the temperature was 60 degrees at 9:15 a.m., the wind was variable from 8-17 mph out of the SSW and the sky was mostly sunny.
By 11:00 a.m. my parents had loaded up their car and were heading down West Shores Road on their way back to Illinios. We had a very nice visit with them.
Kathleen and I enjoyed our coffee on the back porch, ate some breakfast and then temporarily went our separate ways. Kathleen went running, while I went fishing.
Since it was Saturday, there were about 10 boats motoring around from Second Duck Point to our house. After getting my boat out onto the 68 degree water, I joined them in the general area.
The sun was shining, the temperature was 72 degrees, and the wind was still fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the SSE when I dropped my jig tipped with a leech into 10-12 feet of water. With the stiff wind blowing I opted to use a slightly heavier jig and tied on a 1/4 ounce parrot colored Gumball jig instead of my usual 1/8 ounce jig.
Even with the drift sock in the water the wind was pushing the boat along at 1/2 to 3/4 mph. I made several drifts between Second Duck Point and our cabin, but could catch no walleye. I repositioned the boat near the Malays and drifted past Norm's, but again, could catch no walleye.
I eventually switched to a Mimic Minnow Spin while drifting from the Birches past Schiebe's cabin, but could only manage to catch a few perch. I gave up and came ashore about 2:30 p.m.
Kathleen was just getting back from her run, so we decided to go for a bike ride. The temperature was now around 75 degrees, and the wind felt great during our ride. We rode down to the boardwalk on Duck Point and back; about a 8 mile ride.
When we got home we cleaned up, listened to a Prairie Home Companion, ate dinner, and then sat out on the dock to watch the sunset. We moved our party to the back porch just after the sun dipped below the horizon and just enjoyed being together.
Just after midnight I could hear the rain falling. I guess the 50% chance of showers was actually greater than that. I was a wonderful day on the shores of Leech Lake.
By 11:00 a.m. my parents had loaded up their car and were heading down West Shores Road on their way back to Illinios. We had a very nice visit with them.
Kathleen and I enjoyed our coffee on the back porch, ate some breakfast and then temporarily went our separate ways. Kathleen went running, while I went fishing.
Since it was Saturday, there were about 10 boats motoring around from Second Duck Point to our house. After getting my boat out onto the 68 degree water, I joined them in the general area.
The sun was shining, the temperature was 72 degrees, and the wind was still fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the SSE when I dropped my jig tipped with a leech into 10-12 feet of water. With the stiff wind blowing I opted to use a slightly heavier jig and tied on a 1/4 ounce parrot colored Gumball jig instead of my usual 1/8 ounce jig.
Even with the drift sock in the water the wind was pushing the boat along at 1/2 to 3/4 mph. I made several drifts between Second Duck Point and our cabin, but could catch no walleye. I repositioned the boat near the Malays and drifted past Norm's, but again, could catch no walleye.
I eventually switched to a Mimic Minnow Spin while drifting from the Birches past Schiebe's cabin, but could only manage to catch a few perch. I gave up and came ashore about 2:30 p.m.
Kathleen was just getting back from her run, so we decided to go for a bike ride. The temperature was now around 75 degrees, and the wind felt great during our ride. We rode down to the boardwalk on Duck Point and back; about a 8 mile ride.
When we got home we cleaned up, listened to a Prairie Home Companion, ate dinner, and then sat out on the dock to watch the sunset. We moved our party to the back porch just after the sun dipped below the horizon and just enjoyed being together.
Just after midnight I could hear the rain falling. I guess the 50% chance of showers was actually greater than that. I was a wonderful day on the shores of Leech Lake.
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was a very pleasant 58 degrees, the sun was shining and the wind was out of the SSE at 5-8 mph. It's the first time in more than a week that the wind has blown from a southerly direction. The lake has some small ripples, but is basically calm. It'll be a nice day to get out on the water.
Kathleen and I greeted the day with a cup of coffee on the dock. It's always great to have a morning cup of coffee sitting over the water listening to the loons and other birds while watching bald eagles soaring overhead.
We then walked over to the cabin and visited with my Dad who was sitting on the deck overlooking the lake. After a few minutes, I decided to go fishing, so I grabbed the fatheads and leeches and joined the 10 other boats out in front of my house.
With the breeze coming out of the south, I actually motored out to a spot in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water before turning off the motor and deploying the drift sock. I again used an 1/8 ounce Northland Gumball jig in parrot color tipped with a large leech.
I made a complete drift from Giza's to Malay's and only caught a couple of perch, one of which was about 10 1/2 inches and boarding on being a jumbo. But with the fishing slow, and my parents visiting, I stowed my fishing gear and went ashore.
We spent the afternoon visiting and just hanging out.
At 4:30 p.m., we left the lake and drove north on Sucker Bay Road out to Hwy. 2, where we headed east to have supper at the Big Fish Supper Club in Bena, near Lake Winnibigoshish, where my Dad treated us to supper for our anniversary.
All four of us, my Mom, Dad, Kathleen and I, had the walleye dinner.
The landmark Big Fish Supper Club
After dinner we drove back to the lake and spent a couple of hours on the back porch watching the sunset and listening to my Dad tell stories about his college days, when he was admitted to Yale but decided to go to Boston University instead, how he hitchhiked from Oslo, Norway to Copenhagen, Denmark and how he ended up a principal of a high school at the tender age of 27.
We had a very relaxing and enjoyable evening on the shores of Leech Lake.
Kathleen and I greeted the day with a cup of coffee on the dock. It's always great to have a morning cup of coffee sitting over the water listening to the loons and other birds while watching bald eagles soaring overhead.
We then walked over to the cabin and visited with my Dad who was sitting on the deck overlooking the lake. After a few minutes, I decided to go fishing, so I grabbed the fatheads and leeches and joined the 10 other boats out in front of my house.
With the breeze coming out of the south, I actually motored out to a spot in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water before turning off the motor and deploying the drift sock. I again used an 1/8 ounce Northland Gumball jig in parrot color tipped with a large leech.
I made a complete drift from Giza's to Malay's and only caught a couple of perch, one of which was about 10 1/2 inches and boarding on being a jumbo. But with the fishing slow, and my parents visiting, I stowed my fishing gear and went ashore.
We spent the afternoon visiting and just hanging out.
At 4:30 p.m., we left the lake and drove north on Sucker Bay Road out to Hwy. 2, where we headed east to have supper at the Big Fish Supper Club in Bena, near Lake Winnibigoshish, where my Dad treated us to supper for our anniversary.
All four of us, my Mom, Dad, Kathleen and I, had the walleye dinner.
The landmark Big Fish Supper Club
After dinner we drove back to the lake and spent a couple of hours on the back porch watching the sunset and listening to my Dad tell stories about his college days, when he was admitted to Yale but decided to go to Boston University instead, how he hitchhiked from Oslo, Norway to Copenhagen, Denmark and how he ended up a principal of a high school at the tender age of 27.
We had a very relaxing and enjoyable evening on the shores of Leech Lake.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 23, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
My wife Kathleen.
At 8:24 a.m. local time I received a text message from my beautiful wife Kathleen that she was on the plane and would very soon be on her way to Minneapolis. From there she will fly to Bemidji where I will meet her at the airport at 4:40 p.m. It will be wonderful to have her join me at our lake home on Leech Lake.
The temperature this morning, the second full day of summer, was 46 degrees. The sky was grey and overcast again, without a hint of blue to it. It wasn't raining so much as it was spitting a heavy mist. The wind was strong at 12-17 mph out of the north, with gusts well over 20 mph, creating rolling waves and white caps on the lake. I did see one brave boat on the water at about 9:15 a.m.
Even though it was wet from all of the mist and light rain T&K showed up at 10:00 a.m. to mow the lawn. With all of the rain during the past week or so the grass has grown really tall and desperately needed to be cut.
My parents and I visited in the early afternoon while continued to do some final cleaning and straightening up around the house. At 3:30 p.m. we left the lake to drive into Bemidji to get Kathleen.
As we drove into Bemidji the clouds parted and the sun came out for the first time in days. By the time we were loading Kathleen's luggage into the car it was 73 degrees in Bemidji, sunny and warm.
We stopped at the grocery store, picked up some unbaked pizzas and drove back to the lake. We ate our pizzas, enjoyed the conversation and then Kathleen and I sat on the dock and watched the sunset.
I am looking forward to a couple of very relaxing and enjoyable weeks at Leech Lake with Kathleen, celebrating our anniversary.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
June 22, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
Another cool, rainy day at Leech Lake. This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 55 degrees, the wind was 8-12 mph out of the NNE and the sky was grey, cloudy, and a light rain fell.
In fact, rain fell all day long. At some periods it rained hard, but most of the day there was just a light steady rain falling. The high temperature today on the shores of Sucker Bay never got past 56 degrees. The wind was also fairly steady at 8-15 mph out of the NNE, with gusts up to 25 mph.
No fishing today. I stayed inside and visited with my parents.
In fact, rain fell all day long. At some periods it rained hard, but most of the day there was just a light steady rain falling. The high temperature today on the shores of Sucker Bay never got past 56 degrees. The wind was also fairly steady at 8-15 mph out of the NNE, with gusts up to 25 mph.
No fishing today. I stayed inside and visited with my parents.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 21, 2011 -- Summer Solstice -- On Leech Lake
Despite going to bed at midnight last night, I was wide awake at 4:45 a.m. When it became clear that sleep was not going to come easy, I decided to get up. And since I was up, I figured I might as well go fishing, so at 5:30 a.m., just 8 minutes after sunrise, I was on Leech Lake.
The wind was stiff at 12-15 mph out of the NNE creating some decent sized swells and a classic walleye chop. The temperature was 50 degrees, the water temperature was 65.5 degrees, and the sky was cloudy and grey.
The wonderful thing about being on the lake so early is there are no other boats to contend with. In fact, I could not see another boat in any direction on Sucker Bay.
With the water to myself, I motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Poage's cabin, put in the drift sock, and drifted south and out into the bay at a ground speed of roughly .60 mph. I tipped my parrot colored Northland Gumball jig with a leech and began fishing.
About halfway through my drift I caught a rock bass. But as I got closer to Second Duck Point I started marking a lot of fish on my Lowrance electronics. As if on cue, something bit my jig quickly and took the leech. It felt like the "tap" of a walleye.
Within 5 minutes of dropping a new leech into the choppy waters off Second Duck Point, I felt that familiar weight of a walleye and quickly set the hook. I could tell right away it was a good fish, most likely in the slot (which on Leech Lake is 18-26 inches; any fish in that "slot" has to go back into the lake).
I had forgotten to get the landing net ready, so while fighting the fish with one hand I extended the shaft on the landing net with the other. Soon I had the net under the fish and into the boat. The walleye measured 21 inches, and was a very solid, almost fat, fish. I gently released the fish back into the water.
At that point my lack of sleep was creeping up on me so I decided to go ashore. By 6:30 a.m. I was back in the house wondering if I should give sleep another shot.
Here on the shores of Leech Lake, the Summer Solstice officially arrived at 12:16 p.m., although you wouldn't know it was summer by the weather. The temperature was 55 degrees and there was light rain was falling as summer arrived in the Northwoods,. Within an hour a larger storm moved in and with it heavier rain. The color-weather radar on weather.com's site shows the strongest part of the storm to move over Ottertail Peninsula around 2:30 p.m.
By 3:30 p.m., with heavy rains still falling, the part of the yard that had been torn up by the harbor repairs by Peterson Excavating, looked like a swamp, with standing water atop the mud. At least this should help the grass seed I spread soak into the ground and hasten the recovery of the lawn.
My parents called me from Grand Rapids at around 2:15 p.m. as they were about to go into the grocery store. I figure after shopping and the drive to the lake, that they should arrive sometime around 4:00 p.m.
Sure enough, just after 4:00 p.m. my parents arrived. We spent an hour or so talking and catching up, and then I got the grill going for some dinner. At 8:00 p.m. I came back to the house and just as I got inside it started raining again. It was raining at 9:30 p.m. as I closed down the PC for the night.
Obviously no fishing tonight. But if there's a break in the weather tomorrow, I will try to get out and catch some more Leech Lake walleye.
The wind was stiff at 12-15 mph out of the NNE creating some decent sized swells and a classic walleye chop. The temperature was 50 degrees, the water temperature was 65.5 degrees, and the sky was cloudy and grey.
The wonderful thing about being on the lake so early is there are no other boats to contend with. In fact, I could not see another boat in any direction on Sucker Bay.
With the water to myself, I motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Poage's cabin, put in the drift sock, and drifted south and out into the bay at a ground speed of roughly .60 mph. I tipped my parrot colored Northland Gumball jig with a leech and began fishing.
About halfway through my drift I caught a rock bass. But as I got closer to Second Duck Point I started marking a lot of fish on my Lowrance electronics. As if on cue, something bit my jig quickly and took the leech. It felt like the "tap" of a walleye.
Within 5 minutes of dropping a new leech into the choppy waters off Second Duck Point, I felt that familiar weight of a walleye and quickly set the hook. I could tell right away it was a good fish, most likely in the slot (which on Leech Lake is 18-26 inches; any fish in that "slot" has to go back into the lake).
I had forgotten to get the landing net ready, so while fighting the fish with one hand I extended the shaft on the landing net with the other. Soon I had the net under the fish and into the boat. The walleye measured 21 inches, and was a very solid, almost fat, fish. I gently released the fish back into the water.
At that point my lack of sleep was creeping up on me so I decided to go ashore. By 6:30 a.m. I was back in the house wondering if I should give sleep another shot.
Here on the shores of Leech Lake, the Summer Solstice officially arrived at 12:16 p.m., although you wouldn't know it was summer by the weather. The temperature was 55 degrees and there was light rain was falling as summer arrived in the Northwoods,. Within an hour a larger storm moved in and with it heavier rain. The color-weather radar on weather.com's site shows the strongest part of the storm to move over Ottertail Peninsula around 2:30 p.m.
By 3:30 p.m., with heavy rains still falling, the part of the yard that had been torn up by the harbor repairs by Peterson Excavating, looked like a swamp, with standing water atop the mud. At least this should help the grass seed I spread soak into the ground and hasten the recovery of the lawn.
My parents called me from Grand Rapids at around 2:15 p.m. as they were about to go into the grocery store. I figure after shopping and the drive to the lake, that they should arrive sometime around 4:00 p.m.
Sure enough, just after 4:00 p.m. my parents arrived. We spent an hour or so talking and catching up, and then I got the grill going for some dinner. At 8:00 p.m. I came back to the house and just as I got inside it started raining again. It was raining at 9:30 p.m. as I closed down the PC for the night.
Obviously no fishing tonight. But if there's a break in the weather tomorrow, I will try to get out and catch some more Leech Lake walleye.
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 20, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 9:30 a.m. the temperature was 49 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was out of the NE again at 8-12 mph, with gusts up to 17 mph. As I started to write this post the furnace kicked on. If I'm not mistaken, tomorrow is the first day of summer, so shouldn't it be warming up soon?
I took care of some chores around the house this morning before driving into Bemidji at just after noon. I registered the truck for another year at the DMV, picked up some new wiper blades for the truck at the Chevy dealership, did some grocery shopping and eventually made it home around 4:30 p.m.
I got everything put away, took the garbage down to the community center bins, put on the new wiper blades and cleaned up around the house. At 6:00 p.m., with the temperature at 66 degrees and mostly cloudy skies, I decided to go fishing.
The wind was out of the north at 10-15 mph, and there were some pretty good waves on the lake. I figured the "walleye chop" might make the fishing good. I took the boat out in front of the cabin, put in the drift sock, and drifted south toward Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water. The water temperature was 66 degrees.
I tipped my parrot colored Northland Gumball jig with a leech and started fishing. Even with the drift sock in the water, the wind pushed the boat along at a ground speed of .50 to .67 mph. I caught several rock bass and perch, but only one small walleye, a 13-incher.
I didn't go out trolling tonight, opting to stay in after dinner and read. Tomorrow my parents are set to arrive. I haven't seen them in more than a year so it will be great to spend time with them. And then on Thursday of this week, Kathleen is arriving in Bemidji. It will be fantastic to have her join me here at Leech Lake. We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 26.
I took care of some chores around the house this morning before driving into Bemidji at just after noon. I registered the truck for another year at the DMV, picked up some new wiper blades for the truck at the Chevy dealership, did some grocery shopping and eventually made it home around 4:30 p.m.
I got everything put away, took the garbage down to the community center bins, put on the new wiper blades and cleaned up around the house. At 6:00 p.m., with the temperature at 66 degrees and mostly cloudy skies, I decided to go fishing.
The wind was out of the north at 10-15 mph, and there were some pretty good waves on the lake. I figured the "walleye chop" might make the fishing good. I took the boat out in front of the cabin, put in the drift sock, and drifted south toward Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water. The water temperature was 66 degrees.
I tipped my parrot colored Northland Gumball jig with a leech and started fishing. Even with the drift sock in the water, the wind pushed the boat along at a ground speed of .50 to .67 mph. I caught several rock bass and perch, but only one small walleye, a 13-incher.
I didn't go out trolling tonight, opting to stay in after dinner and read. Tomorrow my parents are set to arrive. I haven't seen them in more than a year so it will be great to spend time with them. And then on Thursday of this week, Kathleen is arriving in Bemidji. It will be fantastic to have her join me here at Leech Lake. We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 26.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 19, 2011 -- Father's Day -- On Leech Lake
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my dad, who is the greatest dad a guy could ever hope to have! Thanks Dad.
This morning at 8:15 a.m. the temperature was 53 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast, the lake and the horizon blended together in a silvery-grey mist and the wind was calm; once again the flag lay limp against the pole and the water looked like glass. I could not see across the lake, it was simply a silver-grey expanse.
There has been a strange visitor in the yard this morning --a pigeon. Now, if I was in San Francisco, Minneapolis, or maybe even Bemidji, I wouldn't be surprised seeing a pigeon, but here on the shores of Leech Lake, that's very unusual. In fact, in the 10 years we've had our properties on Leech Lake, I had never seen a pigeon up here until today.
One other interesting aspect to this particular pigeon, it had a green band around its left leg and a blue band around its right leg, just above its feet. Maybe it's a homing pigeon that had lost its way. Anyway, the darn thing was eating the grass seed I just put down yesterday, so I had to shoo it away. But, it kept coming back, so eventually I just gave up chasing it away. At some point it will have its fill of grass seed.
Despite overcast skies and the threat of rain, I decided to fishing at 2:00 p.m. The temperature was 66 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NE and the water temperature was 67.5 degrees.
I started fishing in 9-12 feet of water in front of Schiebe's cabin, and didn't catch anything. I moved a little further south to the Birches, but caught only a rock bass, although something big hit my line and bit off the jig. I retied another 1/8 ounce, parrot color Gumball jig, tipped it with a leech and resumed fishing.
Unfortunately, I was not able to catch anything else. Not even a small perch. I suppose if I was using a fathead instead of a leech I may have caught perch, but I was after walleye. At 4:00 p.m. I came ashore.
Nature Update: For some reason the wind seems to be blowing almost exclusively out of the east, or some variation of the east, such as NE. In my many years here at Leech Lake I have typically seen wind out of the north, south and west, but rarely the east. But for some reason, the prevailing wind direction during the past six weeks is east.
This morning at 8:15 a.m. the temperature was 53 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast, the lake and the horizon blended together in a silvery-grey mist and the wind was calm; once again the flag lay limp against the pole and the water looked like glass. I could not see across the lake, it was simply a silver-grey expanse.
There has been a strange visitor in the yard this morning --a pigeon. Now, if I was in San Francisco, Minneapolis, or maybe even Bemidji, I wouldn't be surprised seeing a pigeon, but here on the shores of Leech Lake, that's very unusual. In fact, in the 10 years we've had our properties on Leech Lake, I had never seen a pigeon up here until today.
One other interesting aspect to this particular pigeon, it had a green band around its left leg and a blue band around its right leg, just above its feet. Maybe it's a homing pigeon that had lost its way. Anyway, the darn thing was eating the grass seed I just put down yesterday, so I had to shoo it away. But, it kept coming back, so eventually I just gave up chasing it away. At some point it will have its fill of grass seed.
Despite overcast skies and the threat of rain, I decided to fishing at 2:00 p.m. The temperature was 66 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NE and the water temperature was 67.5 degrees.
I started fishing in 9-12 feet of water in front of Schiebe's cabin, and didn't catch anything. I moved a little further south to the Birches, but caught only a rock bass, although something big hit my line and bit off the jig. I retied another 1/8 ounce, parrot color Gumball jig, tipped it with a leech and resumed fishing.
Unfortunately, I was not able to catch anything else. Not even a small perch. I suppose if I was using a fathead instead of a leech I may have caught perch, but I was after walleye. At 4:00 p.m. I came ashore.
Nature Update: For some reason the wind seems to be blowing almost exclusively out of the east, or some variation of the east, such as NE. In my many years here at Leech Lake I have typically seen wind out of the north, south and west, but rarely the east. But for some reason, the prevailing wind direction during the past six weeks is east.
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