This morning was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was 68 degrees, the sky was sunny, blue with just a few scattered clouds, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the west although the humidity was already 80%. As a result, it felt warm and comfortable outside. I'm sure as the day heats up, and if the humidity stays steady, it will feel hot and sticky.
Joe and I had a hearty breakfast before driving into Bemidji. We took care of several chores -- such as picking up the paint for the out buildings -- and dropping of the truck at Dondelinger GM where they waxed and buffed out my truck as promised; for free. While that was being done Joe and I went to the movies and saw Cowboys & Aliens, which just came out today. It was a fun movie, certain to not win any awards, but for a summer movie it was fine.
At 3:00 p.m. we went back to the dealership to get the truck, but it was still not ready, they needed another 30 minutes. We took advantage of that time to walk to Target and take care of shop of the shopping we needed to there.
After we got the truck we stopped for an early dinner at the Mexican restaurant Mi Rancho, which is actually pretty good. Then it was on to the grocery store and home.
This evening at 9:00 p.m., the wind was nearly calm, the temperature was right around 70 degrees, the humidity was a comfortable 60% and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky for as far as I could see. Since my arrival in mid-May, there hasn't been an evening as clear as it was tonight. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that with no clouds the sunset is fairly common.
Joe didn't want to go out on the boat and fish tonight, although he did throw a lure off the dock at the cabin. He caught a 14-inch bass, and something hit his lure hard and took off the plastic body on it. He got a few more bites, but didn't catch anything else. After he came inside we spent most of the evening just hanging out. We listened to music, talked and then watched a little TV.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
July 28, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the sky was mostly sunny, the wind was out of the SW at 7-10 mph, the temperature was 70 degrees and the humidity was 76%. I'm not sure what the forecast calls for today, but I can tell it's going to be pretty warm and humid.
On a sad note, our neighbors and friends, the Newmans, had to put down their dog Merle today because he was suffering from cancer. It is a hard thing to say goodbye to a friend and family member, even it is a pet.
Just after noon I waterproofed one set of the stairs near the harbor while Joe threw a lure (a top water plastic frog) off the dock at the cabin. And he had some luck, catching a couple of nice bass. The temperature didn't go up that much, up to only 74 degrees, and the humidity held constant at 76%, but it sure felt hot.
At 2:30 p.m. Joe and I went fishing. It felt great out on the water with the wind blowing at 8-15 mph out of the west. The water temperature was 78 degrees.
We started out in 15 feet of water off Second Duck Point and drifted toward the shores of Ottertail Peninsula with the west wind. Both Joe and I used jigs tipped with leeches. We made several passes in this spot without any success before relocating in front of our house in 18 feet of water and drifting toward shore. Again, we had no success, except for the rock bass which Joe caught. We did have several bites throughout the day, but couldn't hook or boat any fish.
We came ashore just before 5:00 p.m. It was obvious that the humidity was lower, and in fact in registered at 60%. Joe has been trying to catch crayfish, for a crayfish feed, and added 8 more to the 4 he caught earlier. He still needs dozens more to make a decent meal. After tending to his crayfish, Joe jumped in the lake to cool off, while I got the grill ready to BBQ our chicken wings.
After a very tasty dinner, we showered and settled in for a night at the movies, Leech Lake style. Joe and I watched Iron Man 2 then called it a night. Tomorrow we're going into Bemidji to run a variety of errands. More on our adventures in tomorrow's post.
Good night from Leech Lake.
On a sad note, our neighbors and friends, the Newmans, had to put down their dog Merle today because he was suffering from cancer. It is a hard thing to say goodbye to a friend and family member, even it is a pet.
Just after noon I waterproofed one set of the stairs near the harbor while Joe threw a lure (a top water plastic frog) off the dock at the cabin. And he had some luck, catching a couple of nice bass. The temperature didn't go up that much, up to only 74 degrees, and the humidity held constant at 76%, but it sure felt hot.
At 2:30 p.m. Joe and I went fishing. It felt great out on the water with the wind blowing at 8-15 mph out of the west. The water temperature was 78 degrees.
We started out in 15 feet of water off Second Duck Point and drifted toward the shores of Ottertail Peninsula with the west wind. Both Joe and I used jigs tipped with leeches. We made several passes in this spot without any success before relocating in front of our house in 18 feet of water and drifting toward shore. Again, we had no success, except for the rock bass which Joe caught. We did have several bites throughout the day, but couldn't hook or boat any fish.
We came ashore just before 5:00 p.m. It was obvious that the humidity was lower, and in fact in registered at 60%. Joe has been trying to catch crayfish, for a crayfish feed, and added 8 more to the 4 he caught earlier. He still needs dozens more to make a decent meal. After tending to his crayfish, Joe jumped in the lake to cool off, while I got the grill ready to BBQ our chicken wings.
After a very tasty dinner, we showered and settled in for a night at the movies, Leech Lake style. Joe and I watched Iron Man 2 then called it a night. Tomorrow we're going into Bemidji to run a variety of errands. More on our adventures in tomorrow's post.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
July 27, 2011 -- On/In Leech Lake
Well, I'm back at Leech Lake. I went to St. Cloud on Sunday in advance of picking up my son Joe from the airport on Monday. Actually, Joe flew into Minneapolis then took a shuttle bus up to St. Cloud where I met him at the Holiday Inn.
Joe had taken the redeye flight from San Francisco was understandably tired upon his arrival. He was also hungry, so we had breakfast at Perkin's. We spent Monday at Marge Coyle's house (Kathleen's mom) visiting with her as well as Kathleen's brother's family. We took care of various chores for people (such as hauling some old junk to the dump), but mainly we just hung out and talked with family.
On Tuesday, July 26, Joe and I packed up our stuff, said our goodbyes, and headed up to Leech Lake. We arrived sometime around 7:00 p.m. and spent the rest of the evening quietly, having dinner and just hanging out.
This morning we awoke to gray, overcast skies, a temperature of 70 degrees and light winds out of the SW at 7-10 mph. It rained last night so the ground, and everything else, was wet. The humidity is not nearly as bad as it was last week, but it's at 82%, so it was a little sticky. The temperature is supposed to reach 80 today, and with that humidity, it might get a bit uncomfortable.
After breakfast and a little work around the house, Joe and I went fishing. It was the first chance I had to use the new Drift Control drift sock, which I had bought at Scheel's in St. Cloud. I took the boat past Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water, which was at 77 degrees, and deployed the new drift sock; which worked wonderfully.
Both Joe and I used jigs tipped with leeches, but after two passes the only fish boated were a couple of small perch that I caught. We then realized that we had forgotten to get Joe a Minnesota fishing license, so we immediately came in off the water, drove to Birch Ridge Resort and got him an annual fishing license.
We came back to the house, had some lunch, and then set in on some yard work that included planting some lilies of the valley that we had brought back from Marge Coyle's house. I asked her if we could transplant some of her plants and she was more than happy to have them live on in another location.
By the time we were done working around the yard, both Joe and I were hot and dripping with sweat. The temperature had climbed to 82 degrees and the humidity was up over 90%. It was time to "cool the core," so both of us jumped in the lake. We swam around for 10 minutes or so and then got out. For the rest of the evening we remained fairly cool as a result of our plunge into Leech Lake.
Joe and I had a tasty dinner of pulled BBQ pork, Cole slaw and fries. We ended the night by watching a movie, a favorite of ours, a Coen brothers movie, The Big Lebowski.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Joe had taken the redeye flight from San Francisco was understandably tired upon his arrival. He was also hungry, so we had breakfast at Perkin's. We spent Monday at Marge Coyle's house (Kathleen's mom) visiting with her as well as Kathleen's brother's family. We took care of various chores for people (such as hauling some old junk to the dump), but mainly we just hung out and talked with family.
On Tuesday, July 26, Joe and I packed up our stuff, said our goodbyes, and headed up to Leech Lake. We arrived sometime around 7:00 p.m. and spent the rest of the evening quietly, having dinner and just hanging out.
This morning we awoke to gray, overcast skies, a temperature of 70 degrees and light winds out of the SW at 7-10 mph. It rained last night so the ground, and everything else, was wet. The humidity is not nearly as bad as it was last week, but it's at 82%, so it was a little sticky. The temperature is supposed to reach 80 today, and with that humidity, it might get a bit uncomfortable.
After breakfast and a little work around the house, Joe and I went fishing. It was the first chance I had to use the new Drift Control drift sock, which I had bought at Scheel's in St. Cloud. I took the boat past Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water, which was at 77 degrees, and deployed the new drift sock; which worked wonderfully.
Both Joe and I used jigs tipped with leeches, but after two passes the only fish boated were a couple of small perch that I caught. We then realized that we had forgotten to get Joe a Minnesota fishing license, so we immediately came in off the water, drove to Birch Ridge Resort and got him an annual fishing license.
We came back to the house, had some lunch, and then set in on some yard work that included planting some lilies of the valley that we had brought back from Marge Coyle's house. I asked her if we could transplant some of her plants and she was more than happy to have them live on in another location.
By the time we were done working around the yard, both Joe and I were hot and dripping with sweat. The temperature had climbed to 82 degrees and the humidity was up over 90%. It was time to "cool the core," so both of us jumped in the lake. We swam around for 10 minutes or so and then got out. For the rest of the evening we remained fairly cool as a result of our plunge into Leech Lake.
Joe and I had a tasty dinner of pulled BBQ pork, Cole slaw and fries. We ended the night by watching a movie, a favorite of ours, a Coen brothers movie, The Big Lebowski.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
July 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
Again I woke up early this morning, but not to storms, but to the sound of the furnace running. That's right the furnace. While most of the country -- including here a Leech Lake for the past week -- has suffered unbearable heat, the furnace was actually running.
I immediately turned it off since I wasn't about to close all the windows. The temperature outside was 55 degrees, and the temperature in the house was at 68 degrees, which is where the furnace is set to kick on.
It had obviously rained during the night because everything outside was wet. The sky was clear with only a few high billowy clouds and the wind was out of the WNW at 8-12 mph. It appeared to be a beautiful day, if not a bit chilly.
By 9:00 a.m. the temperature had warmed only slightly to 56 degrees and all other conditions remained consistent as earlier.
I grabbed a quick breakfast, loaded some things into the truck and was ready to set off for St. Cloud by just after 10:30 a.m.
I won't be back to Leech Lake until sometime on Tuesday, July 26, so there will be no post tomorrow.
Until my arrival back at Leech Lake, so long...
I immediately turned it off since I wasn't about to close all the windows. The temperature outside was 55 degrees, and the temperature in the house was at 68 degrees, which is where the furnace is set to kick on.
It had obviously rained during the night because everything outside was wet. The sky was clear with only a few high billowy clouds and the wind was out of the WNW at 8-12 mph. It appeared to be a beautiful day, if not a bit chilly.
By 9:00 a.m. the temperature had warmed only slightly to 56 degrees and all other conditions remained consistent as earlier.
I grabbed a quick breakfast, loaded some things into the truck and was ready to set off for St. Cloud by just after 10:30 a.m.
I won't be back to Leech Lake until sometime on Tuesday, July 26, so there will be no post tomorrow.
Until my arrival back at Leech Lake, so long...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
July 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
"Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning."
For the second time in recent days I'm reminded of that old mariner's adage. I had trouble sleeping last night and for some reason awoke at 5:30 a.m. to the sound of a strong wind. I took a look outside, and the sky to the east was bright red. As I stood marveling at the sky a flash of lightening appeared over head and within seconds was followed with a loud clap of thunder. Take warning indeed.
The thunderstorm brought wind, rain, lightening and thunder. At 8:30 a.m. the sky was gray and overcast, the wind was variable -- 8-15 mph swinging from the north to the ENE -- and the temperature was a cool 60 degrees. The humidity, most likely because of the rain, was at 70%.
Today I had planned to apply waterproofing to the wood stairs that are on either side of the harbor, but if it's going to rain all day I'll have to wait.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the north-central part of Minnesota, including Leech Lake, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
I wasn't going to go fishing today, in part because I didn't have a drift sock and in part because it was supposed to storm, but at Kathleen's urging -- "go fishing whenever you can..." -- I hit the water at around 3:30 p.m. The wind was out of the east at 10-12 mph, and without a drift sock, it meant that the boat would be pushed rather quickly from our shoreline out into Sucker Bay. The further out into the bay I got, the stronger the wind and the faster the boat was propelled.
Given that scenario, I started relatively close to shore in 8 1/2 feet of water and let the wind move me out into deeper water. The wind also moved the boat slightly south as it moved out into the bay so I could start in front of the cabin and by the time I got out into the middle of the bay I had moved a south enough to where I was in front of the house.
As usual when drifting, I used a jig tipped with a leech. I caught a few rock bass, including some good sized ones, and a small perch but no walleye. On two occasions, I did feel that familiar "walleye tap" and when I checked my bait the leech had been bitten in half; meaning something with teeth, either a walleye or a pike, was checking out my lure. At 4:30 p.m. I went ashore to listen to A Prairie Home Companion, and later get dinner started.
The storm which had been predicted never showed up. Instead, the sky actually started to show a little blue. The sunset was of the type where the sun was a big orange ball, which looked amazing, but once it dropped below the horizon there was virtually no color of any sort which made for a rather unspectacular sunset.
I ate dinner, watched a movie, and talked with Kathleen and Joe on the phone. Tomorrow morning I'm driving to St. Cloud and will see Kathleen's mom and sister. Then on Monday morning I'll pick Joe up from where the shuttle from the Minneapolis airport will drop him off in St. Cloud. We'll spend Monday in St. Cloud visiting family before making our way up to Leech Lake on Tuesday.
Good night from Leech Lake.
For the second time in recent days I'm reminded of that old mariner's adage. I had trouble sleeping last night and for some reason awoke at 5:30 a.m. to the sound of a strong wind. I took a look outside, and the sky to the east was bright red. As I stood marveling at the sky a flash of lightening appeared over head and within seconds was followed with a loud clap of thunder. Take warning indeed.
The thunderstorm brought wind, rain, lightening and thunder. At 8:30 a.m. the sky was gray and overcast, the wind was variable -- 8-15 mph swinging from the north to the ENE -- and the temperature was a cool 60 degrees. The humidity, most likely because of the rain, was at 70%.
Today I had planned to apply waterproofing to the wood stairs that are on either side of the harbor, but if it's going to rain all day I'll have to wait.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the north-central part of Minnesota, including Leech Lake, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
I wasn't going to go fishing today, in part because I didn't have a drift sock and in part because it was supposed to storm, but at Kathleen's urging -- "go fishing whenever you can..." -- I hit the water at around 3:30 p.m. The wind was out of the east at 10-12 mph, and without a drift sock, it meant that the boat would be pushed rather quickly from our shoreline out into Sucker Bay. The further out into the bay I got, the stronger the wind and the faster the boat was propelled.
Given that scenario, I started relatively close to shore in 8 1/2 feet of water and let the wind move me out into deeper water. The wind also moved the boat slightly south as it moved out into the bay so I could start in front of the cabin and by the time I got out into the middle of the bay I had moved a south enough to where I was in front of the house.
As usual when drifting, I used a jig tipped with a leech. I caught a few rock bass, including some good sized ones, and a small perch but no walleye. On two occasions, I did feel that familiar "walleye tap" and when I checked my bait the leech had been bitten in half; meaning something with teeth, either a walleye or a pike, was checking out my lure. At 4:30 p.m. I went ashore to listen to A Prairie Home Companion, and later get dinner started.
The storm which had been predicted never showed up. Instead, the sky actually started to show a little blue. The sunset was of the type where the sun was a big orange ball, which looked amazing, but once it dropped below the horizon there was virtually no color of any sort which made for a rather unspectacular sunset.
I ate dinner, watched a movie, and talked with Kathleen and Joe on the phone. Tomorrow morning I'm driving to St. Cloud and will see Kathleen's mom and sister. Then on Monday morning I'll pick Joe up from where the shuttle from the Minneapolis airport will drop him off in St. Cloud. We'll spend Monday in St. Cloud visiting family before making our way up to Leech Lake on Tuesday.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, July 22, 2011
July 22, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning was a perfect summer morning. Bright blue sky, a light breeze that barely rippled the flag or lake, a temperature of 72 degrees and the humidity at 70%. Absolutely perfect.
After taking care of various chores around the house and properties, I decided to go fishing at 12:30 p.m. There was only a slight breeze and it was the hottest part of the day, not exactly ideal fishing conditions, but what the heck.
I took the boat out to 10 feet of water off Second Duck Point and began jigging. At that spot on the lake the wind, which was coming out of the SE was strong enough to where I had to deploy the drift sock to keep the boat from turning in the wind. The wind gently pushed the boat out into the bay at about .35 mph ground speed.
I had a few bites, but could never hook into anything. After about an hour or so I decided to relocate to a deeper hole I know over by the old Bay Shore Resort at the north end of Sucker Bay. I figured that the warm water, which was now at 81 degrees, may have forced the fish to go a little deeper than they've been the past few weeks.
Once at the spot marked by a waypoint I dropped in the drift sock, put a fresh leech onto the jig and began fishing. After about 30 minutes or so, the wind died down completely and the heat from the overhead midday sun was really baking me, so I decided to call it quits.
I stowed my jigging rod in the rod locker, got the boat ready to go then applied the throttle to get me home. I immediately experienced a drag on the boat and wondered what was up. I put the boat in neutral and everything seemed to be OK so once again I throttled up and got the boat moving quickly. That's when I felt the drag again, followed by a loud snap. Again I backed off on the throttle and quickly checked the motor to see if I had snapped a linkage or cable.
That, fortunately, wasn't the problem. What was the issue was that I had left the drift sock in the water, and that the rope snapped when I accelerated. My drift sock was now slowly sinking some 25 yards behind the boat. I quickly turned the boat around and went after my slowly descending drift sock. But by the time I got there it was out of sight; gone beneath the algae bloom of Leech Lake.
I wasn't about to give up that easily, so I got out my trolling rod and made several passes over the spot hoping to snag the drift sock with my lure and reuse it. Unfortunately, after numerous passes over the location where I last saw the sock, I had come up empty. My drift sock was gone.
The wind had died down and as a result I had completely forgotten that the sock was still in the water. It's particularly disappointing for me because that drift sock had been a Father's Day present from my son Joe several years back. I liked it so much that when it tore earlier this season rather than get a new one I had this one repaired. Now it was lurking somewhere in the depths of north Sucker Bay. Now I'll have to get a new one at Scheel's when I'm in St. Cloud on Sunday.
Since it was Friday night, I had pizza. Lately, when I've been getting pizza here at the lake, I've been picking up an unbaked pie from Great River Pizzeria in Cass Lake. Yesterday when I was driving home from Bemidji I stopped in and picked up a pizza in anticipation of "Friday night pizza," a tradition that goes back more than two decades in our family. I know for sure that those of my family in California will be ordering pizza tonight.
After my pizza dinner, I read some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, and then watched a 1962 Hammer Production movie starring Peter Cushing, Night Creatures.
I could tell that the wind had picked up a little by the sound of it blowing through the trees. Tonight there's a good chance of thunderstorm, and tomorrow there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms all day long.
I guess it's probably because I'm still fretting over the loss of my drift sock earlier today, but I decided against going fishing until I've got the boat outfitted with a new drift sock. So no fishing tonight.
Good night from Leech Lake.
After taking care of various chores around the house and properties, I decided to go fishing at 12:30 p.m. There was only a slight breeze and it was the hottest part of the day, not exactly ideal fishing conditions, but what the heck.
I took the boat out to 10 feet of water off Second Duck Point and began jigging. At that spot on the lake the wind, which was coming out of the SE was strong enough to where I had to deploy the drift sock to keep the boat from turning in the wind. The wind gently pushed the boat out into the bay at about .35 mph ground speed.
I had a few bites, but could never hook into anything. After about an hour or so I decided to relocate to a deeper hole I know over by the old Bay Shore Resort at the north end of Sucker Bay. I figured that the warm water, which was now at 81 degrees, may have forced the fish to go a little deeper than they've been the past few weeks.
Once at the spot marked by a waypoint I dropped in the drift sock, put a fresh leech onto the jig and began fishing. After about 30 minutes or so, the wind died down completely and the heat from the overhead midday sun was really baking me, so I decided to call it quits.
I stowed my jigging rod in the rod locker, got the boat ready to go then applied the throttle to get me home. I immediately experienced a drag on the boat and wondered what was up. I put the boat in neutral and everything seemed to be OK so once again I throttled up and got the boat moving quickly. That's when I felt the drag again, followed by a loud snap. Again I backed off on the throttle and quickly checked the motor to see if I had snapped a linkage or cable.
That, fortunately, wasn't the problem. What was the issue was that I had left the drift sock in the water, and that the rope snapped when I accelerated. My drift sock was now slowly sinking some 25 yards behind the boat. I quickly turned the boat around and went after my slowly descending drift sock. But by the time I got there it was out of sight; gone beneath the algae bloom of Leech Lake.
I wasn't about to give up that easily, so I got out my trolling rod and made several passes over the spot hoping to snag the drift sock with my lure and reuse it. Unfortunately, after numerous passes over the location where I last saw the sock, I had come up empty. My drift sock was gone.
The wind had died down and as a result I had completely forgotten that the sock was still in the water. It's particularly disappointing for me because that drift sock had been a Father's Day present from my son Joe several years back. I liked it so much that when it tore earlier this season rather than get a new one I had this one repaired. Now it was lurking somewhere in the depths of north Sucker Bay. Now I'll have to get a new one at Scheel's when I'm in St. Cloud on Sunday.
Since it was Friday night, I had pizza. Lately, when I've been getting pizza here at the lake, I've been picking up an unbaked pie from Great River Pizzeria in Cass Lake. Yesterday when I was driving home from Bemidji I stopped in and picked up a pizza in anticipation of "Friday night pizza," a tradition that goes back more than two decades in our family. I know for sure that those of my family in California will be ordering pizza tonight.
After my pizza dinner, I read some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, and then watched a 1962 Hammer Production movie starring Peter Cushing, Night Creatures.
I could tell that the wind had picked up a little by the sound of it blowing through the trees. Tonight there's a good chance of thunderstorm, and tomorrow there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms all day long.
I guess it's probably because I'm still fretting over the loss of my drift sock earlier today, but I decided against going fishing until I've got the boat outfitted with a new drift sock. So no fishing tonight.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
July 21, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
For the first time in more than a week I awoke to weather that wasn't hot, humid and stifling. The humidity was at 70%, and that's 20% lower than it's been many days this past week. The temperature was 68 degrees and the wind was at 8-15 mph out of the WSW. I could actually wear pants, shoes and socks when I went into town and I wasn't too hot.
Of course I spoke too soon. Once in Bemidji, I dropped my truck off for service at Dondelinger GM and walked about 2 miles to the Perkin's for breakfast. It wasn't yet noon and the temperature in Bemidji was 85 degrees, and while I have no idea what the humidity was, it was significant enough to where I was definitely hot when I arrived at the restaurant.
After breakfast I walked back to the shop to pick up my truck. The service guy met me and had a troubled look about him. He started to apologize for the "little problem" that they caused and I started to worry. He then went on to tell me that after the truck was fully serviced (which cost all of $42) they washed my truck and accidently left the de-greaser on too long which caused some streaking. I told him it was no big deal, but he insisted that the next time I come into town that I leave the truck with them for 2-3 hours and they'll do a complete wax job on my truck and buff out all of the marks -- for free. This is the type of small-town, Northwoods service you never get in a big city such as San Jose.
I ordered some paint at Sherwin Williams -- so Joe and I can paint the out buildings when he's here -- got some groceries, and then drove back to the lake.
When I arrived it was still very windy with the wind out of the SW at 12-20 mph. There were white caps rolling across the lake. The temperature was 80 degrees and the humidity varied for the rest of the day between 64-70%. The lower humidity made it very comfortable, and the wind kept the deer flies and mosquitoes at bay, so I was actually able to lay in the hammock for about an hour. What a wonderful gift; not just the hammock (which Kathleen did get me for a gift) but for the time to be able to lay in it.
As the evening moved toward sunset the wind slowed a little, but not enough to where I felt like taking the boat out fishing, so I spent the evening reading the newspapers I bought in town, and working the various puzzles (Sudoku and crosswords), while listening to music. I only wish Kathleen could have been here with me. That would have made it a perfect night.
Tomorrow I have various chores to attend to around the property. I hope the lower humidity holds. Until then...
Of course I spoke too soon. Once in Bemidji, I dropped my truck off for service at Dondelinger GM and walked about 2 miles to the Perkin's for breakfast. It wasn't yet noon and the temperature in Bemidji was 85 degrees, and while I have no idea what the humidity was, it was significant enough to where I was definitely hot when I arrived at the restaurant.
After breakfast I walked back to the shop to pick up my truck. The service guy met me and had a troubled look about him. He started to apologize for the "little problem" that they caused and I started to worry. He then went on to tell me that after the truck was fully serviced (which cost all of $42) they washed my truck and accidently left the de-greaser on too long which caused some streaking. I told him it was no big deal, but he insisted that the next time I come into town that I leave the truck with them for 2-3 hours and they'll do a complete wax job on my truck and buff out all of the marks -- for free. This is the type of small-town, Northwoods service you never get in a big city such as San Jose.
I ordered some paint at Sherwin Williams -- so Joe and I can paint the out buildings when he's here -- got some groceries, and then drove back to the lake.
When I arrived it was still very windy with the wind out of the SW at 12-20 mph. There were white caps rolling across the lake. The temperature was 80 degrees and the humidity varied for the rest of the day between 64-70%. The lower humidity made it very comfortable, and the wind kept the deer flies and mosquitoes at bay, so I was actually able to lay in the hammock for about an hour. What a wonderful gift; not just the hammock (which Kathleen did get me for a gift) but for the time to be able to lay in it.
As the evening moved toward sunset the wind slowed a little, but not enough to where I felt like taking the boat out fishing, so I spent the evening reading the newspapers I bought in town, and working the various puzzles (Sudoku and crosswords), while listening to music. I only wish Kathleen could have been here with me. That would have made it a perfect night.
Tomorrow I have various chores to attend to around the property. I hope the lower humidity holds. Until then...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
July 20, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning it was once again hot and humid; gone was the cool air from last evening.
At 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 75 degrees, the humidity was at 92% and the wind was at 8-12 mph out of the SSE. There was a mist emanating from the ground as if the wet grass was creating its own low-level cloud.
Just an hour and a half later, at 10:00 a.m., the temperature had climbed to 80 degrees and the humidity hadn't backed off a bit, still registering at 90%. It was already uncomfortable and it was still two hours shy of noon.
The guy from T&K was out this morning, in the sweltering heat and humidity, to mow the lawns at the house and cabin. For the first time since the harbor work was completed back in late June, the grass was mowed in the section that had been torn up by the heavy machinery that was necessary for the harbor restoration. While there are still some spots where the grass hasn't grown in thick quite yet, overall the lawn is coming back nicely.
I know I'm obsessing about the humidity, but here's a snippet from a CNN news story on the heat wave that's enveloping much of the US:
"Minneapolis, Minnesota, recorded its highest dew point ever, 82 degrees, on Tuesday. The dew point temperature is a measure of atmospheric moisture."
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I ran out of leeches last night on the water so I took the ATV for a spin up to Birch Ridge. I took the ATV rather than the truck since the ATV provides an open-air, and thus cooler, ride. Ann, the wife half of the husband and wife team that runs the resort, was behind the counter in the bar/office/lounge and told me A.J., the dock hand, was down in the live bait area of the fish-cleaning house and could help me.
I picked up two containers, two dozen, leeches, paid Ann and then rode back to the cabin to get the leeches into some fresh water. I decided to check on the jumbo perch that I caught last evening (and which was on the menu for today's dinner) and I'm glad I did. The combination of being in captivity and in warm water had the fish looking rather "fatigued." Immediately I set about filleting the 12-inch jumbo perch and got the fresh fillets into the refrigerator. A beer-batter coating will be the perfect compliment to the pure white meat of the perch.
After filleting the perch, and cleaning up, I was hot and covered in sweat (or was it just the air?). Not wasting any time, I gathered up the bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap and took a refreshing camp bath in the relatively cool waters of Leech Lake.
At about 5:30 p.m. I took the ATV down to the Malays to say hi to their son Sean who is visiting from Colorado. Sean, and my son Joe, have become friends over the years, and I've gotten to like Sean and have spent several hours with him in the boat fishing. It was good to see him again.
While sitting at the Malays the wind began to pick up, and by the time I left it was blowing at 17-25 mph out of the WSW. The wind blew hard for most of the rest of the night. And maybe it was the wind, or the cold front that followed it in from Montana, but the humidity dropped to 64%. It was the first time in nearly a week that the humidity has dipped below 80%. Although the temperature at midnight was 70 degrees, it felt cool and sleep should come easily tonight.
Tomorrow I'm going into Bemidji to get the truck serviced, to pick up paint so I can paint the out-buildings at the house and run several other errands. If the weather permits, upon my return I'll try to get out fishing. Tonight it was simply to windy to go out onto the water. I love fishing, but I'm not going to battle 3-foot waves and white caps to do so.
Until tomorrow...
At 8:30 a.m. the temperature was 75 degrees, the humidity was at 92% and the wind was at 8-12 mph out of the SSE. There was a mist emanating from the ground as if the wet grass was creating its own low-level cloud.
Just an hour and a half later, at 10:00 a.m., the temperature had climbed to 80 degrees and the humidity hadn't backed off a bit, still registering at 90%. It was already uncomfortable and it was still two hours shy of noon.
The guy from T&K was out this morning, in the sweltering heat and humidity, to mow the lawns at the house and cabin. For the first time since the harbor work was completed back in late June, the grass was mowed in the section that had been torn up by the heavy machinery that was necessary for the harbor restoration. While there are still some spots where the grass hasn't grown in thick quite yet, overall the lawn is coming back nicely.
I know I'm obsessing about the humidity, but here's a snippet from a CNN news story on the heat wave that's enveloping much of the US:
"Minneapolis, Minnesota, recorded its highest dew point ever, 82 degrees, on Tuesday. The dew point temperature is a measure of atmospheric moisture."
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I ran out of leeches last night on the water so I took the ATV for a spin up to Birch Ridge. I took the ATV rather than the truck since the ATV provides an open-air, and thus cooler, ride. Ann, the wife half of the husband and wife team that runs the resort, was behind the counter in the bar/office/lounge and told me A.J., the dock hand, was down in the live bait area of the fish-cleaning house and could help me.
I picked up two containers, two dozen, leeches, paid Ann and then rode back to the cabin to get the leeches into some fresh water. I decided to check on the jumbo perch that I caught last evening (and which was on the menu for today's dinner) and I'm glad I did. The combination of being in captivity and in warm water had the fish looking rather "fatigued." Immediately I set about filleting the 12-inch jumbo perch and got the fresh fillets into the refrigerator. A beer-batter coating will be the perfect compliment to the pure white meat of the perch.
After filleting the perch, and cleaning up, I was hot and covered in sweat (or was it just the air?). Not wasting any time, I gathered up the bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap and took a refreshing camp bath in the relatively cool waters of Leech Lake.
At about 5:30 p.m. I took the ATV down to the Malays to say hi to their son Sean who is visiting from Colorado. Sean, and my son Joe, have become friends over the years, and I've gotten to like Sean and have spent several hours with him in the boat fishing. It was good to see him again.
While sitting at the Malays the wind began to pick up, and by the time I left it was blowing at 17-25 mph out of the WSW. The wind blew hard for most of the rest of the night. And maybe it was the wind, or the cold front that followed it in from Montana, but the humidity dropped to 64%. It was the first time in nearly a week that the humidity has dipped below 80%. Although the temperature at midnight was 70 degrees, it felt cool and sleep should come easily tonight.
Tomorrow I'm going into Bemidji to get the truck serviced, to pick up paint so I can paint the out-buildings at the house and run several other errands. If the weather permits, upon my return I'll try to get out fishing. Tonight it was simply to windy to go out onto the water. I love fishing, but I'm not going to battle 3-foot waves and white caps to do so.
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
July 19, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I happened to wake up at 5:30 a.m. this morning and look outside to see what the weather was like, and was surprised to see the entire sky a cantaloupe orange color. The wind was calm and the temperature was 70 degrees. The humidity, which has been very high the past few days, was already at 87%.
As I lay back in bed I could hear rumbling thunder in the distance, and soon the rain started to fall. "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morn, sailors take warn." As the old saying goes. With the sky the color it was I wasn't surprised that we had a storm.
By 10:00 a.m. the storm had passed for the most part, with just occasional rumbles of thunder, the wind was 6-10 mph out of the ESE, the temperature in the house registered 77 degrees while outside the thermometer read barely 70 degrees, and the sky was mostly cloudy and still retained a slight glow of red and orange.
Just before noon, the wind shifted and started blowing from the north at 15-20 mph. I always find it interesting to watch the lake when the wind shifts. For hours the wind was blowing out of the ESE so the water in the lake was moving in one direction. Then when the wind shifted to a different direction, and picked up in intensity, the water in the lake, for a short period of time, maybe 10 minutes, was going in all directions at once as it caught the new wind.
At this same time the sky darkened, and actually required me turning on the lights in the house to see. The temperature held steady at 70 degrees as did the humidity, which stood at 90%. But it sure looked and felt like a storm was coming.
Finally at 12:50 p.m. the rain came. A hard, steady rain fell for about 30 minutes. There were a few flashes of lightening directly over head followed by loud claps of thunder. The storm was directly on top of the house. But within an hour the storm passed, although the sky remained overcast and gray.
As the day went on I did some work and some various chores around the house, but the humidity made it unpleasant even if the temperature wasn't all that hot.
By 4:45 p.m., the wind had shifted to the ESE again and was blowing at about 8-15 mph. The wind blew most of the clouds away and the sky was partly sunny. So, I decided that with the temperature not as hot and the water near our shore fairly calm, that I would go fishing.
I motored out to spot not too far from shore right in front of the boat lift because I knew the wind would blow me out into the middle of Sucker Bay. I deployed the drift sock, tipped my jig with a leech and began fishing. The water temperature was 75.8 degrees.
I caught a few rock bass, including one that was actually quite big. Twice I had something pull hard on my line and bite right through the 8-lb test Fireline Crystal, taking my jig and bait. I figured it might have been a pike, but I've seen several boats in the past week fishing for muskie in this location so I wouldn't rule out that a muskie is what took my jig.
With yet another jig tied on and with another leech hooked just below its "sucker," I continued to fish. I hooked into what I thought was either another big rock bass or maybe a small walleye. When I got it to the boat I saw that it was a jumbo perch; and truly a jumbo.
I've often said that in my opinion a jumbo perch is one that is between 11-14 inches. Over 14" a perch becomes a monster and is approaching record size. I decided to keep this 12-inch jumbo perch because I thought it would be the perfect size for a meal for one. A 17-inch or even a 16-inch walleye once filleted is a perfect amount of meat for a meal for two, but for one person there is just too much there. I think a 12-inch perch will provide the right amount of fish for my dinner tomorrow evening.
I finally came ashore around 7:00 p.m., not because the fish stopped biting (they hadn't) or because the bugs were bad (they weren't) but because I ran out of leeches. I fished with a Mimic Minnow for awhile and then a Northland Slurpie Grub, but the fish seemed to be active on live bait, specifically leeches. Tomorrow I'll run up to Birch Ridge Resort and pick up a couple of dozen leeches, if they still have them. Sometimes as the summer progresses leeches are a hard bait to find.
Out on the lake the wind felt good and kept me cool. But once back on shore even in shorts and short-sleeved shirt it felt hot. Even after midnight the temperature was 72 degrees and the humidity was 84%. But if the weather service forecasts are correct, then tomorrow should be the last day of this prolonged heat wave.
Until tomorrow, good night from Leech Lake.
As I lay back in bed I could hear rumbling thunder in the distance, and soon the rain started to fall. "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morn, sailors take warn." As the old saying goes. With the sky the color it was I wasn't surprised that we had a storm.
By 10:00 a.m. the storm had passed for the most part, with just occasional rumbles of thunder, the wind was 6-10 mph out of the ESE, the temperature in the house registered 77 degrees while outside the thermometer read barely 70 degrees, and the sky was mostly cloudy and still retained a slight glow of red and orange.
Just before noon, the wind shifted and started blowing from the north at 15-20 mph. I always find it interesting to watch the lake when the wind shifts. For hours the wind was blowing out of the ESE so the water in the lake was moving in one direction. Then when the wind shifted to a different direction, and picked up in intensity, the water in the lake, for a short period of time, maybe 10 minutes, was going in all directions at once as it caught the new wind.
At this same time the sky darkened, and actually required me turning on the lights in the house to see. The temperature held steady at 70 degrees as did the humidity, which stood at 90%. But it sure looked and felt like a storm was coming.
Finally at 12:50 p.m. the rain came. A hard, steady rain fell for about 30 minutes. There were a few flashes of lightening directly over head followed by loud claps of thunder. The storm was directly on top of the house. But within an hour the storm passed, although the sky remained overcast and gray.
As the day went on I did some work and some various chores around the house, but the humidity made it unpleasant even if the temperature wasn't all that hot.
By 4:45 p.m., the wind had shifted to the ESE again and was blowing at about 8-15 mph. The wind blew most of the clouds away and the sky was partly sunny. So, I decided that with the temperature not as hot and the water near our shore fairly calm, that I would go fishing.
I motored out to spot not too far from shore right in front of the boat lift because I knew the wind would blow me out into the middle of Sucker Bay. I deployed the drift sock, tipped my jig with a leech and began fishing. The water temperature was 75.8 degrees.
I caught a few rock bass, including one that was actually quite big. Twice I had something pull hard on my line and bite right through the 8-lb test Fireline Crystal, taking my jig and bait. I figured it might have been a pike, but I've seen several boats in the past week fishing for muskie in this location so I wouldn't rule out that a muskie is what took my jig.
With yet another jig tied on and with another leech hooked just below its "sucker," I continued to fish. I hooked into what I thought was either another big rock bass or maybe a small walleye. When I got it to the boat I saw that it was a jumbo perch; and truly a jumbo.
I've often said that in my opinion a jumbo perch is one that is between 11-14 inches. Over 14" a perch becomes a monster and is approaching record size. I decided to keep this 12-inch jumbo perch because I thought it would be the perfect size for a meal for one. A 17-inch or even a 16-inch walleye once filleted is a perfect amount of meat for a meal for two, but for one person there is just too much there. I think a 12-inch perch will provide the right amount of fish for my dinner tomorrow evening.
I finally came ashore around 7:00 p.m., not because the fish stopped biting (they hadn't) or because the bugs were bad (they weren't) but because I ran out of leeches. I fished with a Mimic Minnow for awhile and then a Northland Slurpie Grub, but the fish seemed to be active on live bait, specifically leeches. Tomorrow I'll run up to Birch Ridge Resort and pick up a couple of dozen leeches, if they still have them. Sometimes as the summer progresses leeches are a hard bait to find.
Out on the lake the wind felt good and kept me cool. But once back on shore even in shorts and short-sleeved shirt it felt hot. Even after midnight the temperature was 72 degrees and the humidity was 84%. But if the weather service forecasts are correct, then tomorrow should be the last day of this prolonged heat wave.
Until tomorrow, good night from Leech Lake.
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