At 1:00 a.m. this morning I was still awake. I'm not sure why, but I always have trouble sleeping the night before I have to leave Leech Lake. It's not that I'm anxious about flying, since I've logged more than a million miles in the air. It must be all of the things running through my head that I must do before leaving. Because once I leave, I won't be back for several weeks, or even months.
I must of dozed off shortly after 1:00 a.m. because I woke up and looked at the clock to see it was 2:00 a.m. I woke again at 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., 5:30 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. The last time I gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed.
After making the bed and straightening up the bedroom, I went next door to the cabin and began securing the boat. I took out all of the rods and reels, put away the landing net and tackle boxes, then raised the boat in the boat lift fairly high just in case there are any storms that produce high waves. I don't want the boat battered around in the waves.
From there it was back to the house where I ate a little breakfast, started gathering up the food to give to the Malays, throwing away food that was no good and collecting the garbage. Normally all of these cleaning activities are done throughout the week, but when I'm getting ready to leave for a period of time, they are all condensed into just two days or so.
Since I had gotten up so early I was actually ahead of schedule in terms of my preparations for leaving. That gave me an opportunity to lay in the hammock for 20 minutes or so and I took it. It was great laying there with the 8-12 mph WSW wind blowing through the trees. The temperature was 64 degrees, but it felt a bit humid and I wasn't cold at all, even with just a t-shirt and jeans on. The extra time also gave me a chance to post to this blog before I leave.
Well, no sooner than I thought I had extra time than the plan has changed. Instead of leaving at 11:30 or 11:45 a.m., the Malays want to leave at 11:00 a.m. so they can stop at the bank in Cass Lake to get something notarized. Luckily, most everything is complete.
I just finished taking the left over food to the Malays (that's when I learned in the change in plans), took the garbage to the community center drop-0ff site, put the truck away in the garage with the trickle charger on the battery, closed up the cabin and activated the security system and then came home and took shower and got ready for the flight to Minneapolis.
One last weather report. The wind has shifted and has picked up slightly. It's now blowing out of the north at 10-15 mph. The sky is still clear and blue, and the temperature is 70 degrees. It should be a beautiful day in the northwoods.
The Malays should be here in 10 minutes and I've still got a couple of things to wrap up, so I'll say so long. This will be the last of my "on site" posts from Leech Lake until my return in the Fall. Until then, goodbye from Leech Lake.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 25, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (One Day and Counting)
Unlike yesterday morning where the wind was howling at more than 25 mph, today at 9:00 a.m. the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW. The sky was mostly sunny, although there were a fair amount of clouds and the temperature was 70 degrees. A beautiful day on Leech Lake.
Unfortunately, today was my last full day at Leech Lake. Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. I must make the drive into Bemidji to catch my plane to Minneapolis, and then from there it's on to San Jose. My work load today was full -- with cleaning, stowing boating and fishing gear, closing up buildings and of course, fishing.
My first order of business after breakfast and some initial cleaning was to get out onto the lake. At 11:00 a.m. I motored off the boat lift and toward Second Duck Point in 9 feet of 74 degree water. I deployed the drift sock, letting the breeze push the boat north toward the cabin, put a fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing.
I made three drifts in this area and caught a number of perch, no jumbos however, and one decent sized northern pike. At 12:15 p.m. I was back on shore doing more cleaning.
I took a break to have some lunch and soon afterward went for a bike ride. I did the entire 8-mile loop again and loved every second of the trip. When I got back home I was hot as a result of the 82 degree temperature and my bike ride, so I took a camp bath in the lake.
Thoroughly refreshed from my dip in the lake I took the opportunity to go fishing again. From 3:30 p.m. to just before 5:00 p.m. I once again jigged in an attempt to catch perch and/or walleye.
As a change of pace, I went north to the Birches and did a drift through 8 feet of water from just past Norm's cabin to just before Schiebe's. I didn't catch a single fish. I figured that there was no sense trying another pass at the Birches so I motored out into Duck Bay just past Second Duck Point.
Once again I deployed the drift sock and slowly drifted back toward the boat lift. During this drift I caught several small perch.
At 5:00 p.m. I was back on shore and back at the cleaning.
I took a short break in my cleaning to take one last ride on the ATV. I rode all the way down to the Capone house and then back up Ottertail Point Dr. to Sucker Bay Road and then West Shores Road and home.
While I was riding up by the Capone house I encountered a whitetail doe standing along side the road. I slowed down because it's been my experience that rather than run into the woods on the side of the road where the deer is standing, they prefer, for some odd reason, to dart across the road to the woods on the other side.
Sure enough the doe ran across the road and disappeared into the trees. She was immediately followed, however, by a small fawn, still wearing its white spots. I figured it was now now safe to proceed and started giving the 4-wheeler some gas. Just as I did so, a second fawn came darting out of the woods chasing after its mother and sibling. Startled by my presence, or maybe just because it was a bit clumsy, the fawn, as it ran through the ditch, tumbled and went head over heels landing on its back. It quickly bounded to its feet and retreated back into the woods from which it had come, on the other side of the road from where its mother and sibling had gone.
At this point I continued on my ride. As I came back to the point where I'd first seen the deer, I once again spotted the doe, which turned tail and ran when she heard me approach. It was quite a sight. I'd never seen a deer, or shall I say fawn, tumble like that.
Once home I began cleaning again. After more than 90 minutes of cleaning I took a break to lay in the hammock. It was so peaceful and so warm that I could have fallen asleep there. But I didn't. Instead I got up, ate a quick dinner, then gathered up my gear to go out on the lake for some evening fishing.
I hit the water at 7:45 p.m., just in time to watch the sun sink into the western sky. The sunset tonight was at 8:12 p.m. CDT. I love watching the sunset when I'm on the water.
I started jigging in front of Newman's cabin and slowly drifted to our cabin. In just one pass I caught several good sized perch, but all went back into the lake. On my next pass I caught a number of rock bass, some more perch and a 14" white crappie. It was truly a slab.
At 8:45 p.m. it was already getting dark. I had had the lights on in my boat for the past 30 minutes, and at this point figured it was time to abandon jigging and switch to trolling crankbaits -- Minnow Raps are my preferred lure for trolling.
I trolled from our house out into Duck Bay and back but didn't catch anything. At 9:30 p.m. I headed to shore. I took the minnows and transferred them to a minnow bucket in Newman's harbor. Since there is no point in wasting perfectly good bait I gave more than a full scoop to John. I then came home and commenced cleaning.
Finally at midnight I took a shower and got ready for bed. It's always tough to leave the lake and this time is no exception. I will, however, have to return in the Fall, most likely sometime in early- to mid-October, to close up the properties and pull the boat out of the lake. I'm already looking forward to my return. Until then, so long from Leech Lake.
Unfortunately, today was my last full day at Leech Lake. Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. I must make the drive into Bemidji to catch my plane to Minneapolis, and then from there it's on to San Jose. My work load today was full -- with cleaning, stowing boating and fishing gear, closing up buildings and of course, fishing.
My first order of business after breakfast and some initial cleaning was to get out onto the lake. At 11:00 a.m. I motored off the boat lift and toward Second Duck Point in 9 feet of 74 degree water. I deployed the drift sock, letting the breeze push the boat north toward the cabin, put a fathead minnow on my jig and started fishing.
I made three drifts in this area and caught a number of perch, no jumbos however, and one decent sized northern pike. At 12:15 p.m. I was back on shore doing more cleaning.
I took a break to have some lunch and soon afterward went for a bike ride. I did the entire 8-mile loop again and loved every second of the trip. When I got back home I was hot as a result of the 82 degree temperature and my bike ride, so I took a camp bath in the lake.
Thoroughly refreshed from my dip in the lake I took the opportunity to go fishing again. From 3:30 p.m. to just before 5:00 p.m. I once again jigged in an attempt to catch perch and/or walleye.
As a change of pace, I went north to the Birches and did a drift through 8 feet of water from just past Norm's cabin to just before Schiebe's. I didn't catch a single fish. I figured that there was no sense trying another pass at the Birches so I motored out into Duck Bay just past Second Duck Point.
Once again I deployed the drift sock and slowly drifted back toward the boat lift. During this drift I caught several small perch.
At 5:00 p.m. I was back on shore and back at the cleaning.
I took a short break in my cleaning to take one last ride on the ATV. I rode all the way down to the Capone house and then back up Ottertail Point Dr. to Sucker Bay Road and then West Shores Road and home.
While I was riding up by the Capone house I encountered a whitetail doe standing along side the road. I slowed down because it's been my experience that rather than run into the woods on the side of the road where the deer is standing, they prefer, for some odd reason, to dart across the road to the woods on the other side.
Sure enough the doe ran across the road and disappeared into the trees. She was immediately followed, however, by a small fawn, still wearing its white spots. I figured it was now now safe to proceed and started giving the 4-wheeler some gas. Just as I did so, a second fawn came darting out of the woods chasing after its mother and sibling. Startled by my presence, or maybe just because it was a bit clumsy, the fawn, as it ran through the ditch, tumbled and went head over heels landing on its back. It quickly bounded to its feet and retreated back into the woods from which it had come, on the other side of the road from where its mother and sibling had gone.
At this point I continued on my ride. As I came back to the point where I'd first seen the deer, I once again spotted the doe, which turned tail and ran when she heard me approach. It was quite a sight. I'd never seen a deer, or shall I say fawn, tumble like that.
Once home I began cleaning again. After more than 90 minutes of cleaning I took a break to lay in the hammock. It was so peaceful and so warm that I could have fallen asleep there. But I didn't. Instead I got up, ate a quick dinner, then gathered up my gear to go out on the lake for some evening fishing.
I hit the water at 7:45 p.m., just in time to watch the sun sink into the western sky. The sunset tonight was at 8:12 p.m. CDT. I love watching the sunset when I'm on the water.
I started jigging in front of Newman's cabin and slowly drifted to our cabin. In just one pass I caught several good sized perch, but all went back into the lake. On my next pass I caught a number of rock bass, some more perch and a 14" white crappie. It was truly a slab.
At 8:45 p.m. it was already getting dark. I had had the lights on in my boat for the past 30 minutes, and at this point figured it was time to abandon jigging and switch to trolling crankbaits -- Minnow Raps are my preferred lure for trolling.
I trolled from our house out into Duck Bay and back but didn't catch anything. At 9:30 p.m. I headed to shore. I took the minnows and transferred them to a minnow bucket in Newman's harbor. Since there is no point in wasting perfectly good bait I gave more than a full scoop to John. I then came home and commenced cleaning.
Finally at midnight I took a shower and got ready for bed. It's always tough to leave the lake and this time is no exception. I will, however, have to return in the Fall, most likely sometime in early- to mid-October, to close up the properties and pull the boat out of the lake. I'm already looking forward to my return. Until then, so long from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (Two Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 58 degrees, the sky was clear blue without a cloud in sight, but it was extremely windy with the wind coming out of the WNW at 17-25 mph, with regular gusts up around 35 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and large waves crashed against the shoreline. I could see no boats on Sucker Bay.
Despite the cool weather I put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts because I've got a lot of work to do around the properties today and I know that it'll keep me warm.
I started by doing some laundry and making Joe's bed. It sure was fun having him spend time (nearly a month) at the lake and I hope we get to do it again real soon. I think it was the longest time I've ever spent with my son just one-on-one. It was a great time for us to bond and have a good time at a place we both love -- Leech Lake.
My cleaning continued and included the bathrooms, the kitchen and more laundry. I spent several hours today cleaning. However, I did make the time to go on a bike ride. I did the complete 8-mile loop.
At 4:00 p.m. the sky had begun to cloud over and there was a possibility of a thunderstorm. The temperature was 70 degrees, but it still felt humid. The wind remained very strong and had actually increased to 25-35 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 40 mph.
After some more cleaning, I went for an ATV ride. I rode all the way down the peninsula almost to the Capone house, then all the way on Ottertail Point Drive to Sucker Bay and then back down West Shores Road. On my way down West Shores, just before I got to Norm's, a fish fell from above and landed in the ditch in front of me. I quickly looked up and spotted an immature eagle that must have spotted me at the same time because it took flight from the branch upon which it had been perched. Obviously me driving by interrupted the bird's dinner. Hopefully it came back to retrieve the fish because much of it, a sucker, was still intact.
When I came inside I did some more cleaning, but at 7:15 p.m. I went outside and lay in the hammock. The wind had died down some, but it was still breezy at 12-17 mph out of the WNW. The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and the sky was nearly clear blue, with just a few scattered clouds at the north end of Sucker Bay.
I eventually moved to the end of the dock and sat in one of our lounge chairs sipping a cold Wild Blue while watching the sunset. I raised my bottle to Kathleen, Joe and Melissa who all enjoy a cold malted soda at the end of the dock.
After the sun had been below the horizon for some time I went inside the house. I listened to some music while I prepared some of the food that Joe and I had left over from his stay. As is typical, I'll have more food than days to eat it and will end up giving much to my neighbors the Malays.
I still have to clean the living room, the kitchen floor, the refrigerators, my bedroom and bathroom. The boat must also have all of the gear removed (rods, reels, nets, tackle, etc.), but I'll save that for last since I may have an opportunity to go fishing tomorrow. It's been a busy day, and tomorrow will be even busier. So until then, goodnight from Leech Lake.
Despite the cool weather I put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts because I've got a lot of work to do around the properties today and I know that it'll keep me warm.
I started by doing some laundry and making Joe's bed. It sure was fun having him spend time (nearly a month) at the lake and I hope we get to do it again real soon. I think it was the longest time I've ever spent with my son just one-on-one. It was a great time for us to bond and have a good time at a place we both love -- Leech Lake.
My cleaning continued and included the bathrooms, the kitchen and more laundry. I spent several hours today cleaning. However, I did make the time to go on a bike ride. I did the complete 8-mile loop.
At 4:00 p.m. the sky had begun to cloud over and there was a possibility of a thunderstorm. The temperature was 70 degrees, but it still felt humid. The wind remained very strong and had actually increased to 25-35 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 40 mph.
After some more cleaning, I went for an ATV ride. I rode all the way down the peninsula almost to the Capone house, then all the way on Ottertail Point Drive to Sucker Bay and then back down West Shores Road. On my way down West Shores, just before I got to Norm's, a fish fell from above and landed in the ditch in front of me. I quickly looked up and spotted an immature eagle that must have spotted me at the same time because it took flight from the branch upon which it had been perched. Obviously me driving by interrupted the bird's dinner. Hopefully it came back to retrieve the fish because much of it, a sucker, was still intact.
When I came inside I did some more cleaning, but at 7:15 p.m. I went outside and lay in the hammock. The wind had died down some, but it was still breezy at 12-17 mph out of the WNW. The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and the sky was nearly clear blue, with just a few scattered clouds at the north end of Sucker Bay.
I eventually moved to the end of the dock and sat in one of our lounge chairs sipping a cold Wild Blue while watching the sunset. I raised my bottle to Kathleen, Joe and Melissa who all enjoy a cold malted soda at the end of the dock.
After the sun had been below the horizon for some time I went inside the house. I listened to some music while I prepared some of the food that Joe and I had left over from his stay. As is typical, I'll have more food than days to eat it and will end up giving much to my neighbors the Malays.
I still have to clean the living room, the kitchen floor, the refrigerators, my bedroom and bathroom. The boat must also have all of the gear removed (rods, reels, nets, tackle, etc.), but I'll save that for last since I may have an opportunity to go fishing tomorrow. It's been a busy day, and tomorrow will be even busier. So until then, goodnight from Leech Lake.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Three Days and Counting)
At about 5:30 a.m. this morning there was a thunderstorm in St. Cloud. The room in which I was sleeping lit up with flashes of lightning followed quickly by the loud sound of thunder. Clearly the storm was close by.
By 8:00 a.m., the sun was out, it was already 78 degrees, air was humid with just a slight breeze. The only indication of the earlier storm were a few puddles of water here and there.
Joe and I cleaned up any minor mess we may have made at Grandma Coyle's house, I replaced some light bulbs where necessary and then it was time to go out for breakfast. I had contacted Joe's Aunt Sandy and her son Jackson to see if they wanted to join us, and as it turned out, they did.
We all met at the Perkin's right near Grandma Coyle's house off Hwy. 15 and had a nice time talking and eating breakfast. Then at noon it was time for me to take Joe down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
Getting there is easy enough, take Hwy. 15 south out of St. Cloud, then take Interstate 94 toward Minneapolis, and then 494 around the west and south sides of the Twin Cities to the airport. It took us an hour and a half to make the trip.
I pulled up to the departure area for Sun County Airlines where Joe and I said our goodbyes. It is sure hard leaving our oasis on Leech Lake, but it's also hard taking people to the airport so they can leave.
Like all good major airports it was easy to exit the airport and get back onto 494. I took it back to 35W where I then headed north through downtown Minneapolis and into St. Paul. I continued on 35W until it merged with 35E to simply form Hwy. 35. From there it was north to Moose Lake where I cut over and got onto 73 which I took north to Floodwood and Hwy. 2.
Of course Hwy. 2 took me from Floodwood to Grand Rapids to Deer River (where I stopped at Fred's Baits to buy a scoop of fatheads) to Ball Club and Bena, and eventually to Sucker Bay Road and home. The entire trip from St. Cloud to the airport and then back to Leech Lake took me 7 hours.
Once home I unpacked the truck, started some laundry, made a couple of phone calls and then went fishing.
The wind was out of the SSW at 8-15 mph, breezy, but not enough to keep me off the lake. There were some high wispy clouds, but mostly blue sky and sunshine, the temperature was 80 degrees and it felt humid and muggy.
I started fishing off Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water and let the wind push me northward toward our house. I was using a 1/8 ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig in a green/black color tipped with a fathead minnow. I jigged from 7:20 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. -- 14 minutes after sunset -- and only caught a few small perch. I then put on the navigation lights and started trolling with a Minnow Rap.
I made one long pass from Newman's cabin south into the middle of Duck Bay and then back to the cabin but didn't catch a thing. I came ashore a little after 10:00 p.m. I had a late dinner, cleaned up and then read the paper, which I'd picked up in St. Cloud.
I spoke to Joe on the phone and it was weird thinking that he was already at our house in San Jose. Just this morning I was having breakfast with him in St. Cloud, now he's in San Jose and I'm at Leech Lake. No surprise, both of us wished the trip was just starting rather than having just ended.
As I got ready for bed I made a mental list of all of the things I need to do before I leave on Friday morning. There's so much cleaning up to do, plus closing all the buildings, storing the ATV and truck, securing the boat, etc. I'll be very busy the next two days that's for sure. But if possible, I'm going to try to get out and do as much fishing as I can fit in.
Good night from Leech Lake.
By 8:00 a.m., the sun was out, it was already 78 degrees, air was humid with just a slight breeze. The only indication of the earlier storm were a few puddles of water here and there.
Joe and I cleaned up any minor mess we may have made at Grandma Coyle's house, I replaced some light bulbs where necessary and then it was time to go out for breakfast. I had contacted Joe's Aunt Sandy and her son Jackson to see if they wanted to join us, and as it turned out, they did.
We all met at the Perkin's right near Grandma Coyle's house off Hwy. 15 and had a nice time talking and eating breakfast. Then at noon it was time for me to take Joe down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
Getting there is easy enough, take Hwy. 15 south out of St. Cloud, then take Interstate 94 toward Minneapolis, and then 494 around the west and south sides of the Twin Cities to the airport. It took us an hour and a half to make the trip.
I pulled up to the departure area for Sun County Airlines where Joe and I said our goodbyes. It is sure hard leaving our oasis on Leech Lake, but it's also hard taking people to the airport so they can leave.
Like all good major airports it was easy to exit the airport and get back onto 494. I took it back to 35W where I then headed north through downtown Minneapolis and into St. Paul. I continued on 35W until it merged with 35E to simply form Hwy. 35. From there it was north to Moose Lake where I cut over and got onto 73 which I took north to Floodwood and Hwy. 2.
Of course Hwy. 2 took me from Floodwood to Grand Rapids to Deer River (where I stopped at Fred's Baits to buy a scoop of fatheads) to Ball Club and Bena, and eventually to Sucker Bay Road and home. The entire trip from St. Cloud to the airport and then back to Leech Lake took me 7 hours.
Once home I unpacked the truck, started some laundry, made a couple of phone calls and then went fishing.
The wind was out of the SSW at 8-15 mph, breezy, but not enough to keep me off the lake. There were some high wispy clouds, but mostly blue sky and sunshine, the temperature was 80 degrees and it felt humid and muggy.
I started fishing off Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water and let the wind push me northward toward our house. I was using a 1/8 ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig in a green/black color tipped with a fathead minnow. I jigged from 7:20 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. -- 14 minutes after sunset -- and only caught a few small perch. I then put on the navigation lights and started trolling with a Minnow Rap.
I made one long pass from Newman's cabin south into the middle of Duck Bay and then back to the cabin but didn't catch a thing. I came ashore a little after 10:00 p.m. I had a late dinner, cleaned up and then read the paper, which I'd picked up in St. Cloud.
I spoke to Joe on the phone and it was weird thinking that he was already at our house in San Jose. Just this morning I was having breakfast with him in St. Cloud, now he's in San Jose and I'm at Leech Lake. No surprise, both of us wished the trip was just starting rather than having just ended.
As I got ready for bed I made a mental list of all of the things I need to do before I leave on Friday morning. There's so much cleaning up to do, plus closing all the buildings, storing the ATV and truck, securing the boat, etc. I'll be very busy the next two days that's for sure. But if possible, I'm going to try to get out and do as much fishing as I can fit in.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 22, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (Four Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was a pleasant 72 degrees, the sky was sunny and blue, but the wind was quite strong at 15-20 mph out of the SSW.
Today I must drive Joe down to St. Cloud. He leaves from the Minneapolis airport tomorrow afternoon and rather than make the 5+ hour drive all in one day, we thought we would go down to St. Cloud so Joe could see his grandma, aunt and cousin.
We were on no specific timetable so Joe did as many things as he could before he left Leech Lake. He and I took a bike ride around the loop which is an 8-mile round trip. Joe went swimming in the lake one more time. Joe and I played a game of ping pong, and he played some pinball. Joe spent quite a bit of time just walking around the properties trying to soak in all in so he could keep the memory of the lake with him even though he'll soon be in San Jose.
Joe took a ride back into the woods on the ATV and stopped by to clean up Phantom's grave site. Then at last, it was time for us to load up the truck and drive south to St. Cloud. It is always hard to leave the lake, and there's no more difficult time than when you're driving down our driveway with the lake behind you. At least that's how it is for me.
I drove slowly down West Shores Road so Joe could take pictures as we went. We even stopped at the swamp and again on the long straight away as you approach the community center, two of Joe's favorite spots along our road. Soon we were making the turn onto Sucker Bay Road and heading north to Hwy. 2. For my money, there is no pretty road any time of the year than Sucker Bay Road. With all of its twists and turns, boardered on both sides by huge stands of trees. I noticed some of the sumac along the road was turning red.
We made our way west on Hwy. 2 to Cass Lake and then turned onto Hwy. 371 and headed south toward Walker. Once in Walker we stopped at the Dairy Queen so Joe could get a Blizzard. There's nothing like getting a DQ when you're up north in Minnesota.
We took our time driving to St. Cloud and didn't get into the city limits until just after 7:00 p.m. The temperature in St. Cloud was still 88 degrees and it was very humid. Every time I've visited St. Cloud this summer it seems to be hot and humid.
Our first stop was St. Benedict's Center where Joe's Grandma Coyle lives. We spent more than an hour there visiting with her, but around 8:30 p.m. it was time for us to leave. We were getting hungry for dinner and the residents at St. Ben's needed to get ready for bed. Joe and I stopped at Bravo Burrito's for dinner, but had it take-out. We went back to Grandma Coyle's house where we were going to spend the night.
We ate our dinner while watching the Coen brother's classic, The Big Lebowski. I think it's the third time we've watched the movie since Joe's been in Minnesota, but it's one of our very favorites.
At last it was time for bed. It's always tough to get a good night's sleep before leaving Minnesota for California. I know it is for me, and from Joe told me it was for him too. But nonetheless, it was time to turn off the lights and get ready for the trip to Minneapolis tomorrow.
Good night from St. Cloud.
Today I must drive Joe down to St. Cloud. He leaves from the Minneapolis airport tomorrow afternoon and rather than make the 5+ hour drive all in one day, we thought we would go down to St. Cloud so Joe could see his grandma, aunt and cousin.
We were on no specific timetable so Joe did as many things as he could before he left Leech Lake. He and I took a bike ride around the loop which is an 8-mile round trip. Joe went swimming in the lake one more time. Joe and I played a game of ping pong, and he played some pinball. Joe spent quite a bit of time just walking around the properties trying to soak in all in so he could keep the memory of the lake with him even though he'll soon be in San Jose.
Joe took a ride back into the woods on the ATV and stopped by to clean up Phantom's grave site. Then at last, it was time for us to load up the truck and drive south to St. Cloud. It is always hard to leave the lake, and there's no more difficult time than when you're driving down our driveway with the lake behind you. At least that's how it is for me.
I drove slowly down West Shores Road so Joe could take pictures as we went. We even stopped at the swamp and again on the long straight away as you approach the community center, two of Joe's favorite spots along our road. Soon we were making the turn onto Sucker Bay Road and heading north to Hwy. 2. For my money, there is no pretty road any time of the year than Sucker Bay Road. With all of its twists and turns, boardered on both sides by huge stands of trees. I noticed some of the sumac along the road was turning red.
We made our way west on Hwy. 2 to Cass Lake and then turned onto Hwy. 371 and headed south toward Walker. Once in Walker we stopped at the Dairy Queen so Joe could get a Blizzard. There's nothing like getting a DQ when you're up north in Minnesota.
We took our time driving to St. Cloud and didn't get into the city limits until just after 7:00 p.m. The temperature in St. Cloud was still 88 degrees and it was very humid. Every time I've visited St. Cloud this summer it seems to be hot and humid.
Our first stop was St. Benedict's Center where Joe's Grandma Coyle lives. We spent more than an hour there visiting with her, but around 8:30 p.m. it was time for us to leave. We were getting hungry for dinner and the residents at St. Ben's needed to get ready for bed. Joe and I stopped at Bravo Burrito's for dinner, but had it take-out. We went back to Grandma Coyle's house where we were going to spend the night.
We ate our dinner while watching the Coen brother's classic, The Big Lebowski. I think it's the third time we've watched the movie since Joe's been in Minnesota, but it's one of our very favorites.
At last it was time for bed. It's always tough to get a good night's sleep before leaving Minnesota for California. I know it is for me, and from Joe told me it was for him too. But nonetheless, it was time to turn off the lights and get ready for the trip to Minneapolis tomorrow.
Good night from St. Cloud.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
August 21, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Five Days and Counting)
This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was a very chilly 50 degrees. I've kept the windows open pretty much all the time since early June, but not today. I shut all the windows and turned on the furnace since the temperature inside the house had fallen to 65 degrees. Plus, I just wanted to make sure the new furnace would fire up after sitting in the off position for several months.
The sky was mostly cloudy with just a bit of blue here and there and the wind was calm to light at 5 mph out of the north.
Since it was Joe's last day at the lake, I wanted him to do whatever he wanted. We started by going on bike ride around the loop -- from our house to the community center, up the dirt portion of Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Point Drive to 26th Ave. and then back to our house on West Shores Road. An 8-mile round trip. We had a wonderful ride and I noticed that some of the sumac is starting to turn red.
After our bike ride, Joe did some yoga and then went swimming in the lake. Then it was time for some fishing.
We started our fishing adventure by jigging fathead minnows in front of our house in 10 feet of water. The water temperature has dropped a bit to 74 degrees. We caught a couple of rock bass, but that was about it.
I then moved the boat to Second Duck Point and had us drift back toward our house. During the drift Joe caught a totally chunky 10-inch perch, which we normally would have kept, but since we were leaving for St. Cloud on Monday it made no sense to keep the fish so it went back into Leech Lake. The was true for the 12-inch perch I caught during the same drift.
We then decided to go try jigging off Ottertail Point since we had marked fish on the Lowrance then other day when we were muskie fishing. Once there we caught a few small perch, although I caught a giant jumbo perch that was nearly 14-inches long. But like the other fish, this true jumbo went back into the lake.
After several drifts around Ottertail Point without much luck we decided to move again. I throttled up the motor and we sped quickly to Duck Point. Just past Duck Point, inside Duck Bay, we dropped Minnow Raps into the water and began trolling in 9-11 feet of water. About half way across Duck Bay Joe hooked into a nice fish. When we got to the side of the boat we could see it was a walleye, so I got the landing net ready and got the fish into the boat. The fish measured a perfect eating size -- 16 inches. But as was the case with the perch, this lucky walleye went back into the lake.
After nearly four hours on the lake we came ashore. Joe got the grill ready because we had decided to have a steak dinner for Joe's last night at the lake; this trip anyway.
Our meal of steak, sauteed mushrooms and onions, grilled potatoes and green beans was delicious. We finished dinner just in time to watch the sunset, which is setting now at just after 8:15 p.m. CDT. With the sun behind the western horizon it was time to get a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin and finish off our dinner with some s'mores.
For the next several hours, Joe and I hung out around the fire, played some ping pong in the game room, talked and of course, made the s'mores. Finally, well after midnight we made our way home. Joe wasn't quite ready to end his final day at the lake, so he made some malted chocolate milks for us as we started to watch a movie on DVD. Unfortunately, the time of day, coupled with the great meal and all the fresh air from being outside for nearly 10 hours was too much for both of us and we needed to go to sleep.
It was a fun, activity packed day and I hope Joe enjoyed it. Tomorrow we are going to drive south to St. Cloud so Joe can see his Grandma Coyle before he leaves for San Jose on Tuesday. I'm going to miss Joe being at the lake. Heck, I'm going to miss being at the lake myself, but life marches onward.
Good night.
[Note: Since Sunday was such a busy day, and we had another busy day on Monday before leaving for St. Cloud, and because I was on the road for nearly 7 hours on Tuesday, I'm a bit behind on my posts to this blog. I will attempt to catch up on Wednesday.]
The sky was mostly cloudy with just a bit of blue here and there and the wind was calm to light at 5 mph out of the north.
Since it was Joe's last day at the lake, I wanted him to do whatever he wanted. We started by going on bike ride around the loop -- from our house to the community center, up the dirt portion of Sucker Bay Road to Ottertail Point Drive to 26th Ave. and then back to our house on West Shores Road. An 8-mile round trip. We had a wonderful ride and I noticed that some of the sumac is starting to turn red.
After our bike ride, Joe did some yoga and then went swimming in the lake. Then it was time for some fishing.
We started our fishing adventure by jigging fathead minnows in front of our house in 10 feet of water. The water temperature has dropped a bit to 74 degrees. We caught a couple of rock bass, but that was about it.
I then moved the boat to Second Duck Point and had us drift back toward our house. During the drift Joe caught a totally chunky 10-inch perch, which we normally would have kept, but since we were leaving for St. Cloud on Monday it made no sense to keep the fish so it went back into Leech Lake. The was true for the 12-inch perch I caught during the same drift.
We then decided to go try jigging off Ottertail Point since we had marked fish on the Lowrance then other day when we were muskie fishing. Once there we caught a few small perch, although I caught a giant jumbo perch that was nearly 14-inches long. But like the other fish, this true jumbo went back into the lake.
After several drifts around Ottertail Point without much luck we decided to move again. I throttled up the motor and we sped quickly to Duck Point. Just past Duck Point, inside Duck Bay, we dropped Minnow Raps into the water and began trolling in 9-11 feet of water. About half way across Duck Bay Joe hooked into a nice fish. When we got to the side of the boat we could see it was a walleye, so I got the landing net ready and got the fish into the boat. The fish measured a perfect eating size -- 16 inches. But as was the case with the perch, this lucky walleye went back into the lake.
After nearly four hours on the lake we came ashore. Joe got the grill ready because we had decided to have a steak dinner for Joe's last night at the lake; this trip anyway.
Our meal of steak, sauteed mushrooms and onions, grilled potatoes and green beans was delicious. We finished dinner just in time to watch the sunset, which is setting now at just after 8:15 p.m. CDT. With the sun behind the western horizon it was time to get a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin and finish off our dinner with some s'mores.
For the next several hours, Joe and I hung out around the fire, played some ping pong in the game room, talked and of course, made the s'mores. Finally, well after midnight we made our way home. Joe wasn't quite ready to end his final day at the lake, so he made some malted chocolate milks for us as we started to watch a movie on DVD. Unfortunately, the time of day, coupled with the great meal and all the fresh air from being outside for nearly 10 hours was too much for both of us and we needed to go to sleep.
It was a fun, activity packed day and I hope Joe enjoyed it. Tomorrow we are going to drive south to St. Cloud so Joe can see his Grandma Coyle before he leaves for San Jose on Tuesday. I'm going to miss Joe being at the lake. Heck, I'm going to miss being at the lake myself, but life marches onward.
Good night.
[Note: Since Sunday was such a busy day, and we had another busy day on Monday before leaving for St. Cloud, and because I was on the road for nearly 7 hours on Tuesday, I'm a bit behind on my posts to this blog. I will attempt to catch up on Wednesday.]
Saturday, August 20, 2011
August 20, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (Six Days and Counting)
This morning the sky was mostly cloudy, the wind was out of the west at 8-15 mph and the temperature was a mere 60 degrees. Mornings are starting to feel like Fall here in the northwoods.
After breakfast and some chores around the house, Joe and I decided to take the entire afternoon and go muskie fishing. Leech Lake has a reputation for being one of the best muskie lakes in Minnesota, if not the entire country, although I've never caught a muskie while targeting them. I did catch a tiger muskie once -- which is a hybrid of a Leech Lake muskie and a northern pike -- while fishing for walleye.
We made sandwiches, packed the cooler with lots of drinks, and set out on our way. The waves and chop on the lake weren't too bad until we cleared Second Duck Point, then the waves got so big that the boat was really getting pounded. I slowed way down, but kept heading south to Ottertail Point, our first stop on our muskie adventure.
Years ago, Joe, my friend Rick and I had fished for muskie off Ottertail Point and Joe had a very large muskie follow his lure all the way to the boat before it turned tail and swam away. Therefore, we thought Ottertail Point would be a good place to start.
We took our time getting to the Point because of the waves, but eventually we made it to our designated destination. I started by throwing a large swim bait while Joe used a inline spinnerbait. After no more than 3 or 4 casts, the braided wire leader I was using snapped during a cast and I lost my swim bait. I'm glad it snapped when it did, because I would have been much more upset if the leader had given out with a muskie on the other end of my line.
I tied on another leader, attached a Bucher top water bait and began fishing again. Joe and I made three passes past the tip of Ottertail Point but didn't get so much as a follow. We decided to switch tactics and locations.
It had been our plan to fish Oak Point/Joe's Landing, which is on the north of the Narrows (and the location that my friend Rick hooked into a 50 1/2-inch muskie several years back) but rather than just motor over there directly, we decided to troll over there since we would be going over a large expanse of 20+ foot water, which has been known to hold a few muskie. I put on a large Rapala Shad Rap while Joe used a jointed Bucher crankbait.
We trolled from Ottertail Point all the way to Goose Island, but never once got a hit.
Once we hit Goose Island we reeled in our lures and I motored over to Oak Point at 25 mph ground speed. We made it to our next destination in a matter of minutes.
The shoreline around Oak Point/Joe's Landing is covered in reeds and wild rice in 6 feet of water and is home to many muskie. Since the weeds are quite thick in this area, the best way to fish them is with a large safety pin style spinnerbait, such as the Northland Tackle Bionic Bucktail Spinnerbait.
We spent nearly an hour meticulously working our way from Oak Point north along the shoreline to Joe's Landing. I had the MinnKota electric trolling motor in the water -- which was set at a slow, constant speed -- and we made cast after cast into the reeds and rice with no luck. When we came to the end of the reeds and wild rice, where the shoreline clears up, I pulled up the electric trolling motor and sped northward to a spot called the Meadows, between Little Hardwood Point and Big Hardwood Point.
As we motored north to the Meadows, both Joe and I kept an eye on the dark clouds that had been moving slowly all afternoon to the northeast, which would eventually put them right over our heads. When we arrived at the Meadows we thought the weather was looking a bit too ominous and decided to move a little closer to home.
I piloted the boat around Big Hardwood Point into Deadhead Bay where Joe continued to throw his spinnerbait while I switched back to my Bucher top water. We made about two dozens casts when I felt that familiar temperature drop that proceeds a storm. I suggested that we high tail it for home ASAP.
We stowed our gear, took our seats and I throttled up the motor and headed across Sucker Bay from Deadhead to Second Duck Point -- a distance of roughly two miles. About half way across Sucker Bay the wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature continued to fall. When we got to the boat lift the waves were quite choppy and getting the boat onto the lift was a bit tricky, but both Joe and I have experience it doing it so we managed to get the boat securely on the lift in short order.
No sooner had we raised the boat out of the water than the rain began to fall. My the time we got on shore and into the house a full-blown storm let loose. The west winds were gusting to nearly 50 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and the waves broke over the end of the dock. Sheets of rain fell from the sky. The temperature was still dropping. We checked the NOAA weather station and found out what we already knew, that a severe thunderstorm was directly over our area. But not to worry, we were safely at home; albeit without a minute to spare.
As the rain fell, Joe and I listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio and just enjoyed being in our dry, warm house. Within an hour the storm had passed and the sun came out. The wind was initially light at 5-8 mph out of the south, but swirled and picked up to 8-15 mph out of the NW.
Around 8:00 p.m., I got the grill going while Joe made some hamburger patties. Then Joe went over the cabin and grilled the burgers while I got the onion rings, baked beans, Cole slaw and condiments out. We had a very tasty dinner and then stayed inside playing poker before watching a movie on DVD.
Although we didn't catch a muskie, it was wonderful spending the day on Leech Lake with Joe. We both love being at the lake so much that it's going to be very hard for both of us to transition back to the hectic pace of San Jose -- which I must do in six days, Joe in just three. I hope we can handle it.
Good night from Leech Lake.
After breakfast and some chores around the house, Joe and I decided to take the entire afternoon and go muskie fishing. Leech Lake has a reputation for being one of the best muskie lakes in Minnesota, if not the entire country, although I've never caught a muskie while targeting them. I did catch a tiger muskie once -- which is a hybrid of a Leech Lake muskie and a northern pike -- while fishing for walleye.
We made sandwiches, packed the cooler with lots of drinks, and set out on our way. The waves and chop on the lake weren't too bad until we cleared Second Duck Point, then the waves got so big that the boat was really getting pounded. I slowed way down, but kept heading south to Ottertail Point, our first stop on our muskie adventure.
Years ago, Joe, my friend Rick and I had fished for muskie off Ottertail Point and Joe had a very large muskie follow his lure all the way to the boat before it turned tail and swam away. Therefore, we thought Ottertail Point would be a good place to start.
We took our time getting to the Point because of the waves, but eventually we made it to our designated destination. I started by throwing a large swim bait while Joe used a inline spinnerbait. After no more than 3 or 4 casts, the braided wire leader I was using snapped during a cast and I lost my swim bait. I'm glad it snapped when it did, because I would have been much more upset if the leader had given out with a muskie on the other end of my line.
I tied on another leader, attached a Bucher top water bait and began fishing again. Joe and I made three passes past the tip of Ottertail Point but didn't get so much as a follow. We decided to switch tactics and locations.
It had been our plan to fish Oak Point/Joe's Landing, which is on the north of the Narrows (and the location that my friend Rick hooked into a 50 1/2-inch muskie several years back) but rather than just motor over there directly, we decided to troll over there since we would be going over a large expanse of 20+ foot water, which has been known to hold a few muskie. I put on a large Rapala Shad Rap while Joe used a jointed Bucher crankbait.
We trolled from Ottertail Point all the way to Goose Island, but never once got a hit.
Once we hit Goose Island we reeled in our lures and I motored over to Oak Point at 25 mph ground speed. We made it to our next destination in a matter of minutes.
The shoreline around Oak Point/Joe's Landing is covered in reeds and wild rice in 6 feet of water and is home to many muskie. Since the weeds are quite thick in this area, the best way to fish them is with a large safety pin style spinnerbait, such as the Northland Tackle Bionic Bucktail Spinnerbait.
We spent nearly an hour meticulously working our way from Oak Point north along the shoreline to Joe's Landing. I had the MinnKota electric trolling motor in the water -- which was set at a slow, constant speed -- and we made cast after cast into the reeds and rice with no luck. When we came to the end of the reeds and wild rice, where the shoreline clears up, I pulled up the electric trolling motor and sped northward to a spot called the Meadows, between Little Hardwood Point and Big Hardwood Point.
As we motored north to the Meadows, both Joe and I kept an eye on the dark clouds that had been moving slowly all afternoon to the northeast, which would eventually put them right over our heads. When we arrived at the Meadows we thought the weather was looking a bit too ominous and decided to move a little closer to home.
I piloted the boat around Big Hardwood Point into Deadhead Bay where Joe continued to throw his spinnerbait while I switched back to my Bucher top water. We made about two dozens casts when I felt that familiar temperature drop that proceeds a storm. I suggested that we high tail it for home ASAP.
We stowed our gear, took our seats and I throttled up the motor and headed across Sucker Bay from Deadhead to Second Duck Point -- a distance of roughly two miles. About half way across Sucker Bay the wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature continued to fall. When we got to the boat lift the waves were quite choppy and getting the boat onto the lift was a bit tricky, but both Joe and I have experience it doing it so we managed to get the boat securely on the lift in short order.
No sooner had we raised the boat out of the water than the rain began to fall. My the time we got on shore and into the house a full-blown storm let loose. The west winds were gusting to nearly 50 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and the waves broke over the end of the dock. Sheets of rain fell from the sky. The temperature was still dropping. We checked the NOAA weather station and found out what we already knew, that a severe thunderstorm was directly over our area. But not to worry, we were safely at home; albeit without a minute to spare.
As the rain fell, Joe and I listened to A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio and just enjoyed being in our dry, warm house. Within an hour the storm had passed and the sun came out. The wind was initially light at 5-8 mph out of the south, but swirled and picked up to 8-15 mph out of the NW.
Around 8:00 p.m., I got the grill going while Joe made some hamburger patties. Then Joe went over the cabin and grilled the burgers while I got the onion rings, baked beans, Cole slaw and condiments out. We had a very tasty dinner and then stayed inside playing poker before watching a movie on DVD.
Although we didn't catch a muskie, it was wonderful spending the day on Leech Lake with Joe. We both love being at the lake so much that it's going to be very hard for both of us to transition back to the hectic pace of San Jose -- which I must do in six days, Joe in just three. I hope we can handle it.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, August 19, 2011
August 19, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (One Week Left)
I was up at 7:15 a.m. this morning in preparation of the window repair guy stopping by at 8:00 a.m. The temperature was 59 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was blowing hard at 17-25 mph out of the NW. White caps and big waves rolled across the lake.
One week from today I leave "our oasis on Leech Lake" and make the journey back to San Jose. I hate to leave here, but I must. I have much to do in the Bay Area and my first week back will be a busy one. Joe leaves next Tuesday, from Minneapolis, so I will be driving him down to St. Cloud on Monday so he can see his Grandma Coyle one more time before going back to California. Then on Tuesday I'll drop him off at the airport, drive back to Leech Lake and begin preparations for my own departure.
Henry from Anderson Windows showed up at 8:10 a.m., fixed part of the problem, but in doing so discovered that other parts had worn out and that they needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, he didn't have the parts with him and it'll take him 10 days or more to get them. By then I'll be in California. I told him to go ahead and order the parts, then when I've got my Fall trip to Leech Lake planned I'll give him a call and schedule a time for him to finish the job.
No sooner had Henry left than Dave stopped by. Dave is a local carpenter who is doing some major remodel work at the Malay's and I asked him to stop by because I noticed a sag in the kitchen floor. Dave took a look at it and determined that when the previous owners of our house remodeled the kitchen, and put in the island, the floor was never reinforced. Over time, the weight of the island has caused the floor to sag. It must be repaired before the weight does some serious damaged. Dave said he could do the work over the winter and we agreed to stay in touch to schedule that work. It's always something.
In the early afternoon Joe and I took a bike ride to the community center and back, a nice 6-mile ride. Then we spent the afternoon just hanging out doing our own thing. Since it was Friday I went into Cass Lake to the Great River Pizzeria to get the Mission Road pizza, which is basically a taco on a pizza -- Mexican flavored taco meat, onions, black olives, jalapeno peppers, and lots of cheese. Then after it's baked we add fresh chopped lettuce, sour cream and salsa. It is unlike any pizza we've ever had and it tastes great!
Nature Update: On my way back from Cass Lake while driving down Sucker Bay Road to our house I counted five small maple trees that had changed into their Fall colors of pinkish red, orange, golden yellow and red. I've noticed that the smaller, younger maple trees change earlier than their more mature relatives. I think there's a children's story book that might come from that observation.
After our pizza, Joe and I decided to go fishing. The wind had calmed down to about 8-12 mph out of the NW, the sky was clear and the temperature was a cool 62 degrees. We motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin and started trolling our Minnow Raps. During our first pass south into Duck Bay I hooked into a fish as we passed Second Duck Point. I reeled it in and found it to be a good-sized fish that measured a full 21 inches; a Leech Lake slot fish. I immediately released it back into the water.
We made several more passes from Second Duck Point into Duck Bay, but neither Joe nor I could hook another fish. We came ashore at 10:30 p.m., watched a movie on DVD (Albert Brook's Mother) then called it a night.
Tomorrow if the weather permits, we're going to try to get in some muskie fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
One week from today I leave "our oasis on Leech Lake" and make the journey back to San Jose. I hate to leave here, but I must. I have much to do in the Bay Area and my first week back will be a busy one. Joe leaves next Tuesday, from Minneapolis, so I will be driving him down to St. Cloud on Monday so he can see his Grandma Coyle one more time before going back to California. Then on Tuesday I'll drop him off at the airport, drive back to Leech Lake and begin preparations for my own departure.
Henry from Anderson Windows showed up at 8:10 a.m., fixed part of the problem, but in doing so discovered that other parts had worn out and that they needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, he didn't have the parts with him and it'll take him 10 days or more to get them. By then I'll be in California. I told him to go ahead and order the parts, then when I've got my Fall trip to Leech Lake planned I'll give him a call and schedule a time for him to finish the job.
No sooner had Henry left than Dave stopped by. Dave is a local carpenter who is doing some major remodel work at the Malay's and I asked him to stop by because I noticed a sag in the kitchen floor. Dave took a look at it and determined that when the previous owners of our house remodeled the kitchen, and put in the island, the floor was never reinforced. Over time, the weight of the island has caused the floor to sag. It must be repaired before the weight does some serious damaged. Dave said he could do the work over the winter and we agreed to stay in touch to schedule that work. It's always something.
In the early afternoon Joe and I took a bike ride to the community center and back, a nice 6-mile ride. Then we spent the afternoon just hanging out doing our own thing. Since it was Friday I went into Cass Lake to the Great River Pizzeria to get the Mission Road pizza, which is basically a taco on a pizza -- Mexican flavored taco meat, onions, black olives, jalapeno peppers, and lots of cheese. Then after it's baked we add fresh chopped lettuce, sour cream and salsa. It is unlike any pizza we've ever had and it tastes great!
Nature Update: On my way back from Cass Lake while driving down Sucker Bay Road to our house I counted five small maple trees that had changed into their Fall colors of pinkish red, orange, golden yellow and red. I've noticed that the smaller, younger maple trees change earlier than their more mature relatives. I think there's a children's story book that might come from that observation.
After our pizza, Joe and I decided to go fishing. The wind had calmed down to about 8-12 mph out of the NW, the sky was clear and the temperature was a cool 62 degrees. We motored out to 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin and started trolling our Minnow Raps. During our first pass south into Duck Bay I hooked into a fish as we passed Second Duck Point. I reeled it in and found it to be a good-sized fish that measured a full 21 inches; a Leech Lake slot fish. I immediately released it back into the water.
We made several more passes from Second Duck Point into Duck Bay, but neither Joe nor I could hook another fish. We came ashore at 10:30 p.m., watched a movie on DVD (Albert Brook's Mother) then called it a night.
Tomorrow if the weather permits, we're going to try to get in some muskie fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 8:00 a.m. the temperature was a chilly 54 degrees, the wind was out of the SSW at 8-12 mph, and the sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight.
I ate breakfast and waited for the electrician to show up. During a recent storm some lightning that flashed directly overhead had played havoc with one of our circuit breakers rendering our back porch lights inoperative and also destroying the GFI switch in the bathroom. I also wanted to switch out the circuit breaker on the security system because it was had a GFI component to it and throughout the winter it has a habit of tripping the circuit off which requires my neighbor Tom Malay to drop by and reset the switch. With a non-GFI breaker in place that problem should be eliminated.
At 10:30 a.m., Brian from Todavich Electric showed up. At first, he thought he would have to climb into the attic to fix the problem, but he discovered a faulty circuit breaker was the culprit and was able to fix it at the electrical panel in the kitchen. He then quickly replaced the damaged GFI outlet in the bathroom, before moving next door to the cabin. Once there, it took him only 10 minutes or so to swap out the GFI circuit breaker with one that didn't have the GFI switch. By 11:30 a.m. he was on his way.
Joe and I were hungry, and so we made a classic northwoods breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. And for good measure, Joe had a couple of buckwheat pancakes to boot!
Despite a fairly stiff 12-17 mph WSW wind, Joe and I decided to try to go muskie fishing. The plan was to motor south to Oak Point/Joe's Landing then head north along the western shore of Sucker Bay to Star Point, Little Hardwood Point, Big Hardwood Point and end up in Deadhead Bay. We got about half way between Second Duck Point and Big Hardwood point on our way south, but the waves kept getting bigger and bigger. I had to motor the boat down to just about 7 mph ground speed to keep from bashing the boat in the large swells. At that point Joe suggested we abandon our muskie fishing plans and instead use the wind to drift and jig for perch and walleye.
Since I had planned to focus our angling efforts on muskie I'd left the minnows back at the boat lift. After a brief stop to pick up the fatheads we were once again motoring -- slowly -- back to Second Duck Point. The wind was still blowing at 12-17 mph, with gusts, which came at fairly regular intervals, up over 25 mph. The temperature was 72 degrees and the sky was nearly devoid of all cloud cover. We could just see a few clouds in the extreme northwest. The water temperature was 74.5 degrees.
I deployed the drift sock and took up position in the bow of the boat. Joe took a seat in the stern and we dropped in our jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Joe hooked into something very early into our first pass and whatever it was snapped his line and took his jig. After retying a new jig onto his line Joe got back to fishing.
We caught several small to medium sized perch and I caught a small walleye, that couldn't have measured more than 10- or 11-inches. Joe hooked into something that gave him a bit of battle and when he got it into the boat I saw that he'd caught a nice 12-inch black crappie. Crappie are a very tasty fish, so we put it in the live well and planned to eat it with the jumbo perch that we were going to cook tonight as part of our "man feast."
We made a total of four passes from Duck Bay north toward Malay's. Then we came ashore, with just the one crappie.
Once on shore I cleaned the crappie and got it ready for the beer-batter coating I used it and the jumbo perch. In addition to the fish, we had slow-cooked oven-baked pork spare ribs (with my own dry rub recipe), Cole slaw, and French fries. It was simply delicious!
The wind continued to howl all evening so we didn't go out fishing. Plus, I need to get up early on Friday morning because the Anderson Window repair guy is coming out to fix the latches and cranking mechanism on a couple of the windows in our living room. I called it an early night.
Today was another great day on Leech Lake.
I ate breakfast and waited for the electrician to show up. During a recent storm some lightning that flashed directly overhead had played havoc with one of our circuit breakers rendering our back porch lights inoperative and also destroying the GFI switch in the bathroom. I also wanted to switch out the circuit breaker on the security system because it was had a GFI component to it and throughout the winter it has a habit of tripping the circuit off which requires my neighbor Tom Malay to drop by and reset the switch. With a non-GFI breaker in place that problem should be eliminated.
At 10:30 a.m., Brian from Todavich Electric showed up. At first, he thought he would have to climb into the attic to fix the problem, but he discovered a faulty circuit breaker was the culprit and was able to fix it at the electrical panel in the kitchen. He then quickly replaced the damaged GFI outlet in the bathroom, before moving next door to the cabin. Once there, it took him only 10 minutes or so to swap out the GFI circuit breaker with one that didn't have the GFI switch. By 11:30 a.m. he was on his way.
Joe and I were hungry, and so we made a classic northwoods breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. And for good measure, Joe had a couple of buckwheat pancakes to boot!
Despite a fairly stiff 12-17 mph WSW wind, Joe and I decided to try to go muskie fishing. The plan was to motor south to Oak Point/Joe's Landing then head north along the western shore of Sucker Bay to Star Point, Little Hardwood Point, Big Hardwood Point and end up in Deadhead Bay. We got about half way between Second Duck Point and Big Hardwood point on our way south, but the waves kept getting bigger and bigger. I had to motor the boat down to just about 7 mph ground speed to keep from bashing the boat in the large swells. At that point Joe suggested we abandon our muskie fishing plans and instead use the wind to drift and jig for perch and walleye.
Since I had planned to focus our angling efforts on muskie I'd left the minnows back at the boat lift. After a brief stop to pick up the fatheads we were once again motoring -- slowly -- back to Second Duck Point. The wind was still blowing at 12-17 mph, with gusts, which came at fairly regular intervals, up over 25 mph. The temperature was 72 degrees and the sky was nearly devoid of all cloud cover. We could just see a few clouds in the extreme northwest. The water temperature was 74.5 degrees.
I deployed the drift sock and took up position in the bow of the boat. Joe took a seat in the stern and we dropped in our jigs tipped with fathead minnows. Joe hooked into something very early into our first pass and whatever it was snapped his line and took his jig. After retying a new jig onto his line Joe got back to fishing.
We caught several small to medium sized perch and I caught a small walleye, that couldn't have measured more than 10- or 11-inches. Joe hooked into something that gave him a bit of battle and when he got it into the boat I saw that he'd caught a nice 12-inch black crappie. Crappie are a very tasty fish, so we put it in the live well and planned to eat it with the jumbo perch that we were going to cook tonight as part of our "man feast."
We made a total of four passes from Duck Bay north toward Malay's. Then we came ashore, with just the one crappie.
Once on shore I cleaned the crappie and got it ready for the beer-batter coating I used it and the jumbo perch. In addition to the fish, we had slow-cooked oven-baked pork spare ribs (with my own dry rub recipe), Cole slaw, and French fries. It was simply delicious!
The wind continued to howl all evening so we didn't go out fishing. Plus, I need to get up early on Friday morning because the Anderson Window repair guy is coming out to fix the latches and cranking mechanism on a couple of the windows in our living room. I called it an early night.
Today was another great day on Leech Lake.
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