Global Warming Affects Leech Lake Fishing

Unless you are comfortable ignoring the facts when presented to you by nearly 99 percent of  scientists around the world, there is no denying that global warming is real. Granted, much of the legitimate debate has focused on the cause of the Earth's rising temperature, i.e., is it man made or just the natural weather cycle of the planet?

From my perspective, it would be hard to ignore the human contribution to global warming. Greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels during the past century have been shown without a doubt to affect the climate, and not in good way. But whatever your own personal belief may be, there is one thing we should all agree on -- the rising temperatures across the globe are real and they are having an impact on our fisheries. 

Below is a interview with two Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists. I'll let them do the talking.

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Early ice-out: What does it mean for the walleye opener?

Mike Duval of Brainerd and Tom Jones of Aitkin are Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists. They work extensively on fish habitat issues. In the interview below, they discuss this spring's early ice-out, and what it means for fish behavior and fishing patterns. Minnesota lakes became ice free very early this year.

Was this a fluke or part of a larger pattern?
Duval: "Early ice-out is occurring around the globe. What Minnesota experienced this year is part of a larger global pattern. Earlier ice-out dates have been observed throughout the Midwest, continental U.S. and more broadly in Canada, Russia, Scandinavia and Japan. John Magnuson, a limnologist, and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology in Madison, have concluded that the length of time that lakes in the northern hemisphere are ice-covered has become shorter."

When did this pattern develop?
Duval: "According to Magnuson's research, the average ice-out date for Minnesota lakes has been occurring earlier and earlier over the past three decades. Ice-out in Minnesota is occurring approximately three to five days earlier every 10 years in the central part of the state and nearly a week earlier per decade for southwestern Minnesota."

So does that mean spring is coming earlier to Minnesota lakes?
Duval: "That's basically correct. The mid-April ice break-up has advanced northward nearly 100 miles over the past three decades. The east-to-west mid-April ice break-up line used to cut through the Montrose area. Today it's closer to Brainerd. At this rate, by the end of this decade spring will come to Minnesota lakes nearly a month earlier than it did 40 years ago."

What are the implications of early ice out?
Duval: "It will mean a variety of things: longer open water periods, warmer water temperatures, more evaporation, and more inter-mixing of lake water because the ice "lid" that capped the lake will have been removed for a longer period of time. Over time, Minnesota waters and their fish populations will tend to be more characteristic of states to the south of us."

Will warmer water improve or reduce fishing quality?
Jones: "That depends. Temperature is a limiting factor for many fish species and, thus, a critical component of their habitat. Clearly, warmer water temperatures will be detrimental to tullibee, lake trout and other species that depend on cold water. Tullibee, for example, could disappear in the next few decades from some southern and central Minnesota lakes due to a combination of higher water temperatures higher in the top portion of the water column, and insufficient oxygen in the lower portion of the water column where temperatures are cooler. On the other hand, bass will do just fine because they can tolerate warmer water temperatures. In fact, bass abundance is already increasing across Minnesota. Growth rates should improve as well because of longer growing seasons. Overall, the early ice-out trend will create winners and losers, depending on the temperature habitat requirements of each particular species."

What's the long-term forecast for walleye and northern pike?
Jones: "In northern Minnesota lakes, higher water temperatures may benefit walleye and northern pike by increasing the length of the growing season. However, in southern lakes, temperatures may become too warm and lead to periods of mid-summer stress. If this stress becomes too severe, fish weights could decrease and walleye mortality could increase."

How will the early ice-out in 2012 affect walleyes this year?
Jones: "For walleye, early ice-outs can lead to poor year classes. The early start for walleyes means that they often hatch before their food supply develops. After walleye absorb their yolk sacs, they depend on zooplankton for forage. If the water is not sufficiently warm, zooplankton will not be present in large numbers, and many of the young walleye can starve. The cool weather this April increases the chance that zooplankton abundance will be low when walleyes hatch this year."

What about impacts to bass and sunfish?
Jones: "Bass and sunfish species depend on a good spring warm-up to spawn. Bass spawn when temperatures reach the low 60s, usually in late May or early June. In very cool years, they may not spawn at all if the water does not get warm enough in time. While early ice-outs don't guarantee that aquatic processes occur very early, they do increase the likelihood that bass and sunfish will be able to spawn in time to have an adequately long growing season."

Did early ice-out affect DNR operations this spring?
Jones: "The early spring meant fisheries crews set up walleye egg take sites a week earlier than ever before. However, because of the cool spring, the walleye egg takes peaked and ended at about average dates. The extra time of cool, open water also allowed fisheries crews to harvest "carryover" walleye from some of last year's walleye rearing ponds. Removal of the carryover fish amounted to more than 12,000 pounds of walleye stocking spread over dozens of lakes, and also will increase survival of fry raised in these ponds this summer."

Do you think this will be a "normal" opener?
Jones: "Opening success varies from year to year and that will be true this year, too. Walleye, like most gamefish, exhibit seasonal changes in behavior and distribution. Walleye spawn within a few weeks of ice-out, when water temperatures are in the low 40s. After spawning they tend to remain in shallow water for a few weeks, feeding on minnows and other small fish. As water temperatures warm, walleye tend to gradually migrate into deeper water. The ice went out early, but cool April weather has prevented water temperatures from rising quickly. As we speak, about one month after Mille Lacs Lake opened, and about two days after average ice-out, water temperatures in Mille Lacs are still in the low 40s, about 3 degrees warmer than average and only about six days ahead of average. On the other hand, in 2010, ice-out occurred April 5, and temperatures by the end of April were 50 degrees. My point is that the fish behavior around opening day depends not just on ice-out dates, but also on weather after ice-out. Walleye fishing for the 2012 opener probably won't be as advanced as anglers might expect given the early ice-outs."

So where would you fish?
Jones: "My sense is that many walleye and pike will probably still be in their traditional early season locations on the 2012 opener. I would start there, but be prepared to try a little deeper if fishing is slow."

Duval: "I agree. While walleye may be a little further along than usual, the April weather has kept lakes cool, so most of the walleye will be close to where anglers usually find them on opener."

Do you think the fishing opener will move to an earlier date sometime in the future?
Duval: "Climate change is a long-term process that cannot be determined based on short-term weather patterns. Biologically, our agency's interest is delaying the opening date until walleye and northern pike have completed spawning and have begun to disperse from spawning areas. The timing of spawning is based on both day length and water temperature, so it is uncertain how much of a shift would occur based on water temperature alone. Any future changes in the opener date should only occur based on scientific monitoring and documented long-term trends. We want to ensure the long-term sustainability of our fisheries."

I Shall Return!

The date for my 2012 return to Leech Lake is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15. If all goes according to plan, I will arrive in Bemidji at approximately 10:45 p.m. CDT. I am very much looking forward to seeing the lake again.

In preparation for my mid-May trip to Leech Lake, I decided to look back on old posts to this blog, specifically, posts from May 15 in years past. Here's what happened at the lake on that date in the past:

1. Last year, my brother-in-law Tim and his son Jackson were visiting me on May 15. It was a clear, bright, sunny Sunday, the day after Minnesota's walleye season opened. As the three of us pushed off of the boat lift, Tim some how managed to get himself stretched out between the edge of the boat and the roof of the boat lift. With the boat moving away from the lift Tim could stretch no further and fell into the lake. After drying off Tim, we eventually did go fishing, catching no more than a few medium-sized perch.
2. In 2010, May 15 was the date of the Minnesota walleye season opener. I was not at the lake, and had to speculate about the day's events from California.
3. I was not at Leech Lake on May 15, 2009 either. Here's a brief account from the Bemidji Pioneer on that year's walleye opener.
4. Kathleen and I traveled together to Leech Lake in 2008, but on May 22, a week after the 15th. We met up with our friend Rick, who spent a couple of fun-filled weeks with us at the cabin. Kathleen and I would end up spending that summer at the lake, finally returning to California in late October.

I didn't have posts for May 15 in 2007, 2006 or 2005.

My next post to this blog will likely be on May 16 -- if Johnson Telephone has my Internet service up and running. Until then...

Happy Boxing Day, 2011

We keep talking about being in the northwoods for Christmas, but this year, like every year since we bought our oasis at Leech Lake, we spent the holidays in California. From what I hear, most of Minnesota did not have a white Christmas. But as this photo shows, it definitely snows on the shores of the 3rd biggest lake in Minnesota.

White-out on the shores of Leech Lake

Where's Winter?

I'm not at Leech Lake so I can't comment on the weather myself, but here's a report from the Bemidji Pioneer on the area's apparent lack of winter.

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By: Tom Siemers, Bemidji Pioneer

Welcome to the great winter that isn’t or at least hasn’t been thus far. Official statistics for the area are difficult to come by, but a reasonable estimate is that the Bemidji area has received 3-5 inches of snow so far. Typically snowfall by this point measures 10-12 inches.

For this December, so far, the average high is 22 and the average low is 7. These temperatures are approximately 5 degrees above average. Ten-day forecasts issued by government agencies and private companies are in agreement that temperatures will continue to run above average through Christmas. The prospects for snow by then are few. A chance exists later next week but that system appears as though it will track south of the north woods.

Want some snow? As strange as it may sound, you need to head south. Areas around Winona and Rochester are reporting snow cover of 4-6 inches. Visible satellite images show a solid swath of snow covering the ground from the Twin Cities south into northern parts of Iowa and Nebraska. These areas have seen several storm systems and have recorded 6-12 inches of snow so far.

Significant snowfall was reported earlier this week across the desert areas of New Mexico and Arizona. Highways throughout much of New Mexico were closed and a dusting of snow even fell in Scottsdale, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. So, you don’t need to envy neighbors or friends who gloated as they packed up to head south for the winter.

The National Weather Service’s 90-day forecast holds out hope for the snow obsessed among us. The northwoods falls into the area with better-than-average odds of above-average snowfall and below-average temperatures.

Take these long-range forecasts with a grain of salt, however. Weather is the result of many factors, some of which are difficult to predict so far in advance.

October 25, 2011 -- Goodbye From Leech Lake

From the phone message I received yesterday from Lake Country Power I didn't expect to have electricity from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. this morning. All morning long I went about my business of closing up the house and cabin before leaving for the airport at 11:15 a.m., the whole time waiting for the power to go out. But so far (at 9:35 a.m.) it's still on.

The temperature at Leech Lake this morning at 8:00 a.m. was 35 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NNE.

By 8:30 a.m. I was going about the various tasks that I perform before I leave the lake. I gathered up the garbage and took it down to the waste and recycling center at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, then stored the truck in the cabin garage for the winter. I closed up the cabin and set the security alarm. I did several other little chores required for closing up the places before I leave. It'll be a long, cold winter on the shores of Leech Lake and the properties need to be secured.

At 10:00 a.m. the electricity was still on, and I have to believe that at this point Lake Country Power isn't going to be cutting off our power. That enabled me to finish up some of the tasks that require water, such as cleaning the bathroom, since our well pump is powered by electricity. At this point I've pretty much got everything in order and think I'll take one last quick walk in the woods.

After my walk in the woods I went out and sat at the end of the dock for a while. There were a couple of loons right in front of me, most likely a mated pair, diving for fish then resurfacing a little distance away.

It is now 11:00 a.m. The Malays will be here in a matter of 15 minutes or so, so I need to sign off and shut down the computer. Goodbye from Leech Lake.

October 24, 2011 -- At Leech Lake

Today is my final full day at Leech Lake for this visit, which means most likely my final day at Leech Lake in 2011.

It was cold again this morning, 31 degrees at 9:00 a.m., but there was little to no wind. It was sunny out, but the sky was filled with high clouds. As the morning progressed, a fog or haze settled in over the lake, but by noon it had burned off as the temperature increased to 43 degrees.

John took his small boat out for about an hour, but I decided to stay inside and focus my time on cleaning the house. The fireplace had to be cleaned out and vacuumed, the floors throughout the house needed to be vacuumed, the bed linens needed to be washed, the refrigerator needed to be cleaned out, and dozens of other little chores required my attention.

About 3:00 p.m. I did meet up with John and we stored his small 14-foot boat in the garage at the cabin. I doubled checked to make sure I could easily park the truck in the garage, and there was plenty of room for the truck and the boat. John's bigger boat, or my Lund, couldn't fit in the garage while the truck was in it too, but a small boat like the "Blue Fin" fit fine.

I paced myself and did numerous chores throughout the course of the day. I also made time for a walk in the woods which evolved into a walk down to Paulsens' and back. In all, about a 3-mile trek. It felt great and I actually got a bit hot with a sweatshirt on. The temperature had risen to 45 degrees, there was no wind or even breeze, and it was sunny despite some very high, wispy clouds.

About an hour before sunset I decided to take another walk in the woods. I love being here on Ottertail Peninsula, be it in our woods hiking the trails, out on Leech Lake fishing or boating, or just sitting in our living room looking at the lake. But the beauty of the sight and smell of the woods in the Fall I find particularly enjoyable.

I tried to keep things simple and finish off the little food I have left rather than make a big dinner. I still have a few more areas to clean, but I'll attend to those in the morning.

As for this blog, this will be my final post that chronicles this visit. Normally I like to make one final post on the day I'm leaving, but tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lake Country Power will be shutting off the electricity to this area so they can perform some routine maintenance, which means that most of the time leading up to my departure -- at 11:15 a.m. -- will be spent with no power. What little time I do have left with electricity will be spent closing up the house and cabin, such as setting the thermostats, the security alarms, shutting off the well pump, etc.

So let me say goodnight and goodbye from Leech Lake. I'm sure I'll write some follow-up posts with some of the pictures I took during this visit, but I won't be writing from the shores of Leech Lake until sometime next year; most likely around Walleye Opener in May.

So long...

October 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 38 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the WSW and the sky was overcast and grey with a light rain falling.

I puttered around the house this morning, making coffee, checking ESPN.com for sports scores, and calling my parents to see how they were doing. Then around 11:00 a.m. I got a call from John Newman asking if I wanted to join him on the water for a little fishing.

With a light, cold rain falling, temperatures hovering around 40 degrees and the wind at 8-12 mph out of the SW most people would have been content to stay inside their warm, dry houses sipping coffee and reading the Sunday paper, but I donned my Cabela's Guidewear rain gear and walked out to the end of my dock.

John was already on the water fishing, and if fact was directly in front of my house, so he easily spotted me and then brought the boat to the end of the dock where I got in. We then motored out to 11 feet of 47-degree water in front of John's cabin and let the wind push the boat toward shore and north toward Malay's.

On our very first pass something hit my jig and minnow hard and bit it right off. I tied on a new jig, tipped it with a fresh minnow and continued fishing. We had a few bites, but were unable to boat any perch or walleye.

We made a total of four passes and during one of them John hooked into a nice perch, which he added to his total of jumbos in the basket, and I caught a whitefish, which I kept and will deliver to my neighbor Ken Lichttenegger who nets whitefish and then smokes them in a smokehouse. Ken gave me one of his smoked whitefish last year and I shared it with my brother-in-law Tim and my nephew Jackson and all three of us loved it.

We came ashore at 1:20 p.m. at which time I ate a very late brunch, cleaned up a bit and then I took the whitefish down to Lichttenegger's. Well, it turns out that my whitefish was really a cisco, also known as a tullibee. Although they look similar to whitefish the way you can tell the difference, so I learned, is that the tullibee has a longer lower jaw while the whitefish has a longer top jaw. As a result, the fish went back into the lake.

After visiting with Ken for a bit I drove the ATV over to Newman's where he was talking with Tom Malay. John had purchased Tom's old 14-foot aluminum boat and Tom was there delivering the boat. The three of talked for a while then Tom went home. John asked if I wanted to go with him for a brief fishing adventure in his new small boat and I quickly agreed. I went home, cleaned up the kitchen, then met John at his boat lift at 3:30 p.m.

We made several passes from 11 feet of water to as little as 7 feet of water but neither John nor I got as much as a bite. Well, that's not true, right at the end of our 90 minutes on the water John got a bite from a perch but it came off before he could get it to the boat. At least the weather had improved. Gone was the rain, the sky was clear and sunny, although the wind had picked up a bit and was blowing at 10-15 mph from the WSW. The temperature was 54 degrees.

We came ashore at 5:15 p.m. and parted ways. John was going to haul his big boat into Bemidji where he'll leave it for the winter while I came home to have an early dinner.

I spent the evening listening to music and having a roaring fire in the fireplace. At about 9:00 p.m. I did put on a sweatshirt and went out to the end of the dock to look at the stars. The sky was clear and I could see the bright white band of the Milky Way stretching across the sky, I could see the planet Uranus as it rose in the eastern sky and I could see millions of stars. What a wonderful treat it is to be able to really see the night sky. In San Jose there is simply too much light pollution to see anything more than the moon and a few of the brightest stars.

Although my fishing experience was not all that successful today, I still had a fantastic day on, and near, Leech Lake.

Fall 2011 Nature Update

I often insert "Nature Updates" into my regular posts, but thought I'd try something a little different this time and combine them into one post. Here are some of the interesting wildlife sightings I've had during my recent stay.

* This is typically the time of year when I see mink running around near the harbor and this year was no exception. I've seen several mink frolicking near the harbor, darting in and out of tiny spaces between rocks and boulders and swimming along the shoreline. They are long and lean, ideally shaped for squeezing into tiny places to hide from predators. And of course their luxurious coats protect them from the cold water while swimming in search of food. I really enjoy watching their antics along the shoreline.

* While I've not seen them in the act, the evidence of skunks is obvious throughout my yard. In the Fall skunks will often root for grubs which live a few inches under the grass. I've discovered dozens of small, shallow holes in the yard where skunk have been hunting their prey.

* Whitetail deer are abundant in this part of the country and I've seen dozens of deer while driving Sucker Bay and West Shores Roads. Deer hunting season begins in this part of Minnesota the first weekend of November, and tens of thousands of hunters will sit quickly in stands all over the northwoods hoping to take a deer. Among those that will be hunting are many of my neighbors, including John Newman's son Greg, the former owner of my house Clancy T., Dick Schiebe, Rome Von Rossum and many others.

* Loons are among the last birds to leave Leech Lake and fly south. In addition, many loons from Canadian lakes that are making their way south stop at Leech Lake to rest and feed before their long journey south to Florida, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. While I'm on the water fishing, or just working outside in the yard, the calls of the loons fill the Autumn air.

* The animals I come into contact with the most at Leech Lake are fish. During my brief Autumn visit to Leech Lake I've handled walleye, pike, perch, and of course, fathead minnows. I have not targeted muskie, bass or crappie, nor have I unintentionally hooked an eelpout. But for sheer numbers, fish, and particularly perch, are the animal I encounter most often.

* By far the most amazing and spectacular wildlife sighting this trip was my viewing of a bald eagle. I was sitting in our living room, which has floor to ceiling windows, talking on the phone and looking out toward the harbor. Out of the sky came an eagle -- talons extended, head held high, swooping down through the trees and plucking something (a fish?) out of the harbor. This took place no more than 50 feet in front of me. I had a prime view of a master predator, a giant flying raptor, doing what it does best -- hunting.

When I next return to Leech Lake, be it in the winter for some hard-water angling or next May around the 2012 Walleye Opener, there will be more wildlife to see and enjoy. That's one of the many benefits to spending time in this northwoods paradise.

October 22, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

A cold October morning, looking north from our dock on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake

This morning was beautiful, calm, clear and cold. The temperature at 8:15 a.m. was 26 degrees, the water was so calm it looked like glass reflecting the clear, pale blue and yellow sky, and the wind was nearly nonexistent. This is the most calm and peaceful Leech Lake has looked since my arrival on October 6.

As I cleaned up the kitchen and made coffee I spotted John Newman in his boat directly in front of our house. I could see he was using a slip-bobber rig most likely tipped with a fathead. Last night when we parted ways he said his plan was to "putter" around the house before joining up with me for a mid-morning fishing trip. I guess part of his puttering included some fishing.

I saw John pull his boat into his harbor around 10:30 a.m. Shortly thereafter I received a call from John asking if I wanted to go fishing at 11:15 a.m. I said yes, and met John at his boat lift at the appointed time. In hand I had a spinning rod/reel set up with a slip-bobber and another spinning rod/reel for jigging.

We made our way out to 9-10 feet of water in front of our cabins and joined six other boats fishing the same area. With little to no wind, the conditions were perfect for using a slip-bobber rig tipped with a fathead. We fished in this general area for nearly an hour and the only fish we saw was a northern that chased my minnow all the way to the boat while I was reeling in. The northern, by the way, snapped at the minnow and bit it off just as I was lifting the hook from the water.

Eventually we made our way north to The Birches, but again had no luck. I hooked a small perch that got off, and I don't believe John had a single bite. Finally at 1:15 p.m. we came ashore. We vowed to try again and decided to reconvene at John's boat lift at 2:30 p.m.

During the break in fishing I came home and made Cole slaw for tonight's dinner at John's cabin. I'm also slow-cooking a rack of pork ribs and I've got some chicken wings marinating. The dinner will be rounded out with a bag of crinkle-cut French fries and a cold, malted beverage or two.

At 2:30 p.m. I made my way back to John's boat lift. I didn't see him right away as he was coming down his driveway returning from a walk in the woods with his new puppy Bernard. Eventually the dog was put in the house and we motored our way out to 10 feet of water off Second Duck Point. The water temperature was 47 degrees, while the air temperature was a very pleasant 55 degrees. The wind, more like a light breeze, was out of the SSE at maybe 5 mph. Just enough to push the boat on a slow drift northward out into Sucker Bay.

We tipped our jigs with fathead minnows and set about our business of catching some jumbo perch. The bite was slow and it took us more than two hours to boat four very nice jumbo perch which went into the live well in John's boat; we each caught two.

Just before 5:00 p.m. we came ashore and agreed to meet for our dinner feast sometime after 6:00 p.m.

While I was making some final dinner preparations I turned on A Prairie Home Companion which I love to listen to on Saturday evenings when I'm in northern Minnesota. And for some odd reason, Garrison Keillor read The News From Lake Wobegon before 6:00 p.m. (he usually reads it around 6:40 p.m.) which enabled me to hear my favorite part of the program and still make it to Newman's shortly after 6:00 p.m.

John already had the coals started so it was only a short time before the marinated chicken wings went onto the grill. The Cole slaw was already prepared, so all that was left to do is start the French fries and put the already cooked ribs on the grill for just a little bit of that BBQ flavor.

We had a very pleasant dinner, then retired out the to garage for a little music and conversation. During our time in John's "man cave," I followed the Michigan State (#16) vs. Wisconsin (#6) football game on my Droid X2 smartphone.

Michigan State had a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter, but Wisconsin rallied for two TDs to tie the game with under two minutes to go. The Spartans managed to drive to the Badgers' 44-yard line with just 4 seconds to go in regulation. MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone where it bounced off a Michigan State receiver and was caught by another MSU receiver right at the goal line. The on-the-field call was no TD, that the receiver had been stopped just shy of the goal line. But on further review by instant replay it was determined the ball had "crossed the plane" and MSU was awarded six points and the win -- 37-31! It is the second straight year Michigan State has defeated the undefeated and ranked in the Top Ten Badgers. So far this year the Spartans have beaten Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. No easy feat! [Note: One other oddity of the game, Michigan State committed NO penalties during the entire game.]

After the game, and a good time with John, I made my way home. I wasn't really tired so I stayed up and watched The Wolfman, the old Universal Studios classic with Lon Chaney Jr. Finally I called it a night and got ready for bed.

If the weather permits, John and I will go out fishing one last time before he pulls his boat out of the water for the season. In addition, I'll spend some time blowing leaves off the yard at the cabin. Then the remainder of my stay on Sunday and Monday will be devoted to cleaning up the house before I go back to California on Tuesday.

Good night from Leech Lake...