This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 57 degrees, the wind was calm to very light and the skies were high and blue. Not great conditions for day one of the Leech Lake Walleye Tournament. I was surprised to see very few boats in front of our house and cabin. Usually during tournaments there are dozens of boats fishing here. Of course, when there's a little walleye chop on the bay the fishing conditions here are much better.
Rick went next door to chat with John Newman and as a result the two of them decided to go fishing; I elected to stay home and drink coffee, listen to classical music on MPR and ease into the day. I will be interested to learn if John and Rick have any better luck fishing than they did yesterday, when they essentially caught nothing of interest.
One week from today Kathleen will arrive for an extended stay at Leech Lake. I am very much looking forward to her visit. We always have a lot of fun when we're together here at the lake. I just hope it warms up considerably so we have a chance to go swimming. I suppose we could go swimming now, but with water temperatures at just 65 degrees, it's a bit cool for our California acclimated bodies.
When Rick returned from fishing he informed me that indeed the fishing had been poor with only a couple of small perch boated. He and I then went down to Jerry Schiebe's to help Jerry put up some paneling on the roof of his porch addition. We spent about 2 hours working on it and only managed to nail up 4 sheets due to the odd framing shape of the porch. The joists did not run true and aren't spaced quite right which made nailing the paneling to them very difficult, and in some places impossible. But Jerry was nonetheless thankful for the work we did accomplish.
After a bite of lunch, Rick and I headed out onto the water to do some fishing. When Rick was out with John earlier in the day they had spotted some crappies in Bass Bay so Rick wanted to start there since he's never caught a Leech Lake crappie.
I motored the boat into 3-feet of water in Bass Bay, noted that the water temperature had climbed to 67 degrees in the bay (in the main part of Sucker Bay the temperature was 65 degrees), and lowered the MinnKota electric trolling motor into the water.
I slowly moved us around in the reeds, and we did see plenty of crappies, including some slab-sized ones, but we could not tempt any of them to bite. After 30 minutes of failed crappie hunting we relocated to the Birches where we caught lots of rock bass and a few small perch, but no walleyes or jumbo perch.
It was time for another move so I repositioned the boat in 14-feet of water in spot between the house and cabin. Using jigs and minnows we fished for another 45 minutes or so, but only caught some small perch. Finally, just before 4:00 p.m. we came ashore, got cleaned up and went next door to join John Newman for dinner.
John had invited Rick and I to a wonderful pork loin, mashed potato and gravy and green bean dinner, which was very tasty. We talked, ate and drank a couple of cold malted beverages before parting ways around 7:00 p.m. Rick and I came back to the house, got a few things together and then went back to the boat lift around 8:15 p.m. for an evening attempt at catching some walleyes.
We started by jigging with minnows in the spot between the house and cabin in 14 feet of water, a spot where a few days earlier I'd caught several nice walleye, but by the time we got there the light breeze that had been blowing out of the NNW had died down and the lake was dead calm; not ideal conditions for walleye fishing.
In addition to the poor fishing conditions, the area was filled with more than a dozen boats; the most we'd seen on the water this year during our evening fishing excursions. We jigged for about 30 minutes or so without any luck, so we changed tactics and started trolling with crankbaits.
With the moon just one day shy of being full, we thought the walleye would be out biting like crazy, but just the opposite was true. And although some of the boats left as the sky darkened, many remained meaning that my trolling was akin to running a slalom course where the poles are constantly moving. It was not a relaxing troll.
We fished for nearly 90 minutes in the area between Malay's cabin to the north and the middle of Duck Bay to the south and we caught only two small walleyes -- Rick caught a 14 1/2-inch fish while mine came in even smaller at just over 10 inches. At that point we decided it was time to leave. Apparently none of the other boats were having any success either, because about the same time we were leaving, so did all but one or two of the other boats.
Once inside we just relaxed and listened to some music. After a quick call to Kathleen --we discussed her arrival in just one week -- I decided to close things up for the night and go to bed. Good night from Leech Lake.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Saturday, June 02, 2012
June 1, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 60 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph from the WSW and the sky was sunny and blue. There were already more than a half dozen boats in front of the house fishing, some of which were probably pre-fishing for tomorrow's Leech Lake Walleye Tournament.
After kicking around the house this morning, Rick and I decided to go fishing just after noon. We started near Second Duck Point in 12 feet of 64 degree water and let the wind push us north toward my house and cabin. Almost instantly I hooked into a little 10-inch walleye, which of course went back into the lake.
Both Rick and I were using jigs tipped with minnows. I was using a Northland "Vegas" jig in glitter red while Rick was using a Northland Fireball jig in parrot color.
From that point on we made several drifts in the area between Second Duck Point and my cabin, in water depths varying from 9 feet to 14 feet, but could only catch a number of small perch. It must have been the fact that the water was almost completely calm, no "walleye chop", and the skies were high and blue.
With the walleye fishing not happening we changed tactics, and species, and went bass fishing. We started in front of Norm's cabin, one of the best bass habitats on Sucker Bay, and worked our way north along the reeds to Schiebe's.
I caught one small largemouth bass, that came unhooked right at the boat, and that was the only fish either Rick or I caught until the very last cast of the outing when Rick hooked a nice 3-pound largemouth. Rick was using a 5" Senko on a 3/0 offset hook.
With nearly three hours of fishing under our belts during the afternoon, we finally came ashore. I needed to stretch my legs, so I took a walk and ended up stopping and chatting with Jerry Schiebe about the back porch addition he's adding to his house. He asked if Rick and I could come by on Saturday and help him put up some paneling on the ceiling. Of course I agreed.
Once I got home Rick and I just hung out for a while before Rick went next door to say hello to John Newman who had just arrived for a short, few-day stay. Apparently John was champing at the bit to go fishing and Rick wanted to go as well, so the two of them went fishing for panfish down near the Birches. Their preferred method was going to be using a slip bobber with a minnow. They caught a couple of small perch, but no bluegill, sunfish or crappie; which is what they were after. John and Rick confirmed what Rick and I had found out earlier in the day, the fishing today was quite slow.
While Rick and John were out fishing, I cleaned the walleye Rick caught the other night for our dinner tonight. Along with a pan full of stir-fried veggies, we had a very tasty meal. And then, of course, it was out onto the water for some evening trolling.
The water temperature had warmed throughout the day and was now 65 degrees. The wind was light to calm, the air temperature was 57, and the moon was 89 percent waxing, meaning it was on its way to being full. With those conditions we hoped the walleye would be biting.
We spent nearly an hour on the water before we boated our first walleye. I hooked a small 14-inch walleye on my orange fire tiger-colored Minnow Rap. I put it back into the water so it could grow bigger. A short time later, I hooked another walleye this one measuring 18 1/2 inches, which made it a Leech Lake slot fish, so it immediately went back into the lake.
Those we the only two fish we caught in more than 90 minutes on the water so we started home. Just as we approached the cabin, Rick, who was trolling home, hooked into a nice 21-inch walleye directly in front of my house. I was a beautiful fish and a great way to end the night.
We came ashore, stowed our gear and went into the house about 11:15 p.m. Rick went to bed soon after while I stayed up and listened to some classical music and called home to California to talk to Kathleen. In just a week and a day my beautiful wife will join me at our oasis on Leech Lake. I am very much looking forward to spending time with her at the lake; where we always have so much fun here.
Good night from Leech Lake.
After kicking around the house this morning, Rick and I decided to go fishing just after noon. We started near Second Duck Point in 12 feet of 64 degree water and let the wind push us north toward my house and cabin. Almost instantly I hooked into a little 10-inch walleye, which of course went back into the lake.
Both Rick and I were using jigs tipped with minnows. I was using a Northland "Vegas" jig in glitter red while Rick was using a Northland Fireball jig in parrot color.
From that point on we made several drifts in the area between Second Duck Point and my cabin, in water depths varying from 9 feet to 14 feet, but could only catch a number of small perch. It must have been the fact that the water was almost completely calm, no "walleye chop", and the skies were high and blue.
With the walleye fishing not happening we changed tactics, and species, and went bass fishing. We started in front of Norm's cabin, one of the best bass habitats on Sucker Bay, and worked our way north along the reeds to Schiebe's.
I caught one small largemouth bass, that came unhooked right at the boat, and that was the only fish either Rick or I caught until the very last cast of the outing when Rick hooked a nice 3-pound largemouth. Rick was using a 5" Senko on a 3/0 offset hook.
With nearly three hours of fishing under our belts during the afternoon, we finally came ashore. I needed to stretch my legs, so I took a walk and ended up stopping and chatting with Jerry Schiebe about the back porch addition he's adding to his house. He asked if Rick and I could come by on Saturday and help him put up some paneling on the ceiling. Of course I agreed.
Once I got home Rick and I just hung out for a while before Rick went next door to say hello to John Newman who had just arrived for a short, few-day stay. Apparently John was champing at the bit to go fishing and Rick wanted to go as well, so the two of them went fishing for panfish down near the Birches. Their preferred method was going to be using a slip bobber with a minnow. They caught a couple of small perch, but no bluegill, sunfish or crappie; which is what they were after. John and Rick confirmed what Rick and I had found out earlier in the day, the fishing today was quite slow.
While Rick and John were out fishing, I cleaned the walleye Rick caught the other night for our dinner tonight. Along with a pan full of stir-fried veggies, we had a very tasty meal. And then, of course, it was out onto the water for some evening trolling.
The water temperature had warmed throughout the day and was now 65 degrees. The wind was light to calm, the air temperature was 57, and the moon was 89 percent waxing, meaning it was on its way to being full. With those conditions we hoped the walleye would be biting.
We spent nearly an hour on the water before we boated our first walleye. I hooked a small 14-inch walleye on my orange fire tiger-colored Minnow Rap. I put it back into the water so it could grow bigger. A short time later, I hooked another walleye this one measuring 18 1/2 inches, which made it a Leech Lake slot fish, so it immediately went back into the lake.
Those we the only two fish we caught in more than 90 minutes on the water so we started home. Just as we approached the cabin, Rick, who was trolling home, hooked into a nice 21-inch walleye directly in front of my house. I was a beautiful fish and a great way to end the night.
We came ashore, stowed our gear and went into the house about 11:15 p.m. Rick went to bed soon after while I stayed up and listened to some classical music and called home to California to talk to Kathleen. In just a week and a day my beautiful wife will join me at our oasis on Leech Lake. I am very much looking forward to spending time with her at the lake; where we always have so much fun here.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, June 01, 2012
May 31, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
I can't believe is already the final day of May. Where does the time go? Answer, into the past.
At 9:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was 54 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and there really was no wind to speak of, although officially the wind is listed as 3 mph out of the WNW. The high today would hit 69 degrees.
The 2012 Leech Lake Walleye Tournament is this Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3 out of Walker, so most of the 100+ teams are already in the area, and many of them are on Sucker Bay, in front of our house, practicing for tournament. I'm sure as the day wears on, and into tomorrow, many more boats will be out front checking out the fishing. And if past tournaments are any indication, there will likely be upwards of 30 boats out in front of the house come Saturday morning at the start of the tournament. The walleye fishing directly in front of our house and cabin is some the best on all of Leech Lake.
After breakfast and a pot of coffee, and some basic chores around the property (such as getting the hammock set up), Rick and I went fishing at just after noon. We started in 14 feet of water directly between the house and cabin and with the drift sock deployed slowly made our way toward Newman's cabin.
I was using my favorite jig and minnow combination, while Rick was using a Lindy rig tipped with a leech. Within 5 minutes I hooked and boated a 10 1/2-inch perch, just shy of what I'd call a jumbo (11-14 inches qualifies as a jumbo in my book). It went back into the lake. For the next hour or so, all we caught were small- to medium-sized perch.
Then about 1:30 p.m. the wind began to swirl and switch directions coming out of the south rather than the WNW; although it was still relatively light at 5-8 mph. This meant that if we set up in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water and drifted we end up in 14-15 feet of water when we reached the point between our house and cabin; a perfect spot for walleye.
Sure enough, as soon as we got to that "honey hole" I hooked into a small walleye, somewhere between 14-16". I didn't measure it because I could tell it was fairly small and I had no intention of keeping it. Unfortunately, that would be the only walleye we would boat during our afternoon outing. And at 2:45 p.m. we went ashore.
Once I was back at the house, I spent some time getting Melissa and Jayden airline tickets to Minnesota. They are going to come here on June 20, and most likely spend some time visiting cousins, aunts and uncles in Minneapolis and St. Cloud before coming up to the lake. Jayden is very excited and is already playing a game where he pretends to catch and net walleyes. I wonder where he learned that game?
We ate an early dinner of grilled hamburgers, fries and broccoli and then got things loaded up to go fishing again. We started fishing in the same place where we'd left off, in 14 feet of water directly between my house and cabin.
Both Rick and I were using jigs tipped with minnows in the 63 degree water. The temperature of the air was in the low 60s, there were no clouds in the sky and there was virtually no wind.
As beautiful as it was on Sucker Bay, the fishing wasn't nearly as nice. We caught only a few small perch while jigging, and once we switched to trolling, the only walleye we caught was a small 15-inch 'eyeball that Rick boated.
Since the fishing wasn't very good, we decided to call it quits around 10:30 p.m. and head home.
We spent a little time listening to music and playing dominoes before calling it a night. Despite the lack of walleye production -- only two all day between us, when yesterday I caught seven by myself -- it was another great day at Leech Lake.
At 9:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was 54 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and there really was no wind to speak of, although officially the wind is listed as 3 mph out of the WNW. The high today would hit 69 degrees.
The 2012 Leech Lake Walleye Tournament is this Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3 out of Walker, so most of the 100+ teams are already in the area, and many of them are on Sucker Bay, in front of our house, practicing for tournament. I'm sure as the day wears on, and into tomorrow, many more boats will be out front checking out the fishing. And if past tournaments are any indication, there will likely be upwards of 30 boats out in front of the house come Saturday morning at the start of the tournament. The walleye fishing directly in front of our house and cabin is some the best on all of Leech Lake.
After breakfast and a pot of coffee, and some basic chores around the property (such as getting the hammock set up), Rick and I went fishing at just after noon. We started in 14 feet of water directly between the house and cabin and with the drift sock deployed slowly made our way toward Newman's cabin.
I was using my favorite jig and minnow combination, while Rick was using a Lindy rig tipped with a leech. Within 5 minutes I hooked and boated a 10 1/2-inch perch, just shy of what I'd call a jumbo (11-14 inches qualifies as a jumbo in my book). It went back into the lake. For the next hour or so, all we caught were small- to medium-sized perch.
Then about 1:30 p.m. the wind began to swirl and switch directions coming out of the south rather than the WNW; although it was still relatively light at 5-8 mph. This meant that if we set up in front of Giza's cabin in 10 feet of water and drifted we end up in 14-15 feet of water when we reached the point between our house and cabin; a perfect spot for walleye.
Sure enough, as soon as we got to that "honey hole" I hooked into a small walleye, somewhere between 14-16". I didn't measure it because I could tell it was fairly small and I had no intention of keeping it. Unfortunately, that would be the only walleye we would boat during our afternoon outing. And at 2:45 p.m. we went ashore.
Once I was back at the house, I spent some time getting Melissa and Jayden airline tickets to Minnesota. They are going to come here on June 20, and most likely spend some time visiting cousins, aunts and uncles in Minneapolis and St. Cloud before coming up to the lake. Jayden is very excited and is already playing a game where he pretends to catch and net walleyes. I wonder where he learned that game?
We ate an early dinner of grilled hamburgers, fries and broccoli and then got things loaded up to go fishing again. We started fishing in the same place where we'd left off, in 14 feet of water directly between my house and cabin.
Both Rick and I were using jigs tipped with minnows in the 63 degree water. The temperature of the air was in the low 60s, there were no clouds in the sky and there was virtually no wind.
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| Sucker Bay at sunset, taken from the boat while fishing |
Since the fishing wasn't very good, we decided to call it quits around 10:30 p.m. and head home.
We spent a little time listening to music and playing dominoes before calling it a night. Despite the lack of walleye production -- only two all day between us, when yesterday I caught seven by myself -- it was another great day at Leech Lake.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
May 30, 2012 -- On Leech Lake (Memorial Day)
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| Looking south on Sucker Bay at 6:30 p.m. |
Today is the traditional date of Memorial Day. So if you know someone who died in war, or may have a relative in harm's way (as I do), then remember them today.
At 9:30 a.m. the sky was grey and nearly completely filled with clouds, the temperature was a brisk 46 degrees and the wind was 5-8 mph out of the north.
After a leisurely breakfast and some time online, Rick and I decided to go fishing just before 1:00 p.m. I got the boat off the lift and motored out to 14 feet of water directly in front of the cabin. The water temperature was 62 degrees, and with the wind coming out of the north, we moved toward Second Duck Point at about .50 mph ground speed with the drift sock in the water.
Rick tried a number of tackle combinations -- Lindy rig, Kastmaster spoon, jig and minnow -- while I stuck to my usual method of using a jig tipped with a minnow. Today I was using a Northland Tackle "Vegas" jig in sparkle red.
I caught numerous small- to medium-sized perch and a small 9-inch walleye, while Rick hooked a couple of small perch. During our drift the wind began to shift and started blowing out of the south, which meant when had completed our drift to Second Duck Point wind simply pushed us back in the direction from which we had just come.
When we had come to a spot directly between our house and cabin in 14-feet of water I hooked into a beautiful 19-inch walleye; still using my red Vegas jig and fathead minnow. I love catching walleye while jigging because on light tackle a good-sized walleye really puts up a good battle, unlike when trolling where the walleye basically gives up and let you reel them to the boat.
After releasing the walleye back into the lake I put on a fresh minnow and started fishing again. Within 10 minutes I'd hooked another nice walleye, this one measuring 20 inches. Again, it went back into the lake per Leech Lake slot limits.
From that point on all we caught were a number of small perch. At 3:00 p.m. we came ashore where I had a fish sandwich with the last of the leftover beer-battered walleye from the other night. A very tasty meal after an afternoon on the water.
With lunch attended to, I got on the ATV and rode up to Birch Ridge Resort to buy another scoop of fathead minnows and a container of leeches. I've yet to fish with leeches and thought I'd give it a try.
At 7:30 p.m., Rick and I decided to go fishing. Our strategy for this evening was to jig with minnows and leeches until the sun set, then switch to trolling crankbaits.
We started by jigging in 10-14 feet of water in a spot between our house and cabin, the same spot I'd caught two nice walleye earlier in the day. During the next two hours I caught four small walleyes measuring from 10-14 inches. Rick caught only one walleye while jigging, but it was a nice 17-inch "eater" fish that went into the live well for a future dinner.
At 9:30 p.m. we stowed our jigging rods and took our our trolling rods. I continued to fish with a Berkley Flicker Shad while Rick used a Rapala Minnow Rap in a purpledescent color. I had a nice hit almost immediately, but about half way to the boat the fish got off.
During the next hour, I didn't hook another fish, but Rick had 4 hits, three of which got off almost immediately and the other came unbuttoned right at the edge of the boat. We estimate it was roughly a 19-inch walleye.
At 10:45 p.m. we came ashore, stowed the gear, got the 17-inch walleye into the basket in the lake and went inside. It was another good day of fishing on Leech Lake; Rick boated a keeper walleye and I caught a total of seven walleye.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
At Leech Lake -- May 29, 2012
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was a cool 48 degrees, the skies were varied with periods of complete cloud cover to times of broken clouds with even a bit of sunshine, and the wind was very strong at 25+ out of the WNW. The lake was covered in white caps.
Throughout the morning we saw a bit of rain, some very heavy mist, and times of bright sun. It seemed to change every 20 minutes or so. But what didn't change was the wind; it remained windy all morning long.
I did a quick survey of the properties this morning and during my walk I saw only one boat on Sucker Bay. That guy must really have a strong desire to go fishing; although with the wind the way it is, I'm betting that the fishing was poor to nonexistent.
As the day progressed the weather stayed static, that is, it continued to be very windy, cloudy and grey, with periods of heavy mist and light rain. The temperature hovered at the 60 degree mark. Rick and I spent a good couple of hours outside filling in some smallish sink holes with gravel and dirt -- which I then seeded with grass -- and other little odd chores around the properties.
By 3:00 p.m. the wind had moved a bit westward and was blowing almost directly from the west. It was still strong at 20-25 mph. The sky remained grey, the lake churning with white caps and a mist in the air. The National Weather Service has issued a frost warning for most of northern Minnesota including the Leech Lake area. With temperatures expected to dip down to near freezing, it may kill off many of the mosquitoes that were just now hatching.
A couple of brave boats have strayed periodically in front of our house, but within 20 minutes or so they move on, probably back to the resort or to the warmth of their cabins.
Throughout the late afternoon and then into the evening and night the wind continue to blow in excess of 20 mph, keeping the lake too rough to venture out onto. So Rick and I stayed inside and watched the Rob Reiner film, Spinal Tap. Sure, we've each seen it a half a dozen times or more, but it's still really funny; "I don't know, what are the hours?"
After the movie we called it a night. No fishing on Leech Lake today. Maybe tomorrow; it's supposed to be chilly, but at least the wind is forecast to be fairly light. Until then, good night.
Throughout the morning we saw a bit of rain, some very heavy mist, and times of bright sun. It seemed to change every 20 minutes or so. But what didn't change was the wind; it remained windy all morning long.
I did a quick survey of the properties this morning and during my walk I saw only one boat on Sucker Bay. That guy must really have a strong desire to go fishing; although with the wind the way it is, I'm betting that the fishing was poor to nonexistent.
As the day progressed the weather stayed static, that is, it continued to be very windy, cloudy and grey, with periods of heavy mist and light rain. The temperature hovered at the 60 degree mark. Rick and I spent a good couple of hours outside filling in some smallish sink holes with gravel and dirt -- which I then seeded with grass -- and other little odd chores around the properties.
By 3:00 p.m. the wind had moved a bit westward and was blowing almost directly from the west. It was still strong at 20-25 mph. The sky remained grey, the lake churning with white caps and a mist in the air. The National Weather Service has issued a frost warning for most of northern Minnesota including the Leech Lake area. With temperatures expected to dip down to near freezing, it may kill off many of the mosquitoes that were just now hatching.
A couple of brave boats have strayed periodically in front of our house, but within 20 minutes or so they move on, probably back to the resort or to the warmth of their cabins.
Throughout the late afternoon and then into the evening and night the wind continue to blow in excess of 20 mph, keeping the lake too rough to venture out onto. So Rick and I stayed inside and watched the Rob Reiner film, Spinal Tap. Sure, we've each seen it a half a dozen times or more, but it's still really funny; "I don't know, what are the hours?"
After the movie we called it a night. No fishing on Leech Lake today. Maybe tomorrow; it's supposed to be chilly, but at least the wind is forecast to be fairly light. Until then, good night.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Leech Lake Water Level -- Memorial Day 2012
Every year I take several informal measurements of the water level at Leech Lake by measuring how far up my boat ramp the water level is. My ramp is comprised of several cement pilings that go up an incline and onto my cabin property.
The highest I've ever seen the lake level is when the water covered 10 of the pilings. The lowest has been when the lake level didn't even reach the first piling. The average level is between 4-6 pilings.
On Memorial Day 2012, the water level in Leech Lake just barely covered 7 pilings, a bit higher than average for this time of year. Again, this is by no means an accurate or scientific measure of the water levels in Leech Lake, rather just a consistent way for me to get an estimate of the water level throughout the year, and year-to-year.
If you would like more accurate information about the water levels in Leech Lake, please visit the Army Corps of Engineers web site for Federal Dam, Minnesota at this link.
The highest I've ever seen the lake level is when the water covered 10 of the pilings. The lowest has been when the lake level didn't even reach the first piling. The average level is between 4-6 pilings.
On Memorial Day 2012, the water level in Leech Lake just barely covered 7 pilings, a bit higher than average for this time of year. Again, this is by no means an accurate or scientific measure of the water levels in Leech Lake, rather just a consistent way for me to get an estimate of the water level throughout the year, and year-to-year.
If you would like more accurate information about the water levels in Leech Lake, please visit the Army Corps of Engineers web site for Federal Dam, Minnesota at this link.
Monday, May 28, 2012
May 28, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
Today is the day America celebrates Memorial Day, although the actual date for Memorial Day is May 30; which this year lands on a Wednesday. I guess at some point in the past our government decided it was better for the country's population to have a three-day weekend -- for camping, fishing, having picnics, watching auto races on TV, etc. -- than it was for them to remember those who have fallen in battle. Oh well, here's to three-day weekends.
The morning started out fairly decent weather-wise, with a temperature of 60 degrees, a partly sunny sky and winds at no more than 8-12 mph out of the WSW. But by 11:30 a.m., the temperature had dropped a few degrees, the sky clouded up and was totally grey and the wind whipped up to 15-25 mph creating rolling white caps that crashed into our shoreline.
A few brave (foolish) boats remained on the lake despite the high winds. The forecast was for a storm to roll in from the west just after noon, with another storm to hit us from the south between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
By 12:45 p.m., the clouds had given way to blue skies, with only a few white fluffy clouds hovering overhead. The wind had shifted and was now coming out of the north at 15-20 mph. The lake was not quite as rough as it had been earlier, but it was still quite choppy.
After lunch Rick and I decided to tackle the chore of getting the stairs reattached to the dock. The stairs had broken off the dock a couple of years back during high winds out of the northwest. I happened to be sitting in the living room during that storm watching wave after wave rock the stairs until they finally broke off and disappeared below the slate grey surface of the lake.
It took about an hour and a half to get the stairs attached, including the necessity of me donning the waders and getting into the lake. The water level is at or slightly above normal and during the course of me trying to connect the stairs to the dock, a good amount of cold water crested over the top of the waders soaking everything I was wearing underneath.
During the time we were attaching the stairs, a brief rainstorm of no more than five minutes rolled through dropping quite a bit of rain on us even though the sun never stopped shining. As the rain passed, the wind died down, so with our project complete Rick and I hit the water for some mid-afternoon fishing.
We got the boat in the water and I motored out to about 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin. With the light wind, which was now blowing from the SW, we put the drift sock in and slowly made our way toward the cabin.
No sooner than I dropped my fathead-tipped jig into the water than I felt that familiar mushiness of a walleye bite. I set the hook and could tell it was a good-sized fish. I called to Rick that I had a good fish on and to get the net ready. I played the fish for maybe 30 seconds before POW, the lined snapped and whatever was on the other end made its escape.
I tied on a new jig, but after that could catch no more than a small perch or two. Rick's luck was about the same, a few small perch. The wind started to pick up, and with a forecast for a late-afternoon storm, we decided to head for shore.
Once on shore I got a fire going in the fire pit, while Rick attended to the pork ribs in the oven which we would later grill for dinner. About 45 minutes after we came ashore the wind really started to pick up, with speeds of 25-30 mph out of the SW. The lake was quickly covered in white caps and almost devoid of all boats. I spotted one heading SW, into the waves, heading toward Big Hardwood Point.
We had an early dinner and we done eating by 6:30 p.m., almost a record for us here at the lake; it is our typical habit to eat no earlier than 9:00 p.m. We tended to the fire next door for an hour or so after dinner, then put it out and came home.
At 8:00 p.m. the temperature was holding steady at 60 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy and the wind was ripping at 25+ mph out of the SW. As the sun set, the wind continued to howl and no boats could be seen on Sucker Bay from the end of our dock.
Rick and I watched an Albert Brooks movie, Defending Your Life, and then I spent a little time reading and listening to classical music on MPR before calling it a night. It was a good day at Leech Lake, even if we only got a little bit of fishing in. More tomorrow.
The morning started out fairly decent weather-wise, with a temperature of 60 degrees, a partly sunny sky and winds at no more than 8-12 mph out of the WSW. But by 11:30 a.m., the temperature had dropped a few degrees, the sky clouded up and was totally grey and the wind whipped up to 15-25 mph creating rolling white caps that crashed into our shoreline.
A few brave (foolish) boats remained on the lake despite the high winds. The forecast was for a storm to roll in from the west just after noon, with another storm to hit us from the south between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
By 12:45 p.m., the clouds had given way to blue skies, with only a few white fluffy clouds hovering overhead. The wind had shifted and was now coming out of the north at 15-20 mph. The lake was not quite as rough as it had been earlier, but it was still quite choppy.
After lunch Rick and I decided to tackle the chore of getting the stairs reattached to the dock. The stairs had broken off the dock a couple of years back during high winds out of the northwest. I happened to be sitting in the living room during that storm watching wave after wave rock the stairs until they finally broke off and disappeared below the slate grey surface of the lake.
It took about an hour and a half to get the stairs attached, including the necessity of me donning the waders and getting into the lake. The water level is at or slightly above normal and during the course of me trying to connect the stairs to the dock, a good amount of cold water crested over the top of the waders soaking everything I was wearing underneath.
During the time we were attaching the stairs, a brief rainstorm of no more than five minutes rolled through dropping quite a bit of rain on us even though the sun never stopped shining. As the rain passed, the wind died down, so with our project complete Rick and I hit the water for some mid-afternoon fishing.
We got the boat in the water and I motored out to about 10 feet of water in front of Giza's cabin. With the light wind, which was now blowing from the SW, we put the drift sock in and slowly made our way toward the cabin.
No sooner than I dropped my fathead-tipped jig into the water than I felt that familiar mushiness of a walleye bite. I set the hook and could tell it was a good-sized fish. I called to Rick that I had a good fish on and to get the net ready. I played the fish for maybe 30 seconds before POW, the lined snapped and whatever was on the other end made its escape.
I tied on a new jig, but after that could catch no more than a small perch or two. Rick's luck was about the same, a few small perch. The wind started to pick up, and with a forecast for a late-afternoon storm, we decided to head for shore.
Once on shore I got a fire going in the fire pit, while Rick attended to the pork ribs in the oven which we would later grill for dinner. About 45 minutes after we came ashore the wind really started to pick up, with speeds of 25-30 mph out of the SW. The lake was quickly covered in white caps and almost devoid of all boats. I spotted one heading SW, into the waves, heading toward Big Hardwood Point.
We had an early dinner and we done eating by 6:30 p.m., almost a record for us here at the lake; it is our typical habit to eat no earlier than 9:00 p.m. We tended to the fire next door for an hour or so after dinner, then put it out and came home.
At 8:00 p.m. the temperature was holding steady at 60 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy and the wind was ripping at 25+ mph out of the SW. As the sun set, the wind continued to howl and no boats could be seen on Sucker Bay from the end of our dock.
Rick and I watched an Albert Brooks movie, Defending Your Life, and then I spent a little time reading and listening to classical music on MPR before calling it a night. It was a good day at Leech Lake, even if we only got a little bit of fishing in. More tomorrow.
May 27, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
I woke up this morning at 3:00 a.m. to very loud claps of thunder and the room alight with white-pink flashes of lightening. I tried to stay awake to watch and listen to the storm, but I find such events so relaxing that I quickly fell back asleep.
At 9:00 a.m., the lightening and thunder continued, the wind had picked up and was blowing at 15-20 mph out of the ESE and the temperature was 53 degrees. I opened the blinds in the bedroom, went back underneath the blanket and watched as sheets of rain fell from the sky.
I couldn't help but think about the hundreds, possibly thousands, of families that come "up north" to Minnesota's lake country every Memorial Day weekend to go camping. For many families it's a tradition to set up a tent in one of the dozens of campgrounds that are in the numerous state parks located in the area. I could picture them huddled inside their tents cursing the cold, wet weather and wishing for a warm, dry bed, like the one where I lay watching the angry weather pass through.
I decided to check on the health of the three fish we have in the basket hanging off the dock, since the storm might have caused them to be stressed during the night. I prefer to clean and eat my catch within an hour if possible. There's nothing better than super-fresh, lake-caught fish for dinner.
As I walked out onto the dock I spotted a mother Merganser duck with at least a dozen little ducklings about 25 years off the end of the dock. They spotted me too, and quickly made their way north putting more distance between us.
The walleye and the foot-long perch were healthy and looked fine, while the 10-inch perch showed some signs of stress; although it was still alive and able to swim upright. All three should be fine until later this afternoon when I filet them, then they won't be doing so well.
As I made my way from the end of the dock to shore a small splash in the reeds to my left caught my attention. I turned to looked and saw a fair-sized muskie, probably 42 inches long, weave its way through the weeds in no more than 18-inches of water. Knowing that a muskie would choose the reeds adjacent to my dock to seek shelter from the storm made me smile.
And nature morning continued as I walked on the path between the cabin and the house. As I neared the fishing cleaning house I spotted a great blue heron standing on the big rock near the dock. It spread its wings slowly and then took to the air as I approached. To me, that 5 minute period sums up one of the many reasons I love being on the shores of Leech Lake. I get to see a family of Mergansers, a large muskie and a blue heron. You won't see that in San Jose.
Rick and I did various tasks around the properties -- such as clean out the "fish garage" and put up the solar lights on the two pathways between the house and cabin -- before deciding to go fishing. We backed the boat off the lift just before 2:00 p.m. and made our way to the Birches. The water temperature was 62.3 degrees.
Rick used a Lindy rig tipped with a minnow, while stuck with the tried and true method of using a jig and minnow. We caught numerous perch, including a jumbo 11-inch that I landed, and Rick caught a small hammer handle.
We fished the Birches for about an hour before moving into Bass Bay to try to catch some largemouth. Bass season opened just yesterday.
Both Rick and I started fishing using a Mimic Minnow with a spinner blade. Within 15 minutes I'd hooked into a good sized bass that must have weighed close to three pounds. I immediately released it into the water. But after that one good bass, neither Rick nor I could hook another bass. Rick did catch a 26-inch pike which managed to wrap Rick's line around dozens of reeds in the shallow water forcing us to spend nearly 15 minutes wrestling it free.
At 4:30 p.m. we came ashore and I set about the task of cleaning the two perch and 15-inch walleye which we caught yesterday. They would be our dinner tonight. I've really gotten into using a Shore Lunch beer batter to fry up the fish, and it works great. The fillets end up light and crispy and a perfect golden brown. To accompany our fish meal we had Minnesota wild rice and asparagus. A very tasty meal of Leech Lake fish indeed!
After eating dinner and cleaning up, it was once again time to go fishing. As is our usual methodology for walleye fishing in the evening/night, we got our trolling rods at the ready. Typically I use the Rapala Minnow Rap, in a variety of colors although recently I've been favoring the perch color, but tonight I switched up and went the the Berkley Ficker Shad in a fathead minnow color.
As is also typical for us, we trolled the "Alley" between our cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. The water temperature hovered between 62.3 and 62.5 degrees. We trolled at a speed of roughly 2.25 mph ground speed. The wind was nearly nonexistent for most of the night, before picking up to 8-12 mph around 10:30 p.m.
Rick caught the first fish, a 19 1/2-inch walleye. I followed with three more walleyes measuring 14-, 16 and 9-inches. That last fish may have been the smallest walleye I've ever caught. Just two days earlier I caught a perch that measured 12 inches long.
The sky darkened as we fished, not only because of nightfall but because of the heavy clouds moving into the area. The clouds brought some lightening with them, but it was high flashes of light rather than the bolts when the lightening is nearby. As I mentioned, the wind also picked up, so around 10:45 p.m. we took the boat back to the lift and came ashore.
We stayed up late listening to music and solving the worlds problems, well, at least identifying them. Before I went to bed for the night I called Kathleen. We talked while she was on her laptop and made travel arrangements for her to come to Leech Lake. As things stand today, Kathleen is scheduled to arrive at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 9. I look forward to seeing her; we always have so much fun here at the lake.
Until tomorrow...
At 9:00 a.m., the lightening and thunder continued, the wind had picked up and was blowing at 15-20 mph out of the ESE and the temperature was 53 degrees. I opened the blinds in the bedroom, went back underneath the blanket and watched as sheets of rain fell from the sky.
I couldn't help but think about the hundreds, possibly thousands, of families that come "up north" to Minnesota's lake country every Memorial Day weekend to go camping. For many families it's a tradition to set up a tent in one of the dozens of campgrounds that are in the numerous state parks located in the area. I could picture them huddled inside their tents cursing the cold, wet weather and wishing for a warm, dry bed, like the one where I lay watching the angry weather pass through.
I decided to check on the health of the three fish we have in the basket hanging off the dock, since the storm might have caused them to be stressed during the night. I prefer to clean and eat my catch within an hour if possible. There's nothing better than super-fresh, lake-caught fish for dinner.
As I walked out onto the dock I spotted a mother Merganser duck with at least a dozen little ducklings about 25 years off the end of the dock. They spotted me too, and quickly made their way north putting more distance between us.
The walleye and the foot-long perch were healthy and looked fine, while the 10-inch perch showed some signs of stress; although it was still alive and able to swim upright. All three should be fine until later this afternoon when I filet them, then they won't be doing so well.
As I made my way from the end of the dock to shore a small splash in the reeds to my left caught my attention. I turned to looked and saw a fair-sized muskie, probably 42 inches long, weave its way through the weeds in no more than 18-inches of water. Knowing that a muskie would choose the reeds adjacent to my dock to seek shelter from the storm made me smile.
And nature morning continued as I walked on the path between the cabin and the house. As I neared the fishing cleaning house I spotted a great blue heron standing on the big rock near the dock. It spread its wings slowly and then took to the air as I approached. To me, that 5 minute period sums up one of the many reasons I love being on the shores of Leech Lake. I get to see a family of Mergansers, a large muskie and a blue heron. You won't see that in San Jose.
Rick and I did various tasks around the properties -- such as clean out the "fish garage" and put up the solar lights on the two pathways between the house and cabin -- before deciding to go fishing. We backed the boat off the lift just before 2:00 p.m. and made our way to the Birches. The water temperature was 62.3 degrees.
Rick used a Lindy rig tipped with a minnow, while stuck with the tried and true method of using a jig and minnow. We caught numerous perch, including a jumbo 11-inch that I landed, and Rick caught a small hammer handle.
We fished the Birches for about an hour before moving into Bass Bay to try to catch some largemouth. Bass season opened just yesterday.
Both Rick and I started fishing using a Mimic Minnow with a spinner blade. Within 15 minutes I'd hooked into a good sized bass that must have weighed close to three pounds. I immediately released it into the water. But after that one good bass, neither Rick nor I could hook another bass. Rick did catch a 26-inch pike which managed to wrap Rick's line around dozens of reeds in the shallow water forcing us to spend nearly 15 minutes wrestling it free.
At 4:30 p.m. we came ashore and I set about the task of cleaning the two perch and 15-inch walleye which we caught yesterday. They would be our dinner tonight. I've really gotten into using a Shore Lunch beer batter to fry up the fish, and it works great. The fillets end up light and crispy and a perfect golden brown. To accompany our fish meal we had Minnesota wild rice and asparagus. A very tasty meal of Leech Lake fish indeed!
After eating dinner and cleaning up, it was once again time to go fishing. As is our usual methodology for walleye fishing in the evening/night, we got our trolling rods at the ready. Typically I use the Rapala Minnow Rap, in a variety of colors although recently I've been favoring the perch color, but tonight I switched up and went the the Berkley Ficker Shad in a fathead minnow color.
As is also typical for us, we trolled the "Alley" between our cabin to just south of Second Duck Point. The water temperature hovered between 62.3 and 62.5 degrees. We trolled at a speed of roughly 2.25 mph ground speed. The wind was nearly nonexistent for most of the night, before picking up to 8-12 mph around 10:30 p.m.
Rick caught the first fish, a 19 1/2-inch walleye. I followed with three more walleyes measuring 14-, 16 and 9-inches. That last fish may have been the smallest walleye I've ever caught. Just two days earlier I caught a perch that measured 12 inches long.
The sky darkened as we fished, not only because of nightfall but because of the heavy clouds moving into the area. The clouds brought some lightening with them, but it was high flashes of light rather than the bolts when the lightening is nearby. As I mentioned, the wind also picked up, so around 10:45 p.m. we took the boat back to the lift and came ashore.
We stayed up late listening to music and solving the worlds problems, well, at least identifying them. Before I went to bed for the night I called Kathleen. We talked while she was on her laptop and made travel arrangements for her to come to Leech Lake. As things stand today, Kathleen is scheduled to arrive at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 9. I look forward to seeing her; we always have so much fun here at the lake.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, May 26, 2012
May 26, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning the temperature at 9:00 a.m. was a cool 48 degrees, the sky was grey and it looked like it could rain at any moment. The wind, however, was light at 3-8 mph out of the NW.
Rick and I greeted the morning slowly, taking our time to eat breakfast, drink coffee and generally get going. It wasn't until after 1:00 p.m. that we made our way next door to take the boat out fishing.
The water temperature had dropped to 61.5 degrees, a full three degrees cooler than it had been earlier in the week. The cool daytime temperatures and even colder temps during the night sent the lake temperature in the wrong direction. At this time of year the water should be warming up, not cooling down.
Based on a tip from John Newman, we made our way to the Birches where we heard tell that jumbo perch were biting. I fished with a jig tipped with a fathead while Rick tried a Lindy rig and minnow. We both caught several small perch, before I boated a true jumbo perch which measured a full foot long. Rick added a 10-inch perch and both went into the live well. If we catch one more good-sized perch, or a smallish walleye, we'll have enough for a fish dinner.
We came ashore around 3:00 p.m. under grey skies, a cool NW wind of 8-12 mph and a temperature that had finally hit 60 degrees. It was time for some lunch in advance of listening to A Prairie Home Companion tonight on Minnesota Public Radio.
After hearing A Prairie Home Companion, which wasn't one the better shows, I got the brats in a beer bath and heated them up on the stove in preparation for grilling. Along with the brats we'll have corn on the cob and baked beans for dinner.
With the wind still very light, ranging from calm to 5 mph out of the NW, I think we'll try to go trolling tonight. Since it's Memorial Day weekend, there are a lot of tourists and others visiting Leech Lake so there will be some boat traffic to contend with tonight.
We backed the boat off the lift at just after 9:00 p.m. After getting the navigation light on and getting our trolling rods (with Minnow Raps) from the storage locker I guided the boat south toward Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water.
Almost instantly Rick called that he had hooked a fish. With the official sunset coming just minutes earlier, we figured it was a pike on his line, since pike generally bite up until 30 minutes after sunset which is when the walleye start biting. However, we were wrong and Rick brought a 16-inch walleye into the boat. We contemplated keeping it, but Rick decided to put it back into the lake.
We made several passes in the "Alley" between our house and the middle of Duck Bay, but didn't catch anything. The wind was picking up, actually quite a bit, so I let Rick know that we'd make another pass and then we'd head home.
Shortly after my pronouncement, I hooked into a fish and when all was said and done I had a very nice 18-inch walleye in the boat. But the slot limit on Leech Lake requires that all walleye between 18 and 26 inches be released back into the lake, so my nice fish was quickly and safely returned to the water.
Not more than 10 minutes later Rick caught another walleye, this one measuring just under 16 inches, so we decided to keep it. That smaller walleye, together with the 12- and 10-inch perch we caught earlier in the day, will provide us dinner tomorrow night.
We came ashore around 10:30 p.m. and spent the next 90 minutes just listening to music and talking. It's now nearing midnight and time to call it a night. It was another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Rick and I greeted the morning slowly, taking our time to eat breakfast, drink coffee and generally get going. It wasn't until after 1:00 p.m. that we made our way next door to take the boat out fishing.
The water temperature had dropped to 61.5 degrees, a full three degrees cooler than it had been earlier in the week. The cool daytime temperatures and even colder temps during the night sent the lake temperature in the wrong direction. At this time of year the water should be warming up, not cooling down.
Based on a tip from John Newman, we made our way to the Birches where we heard tell that jumbo perch were biting. I fished with a jig tipped with a fathead while Rick tried a Lindy rig and minnow. We both caught several small perch, before I boated a true jumbo perch which measured a full foot long. Rick added a 10-inch perch and both went into the live well. If we catch one more good-sized perch, or a smallish walleye, we'll have enough for a fish dinner.
We came ashore around 3:00 p.m. under grey skies, a cool NW wind of 8-12 mph and a temperature that had finally hit 60 degrees. It was time for some lunch in advance of listening to A Prairie Home Companion tonight on Minnesota Public Radio.
After hearing A Prairie Home Companion, which wasn't one the better shows, I got the brats in a beer bath and heated them up on the stove in preparation for grilling. Along with the brats we'll have corn on the cob and baked beans for dinner.
With the wind still very light, ranging from calm to 5 mph out of the NW, I think we'll try to go trolling tonight. Since it's Memorial Day weekend, there are a lot of tourists and others visiting Leech Lake so there will be some boat traffic to contend with tonight.
We backed the boat off the lift at just after 9:00 p.m. After getting the navigation light on and getting our trolling rods (with Minnow Raps) from the storage locker I guided the boat south toward Second Duck Point in 10 feet of water.
Almost instantly Rick called that he had hooked a fish. With the official sunset coming just minutes earlier, we figured it was a pike on his line, since pike generally bite up until 30 minutes after sunset which is when the walleye start biting. However, we were wrong and Rick brought a 16-inch walleye into the boat. We contemplated keeping it, but Rick decided to put it back into the lake.
We made several passes in the "Alley" between our house and the middle of Duck Bay, but didn't catch anything. The wind was picking up, actually quite a bit, so I let Rick know that we'd make another pass and then we'd head home.
Shortly after my pronouncement, I hooked into a fish and when all was said and done I had a very nice 18-inch walleye in the boat. But the slot limit on Leech Lake requires that all walleye between 18 and 26 inches be released back into the lake, so my nice fish was quickly and safely returned to the water.
Not more than 10 minutes later Rick caught another walleye, this one measuring just under 16 inches, so we decided to keep it. That smaller walleye, together with the 12- and 10-inch perch we caught earlier in the day, will provide us dinner tomorrow night.
We came ashore around 10:30 p.m. and spent the next 90 minutes just listening to music and talking. It's now nearing midnight and time to call it a night. It was another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
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