I received a call this morning at 7:25 a.m. from Mark from Shore Brothers. He said he was coming out this way working on another job this morning and that he could swing by my place sometime today to adjust the boat lift. In preparation of his visit, I moved the boat from the lift to the harbor. The transfer was complete by 7:45 a.m. and it was time for a little breakfast.
The temperature at 7:45 a.m. was 64 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSE.
I spent the day around the house, cleaning, weeding the gardens a bit more, etc. As the day wore on the temperature climbed to near 80 degrees, but it felt warmer because of the relatively high humidity. The wind varied throughout the day ranging from 5-12 mph out of the SE.
I expected T&K to come out today to take care of the yard, since they didn't come out on Wednesday as scheduled, but they were a no-show. I'll call them in the morning to try to figure out a schedule that works, and that they can adhere to.
Mark and the Shore Brothers team stopped by the boat lift around 5:00 p.m. They made some repairs to the boat lift winch, which may have been part of the reason the lift was going down far enough. They also noticed that the winch cable was frayed and ordered a new one for me. Everything appeared to work fine when they left.
I went down to the Malay's around 6:00 p.m. to pick up some beer Tom had got on sale and to chat with both Tom and Lainy. I eventually came home around 7:00 p.m. and by 7:20 p.m. was lowering the boat into the water. I noticed that the water temperature had increased to 71.5 degrees. A few degrees warmer and it'll be fine to swim in.
I jigged with minnows in 10-15 feet of water between the house and cabin but caught nothing but small perch. I did have a loon surface right next to the boat, and then let out its fabled call. What a magnificent bird. I came in at sunset, just after 9:00 p.m. because I just feel like fishing late tonight.
I noticed that when I got the boat on the lift the motor started to made a grinding noise that didn't sound good. I'll keep an eye on it and have Mark look at it when he comes out to put the new winch cable in.
Instead of fishing tonight, I stayed home and read Garrison Keillor's newest book, "Guy Noir, and the Straight Skinny."
Tomorrow I have to go into Cass Lake to run a few errands, including getting a pizza for Friday night pizza. More tomorrow. Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
June 6, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
This morning I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and thought about getting up, but it was simply too early for me so I forced myself to go back to sleep. I eventually got up a little before 8:00 a.m. and saw that the temperature was 65 degrees, it's suppose to be up around 75 degrees today, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSW and the sky was cloudy. In fact, the sky had a greenish grey tint to it that usually means rain. I think a thunderstorm is predicted for sometime today, but we'll see. The recent weather forecasts haven't been very accurate.
At 10:00 a.m. a light rain started to fall. More accurately, the drops were heavy and loaded with water, but there were few of them which created a soothing patter on the back porch and quickly had the entire area wet with rain. The wind remained light, if not calm, and the flag hung limp on the pole.
Most of the morning I spent reading and attending to some work calls. After lunch, since the rain had stopped, it was time to get outside and do some weeding in the various gardens and flower beds. It's amazing how many weeds come up in relation to the relatively few number of plants we actually want in the beds/gardens. I spent a couple of hours pulling weeds before calling quits and going inside to get cleaned up.
My concerns about my boat lift, and a forecast calling for possible severe thunderstorms, kept me off the lake today. I'm hoping that sometime again soon I can get out and do some fishing.
At 4:45 p.m. there was brief spell of heavy rain. The really heavy rained stopped after a minute or two, but a lighter steadier rain fell for maybe 30 minutes. I did hear some rumbling of thunder off the distance, but a quick check of the radar weather map showed that most of the worst weather passed by just to the north of Leech Lake.
The evening was quiet and uneventful. I hope to be able to get on the lake tomorrow to do some fishing. If I do, I'll more to report. Good night from Leech Lake.
At 10:00 a.m. a light rain started to fall. More accurately, the drops were heavy and loaded with water, but there were few of them which created a soothing patter on the back porch and quickly had the entire area wet with rain. The wind remained light, if not calm, and the flag hung limp on the pole.
Most of the morning I spent reading and attending to some work calls. After lunch, since the rain had stopped, it was time to get outside and do some weeding in the various gardens and flower beds. It's amazing how many weeds come up in relation to the relatively few number of plants we actually want in the beds/gardens. I spent a couple of hours pulling weeds before calling quits and going inside to get cleaned up.
My concerns about my boat lift, and a forecast calling for possible severe thunderstorms, kept me off the lake today. I'm hoping that sometime again soon I can get out and do some fishing.
At 4:45 p.m. there was brief spell of heavy rain. The really heavy rained stopped after a minute or two, but a lighter steadier rain fell for maybe 30 minutes. I did hear some rumbling of thunder off the distance, but a quick check of the radar weather map showed that most of the worst weather passed by just to the north of Leech Lake.
The evening was quiet and uneventful. I hope to be able to get on the lake tomorrow to do some fishing. If I do, I'll more to report. Good night from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Shore Brothers/Boat Lift Update
Per my original post on June 5, 2012 I want to issue a retraction, and an apology to Shore Brothers, particularly its owner Mark.
I was frustrated that I was having trouble getting the boat off the lift despite the lake's water level being at or near normal. Last year, with the lake at similar levels I had no problem moving my boat on and off the lift with ease.
What I failed to understand is that with the unusual thaw/freeze/thaw cycle this spring, the lake bottom was significantly altered along Sucker Bay. As a result, Mark, and Shore Brothers, made the correct call by adjusting the lift accordingly. So despite the lake level being normal, the lift is having troubling dropping the boat low enough to get it to float.
This was not an adjustment issue by Shore Brothers. I want to let it be known that Shore Brothers is a quality outfit run by honest, hardworking people. They do the best job of putting in and taking out docks and boat lifts in the Leech Lake area.
Should you happen to read this post, I recommend giving them a call for all of your all of your lake and shoreline needs.
I was frustrated that I was having trouble getting the boat off the lift despite the lake's water level being at or near normal. Last year, with the lake at similar levels I had no problem moving my boat on and off the lift with ease.
What I failed to understand is that with the unusual thaw/freeze/thaw cycle this spring, the lake bottom was significantly altered along Sucker Bay. As a result, Mark, and Shore Brothers, made the correct call by adjusting the lift accordingly. So despite the lake level being normal, the lift is having troubling dropping the boat low enough to get it to float.
This was not an adjustment issue by Shore Brothers. I want to let it be known that Shore Brothers is a quality outfit run by honest, hardworking people. They do the best job of putting in and taking out docks and boat lifts in the Leech Lake area.
Should you happen to read this post, I recommend giving them a call for all of your all of your lake and shoreline needs.
June 5, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
I woke up around 7:00 a.m. this morning and tried to go back to sleep, but I had no luck. So I got up. I checked the temperature, it was already 64 degrees on its way to a predicted 80 degrees. The sky was sunny and blue and the wind was light at 3-5 mph out of the ESE.
As I ate my breakfast and drank a cup of coffee I noticed that one of the suet feeders I put out for the birds was down. And more than just down, the branch of the tree the suet feeder was attached to was nearly completely pulled off of the tree. The branch, which had to be 1 1/2 inches in diameter, was more accurately ripped from the tree than broken off. By the size of the broken branch and the way the suet feeder was pulled apart, I suspect a bear had a nice suet snack last night.
Now I cannot categorically say it was indeed a bear that did the damage, since I did not see the perpetrator, the way the suet was hauled down is consistent with a bear's behavior. In the spring, and here in the northwoods it is still spring, a mother bear who is tending to a cub or two will get plenty hungry and roam far and wide of a quick snack. I've had bird feeders, which were perched atop inch-diameter metal pipe, bent in two as if it was a flexible straw, so I know how powerful bears can be when hungry. And although I did not see a bear last night, I have seen bear in the yard on several occasions over the years so I know firsthand that they do visit our properties.
I cleaned up the broken branches and rehung the suet feeder (we'll see if the damage happens again tonight) I set about a number of chores I have been meaning to get to. I installed an antenna for the tuner in my stereo system and hid the wire with plastic cord channel molding, stacked some new books on the bookshelf, hung some pictures, washed the dock, did some laundry, put clean sheets on the guest bed, etc. It was a full day of housework with only a break for a sandwich at lunch.
As the day moved on, the temperature climbed. At 3:30 p.m. the temperature was 81 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy, although sun shined directly over the house and the lake was calm due to lack of wind. What little wind there was was coming out of the ESE at 5-8 mph.
I decided to go fishing at 4:20 p.m. but was frustrated by some boat lift issues. I've got a call into Shore Brothers and hopefully they can come out soon to correct the problem.
Once on the water I motored out to a spot in between our house and cabin in 12-15 feet of water and jigged with a minnow. I caught a big rock bass, a good-sized perch and pike. I decided to head back to shore after only a half an hour on the lake so I could put a call into Shore Brothers about the lift before they close for the day. I'm not sure I'll take the boat out until the situation is fixed because I had a very difficult time getting the boat back onto the lift when I came in from fishing.
I thought about going fishing after dinner, but decided against it. So for the rest of the evening I stayed home, listened to some music and watched an old Sherlock Holmes movie. Good night from Leech Lake.
As I ate my breakfast and drank a cup of coffee I noticed that one of the suet feeders I put out for the birds was down. And more than just down, the branch of the tree the suet feeder was attached to was nearly completely pulled off of the tree. The branch, which had to be 1 1/2 inches in diameter, was more accurately ripped from the tree than broken off. By the size of the broken branch and the way the suet feeder was pulled apart, I suspect a bear had a nice suet snack last night.
Now I cannot categorically say it was indeed a bear that did the damage, since I did not see the perpetrator, the way the suet was hauled down is consistent with a bear's behavior. In the spring, and here in the northwoods it is still spring, a mother bear who is tending to a cub or two will get plenty hungry and roam far and wide of a quick snack. I've had bird feeders, which were perched atop inch-diameter metal pipe, bent in two as if it was a flexible straw, so I know how powerful bears can be when hungry. And although I did not see a bear last night, I have seen bear in the yard on several occasions over the years so I know firsthand that they do visit our properties.
I cleaned up the broken branches and rehung the suet feeder (we'll see if the damage happens again tonight) I set about a number of chores I have been meaning to get to. I installed an antenna for the tuner in my stereo system and hid the wire with plastic cord channel molding, stacked some new books on the bookshelf, hung some pictures, washed the dock, did some laundry, put clean sheets on the guest bed, etc. It was a full day of housework with only a break for a sandwich at lunch.
As the day moved on, the temperature climbed. At 3:30 p.m. the temperature was 81 degrees, the sky was mostly cloudy, although sun shined directly over the house and the lake was calm due to lack of wind. What little wind there was was coming out of the ESE at 5-8 mph.
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| Afternoon clouds on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
Once on the water I motored out to a spot in between our house and cabin in 12-15 feet of water and jigged with a minnow. I caught a big rock bass, a good-sized perch and pike. I decided to head back to shore after only a half an hour on the lake so I could put a call into Shore Brothers about the lift before they close for the day. I'm not sure I'll take the boat out until the situation is fixed because I had a very difficult time getting the boat back onto the lift when I came in from fishing.
I thought about going fishing after dinner, but decided against it. So for the rest of the evening I stayed home, listened to some music and watched an old Sherlock Holmes movie. Good night from Leech Lake.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
June 4, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
It was beautiful this morning at 8:30 a.m. with a temperature of 65 degrees, clear blue skies and virtually no wind. The slightest of breezes, out of the WSW, did put a few ripples on the lake, but for the most part the lake was calm.
The birds enjoyed the fabulous morning by providing a chorus of song emanating from all 360 degrees around the house. The trees seemed to radiate bright green, and the smell in the air was that of fresh lake water and clean northwoods air. What a glorious start to the day.
Unfortunately for Rick, this morning was his last day of his two-week long visit to Leech Lake. While I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee, he bustled about gathering up his clothes, stowing his fishing gear, and as is his custom on the last day of his stay, he lowered the Australian flag which had flown constantly just below the Stars and Stripes since the day of his arrival.
About an hour from now we'll load into the truck and make the 45-minute drive into Bemidji where we'll enjoy a late breakfast at Perkin's before I take Rick to the airport.
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I dropped Rick off at the airport just after noon, after we'd had a late breakfast at Perkin's, and then took my truck to Dondelinger GM for service. While my truck was being serviced I went to the local movie theater and watched The Avengers. Sure it was a Monday afternoon, but I was the ONLY person in the entire theater. In fact, I was one of only 3 people seeing movies in the entire 8-theater complex! I love Bemidji.
When the movie ended, my truck was ready. Dondelinger sent out a car to pick me up at the theater which then took me to my truck; which they had washed. The entire service, including oil change, rotating the tires, topping off fluids, etc., cost $42. I love Bemidji.
The temperature in Bemidji was quite warm, at 83 degrees. I'm sure it was cooler at the lake, with the breeze off the water, but here in town it actually felt hot.
I ran numerous errands in town, and didn't get on the highway back to Leech Lake until almost 6:00 p.m.
After putting away groceries, and many other items acquired in town, it was getting close to 8:00 p.m. I decided that I would not go fishing tonight and settled into a nice evening at home alone. While it was great to have Rick visit, he arrived less than 12 hours after I did two weeks ago which meant other than going to sleep on that Sunday night, I have not been alone at the lake yet this trip. Tonight was my first night alone and I wanted to spend it quietly reading, which is what I did.
Tomorrow I have lots of things I need to do, including putting up some pictures, updating the software on my Lowrance boat electronics, weeding the gardens, etc. I'll have a busy day so tonight was meant for kicking back and relaxing.
Kathleen will be here in just 5 days. She arrives late Saturday night and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her.
Good night from the shores of Leech Lake.
The birds enjoyed the fabulous morning by providing a chorus of song emanating from all 360 degrees around the house. The trees seemed to radiate bright green, and the smell in the air was that of fresh lake water and clean northwoods air. What a glorious start to the day.
Unfortunately for Rick, this morning was his last day of his two-week long visit to Leech Lake. While I enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee, he bustled about gathering up his clothes, stowing his fishing gear, and as is his custom on the last day of his stay, he lowered the Australian flag which had flown constantly just below the Stars and Stripes since the day of his arrival.
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| Rick lowering the Australian flag |
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I dropped Rick off at the airport just after noon, after we'd had a late breakfast at Perkin's, and then took my truck to Dondelinger GM for service. While my truck was being serviced I went to the local movie theater and watched The Avengers. Sure it was a Monday afternoon, but I was the ONLY person in the entire theater. In fact, I was one of only 3 people seeing movies in the entire 8-theater complex! I love Bemidji.
When the movie ended, my truck was ready. Dondelinger sent out a car to pick me up at the theater which then took me to my truck; which they had washed. The entire service, including oil change, rotating the tires, topping off fluids, etc., cost $42. I love Bemidji.
The temperature in Bemidji was quite warm, at 83 degrees. I'm sure it was cooler at the lake, with the breeze off the water, but here in town it actually felt hot.
I ran numerous errands in town, and didn't get on the highway back to Leech Lake until almost 6:00 p.m.
After putting away groceries, and many other items acquired in town, it was getting close to 8:00 p.m. I decided that I would not go fishing tonight and settled into a nice evening at home alone. While it was great to have Rick visit, he arrived less than 12 hours after I did two weeks ago which meant other than going to sleep on that Sunday night, I have not been alone at the lake yet this trip. Tonight was my first night alone and I wanted to spend it quietly reading, which is what I did.
Tomorrow I have lots of things I need to do, including putting up some pictures, updating the software on my Lowrance boat electronics, weeding the gardens, etc. I'll have a busy day so tonight was meant for kicking back and relaxing.
Kathleen will be here in just 5 days. She arrives late Saturday night and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her.
Good night from the shores of Leech Lake.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
June 3, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
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| The golden water of Sucker Bay this evening |
Today is Rick's last day full day at Leech Lake for this trip. He's already hinted that he may be able to swing another trip up here come September or October, but who knows...
The weather this morning was as follows: the sky was grey and overcast and looked like it might bring some rain with it. The temperature was a fairly balmy 65 degrees and there was little to no wind; what breeze there might have been looked to be coming out of the southwest.
Although the Leech Lake Walleye Tournament is in its second and final day, there were relatively few boats in front of our house and cabin; maybe a half a dozen at most. The results from Day 1 of the tournament have the leading team with 13.51 pounds of walleye with six fish caught. The big fish of the day was a 7.28 pounder, which is a big fish. A walleye must be over 26 inches to be kept here on Leech Lake and that fish had to be at least 27 or 28 inches, if not bigger, to weigh 7.28 pounds.
The forecast for today called for rain and light winds starting sometime after noon, with possible thunderstorms around 2:00 p.m. So at 11:30 a.m. Rick and I thought it would be a good time to venture onto the lake to do some fishing. We had washed our rain gear the other day and it was still hanging up in the garage to dry, but since it wasn't predicted to rain for a while we thought we'd be OK. Wrong.
No sooner than we got out on the water than the wind picked up and it started raining. With no rain gear, and my aversion to being on the water in overly windy conditions, we came right back in. When the wind dies down, we'll try again regardless of the rain.
Once inside, I put my rain gear into the dryer and made sure it dried quickly; no more air drying. With my rain gear finally dry, we decided to go back onto the water for some fishing; wearing our rain gear just in case.
No sooner had we left the boat lift when a light rain began to fall. But almost as fast as it started it stopped, and for the rest of our time on the water it didn't rain again. Perfect, since we had our rain gear on.
I motored out to Bass Bay where we threw spinnerbaits for largemouth bass. I deployed the electric trolling motor and got us started fishing at the harbor near Third Duck Point in 2 feet of water. We fished all along the reeds in Bass Bay for more than an hour, but the only fish we caught was a nice 3-pound largemouth that I hooked, and a little rock bass that Rick caught. We did, however, see a large dogfish sitting on its bed in the shallows, but couldn't entice it to bite.
Having thoroughly fished our way around Bass Bay, I pulled up the trolling motor, fired up the Mercury Verado and sped the boat to Second Duck Point, no more than a five- or six-minute ride at 35 mph. Once at Second Duck Point we jigged for walleye and jumbo perch, but caught only a handful of small perch. At that point it was time to go ashore.
Once on shore, Rick and I stopped by John Newman's house for a beer and some conversation. I left about a half an hour later, but Rick ended up staying for nearly three hours. Finally at 9:30 p.m. Rick came home and we went out for our evening troll.
The sky was mostly cloudy, the moon was full, and the wind was calm; the lake was truly flat. The water temperature was 67 degrees and the air temperature was a very comfortable 60 degrees. We made several passes from the cabin south into Duck Bay and back again, but the only fish we boated was a small walleye I caught (probably no more than 12 inches) and a pike and rock bass that Rick caught. Rick did have a walleye on the hook, but it came unbuttoned before it got close enough to the boat to net.
At 11:00 p.m. we came ashore. Rick gathered up some of his gear and stowed it until his next visit. When that will be is unknown. It could be as soon as this Fall, or not again until next Spring. In either case, it was good to have him up here in the northwoods for visit during the past two weeks.
Tomorrow I'll give Rick a ride into Bemidji so he can catch his 1:00 p.m. flight to Minneapolis. From there he's off to Las Vegas for meetings. I, on the other hand, will remain in Bemidji to have the truck serviced, run numerous errands and go grocery shopping. I'm guessing that I won't make it back to the lake until sometime in the evening.
I'll post again here tomorrow, but probably not until later in the day. So until then, good night from Leech Lake.
June 2, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
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.
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.
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.
 |
| 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.
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