At 9:00 a.m this morning the sky was grey, although the sun was still strong enough to cast shadows through the light, grey clouds. The air felt heavy and the wind was light at 5-10 mph out of the NW. The temperature was already 72 degrees.
While Kathleen slept I went next door to check on the minnows. I had given them fresh water on Friday evening, and I keep them aerated, but I figured yesterday's heat might have gotten to them; I was right. The entire scoop I had just purchased had perished. It was simply too hot for them. I often keep them in a minnow bucket in the lake, but with strong winds the rough water can also kill them, so I tend to keep them aerated in a bucket in the "fish garage." I'll have to run up to the resort today to pick up another scoop. I would like to get out on the water fishing today since it's been a few days now since I last fished.
As it turned out, however, I would not get up to the resort to buy any minnows, nor would I get out on the water to do any fishing. The wind picked up as the day went on until it reached its peak in the late afternoon at 25-30 mph out of the SW as a severe thunderstorm rolled through. Just an hour or so before the storm hit, Kathleen and I took a camp bath in the lake to cool off and escape the heat and humidity of the day. The temperature was in the mid- to high-80s and the humidity was very high as well. The lake water, which was probably in the low 70s, immediately cooled our core and refreshed us. We then sat on the dock and watched as the storm approached from the southwest.
As the storm raged on, I got dinner started. Soon we had a wonderful dinner of salmon, risotto, broccoli and cauliflower, salad and garlic bread. A very tasty dinner, if not way too much food.
The storm passed and as we sat eating dinner the sky cleared somewhat and treated us to a beautiful sunset. After dinner we hung out in the living room, listening to music, played a dice game and eventually called it a night.
The forecast for tomorrow is much cooler temperatures, with a high of only 68 degrees, and strong winds upwards of 30 mph. If that is indeed the case, it may be yet another day with no fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
June 9, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
I had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night and didn't doze off until after 1:00 a.m. Then I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and tossed and turned until 6:00 a.m. when I thought about getting up. But then I dozed off again awaking for good at 8:00 a.m. I guess I was excited about Kathleen arriving from California later today and all of the things I need to do to get the house ready.
At 8:00 a.m. the sky was mostly sunny with some high clouds, the wind was out of the SSE at 5-10 mph, but the water along the shoreline was calm. The temperature was nearly 70 degrees, and the forecast is for temps in the low- to mid-90s with a dew point up over 70; a hot and humid day ahead.
I immediately got the linens off the bed and into the laundry. Then I made coffee; must have coffee. As I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I noticed that one of the suet feeders I had put for the birds was missing. It was the same one that came down a few days ago when the branch it was attached to was completely snapped off. I searched the area for the suet feeder, but all I could find of it was a few small pieces of the chain from which it hanged. The feeder itself was gone. Maybe I'll find it in the woods sometime this Fall when the thick growth of knee-high plants and grasses dies back. For now, it's missing.
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The cleaners came at 9:30 a.m. and immediately got to work. I had already pulled the ladder out of the garage and has started washing the windows. It took me a little over three hours to wash the windows and screens, and then another half hour to wash the back porch. The day had grown to be a hot one. The temperature by 2:00 p.m. was 85 degrees. Although there was some wind, about 10-15 mph out of the SW, it felt a lot hotter under sunny skies. By the time I was done with the porch, the cleaners had completed cleaning the house.
I took care of some other chores, had some lunch, swam in the lake (for the first time this year) cleaned up and then listened to A Prairie Home Companion on MPR. Eventually at 9:00 p.m. I went into Bemidji, had some dinner and then picked up Kathleen at the airport at 10:45 p.m. It's always so exciting to start a vacation here in the northwoods, and Kathleen was excited.
It had been a long hard day of work for me, and travel for Kathleen, so we went to bed soon after her arrival. It's supposed to be another hot one tomorrow. Good night from Leech Lake.
At 8:00 a.m. the sky was mostly sunny with some high clouds, the wind was out of the SSE at 5-10 mph, but the water along the shoreline was calm. The temperature was nearly 70 degrees, and the forecast is for temps in the low- to mid-90s with a dew point up over 70; a hot and humid day ahead.
I immediately got the linens off the bed and into the laundry. Then I made coffee; must have coffee. As I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I noticed that one of the suet feeders I had put for the birds was missing. It was the same one that came down a few days ago when the branch it was attached to was completely snapped off. I searched the area for the suet feeder, but all I could find of it was a few small pieces of the chain from which it hanged. The feeder itself was gone. Maybe I'll find it in the woods sometime this Fall when the thick growth of knee-high plants and grasses dies back. For now, it's missing.
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The cleaners came at 9:30 a.m. and immediately got to work. I had already pulled the ladder out of the garage and has started washing the windows. It took me a little over three hours to wash the windows and screens, and then another half hour to wash the back porch. The day had grown to be a hot one. The temperature by 2:00 p.m. was 85 degrees. Although there was some wind, about 10-15 mph out of the SW, it felt a lot hotter under sunny skies. By the time I was done with the porch, the cleaners had completed cleaning the house.
I took care of some other chores, had some lunch, swam in the lake (for the first time this year) cleaned up and then listened to A Prairie Home Companion on MPR. Eventually at 9:00 p.m. I went into Bemidji, had some dinner and then picked up Kathleen at the airport at 10:45 p.m. It's always so exciting to start a vacation here in the northwoods, and Kathleen was excited.
It had been a long hard day of work for me, and travel for Kathleen, so we went to bed soon after her arrival. It's supposed to be another hot one tomorrow. Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, June 08, 2012
June 8, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
First, a very Happy Anniversary to my mother and father who are celebrating 55 years of marriage today. Congratulations Mom and Dad, you are an inspiration to all who know you.
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I woke up well before 6:00 a.m. this morning to a light breeze out of the southwest and mostly sunny skies. I didn't check the temperature because I decided that 5:45 a.m. was too early to get up. I went back to bed for 90 minutes or so, and when I got up again I saw that the wind had picked up and was blowing at 8-12 mph out of the southwest, the sky was partly sunny with some clouds, and the temperature was 68 degrees. Despite the wind, I could "feel" that it was likely to be a hot and humid day.
There were no white caps on the lake, but the water was quite choppy. That didn't dissuade a half dozen or so boats that were camped in front of my house in 10-14 feet of water. Most looked to be jigging or pulling spinner rigs for walleye. Another method that seems to be working very well at the moment is trolling crankbaits, especially in the evening after sunset. If you troll during the day, downsize the bait a bit to say a Shad Rad or Flicker Shad.
At just after 11:00 a.m. I drove into Cass Lake to run some errands. I started with a visit to the 371 Cafe for lunch followed by stops at Clem's Hardware, Safari Liquor, Cass Lake Building Center and Froggy's Sports; the latter for a scoop of fatheads. I then stopped off at Great River Pizzeria for an unbaked pizza which I will enjoy during my solo Friday-night Pizza night.
I didn't make it home until close to 2:45 p.m. and then spent the afternoon cleaning up the kitchen, reading and waiting for T&K to show up to cut the grass at both properties. They showed up at 3:50 p.m. and immediately set to work. It's been almost 3 weeks since their last visit and the grass was getting quite long. The two boys, and I'm guessing that neither was 21 years old, from T&K did a great job of not only cutting the grass, but trimming around all the trees, and even around the fire pit on the boat ramp. Then they used a blower to blow the grass off the driveway and porches. First rate job.
The temperature at 4:00 p.m. was 75 degrees, the wind had picked up considerably and was fairly brisk at 15-18 mph out of the WSW. The sky was mostly sunny, with just a few clouds. The forecast suggests that the wind will die down a bit around 9:00 p.m. this evening, to around 8-12 mph, and if it does, I might consider going out and doing some crankbait trolling for walleye.
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Tomorrow Kathleen arrives at the lake. We'll have roughly 10 days alone here at the lake before Melissa, Jayden and Ashley arrive in Minneapolis on June 20. Ashley has only 8 days of visiting time, so we'll have to decide how she wants to split them; say 4 at the lake and 4 in St. Cloud, or some 5-3 combination. It'll be a short visit, but I know she really enjoys it here.
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After much consideration, I decided not to go out fishing tonight despite the fact that the wind had died down to no more than a gentle SW breeze. Instead, I ate my pizza, finished reading the Garrison Keillor book my kids got me for Father's Day (I opened it early), and watched the sunset.
It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's not very pleasant and tonight was one of those nights. There must have been 10 boats cruising between Second Duck Point and Norm's cabin and one of them was loaded with a group of loudmouths. Yelling, hooting, screaming and talking to each other as if they were a mile apart. FIB's most likely; staying at the resort. It made sitting on the dock and watching the sunset much less enjoyable than it could have, and should have, been. I much prefer the calling of loons than the crowing of lunatics.
The temperature remained warm, near 70 degrees as 9:30 p.m. came and went. The breeze was just enough to rustle the leaves in the maples and birch near the shoreline and the purple martins swooped and dived through the air just inches above the water. The sky was mostly clear and had changed to a wonderful shade of purple.
I have a very busy day tomorrow, in preparation of Kathleen's arrival, so I am going to sign off now. Good night from Leech Lake.
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I woke up well before 6:00 a.m. this morning to a light breeze out of the southwest and mostly sunny skies. I didn't check the temperature because I decided that 5:45 a.m. was too early to get up. I went back to bed for 90 minutes or so, and when I got up again I saw that the wind had picked up and was blowing at 8-12 mph out of the southwest, the sky was partly sunny with some clouds, and the temperature was 68 degrees. Despite the wind, I could "feel" that it was likely to be a hot and humid day.
There were no white caps on the lake, but the water was quite choppy. That didn't dissuade a half dozen or so boats that were camped in front of my house in 10-14 feet of water. Most looked to be jigging or pulling spinner rigs for walleye. Another method that seems to be working very well at the moment is trolling crankbaits, especially in the evening after sunset. If you troll during the day, downsize the bait a bit to say a Shad Rad or Flicker Shad.
At just after 11:00 a.m. I drove into Cass Lake to run some errands. I started with a visit to the 371 Cafe for lunch followed by stops at Clem's Hardware, Safari Liquor, Cass Lake Building Center and Froggy's Sports; the latter for a scoop of fatheads. I then stopped off at Great River Pizzeria for an unbaked pizza which I will enjoy during my solo Friday-night Pizza night.
I didn't make it home until close to 2:45 p.m. and then spent the afternoon cleaning up the kitchen, reading and waiting for T&K to show up to cut the grass at both properties. They showed up at 3:50 p.m. and immediately set to work. It's been almost 3 weeks since their last visit and the grass was getting quite long. The two boys, and I'm guessing that neither was 21 years old, from T&K did a great job of not only cutting the grass, but trimming around all the trees, and even around the fire pit on the boat ramp. Then they used a blower to blow the grass off the driveway and porches. First rate job.
The temperature at 4:00 p.m. was 75 degrees, the wind had picked up considerably and was fairly brisk at 15-18 mph out of the WSW. The sky was mostly sunny, with just a few clouds. The forecast suggests that the wind will die down a bit around 9:00 p.m. this evening, to around 8-12 mph, and if it does, I might consider going out and doing some crankbait trolling for walleye.
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Tomorrow Kathleen arrives at the lake. We'll have roughly 10 days alone here at the lake before Melissa, Jayden and Ashley arrive in Minneapolis on June 20. Ashley has only 8 days of visiting time, so we'll have to decide how she wants to split them; say 4 at the lake and 4 in St. Cloud, or some 5-3 combination. It'll be a short visit, but I know she really enjoys it here.
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After much consideration, I decided not to go out fishing tonight despite the fact that the wind had died down to no more than a gentle SW breeze. Instead, I ate my pizza, finished reading the Garrison Keillor book my kids got me for Father's Day (I opened it early), and watched the sunset.
It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's not very pleasant and tonight was one of those nights. There must have been 10 boats cruising between Second Duck Point and Norm's cabin and one of them was loaded with a group of loudmouths. Yelling, hooting, screaming and talking to each other as if they were a mile apart. FIB's most likely; staying at the resort. It made sitting on the dock and watching the sunset much less enjoyable than it could have, and should have, been. I much prefer the calling of loons than the crowing of lunatics.
The temperature remained warm, near 70 degrees as 9:30 p.m. came and went. The breeze was just enough to rustle the leaves in the maples and birch near the shoreline and the purple martins swooped and dived through the air just inches above the water. The sky was mostly clear and had changed to a wonderful shade of purple.
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| Fading sun over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
I have a very busy day tomorrow, in preparation of Kathleen's arrival, so I am going to sign off now. Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
June 7, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
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.
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.
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.
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