The weekend was warm, mostly sunny and the wind varied between dead calm and quite breezy. High temperatures hit close to 90 degrees, but luckily it wasn't too humid. We did have some very strong winds on Monday, including a light sprinkling of rain. But for the most part, it was a beautiful late-summer weekend in the northwoods.
Joe and I did get out to do some bass fishing, but with no luck. We tried a variety of tactics -- spinnerbaits pulled quickly and rolled, Texas-rigged weightless Senko's and jigs -- but none produced fish. I also spent time on the water on Saturday, Sunday and Monday doing some drifting for perch (or maybe the stray walleye) but caught only a handful of small- to medium-sized perch. Actually, I did catch one jumbo perch, a very nice 11-inch fish, but after putting it in the live well for a brief period I eventually released it since it was the only one I caught and one perch isn't enough for a meal for two people, even if it is a jumbo.
Joe and I found time to do some bike riding and swimming. We also had a fire, played some dominoes and watched some shows on DVD. We BBQed for dinner, including a very tasty brined, grilled chicken with North Alabama White BBQ sauce.
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It's hard to believe we've already hit the "unofficial" end of summer; complete with the end of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Minnesota and was preparing to get the boat in the water, get the canopy on the boat lift, and, oh well, enough reminiscing and whining. It's September and we all have to brace ourselves for the onslaught of Fall and Winter and all that comes with it.
I'm just happy for the time I have to spend with my son at Leech Lake. And it does a man's heart good to know that his son is as fond as he is of the northwoods, campfires, fishing, shooting guns and not seeing other people for days at a time.
Until tomorrow, or maybe next week...
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Monday, September 03, 2012
Lake Water Levels -- Labor Day, 2012
Today is Monday, September 3, 2012 -- Labor Day. This is one of the days throughout the year that I record an unofficial measure of the water levels on Leech Lake. Using the cement pilings at the cabin boat ramp as a constant against which to water level of the lake, I can look back and see how this year's water level stack up against previous years.
At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, five (5) of the cement pilings were under water, with the ripples and light waves lapping up onto piling six. By comparison, last year on August 26 the water covered only three (3) pilings. While the water level isn't as high currently as earlier in the season, it remains relatively high for this time of year.
I am guessing that the Army Corps of Engineers will start drawing down the water level in the lake in the next several weeks in preparation for the winter season. I may take another reading around Halloween, if I'm still at Leech Lake.
At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, five (5) of the cement pilings were under water, with the ripples and light waves lapping up onto piling six. By comparison, last year on August 26 the water covered only three (3) pilings. While the water level isn't as high currently as earlier in the season, it remains relatively high for this time of year.
I am guessing that the Army Corps of Engineers will start drawing down the water level in the lake in the next several weeks in preparation for the winter season. I may take another reading around Halloween, if I'm still at Leech Lake.
August 27-31, 2012, In, On, and At Leech Lake
Week in Review
This was a busy week, one that kept me from making daily posts to this blog. Therefore, I thought I'd do a quick week in review. As the title of this post suggests, Joe and I spent it at Leech Lake working, we spent some time in Leech Lake swimming and to cool off, and we spent time on Leech Lake fishing. But mostly, this week was defined by our work staining the roadside and lakeside decks.
On Monday, which was a warm day in the high 70s, Joe and I started in on staining the roadside deck. We worked for nearly 6 hours straight and were able to complete the entire job. After cleaning up and putting the stain away, I set up a small barricade in front of the front stairs to keep people from walking on the freshly stained deck. Of course what I could not have predicted is a visit during the night from "Buck," the abandoned dog that makes periodic appearances at our house. Sometime during the night, the dog walked around the barricade and up onto the porch. It then walked the entire length of the porch leaving paw prints in the still sticky stain. Joe and I were not about to redo entire deck, which is what it would have taken eliminate the paw prints, so we decided to live with a few dog prints.
On Tuesday, the weather was hotter. The temperature hit a high of 85 degrees and the humidity made it very muggy. Joe and I spent 5 hours working on section 1 of the lakeside deck; which included the railing on the south end of the deck, and the fascia and other woodworking along the bottom of the deck. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a cool swim in the lake. It felt great to cool off and to get clean using our organic soap to take a camp bath.
Wednesday was hotter even still. The temperature climbed to 92 degrees and it remained humid making our staining of section 2 of the deck slow and not very comfortable. Joe and I finished the railing on the north end of the deck, including all of the fascia and other wood and then once again took a dip in the lake to cool off. Tomorrow we're taking the day off from staining to go into Bemidji. I've got to get the truck serviced -- and to finally fix the broken passenger-side power-window motor -- get groceries and run other errands.
Thursday proved to be a breezy day, with heavy cloud cover. It looked like it might rain, which wouldn't be ideal for the drying of the deck railing, but it turned out to only sprinkle around mid-afternoon. The temperature went up to 84 degrees, it felt fairly humid, and in Bemidji we saw several big flashes of lightning followed by loud claps of thunder. But, as I said, we didn't see any rain of consequence. By the time we got home, and put away all of the groceries, it was after 5:30 p.m. and I wanted to do some fishing. Joe joined me, and we fished for about 90 minutes and caught nothing but a few small perch. We were, however, treated to the sight of the full moon, a blue moon, rising in the east over the Malay's cabin.
NOTE: On the nature front, when Joe and I pulled into the driveway this afternoon, we spotted 9 ruffed grouse eating the fruit from our small crab apple tree. It's good to know that we have so many grouse in the area. Some day, I'd like to hunt for, and eat, some local ruffed grouse.
On Friday, Joe and I set about staining the final portion of the lakeside deck, the walking surface itself. We spent more than 6 hours on the task and by 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening we were done with our staining project. Just as we were cleaning up, our peninsula neighbor Ken Lichttenegger stopped by to give us a smoked whitefish. He has a license to net them in Leech Lake and every year he catches and smokes a number of fish. The past few years he's been kind enough to share one with me, and as in the past, it was delicious.
After we had cleaned up all the stain and the various equipment we'd used during our project, Joe and I went for a long bike ride followed by a swim in the lake. The lake water is still hovering around 74 degrees, which is plenty warm enough to go for a dip after work. It was then time to relax and have a pizza on Friday night.
It feels good to have the project complete, and now we can focus on doing some fishing. Joe wants to fish not only for walleye and perch, but largemouth bass and muskie. I'm sure we'll get in plenty of fishing during the next couple of weeks.
This was a busy week, one that kept me from making daily posts to this blog. Therefore, I thought I'd do a quick week in review. As the title of this post suggests, Joe and I spent it at Leech Lake working, we spent some time in Leech Lake swimming and to cool off, and we spent time on Leech Lake fishing. But mostly, this week was defined by our work staining the roadside and lakeside decks.
On Monday, which was a warm day in the high 70s, Joe and I started in on staining the roadside deck. We worked for nearly 6 hours straight and were able to complete the entire job. After cleaning up and putting the stain away, I set up a small barricade in front of the front stairs to keep people from walking on the freshly stained deck. Of course what I could not have predicted is a visit during the night from "Buck," the abandoned dog that makes periodic appearances at our house. Sometime during the night, the dog walked around the barricade and up onto the porch. It then walked the entire length of the porch leaving paw prints in the still sticky stain. Joe and I were not about to redo entire deck, which is what it would have taken eliminate the paw prints, so we decided to live with a few dog prints.
On Tuesday, the weather was hotter. The temperature hit a high of 85 degrees and the humidity made it very muggy. Joe and I spent 5 hours working on section 1 of the lakeside deck; which included the railing on the south end of the deck, and the fascia and other woodworking along the bottom of the deck. Afterward, we treated ourselves to a cool swim in the lake. It felt great to cool off and to get clean using our organic soap to take a camp bath.
Wednesday was hotter even still. The temperature climbed to 92 degrees and it remained humid making our staining of section 2 of the deck slow and not very comfortable. Joe and I finished the railing on the north end of the deck, including all of the fascia and other wood and then once again took a dip in the lake to cool off. Tomorrow we're taking the day off from staining to go into Bemidji. I've got to get the truck serviced -- and to finally fix the broken passenger-side power-window motor -- get groceries and run other errands.
Thursday proved to be a breezy day, with heavy cloud cover. It looked like it might rain, which wouldn't be ideal for the drying of the deck railing, but it turned out to only sprinkle around mid-afternoon. The temperature went up to 84 degrees, it felt fairly humid, and in Bemidji we saw several big flashes of lightning followed by loud claps of thunder. But, as I said, we didn't see any rain of consequence. By the time we got home, and put away all of the groceries, it was after 5:30 p.m. and I wanted to do some fishing. Joe joined me, and we fished for about 90 minutes and caught nothing but a few small perch. We were, however, treated to the sight of the full moon, a blue moon, rising in the east over the Malay's cabin.
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| Full moon rising over Leech Lake |
On Friday, Joe and I set about staining the final portion of the lakeside deck, the walking surface itself. We spent more than 6 hours on the task and by 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening we were done with our staining project. Just as we were cleaning up, our peninsula neighbor Ken Lichttenegger stopped by to give us a smoked whitefish. He has a license to net them in Leech Lake and every year he catches and smokes a number of fish. The past few years he's been kind enough to share one with me, and as in the past, it was delicious.
After we had cleaned up all the stain and the various equipment we'd used during our project, Joe and I went for a long bike ride followed by a swim in the lake. The lake water is still hovering around 74 degrees, which is plenty warm enough to go for a dip after work. It was then time to relax and have a pizza on Friday night.
It feels good to have the project complete, and now we can focus on doing some fishing. Joe wants to fish not only for walleye and perch, but largemouth bass and muskie. I'm sure we'll get in plenty of fishing during the next couple of weeks.
Monday, August 27, 2012
August 26, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning we awoke to a very strong west wind blowing at 15-25 mph which created a series of high waves and white caps that crashed into the shore in front of our house and cabin. It looked unlikely that we'd get out onto the lake to do any fishing.
As for the rest of the weather, it was a beautiful day. The temperature made it up to 78 degrees, the sky was sunny and blue.
After breakfast I went to the ATV-garage to get the blacktop sealer expecting to seal up some cracks in the driveway, but apparently the sealant went bad over the winter. No matter how much I shook the bottle or stirred the contents, it sealant wouldn't mix properly keeping me from completing that chore. I'll have to pick up another bottle of sealant when Joe and I go into town this coming week.
But there's no shortage of things to do here at the lake so I moved onto my next chore. A few weeks ago I had put zinc stripping along the apex of the roof which is supposed to suppress mold and moss from growing on the shingles. The strong winds we've had during the summer pulled the zinc stripping from underneath the shingles, and left the stripping just laying on top of the roof. The stripping needed to be put back in place and then tacked down so it wouldn't be displaced by the wind.
Using little dabs of some of the black roofing tar I had left over from when Rick and I put a new roof on the cabin, I was able to put in place the zinc stripping on the roof of the house. And then just to make sure the stripping didn't get blown out of place at the cabin, I used the tar to tack it down as well.
My next project was to set up a "stairway to heaven" mouse trap in the garages of both the house and cabin. You can click on the link if you're interested to see how such a trap is built. First, I cleaned out nine dead mice from the trap in the house garage before refilling it with fresh antifreeze and rebaiting the can (I prefer to use peanut butter). I set up a similar trap in the garage at the cabin. By nightfall the trap in the house garage had already claimed its first victim.
Joe and I ate a late lunch and then I got out the power washer and did a quick reclean of the roadside deck, which are planning to start staining on Monday. Since I had washed the deck a few weeks ago when I power washed the entire house, it wasn't too dirty and I was able to finish the job in a little more than a half an hour. As I was putting away the hoses and the power washer, I noticed that the wind, which had been blowing hard all day, was at last dying down a bit. That got me thinking about getting out onto the water.
Joe didn't feel like going fishing so he remained on shore, but I took the boat out for some evening fishing. I got on the water at 7:30 p.m. and planned to fish until a little after sunset, so about an hour. Although the wind had calmed a bit, it was still blowing at 10-12 mph out of the west, so once on the lake I used the drift sock to slow my drift.
I set up in front of Newman's house in 13 feet of 74-degree water and let the wind push the boat toward shore and toward the boat lift.
I was using a 1/4-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig tipped with a Northland grub. I caught a couple of small perch, a northern pike and the smallest walleye I've ever brought into the boat; a little eyeball measuring no more than 4-inches. All of the fish were released back into the lake.
We had a simple spaghetti dinner, and then Joe and I watched a movie on DVD to close out the night. A productive day and I was even able to get in a little fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
As for the rest of the weather, it was a beautiful day. The temperature made it up to 78 degrees, the sky was sunny and blue.
After breakfast I went to the ATV-garage to get the blacktop sealer expecting to seal up some cracks in the driveway, but apparently the sealant went bad over the winter. No matter how much I shook the bottle or stirred the contents, it sealant wouldn't mix properly keeping me from completing that chore. I'll have to pick up another bottle of sealant when Joe and I go into town this coming week.
But there's no shortage of things to do here at the lake so I moved onto my next chore. A few weeks ago I had put zinc stripping along the apex of the roof which is supposed to suppress mold and moss from growing on the shingles. The strong winds we've had during the summer pulled the zinc stripping from underneath the shingles, and left the stripping just laying on top of the roof. The stripping needed to be put back in place and then tacked down so it wouldn't be displaced by the wind.
Using little dabs of some of the black roofing tar I had left over from when Rick and I put a new roof on the cabin, I was able to put in place the zinc stripping on the roof of the house. And then just to make sure the stripping didn't get blown out of place at the cabin, I used the tar to tack it down as well.
My next project was to set up a "stairway to heaven" mouse trap in the garages of both the house and cabin. You can click on the link if you're interested to see how such a trap is built. First, I cleaned out nine dead mice from the trap in the house garage before refilling it with fresh antifreeze and rebaiting the can (I prefer to use peanut butter). I set up a similar trap in the garage at the cabin. By nightfall the trap in the house garage had already claimed its first victim.
Joe and I ate a late lunch and then I got out the power washer and did a quick reclean of the roadside deck, which are planning to start staining on Monday. Since I had washed the deck a few weeks ago when I power washed the entire house, it wasn't too dirty and I was able to finish the job in a little more than a half an hour. As I was putting away the hoses and the power washer, I noticed that the wind, which had been blowing hard all day, was at last dying down a bit. That got me thinking about getting out onto the water.
Joe didn't feel like going fishing so he remained on shore, but I took the boat out for some evening fishing. I got on the water at 7:30 p.m. and planned to fish until a little after sunset, so about an hour. Although the wind had calmed a bit, it was still blowing at 10-12 mph out of the west, so once on the lake I used the drift sock to slow my drift.
I set up in front of Newman's house in 13 feet of 74-degree water and let the wind push the boat toward shore and toward the boat lift.
I was using a 1/4-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS walleye jig tipped with a Northland grub. I caught a couple of small perch, a northern pike and the smallest walleye I've ever brought into the boat; a little eyeball measuring no more than 4-inches. All of the fish were released back into the lake.
We had a simple spaghetti dinner, and then Joe and I watched a movie on DVD to close out the night. A productive day and I was even able to get in a little fishing. Good night from Leech Lake.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
August 25, 2012 -- On Leech Leech
Today was another hot and humid day, although neither as hot nor as humid as the past few days. Still, it was 78 degrees by 10:30 a.m. and the humidity was pegged at 82%. The sky was full of clouds in every direction expect directly overhead which created a bright, sunny day despite heavy cloud cover. The wind was out of the south at 8-15 mph, but by early afternoon had shifted to the north and was variably from 5-18 mph.
Joe and I eased into our Saturday with a pot of coffee and a hearty breakfast. Then I went up onto the roof of the house to spray a diluted bleach solution onto the mold and moss growing in certain spots on the shingles. The light mist of chlorine should kill the unwanted invaders.
After cleaning up from the roofing project, Joe and I went muskie fishing. We had heard about a dock hand from Birch Ridge Resort who caught a 48-inch muskie while trolling in spot directly across Sucker Bay from the Resort, so that's where Joe and I began our assault.
We lowered our lures into the 74 degree water, let out line to get them 50-60 feet behind the boat thus about 12 deep, and then I set the Mercury SmartCraft controls to keep the boat moving at approximately 2.25 mph ground speed.
We trolled from the north end of Sucker Bay south along the Bay's western shore until just about Big Hardwood Point, but the only thing our lures hooked were many of the weeds floating in the water. So we decided it was time to change locations, if not tactics.
I kicked the Mercury Verado into gear and motored the boat at 35 mph over to Ottertail Point. Once there Joe and I dropped our lures in the water and trolled all around the point. We made four passes around the point before turning north and trolling up to Duck Point. When we arrived at Duck Point we still hadn't hooked a muskie or even had a follow, so we reeled in our lures and sped north toward home.
We made it back on shore at 5:45 p.m. and had a "fend-for-yourself" dinner where Joe and I ate whatever leftovers we could find, then it was time to get outside again. Joe went over the cabin and got a fire going while I decided to get out onto the water again.
I lowered the boat into essentially calm water. There was just a hint of a SSW breeze blowing and the temperature was steady at 80 degrees. There was a huge bank of clouds over the peninsula, but virtually none over the lake. I didn't plan on staying out until dark, so I motored to a spot directly in front of the house and cabin and started jigging there in 8-10 feet of water.
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| Looking back at our shoreline from Sucker Bay as the sun set |
The shoreline was alight with the glow of the setting sun as I caught a decent sized northern pike; probably 24 inches long. I played it for a short time to ensure it didn't snap my line and once it was close enough to the boat I reached over, quickly removed the jig and released the fish back into the lake.
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| Duck Point in the distance looking south on Sucker Bay, Leech Lake |
I fished for about 30 minutes longer during which time I caught another, although smaller, northern. With the sun definitely below the horizon I packed up and moved the boat slowly back toward the lift. As I approached shore I could see Joe had a good fire going.
Back on shore I played a little ping pong with Joe before we both settled in around the fire. With the sky nearly completely dark I went back to the house followed a little while later by Joe. We watched a movie on DVD and stayed up way too late. But it was a nice Saturday at Leech Lake.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
August 23-24, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
August 23:
Today the temperature by 10:00 a.m. was very warm 75 degrees on its way into the mid-80s. The humidity was high making is a hot, sticky day. The sky was hazy with some high clouds and the wind was out of the south at 8-12 mph.
I took care of a variety of work tasks in the morning and then after lunch decided to go fishing. Joe again opted to stay on shore to go walking, do yoga and then go for a swim in the lake; all things he really enjoys doing.
I took the boat out to a spot in front of Newman's cabin in 8 feet of water and let the wind push the boat out into Sucker Bay and slowly north toward Norm's cabin. As I have for most of the past couple of months, I used a jig tipped with a plastic grub.
I made several passes -- moving quickly without the drift sock -- in order to cover as much water as possible. I caught a fair number of small- to medium-sized perch, but none that I considered big enough to keep. For me, 10-inches is the smallest perch I typically keep, although a "plump" 9-inch fish has found its way into my live well.
I came ashore late in the afternoon and began prepping for dinner. I'm trying to replicate the grilled chicken that we had at Newman's the other night. Actually, preparations began yesterday when I started brining the chicken. In addition to brining the chicken in water with salt and sugar, I added a variety of herbs and spices as well. Then the brining pot went into the refrigerator for a full 24 hours. Earlier today I made the North Alabama White BBQ sauce, which consists of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, horseradish, salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. The sauce then needs to chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
So my prep this evening was primarily getting the grill ready; the chicken needs to be grilled with indirect heat; not over the coals directly.
The chicken came out perfectly grilled and the brining and white BBQ were also right on target. The chicken was paired with mashed potatoes, biscuits, and a green garden salad. Very delicious.
We then had a quiet evening of reading and listening to classical music before going to bed. A great day at Leech Lake.
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August 24:
This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 74 degrees, the humidity was at 92%, the sky was again sunny but hazy with a blur of white clouds mixed with mostly blue sky, and the wind was light out of the SSW at 5-10 mph.
It hasn't been this humid since back in July when Kathleen was still here; when we took daily camp baths to cool off from the oppressive heat.
By 1:30 p.m. the temperature had climbed to over 80 degrees and the humidity continued to bear down on us at more than 90%. Despite the heat, Joe went for a 3-mile walk and I enjoyed a 5-mile bike ride. We need our exercise regardless of the heat.
Once both Joe and I were back home, we had some lunch and then decided to go fishing. Joe isn't much for jigging for perch, preferring instead to troll for walleye and hunt muskies, so he sat in the boat with me while I fished for perch.
The water temperature had climbed back up to 76 degrees due to the heat, humidity and relatively weak winds. We set up in a spot in front of our house in 8 feet of water and let what little wind there was push us out into the bay and slightly north.
I had a few bites, probably small perch, but only hooked one fish, a 28-inch northern pike. While it is by far not the largest pike I've seen pulled out of Leech Lake, it was still a good sized fish and worthy of close inspection, including measurement on "The Judge" tournament rule. After unhooking the fish and the quick measurement, I released it back into the lake where after only a few seconds it got its bearings and swam out of sight.
At 3:30 p.m. Joe and I went ashore, got cleaned up and then by 4:10 p.m. were on our way out to the Pike Hole Restaurant to meet up with Tom and Lainy Malay and Ron and Sandy Newstrand, neighbors of ours on Ottertail Peninsula. Throughout the summer, Pike Hole features a walleye fish fry every Friday night and if you get there early enough, like we did, you can snag a table on the deck that over looks the channel between Cass Lake and Kitchi Lake, which is in the general area of the small town of Pennington.
Everyone at the table ordered the walleye special and it was definitely worth the drive. Not only did we have good conversation, but the location couldn't have been better and the food was fantastic. Maybe not what discriminating city folk from New York or San Francisco might call gourmet, but as far as I'm concerned, it was still delicious.
Once we were back home, Joe and I watched a movie on DVD and then he went to bed. I stayed up to do some reading, and did one last check on the weather. The wind had picked up to 14-18 mph out of the south, the temperature was still a very warm 74 degrees and the humidity was at 82%, which is why it felt so muggy.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Today the temperature by 10:00 a.m. was very warm 75 degrees on its way into the mid-80s. The humidity was high making is a hot, sticky day. The sky was hazy with some high clouds and the wind was out of the south at 8-12 mph.
I took care of a variety of work tasks in the morning and then after lunch decided to go fishing. Joe again opted to stay on shore to go walking, do yoga and then go for a swim in the lake; all things he really enjoys doing.
I took the boat out to a spot in front of Newman's cabin in 8 feet of water and let the wind push the boat out into Sucker Bay and slowly north toward Norm's cabin. As I have for most of the past couple of months, I used a jig tipped with a plastic grub.
I made several passes -- moving quickly without the drift sock -- in order to cover as much water as possible. I caught a fair number of small- to medium-sized perch, but none that I considered big enough to keep. For me, 10-inches is the smallest perch I typically keep, although a "plump" 9-inch fish has found its way into my live well.
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| The shoreline of our house/cabin from Sucker Bay |
So my prep this evening was primarily getting the grill ready; the chicken needs to be grilled with indirect heat; not over the coals directly.
The chicken came out perfectly grilled and the brining and white BBQ were also right on target. The chicken was paired with mashed potatoes, biscuits, and a green garden salad. Very delicious.
We then had a quiet evening of reading and listening to classical music before going to bed. A great day at Leech Lake.
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August 24:
This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 74 degrees, the humidity was at 92%, the sky was again sunny but hazy with a blur of white clouds mixed with mostly blue sky, and the wind was light out of the SSW at 5-10 mph.
It hasn't been this humid since back in July when Kathleen was still here; when we took daily camp baths to cool off from the oppressive heat.
By 1:30 p.m. the temperature had climbed to over 80 degrees and the humidity continued to bear down on us at more than 90%. Despite the heat, Joe went for a 3-mile walk and I enjoyed a 5-mile bike ride. We need our exercise regardless of the heat.
Once both Joe and I were back home, we had some lunch and then decided to go fishing. Joe isn't much for jigging for perch, preferring instead to troll for walleye and hunt muskies, so he sat in the boat with me while I fished for perch.
The water temperature had climbed back up to 76 degrees due to the heat, humidity and relatively weak winds. We set up in a spot in front of our house in 8 feet of water and let what little wind there was push us out into the bay and slightly north.
I had a few bites, probably small perch, but only hooked one fish, a 28-inch northern pike. While it is by far not the largest pike I've seen pulled out of Leech Lake, it was still a good sized fish and worthy of close inspection, including measurement on "The Judge" tournament rule. After unhooking the fish and the quick measurement, I released it back into the lake where after only a few seconds it got its bearings and swam out of sight.
At 3:30 p.m. Joe and I went ashore, got cleaned up and then by 4:10 p.m. were on our way out to the Pike Hole Restaurant to meet up with Tom and Lainy Malay and Ron and Sandy Newstrand, neighbors of ours on Ottertail Peninsula. Throughout the summer, Pike Hole features a walleye fish fry every Friday night and if you get there early enough, like we did, you can snag a table on the deck that over looks the channel between Cass Lake and Kitchi Lake, which is in the general area of the small town of Pennington.
Everyone at the table ordered the walleye special and it was definitely worth the drive. Not only did we have good conversation, but the location couldn't have been better and the food was fantastic. Maybe not what discriminating city folk from New York or San Francisco might call gourmet, but as far as I'm concerned, it was still delicious.
Once we were back home, Joe and I watched a movie on DVD and then he went to bed. I stayed up to do some reading, and did one last check on the weather. The wind had picked up to 14-18 mph out of the south, the temperature was still a very warm 74 degrees and the humidity was at 82%, which is why it felt so muggy.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
August 22, 2012 -- In Leech Lake
By 10:00 a.m.this morning the temperature was already 75 degrees on its way to the mid-80s by 3:00 p.m. The wind was slight at 5-8 mph out of the WSW and the sky was sunny and blue. A day that reminds us all that we're still in the midst of summer. Although here in the northwoods of Minnesota, on the shores of Leech Lake, the leaves on some of the plants and trees have already started changing color.
I first noticed the change late last week while driving into Cass Lake to get pizza. A few of the sumac were turning red. A handful of birch trees were starting to sport yellow leaves. And more than a couple of maples had some red, pink, orange, yellow and red leaves on them in addition to the mostly green leaves that still cover them. I heard a report that "peak" foliage color in and around Leech Lake will come earlier this year -- due to the early ice-out and arrival of Spring -- and won't last as long, due to a relatively dry summer. I'm guessing that peak-color will appear in early- to mid-September, and that by October the leaves will be brown, dry and on the ground.
But today, with the heat and glorious sunshine, was a summer day to thoroughly enjoy. After breakfast and some cleaning around the house, I drove into town to mail some packages and pick up a few groceries. I picked up an unbaked pizza from Great River Pizzeria; which Joe and I will enjoy for dinner tonight.
Once back home I ate some lunch, had a work call, then got the boat ready for a late-afternoon fishing trip with Joe. As it turns out, however, Joe walked to go for a walk, exercise and then go for a swim in the lake rather than go fishing. So we ended up staying on shore and enjoying a swim in the lake. It was much cooler than when Kathleen and I would enjoy our "camp baths," but with the air temperature in the mid- to high-80s, it felt great.
As the evening wore on the sky began to cloud over and the forecast called for some light rain sometime after midnight, and the temperature began to cool.
Over the past several days, Joe has been baiting the crayfish trap and each day the trap fills up a little more the crayfish. Tonight, we decided to cook them up and have them as an appetizer before our pizza. There must have been somewhere between 30 and 40 crayfish, but since they're so small they really offer that much meat. Most of the meat comes from the tail; which we snap off from the rest of the body, pull out with either a toothpick or other pointy object, dip them in melted butter and enjoy some simple fare from the lake. Not particularly filling, but tasty nonetheless.
We watched a little TV after dinner (actually a DVD) and then headed off for bed. We talked about going swimming again tomorrow since it's supposed to be warm, and maybe get in a little muskie fishing. Stay tuned...
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| The big maple tree on the Leech Lake side of the house showing some early Fall colors |
But today, with the heat and glorious sunshine, was a summer day to thoroughly enjoy. After breakfast and some cleaning around the house, I drove into town to mail some packages and pick up a few groceries. I picked up an unbaked pizza from Great River Pizzeria; which Joe and I will enjoy for dinner tonight.
Once back home I ate some lunch, had a work call, then got the boat ready for a late-afternoon fishing trip with Joe. As it turns out, however, Joe walked to go for a walk, exercise and then go for a swim in the lake rather than go fishing. So we ended up staying on shore and enjoying a swim in the lake. It was much cooler than when Kathleen and I would enjoy our "camp baths," but with the air temperature in the mid- to high-80s, it felt great.
As the evening wore on the sky began to cloud over and the forecast called for some light rain sometime after midnight, and the temperature began to cool.
Over the past several days, Joe has been baiting the crayfish trap and each day the trap fills up a little more the crayfish. Tonight, we decided to cook them up and have them as an appetizer before our pizza. There must have been somewhere between 30 and 40 crayfish, but since they're so small they really offer that much meat. Most of the meat comes from the tail; which we snap off from the rest of the body, pull out with either a toothpick or other pointy object, dip them in melted butter and enjoy some simple fare from the lake. Not particularly filling, but tasty nonetheless.
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| A big bowl of crayfish prior to cooking |
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
August 21, 2012 -- At Leech Lake
Today was a beautiful day all day at Leech Lake. The temperature ranged from the mid-60s in the morning to nearly 80 in the late afternoon. The sky was mostly sunny and the wind varied from 8-15 mph out of the WSW.
After breakfast I went next door to the cabin to finish power-washing the dock. I had put this project on hold while Joe and I stained the house, but now it was time to wrap it up. It took me close to three hours to wash the final sections of dock, but at about 2:15 p.m. I completed the project and it looked great. I put away the hoses, the power washer and cleaned up myself and then had a quick bite of lunch before heading over to John Newman's cabin.
John had invited me and Joe, along with Tom Malay and Ron Newstrand, over to his place for a grilled chicken dinner. Prior to getting the grill going, however, John, Tom, Ron and I took our ATVs back into the woods to survey the many trees that came down in last month's big storm. There are probably a half a dozen big maple and ash trees that fell across the various trails that crisscross our properties and since Tom and Ron both heat their houses with firewood during the winter, John and I wanted to make available to them the fallen trees.
Once the woods activity was complete, Joe joined us back at John's where we reconvened for some cold, malted beverages, some conversation and eventually a very tasty grilled chicken meal, complete with mashed potatoes, Cole slaw and an apple pie (compliments of Lainy Malay) for dessert. Joe and I finally left Newman's at about 10:00 p.m. and came home for a quiet evening before going to bed just before midnight.
We didn't get any fishing in today, but the power-washing of the dock was completed. I have to run into Cass Lake tomorrow to mail some packages, and later in the afternoon I have a work call, but somewhere during the day tomorrow, Joe and I do plan to spend some time on the water. Until then...
After breakfast I went next door to the cabin to finish power-washing the dock. I had put this project on hold while Joe and I stained the house, but now it was time to wrap it up. It took me close to three hours to wash the final sections of dock, but at about 2:15 p.m. I completed the project and it looked great. I put away the hoses, the power washer and cleaned up myself and then had a quick bite of lunch before heading over to John Newman's cabin.
John had invited me and Joe, along with Tom Malay and Ron Newstrand, over to his place for a grilled chicken dinner. Prior to getting the grill going, however, John, Tom, Ron and I took our ATVs back into the woods to survey the many trees that came down in last month's big storm. There are probably a half a dozen big maple and ash trees that fell across the various trails that crisscross our properties and since Tom and Ron both heat their houses with firewood during the winter, John and I wanted to make available to them the fallen trees.
Once the woods activity was complete, Joe joined us back at John's where we reconvened for some cold, malted beverages, some conversation and eventually a very tasty grilled chicken meal, complete with mashed potatoes, Cole slaw and an apple pie (compliments of Lainy Malay) for dessert. Joe and I finally left Newman's at about 10:00 p.m. and came home for a quiet evening before going to bed just before midnight.
We didn't get any fishing in today, but the power-washing of the dock was completed. I have to run into Cass Lake tomorrow to mail some packages, and later in the afternoon I have a work call, but somewhere during the day tomorrow, Joe and I do plan to spend some time on the water. Until then...
August 20, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
This morning the sun was shining, the sky was mostly blue and bright, the temperature was 65 degrees and there was practically no wind, maybe just a slight breeze from the WSW creating a few ripples on the otherwise flat-calm lake.
The only part left on the house to stain were five different areas. One fairly large section over the garage, another fairly big section over the living room, a couple of small areas over the kitchen and in the back side of the house, and one section over the master bedroom window. I stained the part over the master bedroom since I could reach it with a ladder and extension pole. Joe handled the over parts by climbing up onto the roof and then using a roller attached to an extension pole. Despite the relatively small areas to stain, it took close to three hours since it the areas were hard to reach and required using the extension pole. But by 3:30 p.m. we would complete. The house was stained (not including the decks) and the materials and gear were cleaned up and stowed.
Joe wanted to spend the balance of the afternoon reading, talking a walk and hanging out at the cabin, so while he was busy doing that I went fishing.
The water was 73 degrees, the air temperature at that time was also 73 degrees and the wind had picked up and was coming out of the WSW at 8-12 mph. With the drift sock hanging over the side of the boat, I still was pushed northward on Sucker Bay at a ground speed of roughly .50 mph.
My method of fishing today was a jig and 3" plastic grub bounced just off the bottom of the lake as I drifted along. I caught two medium-sized northern pike, a couple of small perch, and then had my line snapped by something that hit hard and put a lot of weight on my line; most likely a good-sized pike. I tied on a new jig but decided to come ashore.
Joe and I had some dinner and then decided to go trolling with crankbaits; a proven method for catching walleye in the spring, early summer, and autumn. But since it was mid-August, I wasn't too sure we'd hook a walleye, and I was correct. We trolled in 10-12 feet of water from mid-Duck Bay up to the Malay's cabin, but the only fish we hooked was a northern pike that Joe caught.
Still, it was great to be on the water as the sky changed colors and darkened. Good night from Leech Lake.
The only part left on the house to stain were five different areas. One fairly large section over the garage, another fairly big section over the living room, a couple of small areas over the kitchen and in the back side of the house, and one section over the master bedroom window. I stained the part over the master bedroom since I could reach it with a ladder and extension pole. Joe handled the over parts by climbing up onto the roof and then using a roller attached to an extension pole. Despite the relatively small areas to stain, it took close to three hours since it the areas were hard to reach and required using the extension pole. But by 3:30 p.m. we would complete. The house was stained (not including the decks) and the materials and gear were cleaned up and stowed.
Joe wanted to spend the balance of the afternoon reading, talking a walk and hanging out at the cabin, so while he was busy doing that I went fishing.
The water was 73 degrees, the air temperature at that time was also 73 degrees and the wind had picked up and was coming out of the WSW at 8-12 mph. With the drift sock hanging over the side of the boat, I still was pushed northward on Sucker Bay at a ground speed of roughly .50 mph.
My method of fishing today was a jig and 3" plastic grub bounced just off the bottom of the lake as I drifted along. I caught two medium-sized northern pike, a couple of small perch, and then had my line snapped by something that hit hard and put a lot of weight on my line; most likely a good-sized pike. I tied on a new jig but decided to come ashore.
Joe and I had some dinner and then decided to go trolling with crankbaits; a proven method for catching walleye in the spring, early summer, and autumn. But since it was mid-August, I wasn't too sure we'd hook a walleye, and I was correct. We trolled in 10-12 feet of water from mid-Duck Bay up to the Malay's cabin, but the only fish we hooked was a northern pike that Joe caught.
Still, it was great to be on the water as the sky changed colors and darkened. Good night from Leech Lake.
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| Leech Lake sunset from the boat on Sucker Bay |
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