At 10 a.m. today the sun was shining, but the sky was a bit hazy, the wind was out of the SW at 8-12 mph and the temperature was 62 degrees. I heard on the radio last night that the high temperature today was going to be 72 degrees. If that were the case, today would be the warmest it's been in more than two weeks. Maybe summer is finally arriving in the Northwoods.
Today is Rick's last full day at Leech Lake. Tomorrow I take him to the airport where he flies from Bemidji to Minneapolis to Washington D.C. After his conference ends in D.C., he's flying to Colorado to visit his sister before making the long trip home to Brisbane, Australia. I hope it's been a good visit/vacation for him.
After the pot of coffee was brewed the morning, I poured a cup and made my way out onto the dock to survey the lake. I was greeted by a flotilla of 24 fishing boats. Apparently the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tournament is being held on Leech Lake from June 10-13 and a number of the professional anglers decided that the stretch in front of my cabin is productive water (which of course it is).
I see that the leader of the tournament, a Chevy pro from Wisconsin, has a two-day weight of more than 34 lbs. for his 10 fish. That's not a bad weight at all for 10 fish. The tournament runs through Saturday afternoon, so I'm sure I'll have a number of boats in front of my house again tomorrow morning.
At 1:20 p.m. Rick and I took the boat out into 12-18 mph SW winds that created a decent chop on the lake. We started in 9-11 feet of water off Second Duck Point using jigs and shiners. Both Rick and I were using 1/4 oz. Bass Pro Shops XPS Walleye Angler Jig Heads in lime green and lime green/black tipped with spot-tail shiners (which we purchased at Froggy's Sports in Cass Lake and at Birch Ridge Resort on Leech Lake's Sucker Bay).
During the next two hours, and at least three different bouts with rain, we caught 8 small walleye between us ranging from 10" to 15", and numerous perch. All fish were released. With yet another storm front moving toward us, and this one showing some lightening and thunder, we headed to shore.
In about 30 minutes I'm going to go over to the cabin to clean the 17" walleye that's been in the basket for the past several days. I'm going to make pan-fried walleye for Rick's last dinner at Leech Lake during this visit.
As of 5:00 p.m., the wind has calmed somewhat to maybe 10 mph out of the SW and the temperature is 70 degrees. The water temperature was 62 degrees.
After our walleye dinner, Rick and I went out for one last troll for walleye before Rick leaves for Washington D.C. We got on the water around 8:45 p.m. and watched a beautiful sunset. The wind picked up during the next hour or so, and ended up at about 15 mph out of the SW. The water temperature had warmed just slightly to 62.5 degrees and the air temperature was 60 degrees.
In the north there was a very large thunderstorm system that kept us entertained all evening with spectacular lightening shows. There was a smaller thunderstorm system to the west that was also producing lightening. But directly overhead the sky was clear and stars were visible.
Unfortunately, the fishing wasn't nearly as entertaining as the lightening. We trolled #9 Minnow Raps in 8-10 feet of water from Malay's to Second Duck Point (newly dubbed "The Alley") but caught only 3 rock bass and one 16 3/4" walleye that hit Rick's purpledescent lure. At 10:45 p.m. we called it a night.
Despite the lack of walleye action, it was another beautiful night on Leech Lake.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
At 10:00 a.m. this morning, the wind was at 8-12 mph out of the west, the sky was mostly sunny, with just a few big white fluffy billowy clouds, and the temperature is 54 degrees. If the local weather report can be believed, it's supposed to warm to 65 degrees by the middle of the afternoon.
Since my ATV has been in the shop since my arrival here at Leech Lake, I've yet to take a ride around the peninsula. I think after breakfast I'll take the ATV for a ride, and maybe stop in to say hi to a couple of neighbors I've yet to see. I'm also sure that sometime later today, probably no later than noon or 1:00 p.m., Rick and I will go fishing.
There are already a number of boats out on the water. As I look through the binoculars at the boat licences of the handful of boats right in front of our dock, I see boats from Iowa (FIBs), Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri. In the past few days, I've also spotted boats from Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, as well as Minnesota.
Apparently the ongoing stream of articles about the great walleye fishing at Leech Lake keep a steady flow of out-of-staters coming to our little slice of Northwoods paradise. Unfortunately these "meat hunters" insist on keeping almost any fish they catch including 5-lb largemouth bass, small perch and bluegill, and even rock bass.
According to Frank at Birch Ridge Resort, a number of his guests also try to keep slot-walleyes, that is, walleyes from 18-26" which by Minnesota law must be returned to the lake. I've also heard reports that Mark, the local MN DNR officer, has handed out many citations to fishermen who keep illegal-sized walleye. Go home FIBs.
Rick and I went fishing at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. We started at "The Hole," and while we caught several perch while jigging shiners in 13-15 feet of water, and even a "Charlie Brown," we didn't catch any walleye. The water temperature at the north end of Sucker Bay was 62 degrees. We decided to move to Second Duck Point, but upon arrival there we found 8 boats already camped on that spot so we kept motoring south to Otter Tail Point.
We jigged shiners for about 20 minutes, but when that method produced no bites we switched to trolling Minnow Raps. We made a couple of passes off the Point in 13-15 feet of water, but didn't catch anything. At 4:15 p.m. we made our way back to shore.
We're going to have BBQ'd pork ribs for dinner tonight, and will then go trolling in our usual evening spot -- Malay's to the north and Second Duck Point to the south in 8-12 feet of water.
Rick and I hit the water at 9:10 p.m. and there was only one other boat within sight; and by 9:30 p.m. that boat took off for the resort leaving us alone on the water. The water tonight was as still as is possible as a result of no wind; the water temperature was 63 degrees. The air temperature was 50 degrees.
About 9:45 p.m., just off Second Duck Point, Rick caught a 23" walleye while trolling a purpledescent #9 Minnow Rap. Shortly thereafter, I caught a nice 17" eater-sized walleye, but with a fish already in the basket for tomorrow's dinner, we let it go.
Then on a single pass from Malay's to Second Duck Point, in 8.5 feet of water, Rick caught a 20 1/2" walleye, a 21 1/2" eyeball and a massive 25 3/4" walleye (a personal best for Rick). Then, as quickly as the bite turned on, it turned off again. We made two complete passes from Malay's to Second Duck Point without so much as a tap and a miss, so we decided to come ashore.
It was beautiful, and productive, night on Leech Lake.
Since my ATV has been in the shop since my arrival here at Leech Lake, I've yet to take a ride around the peninsula. I think after breakfast I'll take the ATV for a ride, and maybe stop in to say hi to a couple of neighbors I've yet to see. I'm also sure that sometime later today, probably no later than noon or 1:00 p.m., Rick and I will go fishing.
There are already a number of boats out on the water. As I look through the binoculars at the boat licences of the handful of boats right in front of our dock, I see boats from Iowa (FIBs), Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri. In the past few days, I've also spotted boats from Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, as well as Minnesota.
Apparently the ongoing stream of articles about the great walleye fishing at Leech Lake keep a steady flow of out-of-staters coming to our little slice of Northwoods paradise. Unfortunately these "meat hunters" insist on keeping almost any fish they catch including 5-lb largemouth bass, small perch and bluegill, and even rock bass.
According to Frank at Birch Ridge Resort, a number of his guests also try to keep slot-walleyes, that is, walleyes from 18-26" which by Minnesota law must be returned to the lake. I've also heard reports that Mark, the local MN DNR officer, has handed out many citations to fishermen who keep illegal-sized walleye. Go home FIBs.
Rick and I went fishing at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. We started at "The Hole," and while we caught several perch while jigging shiners in 13-15 feet of water, and even a "Charlie Brown," we didn't catch any walleye. The water temperature at the north end of Sucker Bay was 62 degrees. We decided to move to Second Duck Point, but upon arrival there we found 8 boats already camped on that spot so we kept motoring south to Otter Tail Point.
We jigged shiners for about 20 minutes, but when that method produced no bites we switched to trolling Minnow Raps. We made a couple of passes off the Point in 13-15 feet of water, but didn't catch anything. At 4:15 p.m. we made our way back to shore.
We're going to have BBQ'd pork ribs for dinner tonight, and will then go trolling in our usual evening spot -- Malay's to the north and Second Duck Point to the south in 8-12 feet of water.
Rick and I hit the water at 9:10 p.m. and there was only one other boat within sight; and by 9:30 p.m. that boat took off for the resort leaving us alone on the water. The water tonight was as still as is possible as a result of no wind; the water temperature was 63 degrees. The air temperature was 50 degrees.
About 9:45 p.m., just off Second Duck Point, Rick caught a 23" walleye while trolling a purpledescent #9 Minnow Rap. Shortly thereafter, I caught a nice 17" eater-sized walleye, but with a fish already in the basket for tomorrow's dinner, we let it go.
Then on a single pass from Malay's to Second Duck Point, in 8.5 feet of water, Rick caught a 20 1/2" walleye, a 21 1/2" eyeball and a massive 25 3/4" walleye (a personal best for Rick). Then, as quickly as the bite turned on, it turned off again. We made two complete passes from Malay's to Second Duck Point without so much as a tap and a miss, so we decided to come ashore.
It was beautiful, and productive, night on Leech Lake.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 10, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
The female common goldeneye
The sky is filled with large billowy clouds with little patches of blue peeking through here and there. The wind is 8-12 mph out of the west and the temperature at 11:30 a.m. is 56 degrees.
This morning as I sat in the living room enjoying my coffee, I spotted a female common goldeneye swimming just outside our harbor surrounded by 6 little ducklings no bigger than my fist. As they swam, they would dunk their heads below the surface of the water looking for something to eat. They paddled north along the shoreline before disappearing out of sight.
At 12:35 p.m. Rick and I left the boat lift to do some afternoon fishing. We started in 8 feet of water off Second Duck Point using jigs and shiners. We caught a couple of perch, but the action was slow. About a quarter past 1:00 p.m., I took us north on Sucker Bay to "The Hole."
Again we used jigs and shiners in 13-15 feet of water. The water temperature was 59 degrees. During the next 2 1/2 hours I caught dozens of perch, including a couple of good sized fish, and three walleye measuring 15", 14" and 15". The second 15" fish was already showing some girth. Next year that will be a perfect eating fish. Rick had tougher luck, but still managed to catch a number of perch.
At about 5:30 p.m. Tom Malay stopped by with my ATV. Tom was in Bemidji and while driving by Bemidji Sports he decided to stop in to see if my 4-wheeler was ready (it had been in for service). It was indeed ready, so Tom brought it home with him.
Tom told me and Rick that he had heard from Frank at Birch Ridge Resort that someone caught a 28 1/2" walleye the other day. That's a nice fish, but both Rick and I are targeting the elusive 30" walleye. So far, it's proven to be very elusive since neither one of us has caught a fish of that size.
Rick and I hit the water tonight at 9:05 p.m. The wind was out of the north at 8-12 mph, but as the night wore on the wind died down completely. By 11:30 p.m when we called it quits, the lake was calm.
We started trolling Minnow Raps in 8-11 feet of water. Throughout the night I caught 3 northern pike and walleyes measuring 15", 18 1/2" and 15".
Allow me a slight digression here. Remember the old "Peanuts" comic strip with Charlie Brown? Well, on Halloween Charlie Brown and the other kids from his neighborhood -- Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Violet, etc. -- would go trick or treating. The unfortunate joke on hapless Charlie Brown was that while the other kids all got candy and treats, he got nothing but rocks.
In fishing, the rock bass is the equivalent of Charlie Brown's trick or treat rocks. This evening, I had the unfortunate luck of catching three "Charlie Browns," or "Chucks," i.e., rock bass. One I managed to hook in the top of the head.
Rick, on the other hand, got a bag full of candy. That is, Rick caught six beautiful walleyes measuring 15" (2), 17 1/2", 18", 20 1/2" and a very hefty 24".
There were some clouds in the sky this evening, but it turned out to be a mostly clear night with millions of stars visible from the lake. It was yet another beautiful night of fishing on Leech Lake.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
June 9, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
"The Hole" in front of the old Bay Shore Resort
The sky was mostly cloudy, with just moments of sun here and there, the wind was calm to 5 mph from the south and the temperature was a cool 46 degrees when Rick and I went fishing today at 12:15 p.m.
We started by jigging shiners off Second Duck Point in 8-10 feet of water. The water temperature was 58 degrees. No sooner had Rick lower his jig into the water when he had a hit and called for the net. I grabbed the net and scooped up a nice 20 1/2" walleye. Not bad for 5 minutes on the water.
Unfortunately, the next hour in that spot proved less fruitful. We caught several small- to medium-sized perch, but no walleyes. So we decided to move to a new spot. I motored the boat slowly along the shoreline until finally stopping in front of Norm's cabin in 9-feet of water.
We jigged shiners in this spot for about 30-45 minutes, but again caught only small perch. So we decided to move yet again. I fired up the Verado and quickly got us north on Sucker Bay to "The Hole" in front of the old Bay Shore Resort.
Rick and I both put shiners on our jigs and lowered them into 14-16 feet of water. Almost instantly I hooked a 14" walleye. We caught dozens of perch, and I had the unfortunate luck of catching 3 small northern pike.
During the next 2 hours we caught lots of perch and I caught another 14" walleye as well as a nice 15" walleye. All fish were released. At 3:45 p.m. we came ashore in preparation for a tasty seafood pasta dinner tonight. I'm sure after dinner we'll make our way onto the lake for some night trolling for walleye.
Rick and I went out onto Leech Lake at 8:55 p.m. tonight. The wind at the time was roughly 10 mph from the NNW, the sky was mostly cloudy, the temperature was 54 degrees and the water temperature was 58 degrees.
I took the boat straight out from the lift to 10 feet of water and we began trolling #9 Minnows Raps -- Rick using one a purpledescent color, while I used my favorite hot steel. I immediately caught a small pike, and shortly after a 3" perch. How it got the Minnow Rap in it's mouth I have no idea.
As the night progressed and darkness came, the walleye bite picked up. From 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., I caught two 14" walleye and a 15" walleye. Rick caught a 14", a 22 1/2" and a 17" walleye. We kept the 17" walleye, and will most likely enjoy that fish for dinner Friday night.
During both of our fishing trips today we boated a total of 10 walleyes. Another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
We started by jigging shiners off Second Duck Point in 8-10 feet of water. The water temperature was 58 degrees. No sooner had Rick lower his jig into the water when he had a hit and called for the net. I grabbed the net and scooped up a nice 20 1/2" walleye. Not bad for 5 minutes on the water.
Unfortunately, the next hour in that spot proved less fruitful. We caught several small- to medium-sized perch, but no walleyes. So we decided to move to a new spot. I motored the boat slowly along the shoreline until finally stopping in front of Norm's cabin in 9-feet of water.
We jigged shiners in this spot for about 30-45 minutes, but again caught only small perch. So we decided to move yet again. I fired up the Verado and quickly got us north on Sucker Bay to "The Hole" in front of the old Bay Shore Resort.
Rick and I both put shiners on our jigs and lowered them into 14-16 feet of water. Almost instantly I hooked a 14" walleye. We caught dozens of perch, and I had the unfortunate luck of catching 3 small northern pike.
During the next 2 hours we caught lots of perch and I caught another 14" walleye as well as a nice 15" walleye. All fish were released. At 3:45 p.m. we came ashore in preparation for a tasty seafood pasta dinner tonight. I'm sure after dinner we'll make our way onto the lake for some night trolling for walleye.
Rick and I went out onto Leech Lake at 8:55 p.m. tonight. The wind at the time was roughly 10 mph from the NNW, the sky was mostly cloudy, the temperature was 54 degrees and the water temperature was 58 degrees.
I took the boat straight out from the lift to 10 feet of water and we began trolling #9 Minnows Raps -- Rick using one a purpledescent color, while I used my favorite hot steel. I immediately caught a small pike, and shortly after a 3" perch. How it got the Minnow Rap in it's mouth I have no idea.
As the night progressed and darkness came, the walleye bite picked up. From 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., I caught two 14" walleye and a 15" walleye. Rick caught a 14", a 22 1/2" and a 17" walleye. We kept the 17" walleye, and will most likely enjoy that fish for dinner Friday night.
During both of our fishing trips today we boated a total of 10 walleyes. Another good day of fishing on Leech Lake.
Monday, June 08, 2009
June 8, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
9:45 a.m.
It is grey and overcast and a steady rain is falling. The weather reports say we should receive 1/2" of rain during the course of the day. The temperature at the moment is 42 degrees, and the wind is calm.
I've got some things to do around the house this morning, but Rick and I may go into Bemidji sometime in the early afternoon. If for no other reason, we're out of shiners (and I need groceries too).
8:30 p.m.
Rick and I went into Bemidji today. We picked up materials to finish the stairs and repair the track lights at the cabin, as well as groceries and other supplies, including shiners, which we picked up at Froggy's Sports in Cass Lake.
The high temperature today was 49 degrees, and it rained on and off all day. The sky at the moment is grey and overcast and it looks like it might rain again. The wind, however, is calm. We're going to take the boat out in about 15 minutes to do some trolling for walleyes on Sucker Bay. I'll report later how we do.
11:30 p.m.
I just got in from trolling crankbaits with Rick on Sucker Bay. The sky was overcast and threatening to rain, but no rain fell. Just before dark, around 9:45 p.m., the walleye started to bite. We were fishing in 8-11 feet of 57.1 degree water. Rick was pulling a #9 Minnow Rap in purpledescent color and I was using a #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel.
Rick started the action with a couple small walleyes, a 13" and a 14" fish, then I added a 14" walleye of my own.
Rick continued his evening with walleye measuring 18 1/4", 19 1/2", and 15"; and a very chunky 23 1/2". I added a 19" before we called it a night.
Another beautiful night of walleye fishing on Leech Lake.
It is grey and overcast and a steady rain is falling. The weather reports say we should receive 1/2" of rain during the course of the day. The temperature at the moment is 42 degrees, and the wind is calm.
I've got some things to do around the house this morning, but Rick and I may go into Bemidji sometime in the early afternoon. If for no other reason, we're out of shiners (and I need groceries too).
8:30 p.m.
Rick and I went into Bemidji today. We picked up materials to finish the stairs and repair the track lights at the cabin, as well as groceries and other supplies, including shiners, which we picked up at Froggy's Sports in Cass Lake.
The high temperature today was 49 degrees, and it rained on and off all day. The sky at the moment is grey and overcast and it looks like it might rain again. The wind, however, is calm. We're going to take the boat out in about 15 minutes to do some trolling for walleyes on Sucker Bay. I'll report later how we do.
11:30 p.m.
I just got in from trolling crankbaits with Rick on Sucker Bay. The sky was overcast and threatening to rain, but no rain fell. Just before dark, around 9:45 p.m., the walleye started to bite. We were fishing in 8-11 feet of 57.1 degree water. Rick was pulling a #9 Minnow Rap in purpledescent color and I was using a #9 Minnow Rap in hot steel.
Rick started the action with a couple small walleyes, a 13" and a 14" fish, then I added a 14" walleye of my own.
Rick continued his evening with walleye measuring 18 1/4", 19 1/2", and 15"; and a very chunky 23 1/2". I added a 19" before we called it a night.
Another beautiful night of walleye fishing on Leech Lake.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
June 7, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
I got up around 8:30 a.m. this morning since I had stayed up to nearly 2:00 a.m. last night. After getting dressed I made my way to the kitchen for coffee and a check of the fishing conditions, i.e., the weather.
The sky was overcast and grey and the wind blew from the NE at 5-10 mph. It looked like it was going to rain again today, but by 1:00 p.m. when Rick and I hit the water, no rain had fallen.
We started drifting in about 8-10 feet of water straight out in front of our house moving in the wind toward Second Duck Point. We were using jigs and shiners and caught a handful of medium-sized perch, all of which went back into the water.
I then fired up the 150hp Mercury Verado and piloted my Lund Pro-V 1800 IFS north on Sucker Bay toward the old Bay Shore Resort. There is a hole up there that is more than 200 yards long, 100 yards wide and drops to 18 feet. In the past, I've had pretty good luck up there catching big perch and walleye.
No sooner did Rick and I drop in our jigs tipped with shiners than we started to catch some small perch. About 15 minutes later Rick caught a healthy 14" walleye, which he released. We ran out of shiners about 30 minutes later, so which switched tactics and began trolling crankbaits from one end of "The Hole" to the other. Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything.
At 3:30 p.m. we motored back to the house, read the paper, checked email and just hung out. We have now finished dinner and will most likely go trolling at 9:00 p.m. tonight.
We did indeed go out at 9:00 p.m. We were joined by 6 other boats right in front of our house, but soon after dark all of them left. We probably should have as well as the fish just weren't biting. The wind was out of the NE at about 10-15 mph and that made conditions unfavorable.
Rick did manage to catch a small hammer handle and a 14" and 15" walleye. I, on the other hand, got skunked.
We'll try again tomorrow.
The sky was overcast and grey and the wind blew from the NE at 5-10 mph. It looked like it was going to rain again today, but by 1:00 p.m. when Rick and I hit the water, no rain had fallen.
We started drifting in about 8-10 feet of water straight out in front of our house moving in the wind toward Second Duck Point. We were using jigs and shiners and caught a handful of medium-sized perch, all of which went back into the water.
I then fired up the 150hp Mercury Verado and piloted my Lund Pro-V 1800 IFS north on Sucker Bay toward the old Bay Shore Resort. There is a hole up there that is more than 200 yards long, 100 yards wide and drops to 18 feet. In the past, I've had pretty good luck up there catching big perch and walleye.
No sooner did Rick and I drop in our jigs tipped with shiners than we started to catch some small perch. About 15 minutes later Rick caught a healthy 14" walleye, which he released. We ran out of shiners about 30 minutes later, so which switched tactics and began trolling crankbaits from one end of "The Hole" to the other. Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything.
At 3:30 p.m. we motored back to the house, read the paper, checked email and just hung out. We have now finished dinner and will most likely go trolling at 9:00 p.m. tonight.
We did indeed go out at 9:00 p.m. We were joined by 6 other boats right in front of our house, but soon after dark all of them left. We probably should have as well as the fish just weren't biting. The wind was out of the NE at about 10-15 mph and that made conditions unfavorable.
Rick did manage to catch a small hammer handle and a 14" and 15" walleye. I, on the other hand, got skunked.
We'll try again tomorrow.
June 6, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
The high today did hit 50 degrees, but the low was once again in the mid-30s. I had a fire going most of the day to take the chill out of the air. The sky was overcast and grey and it sprinkled rain throughout the day. Yep, June in Northern Minnesota. Luckily, the wind was relatively light at 8-12 mph from the NW, or it would have felt even colder.
Rick and I went fishing from noon to 2:00 p.m. As we do most of the time during the day, we used jigs and shiners off Second Duck Point and the Birches trying to tempt a walleye into biting. We caught several perch, but no walleye.
We went out trolling at 9:00 p.m., and no sooner did we hit the water than it started to rain. At first it was just a light rain, but within an hour it was coming down hard. We were undeterred and continued to troll our Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water. There was a full moon tonight, but we could not see it through the very black rain clouds overhead.
Rick caught only one 12" walleye, although he had several hits that went unhooked. I caught a 12", a 13" and a 21 1/2" walleye and also had several other hits that didn't hook.
We came in around 11:15 p.m. I showered, got into some warm sweats since the temperature had dropped into the high 30s, and watched the movie "For Your Consideration."
Another great day at Leech Lake.
Rick and I went fishing from noon to 2:00 p.m. As we do most of the time during the day, we used jigs and shiners off Second Duck Point and the Birches trying to tempt a walleye into biting. We caught several perch, but no walleye.
We went out trolling at 9:00 p.m., and no sooner did we hit the water than it started to rain. At first it was just a light rain, but within an hour it was coming down hard. We were undeterred and continued to troll our Minnow Raps in 8-12 feet of water. There was a full moon tonight, but we could not see it through the very black rain clouds overhead.
Rick caught only one 12" walleye, although he had several hits that went unhooked. I caught a 12", a 13" and a 21 1/2" walleye and also had several other hits that didn't hook.
We came in around 11:15 p.m. I showered, got into some warm sweats since the temperature had dropped into the high 30s, and watched the movie "For Your Consideration."
Another great day at Leech Lake.
June 5, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
It's as if Northern Minnesota has decided to go from spring directly to autumn without a summer. The high temperature today was 46 degrees with a low of 34. The winds were very strong most of the day ranging from 15-20 mph from the NW. The wind, coupled with the low temperatures, made the wind-chill somewhere in the mid-30s all day long.
Last November, during the opening weekend of deer hunting season, the man who used to live in our house stopped by to say hi. Whenever Clancy is in the area, visiting one of his old neighbors, he likes to stop by and check out his old house. During this particular visit, Clancy was kind enough to give me a couple of very nice elk surlion steaks from a elk he took while hunting in Washington state. Anyway, those steaks had sat in my freezer until tonight.
I decided to BBQ the elk steaks on the grill and share them with Rick, since he had never had elk. We both enjoyed the elk meat very much.
By the time we finished dinner and had cleaned up, the wind had begun to die down. By 9:00 p.m. the wind was only at 8 mph out of the NW -- time to go trolling.
Rick and I got into the boat and immediately got our Minnow Raps in the water. We trolled in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught five small walleyes around 13" and one 17 1/2" walleye which he released. I caught 14", 13" and 19" walleyes. The moon tonight was 96 percent waxing, just about a day from being full.
Although it was too windy to fish most of the day, we did get in some good walleye fishing on Leech Lake this evening.
Last November, during the opening weekend of deer hunting season, the man who used to live in our house stopped by to say hi. Whenever Clancy is in the area, visiting one of his old neighbors, he likes to stop by and check out his old house. During this particular visit, Clancy was kind enough to give me a couple of very nice elk surlion steaks from a elk he took while hunting in Washington state. Anyway, those steaks had sat in my freezer until tonight.
I decided to BBQ the elk steaks on the grill and share them with Rick, since he had never had elk. We both enjoyed the elk meat very much.
By the time we finished dinner and had cleaned up, the wind had begun to die down. By 9:00 p.m. the wind was only at 8 mph out of the NW -- time to go trolling.
Rick and I got into the boat and immediately got our Minnow Raps in the water. We trolled in 8-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north to between Duck and Second Duck Points in the south. Rick caught five small walleyes around 13" and one 17 1/2" walleye which he released. I caught 14", 13" and 19" walleyes. The moon tonight was 96 percent waxing, just about a day from being full.
Although it was too windy to fish most of the day, we did get in some good walleye fishing on Leech Lake this evening.
June 4, 2009 -- At Leech Lake
New stairs on the side of the cabin.
The temperature today was a little warmer, it hit a high of 68 degrees. The low was near 40. The skies were dark and threatening all day and the wind was strong at 15-25 mph out of the SW, with gusts well over 30 mph. The lake was covered in white caps and I only saw one or two boats on Sucker Bay all day.
It was a good day for projects around the property, and with master-builder Rick on hand we quickly found a project. On the north side of the cabin the wrap-around decks ends, but there are no stairs to get to the ground. It's only 3 feet up, but not everyone wants to jump to the ground, so we decided to build some stairs.
There were some old stairs stashed out behind the game room, I'm not sure what they were for originally, so Rick and I decided to use those. After some modifications, the stairs were ready to attach. Rick did a great job securing the stairs to the deck and extending the railing to tie in with the existing deck railing.
All that's left to do is get some paint when we go into town next and the new stairs will match the rest of the deck. Thanks Rick!
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