Kathleen and I woke to a beautiful morning at Leech Lake. The temperature was almost 50 degrees, on its way to a high of 70, the sky was bright, sunny, blue and clear, and the wind was a gentle 5-8 mph out of the ESE.
After enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee and some breakfast, we went outside for the day. Our first activity was a boat ride. The surface of Sucker Bay was nearly calm, not good for walleye fishing, but perfect for a relaxing boat ride. We headed south past Second Duck Point toward Duck Point and went as far as the old "Al Capone" house (yes, the gangster himself is rumored to have spent quite a bit of time on Leech Lake escaping the heat in Chicago). We then headed back home.
Once on shore, we decided to go for a bike ride. A couple of years ago Kathleen's mom gave us two old Schwinn bikes, a boys and a girls model. The elder Coyles bought the bikes in the late 1960s or early 70s, and were in need of a little maintenance. I took them to a bike shop in Bemidji and a couple of days late they were like new. It pays to buy quality. Here are two bikes that are more than 40 years old and they are in fantastic condition.
Kathleen and I rode those old Schwinns down W. Shores Rd., to 26th to Ottertail Point Rd. to Sucker Bay Rd. and then past the community center and back down W. Shores Rd. A total of 6 wonderful miles. The sky was incredibly blue today, and the pale yellow-green leaves of the just budding trees looked amazing against the azure sky.
After our bike ride Kathleen and I did several hours of yard work. It is great to be outside working together. We cleaned out all of the flower beds, trimmed back some plants, pulled weeds, planted some blueberry bushes, watered and other lawn/plant maintenance.
I also took a little time to put together the hammock and pull out the chaise lounge chairs, which are now situated on the lakeside lawn facing Sucker Bay. Maybe we'll watch the sunset outside today, since it's warm and there still no bugs (especially no mosquitoes).
With the sun having set, Kathleen and I enjoyed some quiet time talking and listening to classical music in our living room. It was a perfect ending to a great day.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
May 16, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
The temperature this morning at 8:30 a.m. was 46 degrees on its way to 51 by noon. The sky was clear, blue and sunny, with just some hazy type clouds on the western horizon. The had shifted over night and was now coming out of the SW at 5-8 mph. It was beautiful day, and there were already nearly 20 boats in front of our house by 10:00 a.m.
Tim and Jackson needed to go home today and wanted to hit the road by noon, so just after 10:00 a.m. we got in the boat for one last trip before they had to leave. The water temperature had warmed to 54 degrees.
Again we used Northland eyeball jigs tipped with shiners. We all caught several medium-sized perch, but no walleye.
We came ashore by 11:45 a.m. and just after noon Tim and Jackson were backing out of the driveway. No long goodbyes, that's for sure.
I spoke with Kathleen this morning and there is a possibility that she will come up to Leech Lake later today. But with her mother still needing constant care, I'd say that the odds of seeing Kathleen are no more than 50-50. I'd sure like to see her, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
A repair man from Culligan Water is out at our house and cabin replacing all of the filters in our reverse osmosis drinking water system. The filters should be changed every year, but it's been probably four since I last had them replaced. Oh well, time flies by up here.
A couple of days ago Jackson caught a very big 12" jumbo perch which we kept hoping to add others to the basket. But since we didn't catch any other perch of merit, nor any walleye, I took the one big jumbo in my basket and added it to the Newman's. They've probably got 12-14 nice jumbos ready to clean and eat.
---------------
Well, joy of joys, Kathleen called and said she was on Hwy. 371 near Camp Ripley on her way to Leech Lake. She arrived at the lake house just after 5:00 p.m. After unloading groceries and a quick tour of the compound, Kathleen and I took a walk down to the beaver pond, and at that point she ran down to the community center and back while I turned and walked home. For me I had a brisk 2-mile walk and she had a 6-mile round trip run.
When Kathleen got back from her run we sat on the back deck and watched the sunset over Sucker Bay. It was a beautiful site and very relaxing.
Until tomorrow...
Tim and Jackson needed to go home today and wanted to hit the road by noon, so just after 10:00 a.m. we got in the boat for one last trip before they had to leave. The water temperature had warmed to 54 degrees.
Again we used Northland eyeball jigs tipped with shiners. We all caught several medium-sized perch, but no walleye.
We came ashore by 11:45 a.m. and just after noon Tim and Jackson were backing out of the driveway. No long goodbyes, that's for sure.
I spoke with Kathleen this morning and there is a possibility that she will come up to Leech Lake later today. But with her mother still needing constant care, I'd say that the odds of seeing Kathleen are no more than 50-50. I'd sure like to see her, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
A repair man from Culligan Water is out at our house and cabin replacing all of the filters in our reverse osmosis drinking water system. The filters should be changed every year, but it's been probably four since I last had them replaced. Oh well, time flies by up here.
A couple of days ago Jackson caught a very big 12" jumbo perch which we kept hoping to add others to the basket. But since we didn't catch any other perch of merit, nor any walleye, I took the one big jumbo in my basket and added it to the Newman's. They've probably got 12-14 nice jumbos ready to clean and eat.
---------------
Well, joy of joys, Kathleen called and said she was on Hwy. 371 near Camp Ripley on her way to Leech Lake. She arrived at the lake house just after 5:00 p.m. After unloading groceries and a quick tour of the compound, Kathleen and I took a walk down to the beaver pond, and at that point she ran down to the community center and back while I turned and walked home. For me I had a brisk 2-mile walk and she had a 6-mile round trip run.
When Kathleen got back from her run we sat on the back deck and watched the sunset over Sucker Bay. It was a beautiful site and very relaxing.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
May 15, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 8:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was already a relatively warm 42 degrees, the sky was perfectly clear, blue and sunny, and the wind was out of the NE at 10-15 mph. There were about a dozen boats scattered from Second Duck Point to our cabin, all trying to get the jump on an early Sunday morning walleye bite.
At 10:30 a.m. Tim, Jackson and I put on some jackets and warm clothes and made our way to the cabin in order to launch the boat and do some fishing of our own. The wind was still blowing around 15 mph, so the waves made it tricky to get the boat off the lift. I asked Tim and Jackson to help steady the boat as I lowered it into the water.
I didn't see exactly what happened, but when I looked up, Tim had his hands on the inside roof of the boat lift and his feet were on the gunwale of the boat as the boat was backing out of the lift. I expected Tim to let go of the lift, but instead he just kept getting stretched further and further until something had to give. What gave was Tim falling into the lake right in the middle of the boat lift saddle. He let out one little cry that indicted to me and Jackson that the water was very cold. And at 52 degrees, the water was indeed cold.
Luckily, Tim was not hurt, only wet and cold. I quickly got the boat back into the lift as Tim climbed onto the dock. All three of us made our way back to the house where I got Tim a towel and he stripped off his soaking wet, cold clothes.
After changing into dry, warm clothes, and taking the time to place his jacket and shoes on the deck to dry in the sun (the rest of his clothes went into the dryer), we once again tried launching the boat so we could go fishing.
This time everyone remained in the boat and we motored our way to the Birches, dropped in the drift sock, and let the 15 mph wind push the boat at about 3/4 mph toward Second Duck Point; where a flotilla of some 30 boats was gathered.
Tim caught several medium-sized perch, none of which we kept, I caught a couple of perch and northern, while on this trip Jackson was skunked. We went ashore around 1:30 p.m.
After a dinner of wild rice brats, corn and Cole slaw, we went back on the water to do some evening fishing; not trolling, however, just drifting and jigging.
The wind was still about 15 mph out of the north, the temperature was around 50 degrees, the sky was clear, the moon was 96 percent waxing (full moon officially on May 17), and the water temperature was 52.5 degrees.
We tipped our Northland Tackle eyeball jigs with shiners and made several drifts in and around a waypoint I'd set; I'd caught a 24-inch walleye last year at this particular spot so I marked it on my GPS.
We caught a few perch, I caught a 13-inch walleye (which immediately went back into the lake), and Tim hooked something -- probably a northern -- that snapped his line. We stayed on the water until about 9:00 p.m., just after sunset, then made our way ashore. We didn't keep any fish, but it was nice to catch the first walleye of the season; just one day after opener.
Tim, Jackson and I listened online to the end of the NHL Western Conference finals Game 1 between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, which the Canucks won 3-2. We then played some cards and went to bed.
It was another wonderful day on Leech Lake.
At 10:30 a.m. Tim, Jackson and I put on some jackets and warm clothes and made our way to the cabin in order to launch the boat and do some fishing of our own. The wind was still blowing around 15 mph, so the waves made it tricky to get the boat off the lift. I asked Tim and Jackson to help steady the boat as I lowered it into the water.
I didn't see exactly what happened, but when I looked up, Tim had his hands on the inside roof of the boat lift and his feet were on the gunwale of the boat as the boat was backing out of the lift. I expected Tim to let go of the lift, but instead he just kept getting stretched further and further until something had to give. What gave was Tim falling into the lake right in the middle of the boat lift saddle. He let out one little cry that indicted to me and Jackson that the water was very cold. And at 52 degrees, the water was indeed cold.
Luckily, Tim was not hurt, only wet and cold. I quickly got the boat back into the lift as Tim climbed onto the dock. All three of us made our way back to the house where I got Tim a towel and he stripped off his soaking wet, cold clothes.
After changing into dry, warm clothes, and taking the time to place his jacket and shoes on the deck to dry in the sun (the rest of his clothes went into the dryer), we once again tried launching the boat so we could go fishing.
This time everyone remained in the boat and we motored our way to the Birches, dropped in the drift sock, and let the 15 mph wind push the boat at about 3/4 mph toward Second Duck Point; where a flotilla of some 30 boats was gathered.
Tim caught several medium-sized perch, none of which we kept, I caught a couple of perch and northern, while on this trip Jackson was skunked. We went ashore around 1:30 p.m.
After a dinner of wild rice brats, corn and Cole slaw, we went back on the water to do some evening fishing; not trolling, however, just drifting and jigging.
The wind was still about 15 mph out of the north, the temperature was around 50 degrees, the sky was clear, the moon was 96 percent waxing (full moon officially on May 17), and the water temperature was 52.5 degrees.
We tipped our Northland Tackle eyeball jigs with shiners and made several drifts in and around a waypoint I'd set; I'd caught a 24-inch walleye last year at this particular spot so I marked it on my GPS.
We caught a few perch, I caught a 13-inch walleye (which immediately went back into the lake), and Tim hooked something -- probably a northern -- that snapped his line. We stayed on the water until about 9:00 p.m., just after sunset, then made our way ashore. We didn't keep any fish, but it was nice to catch the first walleye of the season; just one day after opener.
Tim, Jackson and I listened online to the end of the NHL Western Conference finals Game 1 between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, which the Canucks won 3-2. We then played some cards and went to bed.
It was another wonderful day on Leech Lake.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Walleye Opener 2011 at Leech Lake
Another grey, overcast day with a temperature of 36 degrees at 9:30 a.m. and winds varying from 10-20 mph, with gusts even stronger. A cold walleye opener in Minnesota.
There have been anywhere from 4 to a dozen boats in front of our house battling choppy water and a stinging mist being blown by the stiff winds The boats we've seen that have caught fish have pulled in nothing more than a couple of small perch. It doesn't appear to be a strong opener; at least not near Second Duck Point on Sucker Bay.
Tim, Jackson and I hung around the house for most of the morning and afternoon, and at 3:00 p.m. we went over to John Newman's cabin for an early BBQ dinner of brined, beer-can chicken and "danger dogs, street style."
After our dinner fare, Tim and Jackson helped me get the canopy on the boat lift; not an easy task with the wind still blowing at a good 10-15 mph clip out of the north. But with some muscle and determination, we got the canopy on the lift. We then loaded the boat with tackle, supplies, the landing net, drift sock and other necessities for walleye fishing, and at just after 7:00 p.m. local time hit the water in my Lund Pro V 1800 for the first time this fishing season.
With nearly 20 boats crammed between our house and Second Duck Point, I made the decision that we would begin fishing in 12 feet of water north of our place, up near the Birches. The 150 hp Mercury Verado got us to our destination quickly, where we deployed the drift sock, tipped our Northland Tackle , eyeball jigs with shiners and began fishing.
Very soon after dropping my line in the water I felt that familar "weight" on the end of my line and went to set the hook. For just a split second I felt the weight of the fish on the line, but then the line snapped. It must have been a northern pike because it bit right through my 8-lb Berkeley Fireline Crystal. Although it is possible it could have been a walleye.
We made several drifts from the Birches to Malay's cabin and Jackson and I caught a few perch each, but unfortunately Tim was skunked. Jackson had the nicest fish of the outing, catching a jumbo perch that measured just a hair over 12 inches. A truly big perch; which we put in the live well.
The water temperature was 52 degrees, surprisingly warm since ice-out was May 1, the wind was still 10-15 mph out of the north, making for some nice swells on the lake, and the moon was 90 waxing (full moon on May 17).
We came in around 8:45 p.m., which is the time the sun officially set at our location, unloaded a few things from the boat, then got a campfire going at the cabin fire pit. About 9:30 p.m. John stopped by to join our conversation, and we stayed outside near the fire until almost midnight.
We all had a great walleye opener at Leech Lake, even though none of us boated a walleye. Well, there's always tomorrow.
There have been anywhere from 4 to a dozen boats in front of our house battling choppy water and a stinging mist being blown by the stiff winds The boats we've seen that have caught fish have pulled in nothing more than a couple of small perch. It doesn't appear to be a strong opener; at least not near Second Duck Point on Sucker Bay.
Tim, Jackson and I hung around the house for most of the morning and afternoon, and at 3:00 p.m. we went over to John Newman's cabin for an early BBQ dinner of brined, beer-can chicken and "danger dogs, street style."
After our dinner fare, Tim and Jackson helped me get the canopy on the boat lift; not an easy task with the wind still blowing at a good 10-15 mph clip out of the north. But with some muscle and determination, we got the canopy on the lift. We then loaded the boat with tackle, supplies, the landing net, drift sock and other necessities for walleye fishing, and at just after 7:00 p.m. local time hit the water in my Lund Pro V 1800 for the first time this fishing season.
With nearly 20 boats crammed between our house and Second Duck Point, I made the decision that we would begin fishing in 12 feet of water north of our place, up near the Birches. The 150 hp Mercury Verado got us to our destination quickly, where we deployed the drift sock, tipped our Northland Tackle , eyeball jigs with shiners and began fishing.
Very soon after dropping my line in the water I felt that familar "weight" on the end of my line and went to set the hook. For just a split second I felt the weight of the fish on the line, but then the line snapped. It must have been a northern pike because it bit right through my 8-lb Berkeley Fireline Crystal. Although it is possible it could have been a walleye.
We made several drifts from the Birches to Malay's cabin and Jackson and I caught a few perch each, but unfortunately Tim was skunked. Jackson had the nicest fish of the outing, catching a jumbo perch that measured just a hair over 12 inches. A truly big perch; which we put in the live well.
The water temperature was 52 degrees, surprisingly warm since ice-out was May 1, the wind was still 10-15 mph out of the north, making for some nice swells on the lake, and the moon was 90 waxing (full moon on May 17).
We came in around 8:45 p.m., which is the time the sun officially set at our location, unloaded a few things from the boat, then got a campfire going at the cabin fire pit. About 9:30 p.m. John stopped by to join our conversation, and we stayed outside near the fire until almost midnight.
We all had a great walleye opener at Leech Lake, even though none of us boated a walleye. Well, there's always tomorrow.
Friday, May 13, 2011
May 13, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I woke up early this morning -- 6:00 a.m. CDT -- and the temperature was a brisk 36 degrees. The sky was overcast and grey and the wind was blowing at 10-15 mph out of the north. I stayed in bed for an hour or so thinking I might fall back asleep, but no such luck. So I got up, made some coffee, got online and read the Detroit and San Jose newspapers getting each city's view of last night's Sharks 3-2 win over the Red Wings in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
At 8:30 a.m. I gave John Newman a call and asked if he was ready to help me get my boat in the water, which he had offered to do yesterday. He was up and ready so we convened at the boat ramp at 9:00 a.m. The boat was in the lift by 9:15 a.m., and all went according to plan.
The wind, which was still around 15 mph from the north would have made getting the lift canopy on a challenge, so we decided to wait until Saturday or Sunday when the winds are supposed to be much less stiff.
As I write this at just after noon, I see a bank of heavy mist or light rain moving across Sucker Bay toward our house. It's already cold and damp outside, and this light rain should make everthing wet.
Although Blogger.com is back up and running -- it had been down for a couple of days -- it still seems to be having trouble with formating. There is way too much white space in my last post, and despite multiple attempts to edit the entry, it keeps posting the way you see it. I'm hoping all will be fixed by the time I post this entry.
Kathleen's brother Tim and his son Jackson are on their way up to Leech Lake to take part in a the grand Minnesota tradition of walleye opener, which begins tonight at midnight. In an effort to be completely legal, I applied my new boat license stickers to the boat before I put it in the water, and I bought my 2011 fishing license from Birch Ridge Resort this morning.
Tim and Jackson arrived at the lake around 3:00 p.m. By that time there was a steady, light rain falling and the wind had picked up a little. The temperature was reading a cool 36 degrees.
We contemplated going fishing, but it was simply too rough to take the boat out. I don't mind the cold and rain, but I'm not going to have the boat bounced around in the boat lift getting out onto the lake and returning to the lift. There's simply too much chance of damaging the boat.
So instead we stayed in the house, had pizza for dinner and then watched a movie. The weather report for walleye opener is more rain, more strong winds and slightly warmer temperatures, in the mid-40s. If the weather changes, and I feel it's OK to go out onto the lake, we will go fishing. The report for Sunday is clear skies, warmer temps, in the 60s, and lighter winds. Sunday looks light the better day for fishing.
I'll file another report tomorrow.
At 8:30 a.m. I gave John Newman a call and asked if he was ready to help me get my boat in the water, which he had offered to do yesterday. He was up and ready so we convened at the boat ramp at 9:00 a.m. The boat was in the lift by 9:15 a.m., and all went according to plan.
The wind, which was still around 15 mph from the north would have made getting the lift canopy on a challenge, so we decided to wait until Saturday or Sunday when the winds are supposed to be much less stiff.
As I write this at just after noon, I see a bank of heavy mist or light rain moving across Sucker Bay toward our house. It's already cold and damp outside, and this light rain should make everthing wet.
Although Blogger.com is back up and running -- it had been down for a couple of days -- it still seems to be having trouble with formating. There is way too much white space in my last post, and despite multiple attempts to edit the entry, it keeps posting the way you see it. I'm hoping all will be fixed by the time I post this entry.
Kathleen's brother Tim and his son Jackson are on their way up to Leech Lake to take part in a the grand Minnesota tradition of walleye opener, which begins tonight at midnight. In an effort to be completely legal, I applied my new boat license stickers to the boat before I put it in the water, and I bought my 2011 fishing license from Birch Ridge Resort this morning.
Tim and Jackson arrived at the lake around 3:00 p.m. By that time there was a steady, light rain falling and the wind had picked up a little. The temperature was reading a cool 36 degrees.
We contemplated going fishing, but it was simply too rough to take the boat out. I don't mind the cold and rain, but I'm not going to have the boat bounced around in the boat lift getting out onto the lake and returning to the lift. There's simply too much chance of damaging the boat.
So instead we stayed in the house, had pizza for dinner and then watched a movie. The weather report for walleye opener is more rain, more strong winds and slightly warmer temperatures, in the mid-40s. If the weather changes, and I feel it's OK to go out onto the lake, we will go fishing. The report for Sunday is clear skies, warmer temps, in the 60s, and lighter winds. Sunday looks light the better day for fishing.
I'll file another report tomorrow.
May 10-12, 2011 -- On Leech Lake (a recap)
I arrived in Bemidji on Tuesday, May 10, and the next evening I wrote a long blog entry about my first two days at Leech Lake. Unfortunately, Blogger.com, the web site that hosts my blog, had technical difficulties and all blogs written and posted from May 11 through May 13 (at around 11:3o a.m. CDT) were lost. I will not try to re-create my entire entry, instead I'll just bulletize the events of the past few days.
May 10:
May 10:
- Arrived at Bemidji airport around 4:30 p.m. CDT and went to Corner Sports to pick up my boat, but they hadn't finished the service on it, so I was told to come back on Wednesday, May 11.
- Enjoyed a cold beer on John Newman's dock as we watched the sunset into the Western sky and had a nice conversation.
- The weather in the evening was still up over 60 degrees, skies were clear, and there was just a slight breeze out of the SE.
May 11:
- Picked up my boat at Corner Sports, complete with two new deep-cell batteries for the trolling motor, and a new cranking battery for the main motor.
- Came home, got ready to launch boat, but the electric motor on the boat lift went out, and that subsequently caused the lift chain to break. Shore Brothers scheduled to come out on May 12 to fix the lift motor.
- Weather was in the high 60s, mostly sunny, winds out of the north at 10-13 mph.
- Went fishing with John in his boat at the Birches, and we caught a number of decent sized perch, and I caught jumbo which we kept and added to John's basket.
May 12:
- Weather was much cooler with a high of 44 degrees. Mostly cloudy, grey skies, with the wind out of the north at 10-15 mph.
- Got the lake pump working so we can use the various faucets around the property to pull lake water.
- Shore Brothers replaced the electric boat lift motor and fixed the chain. The lift seems to work fine. I'll launch the boat tomorrow.
- The Sharks beat the Red Wings 3-2 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals ending a thrilling series and will send the Shark north to Vancouver to take on the Canucks in the Conference Finals.
I'll do a full post on May 13 of the days events.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
On Leech Lake -- May 11, 2011
Well I'm finally here at Leech Lake. And it sure is wonderful.
I arrived in Bemidji yesterday around 4:30 p.m. CDT and went directly to Corner Sports to pick up my boat. Unfortunately, it wasn't ready. They hadn't yet fired it up to make sure it was running properly, nor had they installed new trolling motor batteries and a new starter battery. They told me they'd move it to the top of the list and get to it first thing on Wednesday (today).
So off I drove to the grocery store with no boat in tow. After loading up on supplies I headed to Leech Lake.
After unloading the groceries, turning on the well pump, and a few other "start up" activities, I opened a cold beer and started to make my way to the end of the dock to watch the sunset. As I walked out onto the dock, my neighbor John Newman called out for me to join him on his dock. I walked next door and chatted with John as the sun sank into the western horizon across Sucker Bay.
This morning, I called Corner Sports to see if my boat was ready. They told me it would be around noon before all work was complete. I decided to give them a little extra time so I didn't leave the lake until 12:30 p.m.
Once at Corner Sports I hitched the boat trailer to my truck and made the 50 minute drive back to Ottertail Peninsula. I positioned the boat at the top of my boat ramp and then walked to the end of the dock to lower the boat lift into the water so once the boat was launched, I could maneuver it onto the lift.
I hit the down switch on the lift motor and was met with a rough, grinding sound followed by a snap. The chain had come off the gears that raises the lift and in the process the clip that holds the main link of the chain to the rest of the chain snapped. There you go. Something always has to go wrong at the start of the season, it's tradition!
I called Mark at Shore Brothers, the outfit that I bought the lift from, and they'll be out either Thursday or Friday to fix it. Until then, my boat remains trailered at the top of the boat ramp.
After putting that business behind me, I went fishing with John. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60s, a steady stiff breeze out of the north at about 10 mph and mostly clear skies, with just wisps of clouds here and there.
We made several drifts at the Birches, starting in about 12 feet of water and then drifting to about 6 feet of water. We used jigs with plastic grubs, and then added a fathead for additional attractant. Since walleye opener in Minnesota isn't until Saturday, May 14, we were targeting jumbo perch. John already had about a dozen jumbos in the basket at his cabin and we were looking to add a couple more.
We each caught a few small perch, and I caught a nice jumbo which we kept. I added it John's stash.
It was my first day on the water this year and it felt great. I'm looking forward to getting my boat lift fixed so I can get my boat in the water and have the luxary of being able to fish when and where I choose. For now, however, I'm grateful that John is letting me fish with him.
The plan is to do some more perch fishing with John tomorrow afternoon after 2 p.m., weather permitting.
I'll post more tomorrow. Until then, I'm just glad to be back on Leech Lake!
I arrived in Bemidji yesterday around 4:30 p.m. CDT and went directly to Corner Sports to pick up my boat. Unfortunately, it wasn't ready. They hadn't yet fired it up to make sure it was running properly, nor had they installed new trolling motor batteries and a new starter battery. They told me they'd move it to the top of the list and get to it first thing on Wednesday (today).
So off I drove to the grocery store with no boat in tow. After loading up on supplies I headed to Leech Lake.
After unloading the groceries, turning on the well pump, and a few other "start up" activities, I opened a cold beer and started to make my way to the end of the dock to watch the sunset. As I walked out onto the dock, my neighbor John Newman called out for me to join him on his dock. I walked next door and chatted with John as the sun sank into the western horizon across Sucker Bay.
This morning, I called Corner Sports to see if my boat was ready. They told me it would be around noon before all work was complete. I decided to give them a little extra time so I didn't leave the lake until 12:30 p.m.
Once at Corner Sports I hitched the boat trailer to my truck and made the 50 minute drive back to Ottertail Peninsula. I positioned the boat at the top of my boat ramp and then walked to the end of the dock to lower the boat lift into the water so once the boat was launched, I could maneuver it onto the lift.
I hit the down switch on the lift motor and was met with a rough, grinding sound followed by a snap. The chain had come off the gears that raises the lift and in the process the clip that holds the main link of the chain to the rest of the chain snapped. There you go. Something always has to go wrong at the start of the season, it's tradition!
I called Mark at Shore Brothers, the outfit that I bought the lift from, and they'll be out either Thursday or Friday to fix it. Until then, my boat remains trailered at the top of the boat ramp.
After putting that business behind me, I went fishing with John. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60s, a steady stiff breeze out of the north at about 10 mph and mostly clear skies, with just wisps of clouds here and there.
We made several drifts at the Birches, starting in about 12 feet of water and then drifting to about 6 feet of water. We used jigs with plastic grubs, and then added a fathead for additional attractant. Since walleye opener in Minnesota isn't until Saturday, May 14, we were targeting jumbo perch. John already had about a dozen jumbos in the basket at his cabin and we were looking to add a couple more.
We each caught a few small perch, and I caught a nice jumbo which we kept. I added it John's stash.
It was my first day on the water this year and it felt great. I'm looking forward to getting my boat lift fixed so I can get my boat in the water and have the luxary of being able to fish when and where I choose. For now, however, I'm grateful that John is letting me fish with him.
The plan is to do some more perch fishing with John tomorrow afternoon after 2 p.m., weather permitting.
I'll post more tomorrow. Until then, I'm just glad to be back on Leech Lake!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Leech Lake Walleye
Your host, holding another nice Leech Lake walleye
My anticipation is building for my trip to Leech Lake on May 10. I've started to go through some old photos of fishing trips on Leech Lake and thought I'd post this one, which is of a 20"+ walleye caught while trolling on Sucker Bay.
The photo was taken in late May, 2008, and was most likely taken by my friend and fishing companion, Rick. Rick and I will be fishing Leech Lake again this late May, and hopefully we'll boat plenty of hearty 'eyes like this one.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Ice Breaking Up On Leech Lake
I spoke with my neighbor Tom Malay today and he told me the weather at Sucker Bay on Leech Lake was dreary, with overcast, gray skies, an 8-mile an hour wind from the NW, a light rain falling and temperatures in high 40s to low 50s. Together, this weather pattern is starting to break up the ice on the lake.
Tom said that there was at least one open spot in the ice he could see on Sucker Bay, and that the ice along the shore was breaking up, although it was also piling up -- to about 3 feet -- as the NW wind blew it onto the rocky shoreline.
Tom also mentioned that earlier today he and Lainy drove into Cass Lake and that most of Cass Lake, including Pike Bay, was ice free. It shouldn't be long now, maybe 3 to 5 days, before Sucker Bay is also ice free. And once the ice is clear from Sucker Bay, Mark and his team from Shore Brothers will be visiting Ottertail Peninsula to put in our docks and boat lifts.
Two weeks from today I'll have already been at the lake for 24 hours, and may even have my boat in the water. I am really looking forward to seeing Leech Lake again.
Tom said that there was at least one open spot in the ice he could see on Sucker Bay, and that the ice along the shore was breaking up, although it was also piling up -- to about 3 feet -- as the NW wind blew it onto the rocky shoreline.
Tom also mentioned that earlier today he and Lainy drove into Cass Lake and that most of Cass Lake, including Pike Bay, was ice free. It shouldn't be long now, maybe 3 to 5 days, before Sucker Bay is also ice free. And once the ice is clear from Sucker Bay, Mark and his team from Shore Brothers will be visiting Ottertail Peninsula to put in our docks and boat lifts.
Two weeks from today I'll have already been at the lake for 24 hours, and may even have my boat in the water. I am really looking forward to seeing Leech Lake again.
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