Today it's a bit warmer, already 60 degrees by mid-morning, but it's also overcast, mostly grey with sun peeking out every so often and the wind is blowing at 15-20 mph out of the SW. The flags (I fly the Australian flag as well as the US flag when Rick is visiting) are straight out from the pole, and there are white caps on the lake.
It rained numerous times throughout the late-morning and all afternoon. Occasionally the storms would subside and the sun would come out for 30 minutes or so, but like clockwork the next front would move in. There was some periods when the rain came down in buckets and the wind blew so hard that the lake was riled with big white caps and was turned a slate grey color.
I hung out inside most of the day, while Rick helped John Newman with a few projects in his garage, such as installing some new light fixtures.
I called Jeff Hancock, my deceased neighbor's son, to inquire about what will be done with Noel's old house. Jeff told me that he and his sister are trying to unload and gave me a quote of $200K for it; which, ironically, was the exact number Rick said he'd be willing to pay for it. Rick and I will probably meet up with Jerry Schiebe in the next day or two to see the inside of the house and garage. Who knows, Rick could a Leech Lake resident by the end of his visit!
I joined Rick in the Newman's garage for a beer, threw some darts and just chatted. After hard rain and strong winds, the storm finally let up as Rick and I made our way home at 6:30 p.m. The temperature was 52 degrees, the wind was out of the WSW at about 15 mph and the sky was filled with clouds, but the sun was shining. Maybe if the weather holds we'll get out to do some trolling for walleye this evening.
I got some brats in a pot of beer and onions in preperation for the grill. After our dinner, I checked the weather the best way I know how, I walked out to the end of our dock at looked. It is very windy, I'm estimating 17-20 mph out of the WSW, and the temperature is 52.
The high winds alone have me nervous about taking the boat out tonight, but there's another obstacle to deal with as well, the crowds of Memorial Day boaters and fishermen. Despite the wind and heavy waves, I counted 16 boats between our house and Second Duck Point. I don't have any desire to try to weave my way through a crowd of FIBs in search of walleye.
Instead of fishing tonight, Rick and I had a fire in the pit over at the cabin. After that we came home and called it a night. Maybe tomorrow conditions will be better for fishing.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
May 27, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
I forgot to check the temperature when I woke this morning, but when I checked it at 10:30 a.m. the thermometer read 44 degrees. The sky was grey and overcast and wind was out of the SE at 10-15 mph.
After a frustrating experience dealing with CitiMortgage which I won't go into here, other than to say I was on the phone with them for nearly an hour and didn't get my situation taken care of, Rick and I decided to go fishing.
I put three 6-gallon containers of gas in the boat since I noticed the tank was around 20 percent of capacity last night when we were trolling. Once the boat was gassed up, we launched and made our way to the "perch hole" near Norm's cabin. Both Rick and I were using Northland Tackle Mimic Minnow Spins.
We didn't catch anything in about 15 minutes of fishing, so we moved to "Bass Bay." During about an hour of drifting across the bay I caught maybe 10 perch, no jumbos, while Rick kept his fishless streak alive.
It was very windy in Bass Bay and with the temperature hovering just near 50 degrees, it was quite cool on the water. I had been keeping an eye on the storm that was predicted to hit mid-afternoon and from my perspective from Bass Bay it looked as if it were raining south of us near Goose Island, so I decided to get us back to shore since neither Rick nor I were wearing our rain gear.
Just as we came ashore it started to rain, but only very briefly. Within 15 minutes or so the rain had stopped, but we decided to stay warm and inside just the same.
Around 5:00 p.m. Rick and I went over to the Newman's and hung out in his garage, drank a beer or two and worked on his small boat trailer. It was raining the entire time we were at the Newman's, it rained while Rick and I ate our dinner of beer-battered walleye and it rained right up to the time we went to bed. We had a good deal of rain today.
As a result of the 40 degree temperature and the constant rain, we did not go fishing on Leech Lake this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
After a frustrating experience dealing with CitiMortgage which I won't go into here, other than to say I was on the phone with them for nearly an hour and didn't get my situation taken care of, Rick and I decided to go fishing.
I put three 6-gallon containers of gas in the boat since I noticed the tank was around 20 percent of capacity last night when we were trolling. Once the boat was gassed up, we launched and made our way to the "perch hole" near Norm's cabin. Both Rick and I were using Northland Tackle Mimic Minnow Spins.
We didn't catch anything in about 15 minutes of fishing, so we moved to "Bass Bay." During about an hour of drifting across the bay I caught maybe 10 perch, no jumbos, while Rick kept his fishless streak alive.
It was very windy in Bass Bay and with the temperature hovering just near 50 degrees, it was quite cool on the water. I had been keeping an eye on the storm that was predicted to hit mid-afternoon and from my perspective from Bass Bay it looked as if it were raining south of us near Goose Island, so I decided to get us back to shore since neither Rick nor I were wearing our rain gear.
Just as we came ashore it started to rain, but only very briefly. Within 15 minutes or so the rain had stopped, but we decided to stay warm and inside just the same.
Around 5:00 p.m. Rick and I went over to the Newman's and hung out in his garage, drank a beer or two and worked on his small boat trailer. It was raining the entire time we were at the Newman's, it rained while Rick and I ate our dinner of beer-battered walleye and it rained right up to the time we went to bed. We had a good deal of rain today.
As a result of the 40 degree temperature and the constant rain, we did not go fishing on Leech Lake this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
Water Level Update
Periodically I post the water level of Leech Lake measured by my highly unscientific method of seeing how many cement pilings of my boat ramp are under water.
On Friday, May 27, 2011, seven (7) of the pilings were completely covered with water with the waves lapping up on piling number eight.
The highest I've seen the water level on Leech Lake was nine (9) pilings covered. The lowest I've seen is none of the pilings in the water. Based on the high and low of what I've seen in the past six years or so, the water level is above average on this date.
On Friday, May 27, 2011, seven (7) of the pilings were completely covered with water with the waves lapping up on piling number eight.
The highest I've seen the water level on Leech Lake was nine (9) pilings covered. The lowest I've seen is none of the pilings in the water. Based on the high and low of what I've seen in the past six years or so, the water level is above average on this date.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
May 26, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
The weather at 8:00 a.m. at Leech Lake was as follows -- the temperature was a cool 38 degrees (yes, it's the end of May, but it's northern Minnesota), the sky was clear and blue, and the wind was variable with a breeze of about 7-10 mph out of the SSE, which meant the lake in front of our house/cabin was calm.
I have a business call I must take today at 9:30 a.m., so I'll be on shore and in the house until roughly 10:30 a.m. or so. But after that, I'm hoping that Rick and I can get out onto the lake to do some fishing. Maybe we'll zip down to "Bass Bay" and try our hand at some panfish or crappie.
After my call and some breakfast, Rick and I went fishing. The weather was very nice, if not a bit cool. The temperature was 46 degrees, the sky was clear and blue, the wind was out of the SSE at 8-12 mph and the water temperature was hovering around 62 degrees.
We started fishing in 11 feet of water off Second Duck Point using jigs tipped with shiners. We had a few bites, and something nipped the entire body of my shiner off the jig leaving just the head, but we caught no fish.
I moved the boat to 12 feet of water straight out in front of our house, but we didn't have a lot of luck there either. I caught a few small perch and Rick didn't hook into anything. So, once again I moved us. This time I position us in front of Norm's cabin allowing the wind to push us north toward Schiebe's in about 9 feet of water. For this drift I changed up and went with a Mimic Minnow Spin from Northland Tackle.
I my very first cast I caught a nice perch; not quite a jumbo, but still a nice fish. I proceeded to catch at least a half of a dozen to 10 perch during that drift with the Mimic Minnow, but Rick, who was using a jig and shiner, caught nothing.
At about 1:45 p.m. we came ashore, had some lunch, then launched into some chores. I planted the other two Colorado blue spruce trees at the cabin, while Rick started tearing about the old smoker that Clancy (the previous owner of our house) had left behind the Bunkhouse and which has been an eye sore for the entire 10 years we've owned the property.
After I had planted the trees, I went over to the house and helped Rick finish tearing up the smoker. It was made of mostly sheet metal and heavy wood so it was not an easy thing to demonlish. But at last we had it torn down to the point we could load it into the back of my truck.
Paulsen's, who live down the road from us, have has some roof work done to their place and as a result have a large, industrial-sized dumpster sitting in their driveway. When I stopped by to chat with Duane this morning I noticed that there was barely anything inside the dumpster and asked if I could throw the old smoker in it. Duane was fine with it as long as American Disposal, the owner of the dumpster, OK'd it. I called AD to check, and got the go ahead.
So at about 4:30 p.m. Rick and I threw the old smoker materials into the dumpster, cleaned up and came home. Once home I swept up the driveway where we loaded the materials into my truck, swept out the back of the truck, and generally cleaned up. Rick, meanwhile, checked out the roof on the cabin (which had replaced last year) just to make sure everything still looked good; and it did.
While sitting inside the house listening to music and waiting for dinner to cook, I looked out toward the lake and right where our dock meets the shore were a mated pair of Canadian geese and 5 yellow-tinted goslings. For the longest time the 5 little geese preened themselves, rested in the warm evening sun and snacked on just hatched birch flies, while the two adults stood on guard, one looking north the other south. Instinctively these geese parents protected their offspring and held the family together. The geese stayed near our dock for nearly 25 minutes before moving toward the water and wading away. I watched them move north toward the cabin before they disappeared behind the trees.
After dinner I walked out into the living room and looked outside only to see the that the Canadian geese and their 5 goslings had returned. Three of the little geese were bundled together sleeping while the other two goslings and the adults ate birch flies and grass. This is one of the many pleasures of the northwoods, being close to nature. When I'm here at Leech Lake I see eagles nesting, Canadian geese with their goslings, families of beaver, deer and their fawns, turtles laying eggs and on and on. At Leech Lake I'm connected to nature in a way that I'm not able to achieve aware else. I have to say, it's good for my soul.
We went fishing at 8:15 p.m., about 45 minutes before sunset. As usual, we trolled from Malay's cabin to the north and between Second Duck and Duck Points to the south in 9-12 feet of water pulling Minnow Raps at a ground speed of between 1.75 and 2.45 mph depending on if we were going with or against the wind. The wind was blowing at 12-17 mph out of the SSE, the water temperature was 62 degrees, and the air temperature was 42.
During the two hours we were on the water I caught a 13-inch, a 15-inch and a 16-inch walleye -- all of which went back into the lake -- as well as a northern pike. As was the case earlier in the day, Rick was skunked.
Good night from Leech Lake.
I have a business call I must take today at 9:30 a.m., so I'll be on shore and in the house until roughly 10:30 a.m. or so. But after that, I'm hoping that Rick and I can get out onto the lake to do some fishing. Maybe we'll zip down to "Bass Bay" and try our hand at some panfish or crappie.
After my call and some breakfast, Rick and I went fishing. The weather was very nice, if not a bit cool. The temperature was 46 degrees, the sky was clear and blue, the wind was out of the SSE at 8-12 mph and the water temperature was hovering around 62 degrees.
We started fishing in 11 feet of water off Second Duck Point using jigs tipped with shiners. We had a few bites, and something nipped the entire body of my shiner off the jig leaving just the head, but we caught no fish.
I moved the boat to 12 feet of water straight out in front of our house, but we didn't have a lot of luck there either. I caught a few small perch and Rick didn't hook into anything. So, once again I moved us. This time I position us in front of Norm's cabin allowing the wind to push us north toward Schiebe's in about 9 feet of water. For this drift I changed up and went with a Mimic Minnow Spin from Northland Tackle.
I my very first cast I caught a nice perch; not quite a jumbo, but still a nice fish. I proceeded to catch at least a half of a dozen to 10 perch during that drift with the Mimic Minnow, but Rick, who was using a jig and shiner, caught nothing.
At about 1:45 p.m. we came ashore, had some lunch, then launched into some chores. I planted the other two Colorado blue spruce trees at the cabin, while Rick started tearing about the old smoker that Clancy (the previous owner of our house) had left behind the Bunkhouse and which has been an eye sore for the entire 10 years we've owned the property.
After I had planted the trees, I went over to the house and helped Rick finish tearing up the smoker. It was made of mostly sheet metal and heavy wood so it was not an easy thing to demonlish. But at last we had it torn down to the point we could load it into the back of my truck.
Paulsen's, who live down the road from us, have has some roof work done to their place and as a result have a large, industrial-sized dumpster sitting in their driveway. When I stopped by to chat with Duane this morning I noticed that there was barely anything inside the dumpster and asked if I could throw the old smoker in it. Duane was fine with it as long as American Disposal, the owner of the dumpster, OK'd it. I called AD to check, and got the go ahead.
So at about 4:30 p.m. Rick and I threw the old smoker materials into the dumpster, cleaned up and came home. Once home I swept up the driveway where we loaded the materials into my truck, swept out the back of the truck, and generally cleaned up. Rick, meanwhile, checked out the roof on the cabin (which had replaced last year) just to make sure everything still looked good; and it did.
While sitting inside the house listening to music and waiting for dinner to cook, I looked out toward the lake and right where our dock meets the shore were a mated pair of Canadian geese and 5 yellow-tinted goslings. For the longest time the 5 little geese preened themselves, rested in the warm evening sun and snacked on just hatched birch flies, while the two adults stood on guard, one looking north the other south. Instinctively these geese parents protected their offspring and held the family together. The geese stayed near our dock for nearly 25 minutes before moving toward the water and wading away. I watched them move north toward the cabin before they disappeared behind the trees.
After dinner I walked out into the living room and looked outside only to see the that the Canadian geese and their 5 goslings had returned. Three of the little geese were bundled together sleeping while the other two goslings and the adults ate birch flies and grass. This is one of the many pleasures of the northwoods, being close to nature. When I'm here at Leech Lake I see eagles nesting, Canadian geese with their goslings, families of beaver, deer and their fawns, turtles laying eggs and on and on. At Leech Lake I'm connected to nature in a way that I'm not able to achieve aware else. I have to say, it's good for my soul.
We went fishing at 8:15 p.m., about 45 minutes before sunset. As usual, we trolled from Malay's cabin to the north and between Second Duck and Duck Points to the south in 9-12 feet of water pulling Minnow Raps at a ground speed of between 1.75 and 2.45 mph depending on if we were going with or against the wind. The wind was blowing at 12-17 mph out of the SSE, the water temperature was 62 degrees, and the air temperature was 42.
During the two hours we were on the water I caught a 13-inch, a 15-inch and a 16-inch walleye -- all of which went back into the lake -- as well as a northern pike. As was the case earlier in the day, Rick was skunked.
Good night from Leech Lake.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
May 25, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was a cool 44 degrees, the sky was mostly clear with just a view high wispy clouds and a stiff wind out of the north at 15-18 mph. There are few white caps rolling across the lake, making it a morning we'll stay on shore.
I spent a good chunk of the morning dealing with Delta Airlines trying to change the date of my flight from Bemidji back to San Jose. As is always the case when dealing with any airline, I spent long periods of time on hold, spent considerable time with an agent trying to change the flight, only to be redirected to another agent because the first one couldn't help. Of course, another long period on hold was encountered between speaking with agents. This really shouldn't be so hard.
After going around and around on dates, times and charges, I finally settled on a new date for my return to California. Total time on the phone with Delta was 1 hour, 7 minutes and 14 seconds. I still have another flight to change, but I'll do that on a different day. They simply wore me down by constantly putting me on hold, playing crappy hold music, and charging outlandish change fees. I sure with Southwest Airlines flew to Bemidji!!
After my lengthy call with Delta, I made a call to a friend of mine regarding a business opportunity. But alas, we traded voice mails, so nothing accomplished, yet.
T&K Outdoors showed up at the house/cabin at around 11:15 a.m. to cut the lawn. It's the first time they've been out this year, and it's good they're here, the grass is nearly a foot tall in many spots. If I lived here year 'round I'd make the investment in a good riding mower and tackle the chore myself, which I actually kind of enjoy doing. But since there are periods throughout the spring and summer when I'm not here to mow the lawn, it makes sense to have T&K take on that responsibility.
When T&K was finished with the yard, Rick and I went on a bike ride. We rode down Ottertail Point Road to Duck Point Woods and rode back to where you can see the eagle's nest. The eagle -- I couldn't tell if it was a male or female since both have the white head -- was in the nest guarding either the eggs or eaglets. It's not everyday you get a chance to see a bald eagle nesting in the wild.
Once back at the house/cabin, I planted one of the three colorado blue spruce trees that I bought in town the other day. I still haven't decided on where I want to plant the other two. Since it's supposed to get down to as low as 30 degrees tonight, I moved the two potted trees into the garage to keep the roots from freezing.
While I was planting the tree, Rick took down the old antenna that was out by the lake at the house. It has been there for years and has never been operational since we bought the house back in 2001. All that remains is a 10 foot high metal pole and a small cement slab. I'll have both of those removed when WC Excavating comes to work on the harbor walls, most likely sometime in early June.
The wind never let up today. It was blowing at 17-22 mph out of the north, with gust even higher. There have been white caps on the lake all day, and only a few hearty (or foolish) boaters were out on the lake.
For dinner I barbecued a brined chicken, cooking it beer-can style, where a 3/4 can of beer is placed inside the chicken for barbecuing. We'll finish off the potato salad I made a few days back as the side.
No fishing today. The wind was simply too strong all day to make it worthwhile. I'm not a pro walleye fisherman that has to go out fishing regardless of the conditions. Instead, I'm here to enjoy the lake and post updates about what's working to catch walleyes and where they're biting. I'll leave the unpleasant weather conditions to those who get paid to fish. Until tomorrow...
I spent a good chunk of the morning dealing with Delta Airlines trying to change the date of my flight from Bemidji back to San Jose. As is always the case when dealing with any airline, I spent long periods of time on hold, spent considerable time with an agent trying to change the flight, only to be redirected to another agent because the first one couldn't help. Of course, another long period on hold was encountered between speaking with agents. This really shouldn't be so hard.
After going around and around on dates, times and charges, I finally settled on a new date for my return to California. Total time on the phone with Delta was 1 hour, 7 minutes and 14 seconds. I still have another flight to change, but I'll do that on a different day. They simply wore me down by constantly putting me on hold, playing crappy hold music, and charging outlandish change fees. I sure with Southwest Airlines flew to Bemidji!!
After my lengthy call with Delta, I made a call to a friend of mine regarding a business opportunity. But alas, we traded voice mails, so nothing accomplished, yet.
T&K Outdoors showed up at the house/cabin at around 11:15 a.m. to cut the lawn. It's the first time they've been out this year, and it's good they're here, the grass is nearly a foot tall in many spots. If I lived here year 'round I'd make the investment in a good riding mower and tackle the chore myself, which I actually kind of enjoy doing. But since there are periods throughout the spring and summer when I'm not here to mow the lawn, it makes sense to have T&K take on that responsibility.
When T&K was finished with the yard, Rick and I went on a bike ride. We rode down Ottertail Point Road to Duck Point Woods and rode back to where you can see the eagle's nest. The eagle -- I couldn't tell if it was a male or female since both have the white head -- was in the nest guarding either the eggs or eaglets. It's not everyday you get a chance to see a bald eagle nesting in the wild.
Once back at the house/cabin, I planted one of the three colorado blue spruce trees that I bought in town the other day. I still haven't decided on where I want to plant the other two. Since it's supposed to get down to as low as 30 degrees tonight, I moved the two potted trees into the garage to keep the roots from freezing.
While I was planting the tree, Rick took down the old antenna that was out by the lake at the house. It has been there for years and has never been operational since we bought the house back in 2001. All that remains is a 10 foot high metal pole and a small cement slab. I'll have both of those removed when WC Excavating comes to work on the harbor walls, most likely sometime in early June.
The wind never let up today. It was blowing at 17-22 mph out of the north, with gust even higher. There have been white caps on the lake all day, and only a few hearty (or foolish) boaters were out on the lake.
For dinner I barbecued a brined chicken, cooking it beer-can style, where a 3/4 can of beer is placed inside the chicken for barbecuing. We'll finish off the potato salad I made a few days back as the side.
No fishing today. The wind was simply too strong all day to make it worthwhile. I'm not a pro walleye fisherman that has to go out fishing regardless of the conditions. Instead, I'm here to enjoy the lake and post updates about what's working to catch walleyes and where they're biting. I'll leave the unpleasant weather conditions to those who get paid to fish. Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
May 24, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Today the sky was grey and overcast all day long. At mid-morning the temperature was only 46 degrees and it didn't get past 60 throughout the day. The wind remained pretty steady all day at 12-15 mph out of the north.
After being up so late the previous night, neither Rick nor I arose early. We pretty much just hung out around the house most of the day, before tackling a few chores later in the afternoon. Rick took a look at some faulty wiring on a trailer of John Newman's. Then we took down two dead trees that were on the Newman's land near our property. Of course we checked with Karen Newman first to make sure she (and John) were OK with us removing the trees. We didn't want a strong wind to bring them down randomly.
At around 7:30 p.m., I got the grill going for the porterhouse steaks Rick bought at the store yesterday. They look like very good cuts of meat and should be tasty.
As the day has moved toward evening the sky has cleared some and there is now some blue to been seen, and the sun is peeking through the clouds. The wind has slowed considerably and is now blowing at 5-8 mph out of the north. The temperature is about 52 degrees.
Tonight is the last night Kathleen will be in St. Cloud visiting her mother. Tomorrow Kathleen flies to San Francisco and will be in our house in San Jose by 7:00 p.m. How weird that someone can go from one environment and setting to another so completely different is such a short amount of time.
At 9:15 p.m. we went fishing. Like last night, I used the bluegill colored Lindy Shadling and Rick used a purpledescent Rapala Minnow Rap. About an hour into our fishing, I had caught two northerns and had to deal with at least two tangles with the Lindy Shadling. The design of the Shadling is such that if you use a locking swivel (which I do to reduce line twist) the action of the lure ends up catching the line in the lead treble hook. On two occasions tonight, and two more last night, my lure got tangled up in the line. Not a great design for a lure that is meant to be used for trolling. After it happened the second time tonight I changed from the Shadling to my old reliable Rapala Minnow Rap, in the Tennessee shad color. No problems with the Minnow Rap. Live and learn.
On our last pass by Second Duck Point on our way back to the cabin, Rick hooked into a nice 20-inch walleye; which was immediately released back into the lake. The wind was still blowing out of the north at about 10 mph, the water temperature was right around 60 degrees, the moon was 50% waning and was scheduled to rise at 1:32 a.m. CDT, and the air temperature was a very cool 40 degrees.
We came ashore around 10:45 p.m. and caught the end of the Sharks vs. Canucks Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The Canucks won 3-2 in OT and won the series 4 games to 1. Another disappointing end to the Sharks season. No more hockey for me this year.
I've got a number of business and home related calls and projects to attend to tomorrow, so I'll sign off for now.
sj: 2 pike
rs: 20" walleye
After being up so late the previous night, neither Rick nor I arose early. We pretty much just hung out around the house most of the day, before tackling a few chores later in the afternoon. Rick took a look at some faulty wiring on a trailer of John Newman's. Then we took down two dead trees that were on the Newman's land near our property. Of course we checked with Karen Newman first to make sure she (and John) were OK with us removing the trees. We didn't want a strong wind to bring them down randomly.
At around 7:30 p.m., I got the grill going for the porterhouse steaks Rick bought at the store yesterday. They look like very good cuts of meat and should be tasty.
As the day has moved toward evening the sky has cleared some and there is now some blue to been seen, and the sun is peeking through the clouds. The wind has slowed considerably and is now blowing at 5-8 mph out of the north. The temperature is about 52 degrees.
Tonight is the last night Kathleen will be in St. Cloud visiting her mother. Tomorrow Kathleen flies to San Francisco and will be in our house in San Jose by 7:00 p.m. How weird that someone can go from one environment and setting to another so completely different is such a short amount of time.
At 9:15 p.m. we went fishing. Like last night, I used the bluegill colored Lindy Shadling and Rick used a purpledescent Rapala Minnow Rap. About an hour into our fishing, I had caught two northerns and had to deal with at least two tangles with the Lindy Shadling. The design of the Shadling is such that if you use a locking swivel (which I do to reduce line twist) the action of the lure ends up catching the line in the lead treble hook. On two occasions tonight, and two more last night, my lure got tangled up in the line. Not a great design for a lure that is meant to be used for trolling. After it happened the second time tonight I changed from the Shadling to my old reliable Rapala Minnow Rap, in the Tennessee shad color. No problems with the Minnow Rap. Live and learn.
On our last pass by Second Duck Point on our way back to the cabin, Rick hooked into a nice 20-inch walleye; which was immediately released back into the lake. The wind was still blowing out of the north at about 10 mph, the water temperature was right around 60 degrees, the moon was 50% waning and was scheduled to rise at 1:32 a.m. CDT, and the air temperature was a very cool 40 degrees.
We came ashore around 10:45 p.m. and caught the end of the Sharks vs. Canucks Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The Canucks won 3-2 in OT and won the series 4 games to 1. Another disappointing end to the Sharks season. No more hockey for me this year.
I've got a number of business and home related calls and projects to attend to tomorrow, so I'll sign off for now.
sj: 2 pike
rs: 20" walleye
Monday, May 23, 2011
May 23, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
This morning at 9:00 a.m. the sky was grey and overcast, the wind was out of the north at around 15 mph and the temperature was 50 degrees.
At 10:00 a.m. Rick and I went into Bemidji for breakfast and to run a series of errands. I picked up 3 colorado blue spruce trees to plant at the cabin between our place and the Poage's. I also bought a new battery for the ATV, and other odds and ends that were needed around the house and cabin.
Once home, Rick rebuilt the little bridge that spans a small gully between my property and Newman's. I planted the new blueberry bush that arrived, and positioned the pines trees where I want to plant them near our property line with Poage's.
At 5:30 p.m. the temperature was 65 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the north. I went down the end of the dock, took out the jumbo perch and walleye, took them up to the cabin and cleaned them. The perch look like it has some type of small parasite in the meat -- little black dots and some bigger orange marks -- so I decided we wouldn't be eating it.
Instead of my normal method of frying the walleye fillets I decided to do a beer-batter coating and I have say, they fillets tasted much better than ususal. I think I'll try a beer batter the next time we eat walleye.
By 9:15 p.m. the wind had died down to around 5-8 mph out of the north, so Rick and I decided to go fishing. I was trying out a new lure, a Lindy Shadling, in the bluegill color, and Rick used a magnum X-Rap from Rapala before switching to a Rapala Minnow Rap in a purpledescent color.
I caught the first fish, a nice 17 1/2-inch walleye, which we put in the livewell. I caught it while making a turn out toward the lake just past Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water with my Mercury Smartcraft trolling speed set at 570 rpm. The water temperature was hovering around 60 degrees, there was a half moon, and the wind had all but died down completely.
We were joined in "the Alley" by 4 other boats, although I didn't see them catching anything.
Rick caught a northern pike, about 22 inches long, and later a 21 1/2-inch walleye, which had some new cuts, or bites, on its side. After looking at the fish's wounds, and contemplated the size of the monster fish that would have hit such a big walleye, we put the wounded, but spirited, fish back into the lake.
We came ashore around 11:00 p.m. and then proceeded to stay up way too late listening to music and debating the problems of the world; none of which we solved by the way.
I'm still trying to decided if I should clean the walleye in the basket and trade it with Jerry Schiebe for a mason jar of his homemade maple syrup or eat the walleye fillets with Rick using my newly found beer batter. Decision, decisions...
At 10:00 a.m. Rick and I went into Bemidji for breakfast and to run a series of errands. I picked up 3 colorado blue spruce trees to plant at the cabin between our place and the Poage's. I also bought a new battery for the ATV, and other odds and ends that were needed around the house and cabin.
Once home, Rick rebuilt the little bridge that spans a small gully between my property and Newman's. I planted the new blueberry bush that arrived, and positioned the pines trees where I want to plant them near our property line with Poage's.
At 5:30 p.m. the temperature was 65 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the north. I went down the end of the dock, took out the jumbo perch and walleye, took them up to the cabin and cleaned them. The perch look like it has some type of small parasite in the meat -- little black dots and some bigger orange marks -- so I decided we wouldn't be eating it.
Instead of my normal method of frying the walleye fillets I decided to do a beer-batter coating and I have say, they fillets tasted much better than ususal. I think I'll try a beer batter the next time we eat walleye.
By 9:15 p.m. the wind had died down to around 5-8 mph out of the north, so Rick and I decided to go fishing. I was trying out a new lure, a Lindy Shadling, in the bluegill color, and Rick used a magnum X-Rap from Rapala before switching to a Rapala Minnow Rap in a purpledescent color.
I caught the first fish, a nice 17 1/2-inch walleye, which we put in the livewell. I caught it while making a turn out toward the lake just past Second Duck Point in 11 feet of water with my Mercury Smartcraft trolling speed set at 570 rpm. The water temperature was hovering around 60 degrees, there was a half moon, and the wind had all but died down completely.
We were joined in "the Alley" by 4 other boats, although I didn't see them catching anything.
Rick caught a northern pike, about 22 inches long, and later a 21 1/2-inch walleye, which had some new cuts, or bites, on its side. After looking at the fish's wounds, and contemplated the size of the monster fish that would have hit such a big walleye, we put the wounded, but spirited, fish back into the lake.
We came ashore around 11:00 p.m. and then proceeded to stay up way too late listening to music and debating the problems of the world; none of which we solved by the way.
I'm still trying to decided if I should clean the walleye in the basket and trade it with Jerry Schiebe for a mason jar of his homemade maple syrup or eat the walleye fillets with Rick using my newly found beer batter. Decision, decisions...
Sunday, May 22, 2011
May 22, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
The sun was shining this morning at 9:00 a.m. although there were some clouds in the east and north that were starting to move our way. The temperature was 60 degrees and the wind was 8-12 mph from the ENE.
Kathleen went for a run around 11:00 a.m. since she wanted to get on the road to St. Cloud by 1:00 p.m. Indeed, just after 1:00 p.m. Kathleen was all packed and was driving out of the driveway to head south. She had a very nice, and unexpected, six-day stay at Leech Lake, and it was wonderful having her here.
With Kathleen gone, Rick donned the waders, got into the water, and led the effort of getting the power cord tied up underneath the dock. We then decided to go fishing. Starting in about 10 feet of water we drifted north to south in the ENE wind using jigs and shiners. I had a really good bite and when I reeled in to check my shiner, it was bit completely off just below the head. Most likely the work of a walleye.
We only fished for about 30 minutes when the rain started. We didn't have our rain gear with us, so we quickly went ashore, just ahead of a torrential downpour.
Once inside, I listened to some of Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Finals between the Sharks and the Canucks. In one horrendous stretch in the 2nd period, the Sharks gave up 3 goals while killing three 5-3 penalties in the span of just 1 minute and 55 seconds. At that point I'd had enough of Sharks hockey for the year, so I closed the game on the PC and decided that since the rain had stopped that it was time to go fishing again.
The sky remained overcast and grey, and the wind had picked up to about 12-15 mph out of the ENE. On the lake the water was choppy, but that should have been good for producing walleye. Instead, all we caught using jigs tipped with shiners were a few perch. Rick did hook into a nice jumbo perch that measured just under 12 inches long; which we kept.
We continued to drift in 10-13 feet of water between the Birches and Second Duck Point when it started to rain again; at first just a sprinkle, but soon a complete downpour. Although we had on rain jackets we didn't wear rain pants or bibs, so both Rick and I were soaked by the time we came ashore.
We had a light dinner of some chili Kathleen had made the day before, then went out for an evening troll. As is our usual method, we troll in 10-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north and south past Second Duck Point. We use Rapala Minnow Raps trolled about 50 feet behind the boat which has a ground speed of roughly 2.25 mph. Tonight the water temperature was 60 degrees, the wind was still blowing out of the ENE at about 12-15 mph and there was a light rain falling.
This time both Rick and I had on full rain gear and it was a good idea that we did. Not long after launching the boat it started to rain. At first just a good steady rain, but soon it was once again pouring.
I managed to hook into a nice 19-inch walleye right in front of our house, which I immediately released back into the lake. But that would prove to be the only fish of the night. After enduring about an hour of pouring rain we went inside to dry off and warm up.
If the weather permits, we'll be out fishing for Leech Lake walleye again tomorrow night. Until then...
Kathleen went for a run around 11:00 a.m. since she wanted to get on the road to St. Cloud by 1:00 p.m. Indeed, just after 1:00 p.m. Kathleen was all packed and was driving out of the driveway to head south. She had a very nice, and unexpected, six-day stay at Leech Lake, and it was wonderful having her here.
With Kathleen gone, Rick donned the waders, got into the water, and led the effort of getting the power cord tied up underneath the dock. We then decided to go fishing. Starting in about 10 feet of water we drifted north to south in the ENE wind using jigs and shiners. I had a really good bite and when I reeled in to check my shiner, it was bit completely off just below the head. Most likely the work of a walleye.
We only fished for about 30 minutes when the rain started. We didn't have our rain gear with us, so we quickly went ashore, just ahead of a torrential downpour.
Once inside, I listened to some of Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Finals between the Sharks and the Canucks. In one horrendous stretch in the 2nd period, the Sharks gave up 3 goals while killing three 5-3 penalties in the span of just 1 minute and 55 seconds. At that point I'd had enough of Sharks hockey for the year, so I closed the game on the PC and decided that since the rain had stopped that it was time to go fishing again.
The sky remained overcast and grey, and the wind had picked up to about 12-15 mph out of the ENE. On the lake the water was choppy, but that should have been good for producing walleye. Instead, all we caught using jigs tipped with shiners were a few perch. Rick did hook into a nice jumbo perch that measured just under 12 inches long; which we kept.
We continued to drift in 10-13 feet of water between the Birches and Second Duck Point when it started to rain again; at first just a sprinkle, but soon a complete downpour. Although we had on rain jackets we didn't wear rain pants or bibs, so both Rick and I were soaked by the time we came ashore.
We had a light dinner of some chili Kathleen had made the day before, then went out for an evening troll. As is our usual method, we troll in 10-12 feet of water from Malay's to the north and south past Second Duck Point. We use Rapala Minnow Raps trolled about 50 feet behind the boat which has a ground speed of roughly 2.25 mph. Tonight the water temperature was 60 degrees, the wind was still blowing out of the ENE at about 12-15 mph and there was a light rain falling.
This time both Rick and I had on full rain gear and it was a good idea that we did. Not long after launching the boat it started to rain. At first just a good steady rain, but soon it was once again pouring.
I managed to hook into a nice 19-inch walleye right in front of our house, which I immediately released back into the lake. But that would prove to be the only fish of the night. After enduring about an hour of pouring rain we went inside to dry off and warm up.
If the weather permits, we'll be out fishing for Leech Lake walleye again tomorrow night. Until then...
Saturday, May 21, 2011
May 21, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
We all went to bed late last night since Rick and I didn't get back from the airport until after midnight, so we slept in late this morning. I got up around 9:30 a.m. to a steady rain, grey skies, a temperature of 50 degrees and light winds out of the east at 5-8 mph.
The rain, and the previous days of sun, have made the tiny buds on the trees explode into bright green leaves and the grass too has turned a brilliant shade of emerald. It's as if we're in the middle of some fairy tale land where everything is shining green.
After coffee and breakfast, Kathleen and I spent some time going through a pile of old photos, some more than 20 years old, putting them into various categories (by person) in hopes of getting them into photo albums at some point. Rick spent some time trying to figure out why our brand new HP printer -- which we just bought last summer -- refuses to print. I've found that over the years the quality and reliability of HP's printers has gone downhill significantly. A once proud brand is now just middle of the road.
One of the big projects that I have to address during my stay is the repair of the wall around the harbor at the house. Over the years, water has drained down behind the wall, and then during periods of thawing and freezing, the ice has pushed the wall inward toward the harbor, and has heaved up the cement walkway that encircles the harbor. I've contacted an outfit out of Federal Dam -- WC Excavating -- about doing a complete repair job. They'll have to remove all the cement walkway, put in a tile drain, sewer rock, gravel, rewire some of the electrical work, and of course realign the harbor walls using cable jacks and chain. I'm expecting an estimate for that work some time next week.
At 1:30 p.m. the rain was coming down even harder. It's been a steady or hard rain now for at least 5 or 6 hours straight. I bet we've had more than an inch of rain, maybe even two. The temperature hasn't budged from 50 degrees, and the wind has pretty much died down to an occasional breeze out of the east.
As I watched two fishermen in a Ranger boat through the binoculars something in the foreground caught my eye. I quickly adjusted the focus of the binos and saw three beavers swimming from in front of out house toward the cabin. They better stay away from our birch trees!
Rick and I just got back from Birch Ridge Resort where Rick bought a Minnesota fishing license and we picked up two dozen shiners. It is still raining steadily, and the temperature hasn't moved from 50 degrees. A cool, wet day.
I listened to a Prairie Home Companion on the radio as I made potato salad to go along with the BBQ ribs for dinner. After dinner Rick and I went fishing.
The rain had finally stopped and from about 5:30 p.m. to sunset the sun was actually out. A welcome sight after a full day of rain. The temperature also reached its highest of the day at right around 60 degrees. The wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the east.
As is our typical pattern for evening fishing, both Rick and I pulled crankbaits in 10 feet of water from Malay's to the north, and south past Second Duck Point. I caught a northern, and Rick caught two walleyes, one 18 inches which went back into the lake, and another one that measured 17 1/2 inches which we kept. We may have walleye for lunch tomorrow before Kathleen leaves to go back to St. Cloud.
It was nice to finally get some good sized walleye in the boat. I'm sure Rick and I will do more fishing tomorrow. Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
The rain, and the previous days of sun, have made the tiny buds on the trees explode into bright green leaves and the grass too has turned a brilliant shade of emerald. It's as if we're in the middle of some fairy tale land where everything is shining green.
After coffee and breakfast, Kathleen and I spent some time going through a pile of old photos, some more than 20 years old, putting them into various categories (by person) in hopes of getting them into photo albums at some point. Rick spent some time trying to figure out why our brand new HP printer -- which we just bought last summer -- refuses to print. I've found that over the years the quality and reliability of HP's printers has gone downhill significantly. A once proud brand is now just middle of the road.
One of the big projects that I have to address during my stay is the repair of the wall around the harbor at the house. Over the years, water has drained down behind the wall, and then during periods of thawing and freezing, the ice has pushed the wall inward toward the harbor, and has heaved up the cement walkway that encircles the harbor. I've contacted an outfit out of Federal Dam -- WC Excavating -- about doing a complete repair job. They'll have to remove all the cement walkway, put in a tile drain, sewer rock, gravel, rewire some of the electrical work, and of course realign the harbor walls using cable jacks and chain. I'm expecting an estimate for that work some time next week.
At 1:30 p.m. the rain was coming down even harder. It's been a steady or hard rain now for at least 5 or 6 hours straight. I bet we've had more than an inch of rain, maybe even two. The temperature hasn't budged from 50 degrees, and the wind has pretty much died down to an occasional breeze out of the east.
As I watched two fishermen in a Ranger boat through the binoculars something in the foreground caught my eye. I quickly adjusted the focus of the binos and saw three beavers swimming from in front of out house toward the cabin. They better stay away from our birch trees!
Rick and I just got back from Birch Ridge Resort where Rick bought a Minnesota fishing license and we picked up two dozen shiners. It is still raining steadily, and the temperature hasn't moved from 50 degrees. A cool, wet day.
I listened to a Prairie Home Companion on the radio as I made potato salad to go along with the BBQ ribs for dinner. After dinner Rick and I went fishing.
The rain had finally stopped and from about 5:30 p.m. to sunset the sun was actually out. A welcome sight after a full day of rain. The temperature also reached its highest of the day at right around 60 degrees. The wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the east.
As is our typical pattern for evening fishing, both Rick and I pulled crankbaits in 10 feet of water from Malay's to the north, and south past Second Duck Point. I caught a northern, and Rick caught two walleyes, one 18 inches which went back into the lake, and another one that measured 17 1/2 inches which we kept. We may have walleye for lunch tomorrow before Kathleen leaves to go back to St. Cloud.
It was nice to finally get some good sized walleye in the boat. I'm sure Rick and I will do more fishing tomorrow. Until then, good night from Leech Lake.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
