Last night's storm really cooled things off and greatly reduced the humidity. At 10:00 a.m. this morning the temperature was 69 degrees, the sky was partly cloudy and filled with big, white billowy clouds, and the wind was very strong at 15-20 mph out of the WNW.
Kathleen and I took it pretty slow this morning. We had coffee on the back porch, Kathleen spent quite a bit of time on the phone with AT&T trying to sort out some cell phone troubles, while I took the opportunity to read some of the newspapers Kathleen brought back from St. Cloud, make some work calls and send some emails.
At 2:30 p.m. the temperature was a very pleasant 73 degrees, the wind was still strong at 12-17 mph out of the NNW, and the sky was mostly covered with big white billowy clouds so that the sun cast shadows only occasionally.
Kathleen had finished doing yoga so we thought we'd take advantage of the relatively cooler temperatures and go for a bike ride. So it was off to the cabin to get our bikes out of the garage.
Our plan was to ride down to Duck Point Woods and back, about an 8-mile ride. We almost made it to Duck Point but the black and brown biting flies were so bad, especially around Kathleen, that we had to turn tail and ride home as quickly as possible.
Once home we had a late lunch on the back porch and laid in the hammock for a while. Then Kathleen decided to go running, but a series of calls from her work and sister-in-law delayed that until almost 6:30 p.m.
At that point the temperature had dropped to right around 70 degrees, the wind was still stiff at 10-15 mph out of the NNW with gusts up over 20 mph, and the sky was still filled with big billowy clouds that blocked the sun most of the time.
When Kathleen returned from her 6-mile run, and had completed her lunges and stretching, she and I went for a swim in the lake. Even though the air temperature was cool, the water was warm and felt great.
We had a simple, quiet dinner, played some cribbage and dominoes, then called it a night.
Kathleen has to leave for California tomorrow so we need to be on the road to Bemidji by 11:30 a.m. Tomorrow night, Kathleen will be in our San Jose house with Joe, Melissa and Jayden, and our dogs. I'm sure it'll be quite an adjustment from Leech Lake to a city of more than 1 million people, but being with our family will make for a welcome homecoming for her.
No fishing again today. Maybe tomorrow, depending on the weather and how I feel.
Monday, July 11, 2011
500th Post!
According to Blogger.com's dashboard for my blog -- Fishing Leech Lake -- this is my 500th post. That may not be such a huge milestone for many blogs, especially those that have multiple writers cranking out numerous posts per day, or for the blog maintained by some social media guru who churns out posts in his sleep. But for my humble little blog, 500 posts is a milestone worth noting.
I started Fishing Leech Lake back on February 20, 2005 as a way to capture various information about Leech Lake, such as weather conditions, fishing reports, and general news about the area of Leech Lake where my wife Kathleen and I have some property, i.e., Ottertail Peninsula.
True to the original name of "blog", weblog, my blog was a personal web log of my time at Leech Lake. Over the years I've added other components to my blog, and as the subhead of my blog now reads, "Musings, Observations and Fishing Reports from Minnesota's Leech Lake."
On occasion I will post something that has absolutely nothing to do with Leech Lake, other than it somehow reminds me of the time I've spent in the Northwoods of Minnesota.
So this is it. My 500th post. I look forward to the next 500 because that will mean I'll be spending more time at the place I enjoy the most -- Leech Lake.
I started Fishing Leech Lake back on February 20, 2005 as a way to capture various information about Leech Lake, such as weather conditions, fishing reports, and general news about the area of Leech Lake where my wife Kathleen and I have some property, i.e., Ottertail Peninsula.
True to the original name of "blog", weblog, my blog was a personal web log of my time at Leech Lake. Over the years I've added other components to my blog, and as the subhead of my blog now reads, "Musings, Observations and Fishing Reports from Minnesota's Leech Lake."
On occasion I will post something that has absolutely nothing to do with Leech Lake, other than it somehow reminds me of the time I've spent in the Northwoods of Minnesota.
So this is it. My 500th post. I look forward to the next 500 because that will mean I'll be spending more time at the place I enjoy the most -- Leech Lake.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
July 10, 2011 -- In Leech Lake
At 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 70 degrees, the sky was blue and clear, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the SSE, the lake was nearly calm, and the humidity was in the high 60s, which isn't too bad; certainly it's not as humid as it was yesterday (at least not yet!).
Kathleen sent me a text saying that she awoke early this morning, had already packed and is most definitely ready to leave St. Cloud and come back to Leech Lake. She's been gone since Thursday afternoon.
With the Newmans back at home and the group that's staying at the Poage's cabin set to leave today, it should be a quiet couple of days here at the lake; Kathleen's final few until a possible return this Fall.
Kathleen called me from Walker at 2:15 p.m. She had stopped at the DQ for an ice cream cone and then was going to do a little grocery shopping before driving home.
At 4:30 p.m. Kathleen finally arrived at Leech Lake. We unpacked the truck and put away the groceries and that little bit of activity had us dripping with sweat because of the high humidity. So we grabbed some cold drinks, got on our swimsuits and went out to the end of the dock. We talked for a little while then jumped into the lake to cool off.
The 80 degree water of Leech Lake felt refreshing and it definitely cooled our cores. After swimming for a while, we got out and Kathleen wanted to go for run down the dirt road; something she really loves. So off she went.
Just before 8:00 p.m., with Kathleen still out running, the sky turned a sickly color green-grey, the air was very still and it started to lightening directly overhead. I jumped on the ATV and drove down the road to find Kathleen. Luckily she was already past Paulson's and nearing Schiebe's so she wasn't very far from home. She climbed onto the back of the ATV and we raced home just as the rain started to fall.
The temperature was falling and the wind was now very strong at 20+ mph out of the SSE and the lake roiled with waves and whitecaps. And one of the strangest parts of this summer thunderstorm was that the sun was shining below the big storm clouds and yet it was raining. This produced some amazing sites, such as the pictures below.
A huge rainbow stretched across the eastern sky over our woods
A small gap opened up between the giant layer of clouds and the horizon
Looking south on Sucker Bay as the storm rolled toward us
The craziness of the evening extended south to St. Cloud as well. Our daughter Liz was waiting in the car with Kathleen's mom when a large tree fell across the front of the car smashing out the windshield. Luckily, no one was hurt, but emergency crews including firefighters and police were dispatched to assist in removing the many fallen trees that littered the area.
A wild night of storms in Minnesota.
Water Level -- July 4th Holiday
I know it's nearly a week after July 4th, but I try to post an update on or near three holidays throughout the year -- Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day.
This is by no means a scientific measure of the water levels of Leech Lake, only gauge I can use against other similar measurements I take.
This year, just after July 4, 2011, the water level was up to and covering the 7th cement piling of my boat ramp with water lapping at the 8th piling. This is the same water level as in late May of this year.
The highest I've ever seen it was covering 9 pilings, while the lowest level didn't even reach the first piling.
My conclusion, therefore, is the lake is among its highest water level for this time of year.
This is by no means a scientific measure of the water levels of Leech Lake, only gauge I can use against other similar measurements I take.
This year, just after July 4, 2011, the water level was up to and covering the 7th cement piling of my boat ramp with water lapping at the 8th piling. This is the same water level as in late May of this year.
The highest I've ever seen it was covering 9 pilings, while the lowest level didn't even reach the first piling.
My conclusion, therefore, is the lake is among its highest water level for this time of year.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
July 9, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
For some reason sleep did not come easily last night. My mind raced in a million different directions before it finally calmed. As a result, I know we did not have a thunderstorm until sometime after 3:00 a.m., and maybe not even then.
It did rain here at Leech Lake sometime between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. because the ground was wet when I arose. The temperature this morning was 66 degrees, the wind was 12-18 mph out of the SSW, the sky was overcast and grey and there hung in the air a heavy blanket of humidity that made everything from the floor to the trees damp.
By 10:30 a.m. I had not yet heard from Kathleen, either voice mail or text, if she was still in Minneapolis or on her way back to St. Cloud. Ashley's plane left MSP at 6:00 a.m. this morning, so it is probable that Kathleen dropped her off at the airport and then went back to the hotel to get some additional sleep. I'll wait until after noon before contacting her.
The rain and gloomy weather have put a damper on the "White Goods Clean Up" event at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center. Each year, usually the Saturday after the 4th of July, several dumpsters are brought to the parking lot and surrounding lawn of the community center and residents are encouraged to bring in their various junk for disposal.
It's an exciting time for many of the locals who show up with trailers attached to their trucks and ATVs in preparation for hauling away treasures that other will throw out. It's funny to see these guys load up on old garden hose, pieces of metal pipe, old coils of electrical wire and other similar items.
And I have no idea why they call it the "White Goods Clean Up." Most of the junk that is tossed out is neither white nor all that good. But it's a fun day for many of the local hoarders.
Kathleen did send me a text just before noon saying that she didn't get much sleep last night, so after dropping off Ashley at the airport she did indeed go back to the hotel for some additional sleep. She needed to vacate the room by 12:30 p.m., however, so she will be in St. Cloud this afternoon.
The wind has picked up here at Leech Lake a bit, blowing at a consistent 15+ mph out of the SSW creating some decent waves, if not the occasional white cap. The flag is flying straight out from its mast. The temperature, according to the thermometer on our back porch, is 70 degrees; but it feels hotter than that.
At 12:20 p.m. the sun peaked out from behind the clouds for the first time today. It is supposed to be partly sunny later this afternoon with high temps in the mid 80s. And by 8:00 p.m., the wind is supposed to calm to under 10 mph, which might make it a nice night for trolling for walleye.
The humidity continued to rise and the stickiness of the air made me want to take a ride on the ATV to cool off. I decided to ride down to the "White Goods Clean Up" to see what treasures the local guys had found.
When I arrived at the community center, I saw Jerry Schiebe, Ron Geppart, Duane Paulson and Warren Snyder. Warren was just leaving, however, so I was left with the other three to chat about the hauls they'd made. Jerry had snagged a still usable patio furniture set, Duane had a truckload of odds and ends including an old computer table which he planned to use for cleaning fish, and Ron claimed the find of a still working lawn mower, among other sundries.
While we chatted a couple of trucks and car pulled in loaded with junk for disposal. Not wanting to sit around and watch, I put on my gloves and helped the guys unload the vehicles and throw mountains of junk into various dumpsters. The humidity was unbearable and soon I was soaked through my clothes.
Once things settled down a bit, I made leave after a 45 minute visit and once again sought the rushing air on the ATV to cool me.
When I got home I stopped by to see what the Newmans were doing and caught them loading their Suburban and just minutes from driving south to their home in Mahtomedi, near White Bear Lake. We bid each other goodbye and looked forward to our next meeting, whenever that may be. And with that I went home and they got into the truck and drove off.
By 3:00 p.m. the temperature had climbed to just over 80 degrees, the humidity reading was at 80% and the wind continued to blow at 12-15 mph out of the SW. The sky was mostly cloudy, but sun did shine through every few minutes.
Kathleen called me while I was outside, thus I missed talking with her, but she did leave a message. She said that as of 2:00 p.m. she was on her way from Minneapolis to St. Cloud and that she planned to see her mother, spend the night and drive back up to Leech Lake sometime on Sunday. That won't leave her much time here, since she is scheduled to fly back to San Jose on Tuesday afternoon out of Bemidji.
I finally did talk live with Kathleen just before 5:00 p.m. and she was planning on taking her mom to Saturday evening mass at St. Benedict's Church. I then listened to a Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on the radio, and even though it was a rebroadcast, it was a wonderful show. Not only was the News From Lake Wobegon very heartfelt, but they had as a guest poet Billy Collins, whose work both Kathleen and I really enjoy.
At nearly 1:00 a.m. the temperature is 70 degrees, but the humidity is at 91%, which makes it almost unbearable to lay down in bed. It feels like I'm laying down on soggy sheets. But alas, I'm weary from lake of sleep last night, so no matter how humid and wet the air is, I'm going to have to call it a night.
No fishing tonight, maybe tomorrow. Too hot. Too humid to do anything but sit around and read the classics. Good night from Leech Lake.
It did rain here at Leech Lake sometime between 3:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. because the ground was wet when I arose. The temperature this morning was 66 degrees, the wind was 12-18 mph out of the SSW, the sky was overcast and grey and there hung in the air a heavy blanket of humidity that made everything from the floor to the trees damp.
By 10:30 a.m. I had not yet heard from Kathleen, either voice mail or text, if she was still in Minneapolis or on her way back to St. Cloud. Ashley's plane left MSP at 6:00 a.m. this morning, so it is probable that Kathleen dropped her off at the airport and then went back to the hotel to get some additional sleep. I'll wait until after noon before contacting her.
The rain and gloomy weather have put a damper on the "White Goods Clean Up" event at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center. Each year, usually the Saturday after the 4th of July, several dumpsters are brought to the parking lot and surrounding lawn of the community center and residents are encouraged to bring in their various junk for disposal.
It's an exciting time for many of the locals who show up with trailers attached to their trucks and ATVs in preparation for hauling away treasures that other will throw out. It's funny to see these guys load up on old garden hose, pieces of metal pipe, old coils of electrical wire and other similar items.
And I have no idea why they call it the "White Goods Clean Up." Most of the junk that is tossed out is neither white nor all that good. But it's a fun day for many of the local hoarders.
Kathleen did send me a text just before noon saying that she didn't get much sleep last night, so after dropping off Ashley at the airport she did indeed go back to the hotel for some additional sleep. She needed to vacate the room by 12:30 p.m., however, so she will be in St. Cloud this afternoon.
The wind has picked up here at Leech Lake a bit, blowing at a consistent 15+ mph out of the SSW creating some decent waves, if not the occasional white cap. The flag is flying straight out from its mast. The temperature, according to the thermometer on our back porch, is 70 degrees; but it feels hotter than that.
At 12:20 p.m. the sun peaked out from behind the clouds for the first time today. It is supposed to be partly sunny later this afternoon with high temps in the mid 80s. And by 8:00 p.m., the wind is supposed to calm to under 10 mph, which might make it a nice night for trolling for walleye.
The humidity continued to rise and the stickiness of the air made me want to take a ride on the ATV to cool off. I decided to ride down to the "White Goods Clean Up" to see what treasures the local guys had found.
When I arrived at the community center, I saw Jerry Schiebe, Ron Geppart, Duane Paulson and Warren Snyder. Warren was just leaving, however, so I was left with the other three to chat about the hauls they'd made. Jerry had snagged a still usable patio furniture set, Duane had a truckload of odds and ends including an old computer table which he planned to use for cleaning fish, and Ron claimed the find of a still working lawn mower, among other sundries.
While we chatted a couple of trucks and car pulled in loaded with junk for disposal. Not wanting to sit around and watch, I put on my gloves and helped the guys unload the vehicles and throw mountains of junk into various dumpsters. The humidity was unbearable and soon I was soaked through my clothes.
Once things settled down a bit, I made leave after a 45 minute visit and once again sought the rushing air on the ATV to cool me.
When I got home I stopped by to see what the Newmans were doing and caught them loading their Suburban and just minutes from driving south to their home in Mahtomedi, near White Bear Lake. We bid each other goodbye and looked forward to our next meeting, whenever that may be. And with that I went home and they got into the truck and drove off.
By 3:00 p.m. the temperature had climbed to just over 80 degrees, the humidity reading was at 80% and the wind continued to blow at 12-15 mph out of the SW. The sky was mostly cloudy, but sun did shine through every few minutes.
Kathleen called me while I was outside, thus I missed talking with her, but she did leave a message. She said that as of 2:00 p.m. she was on her way from Minneapolis to St. Cloud and that she planned to see her mother, spend the night and drive back up to Leech Lake sometime on Sunday. That won't leave her much time here, since she is scheduled to fly back to San Jose on Tuesday afternoon out of Bemidji.
I finally did talk live with Kathleen just before 5:00 p.m. and she was planning on taking her mom to Saturday evening mass at St. Benedict's Church. I then listened to a Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on the radio, and even though it was a rebroadcast, it was a wonderful show. Not only was the News From Lake Wobegon very heartfelt, but they had as a guest poet Billy Collins, whose work both Kathleen and I really enjoy.
At nearly 1:00 a.m. the temperature is 70 degrees, but the humidity is at 91%, which makes it almost unbearable to lay down in bed. It feels like I'm laying down on soggy sheets. But alas, I'm weary from lake of sleep last night, so no matter how humid and wet the air is, I'm going to have to call it a night.
No fishing tonight, maybe tomorrow. Too hot. Too humid to do anything but sit around and read the classics. Good night from Leech Lake.
Friday, July 08, 2011
July 8, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 9:30 a.m. it was a comfortable 68 degrees, the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NNW and the sky was mostly sunny with just some high, hazy clouds.
As is typically here on the shores of Leech Lake there was a full orchestra of birds singing this morning. I have not yet been able to identify all of the birds' individual songs, but I do recognize the oriole and the kingfisher, both of which were singing brightly this morning.
It is odd knowing that Kathleen is in Minnesota, but not here with me at the lake. She is in St. Cloud visiting her mother, and will driving Ashley down to Minneapolis later today.
This has been a busy week here on Ottertail Peninsula, and more specifically on our little stretch of West Shores Road. Of course Norm and the Malays are here, they're here all year, but in addition to the "locals" I'm here, as are the Newmans, various groups at the Poages, Burgesons, Gizas and even Gunnufsons. There wasn't an empty cabin during the July 4th weekend. About half have gone home now, but the other half remain, so it's not as quiet here as it typically is during the week.
I spoke with Kathleen just before noon and she was in St. Cloud dealing with some troubling issues with her HTC Droid phone, and more specifically, with the service from AT&T. She was going to go to an AT&T store in St. Cloud to try to straighten out the problems. Once she gets that figured out she was going to pick up Ashley and take her to Minneapolis.
By 1:00 p.m. the temperature had climbed to 74 degrees and it felt hot and humid. The wind had also shifted and was blowing out of the SSW at a calm 5-8 mph. After a quick bite to eat I decided to fishing, but not for walleye. I thought since it's relatively calm and hot that it would be interesting to do some bass fishing.
Using the classic Palomar knot, I tied on a 3/0 offset hook and Texas rigged it with an original 5-inch Senko with no additional weight. I started by tossing the Senko into 3-5 feet of water near the reeds off the end of Norm's dock. As usual I caught a nice medium-sized "welcome bass." I fished in and around the reeds by Norm's for about 10 minutes but didn't catch another largemouth.
I then used the MinnKota electric trolling motor to work my way north along the edge of the reeds. The water temperature in this location was a hot 81 degrees. I made dozens of casts into the reeds as I moved toward Schiebe's cabin. But still I caught no more bass.
I finally gave up on bass fishing and decided to try a little slip bobber fishing with a small walleye hook tipped with a leech. I motored to a spot in 10 feet of water between our house and cabin and got to work. I spent about 45 minutes slip-bobber fishing, but again struck out.
I came ashore at 3:30 p.m. and had some lunch.
Since the fishing has been so poor, I decided to stay off the lake tonight and instead enjoy the beauty of the lake during sunset from our back porch. Unfortunately as the evening progressed storm clouds moved in and the sunset was more like grey turning to darker grey turning to black.
The forecast calls for storms after midnight, but as of 12:10 a.m. the only sign of a storm was some distant rumbling of thunder every so often. It's also supposed to be storming tomorrow morning and continue to rain until early afternoon. We'll see...
As is typically here on the shores of Leech Lake there was a full orchestra of birds singing this morning. I have not yet been able to identify all of the birds' individual songs, but I do recognize the oriole and the kingfisher, both of which were singing brightly this morning.
It is odd knowing that Kathleen is in Minnesota, but not here with me at the lake. She is in St. Cloud visiting her mother, and will driving Ashley down to Minneapolis later today.
This has been a busy week here on Ottertail Peninsula, and more specifically on our little stretch of West Shores Road. Of course Norm and the Malays are here, they're here all year, but in addition to the "locals" I'm here, as are the Newmans, various groups at the Poages, Burgesons, Gizas and even Gunnufsons. There wasn't an empty cabin during the July 4th weekend. About half have gone home now, but the other half remain, so it's not as quiet here as it typically is during the week.
I spoke with Kathleen just before noon and she was in St. Cloud dealing with some troubling issues with her HTC Droid phone, and more specifically, with the service from AT&T. She was going to go to an AT&T store in St. Cloud to try to straighten out the problems. Once she gets that figured out she was going to pick up Ashley and take her to Minneapolis.
By 1:00 p.m. the temperature had climbed to 74 degrees and it felt hot and humid. The wind had also shifted and was blowing out of the SSW at a calm 5-8 mph. After a quick bite to eat I decided to fishing, but not for walleye. I thought since it's relatively calm and hot that it would be interesting to do some bass fishing.
Using the classic Palomar knot, I tied on a 3/0 offset hook and Texas rigged it with an original 5-inch Senko with no additional weight. I started by tossing the Senko into 3-5 feet of water near the reeds off the end of Norm's dock. As usual I caught a nice medium-sized "welcome bass." I fished in and around the reeds by Norm's for about 10 minutes but didn't catch another largemouth.
I then used the MinnKota electric trolling motor to work my way north along the edge of the reeds. The water temperature in this location was a hot 81 degrees. I made dozens of casts into the reeds as I moved toward Schiebe's cabin. But still I caught no more bass.
I finally gave up on bass fishing and decided to try a little slip bobber fishing with a small walleye hook tipped with a leech. I motored to a spot in 10 feet of water between our house and cabin and got to work. I spent about 45 minutes slip-bobber fishing, but again struck out.
I came ashore at 3:30 p.m. and had some lunch.
Since the fishing has been so poor, I decided to stay off the lake tonight and instead enjoy the beauty of the lake during sunset from our back porch. Unfortunately as the evening progressed storm clouds moved in and the sunset was more like grey turning to darker grey turning to black.
The forecast calls for storms after midnight, but as of 12:10 a.m. the only sign of a storm was some distant rumbling of thunder every so often. It's also supposed to be storming tomorrow morning and continue to rain until early afternoon. We'll see...
Thursday, July 07, 2011
July 7, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
At 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 70 degrees, it already felt humid, the wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSW and sky was alternately cloudy or partly sunny.
Unfortunately, Ashley needs to go back to St. Cloud today because she has some plans to meet up with friends for dinner tonight before heading to Minneapolis on Friday. On Friday Ashley will stay with her aunt and uncle in Eden Prairie and then go to the airport very early Saturday morning so she can catch her 6:00 a.m. flight back to the West Coast.
I thought about going with Kathleen and Ashley to St. Cloud, but decided against it. This will allow Kathleen to focus her attention on her Mom, while Ashley can hang out with her friends and cousins. Plus, I just don't like St. Cloud all that much. I'd rather be at Leech Lake.
At 1:20 p.m. Ashley and Kathleen left Leech Lake bound for St. Cloud, with a stop in Walker because both of them like walking around the little downtown. Ashley was behind the wheel of the truck for the first time ever, and it was strange watching her drive the big Chevy Silverado 2500 HD down the driveway and onto West Shores Road.
Kathleen called me just before 6:00 p.m. to say she was in St. Cloud, had dropped off Ashley at dinner and was now on her way to see her mother. The way it looks, Kathleen will drive Ashley to the airport on Friday sometime, see her off first thing Saturday morning, then return to the lake either late Saturday or sometime on Sunday. Given that she wants to spend as much time with her Mom as is possible, I'm guessing I won't see Kathleen at Leech Lake again until mid- to late-Sunday.
At 7:30 p.m., with the temperature still 73 degrees, I decided to go fishing. The wind was relatively light at 5-8 mph out of the west. The water temperature was a very warm 78 degrees.
I motored out to a spot just past Second Duck Point in 13 feet of water and deployed the drift sock. I tipped my 1/8 VMC jig with a leech and started jigging for walleye. I made a couple of passes near Second Duck Point, but gradually moved north toward our properties. My final drift was made just north of Poage's cabin. During my several drifts, I caught only one rock bass. I did, however, hook a crayfish, which I hadn't done in years. And the thing was almost a mini-lobster at 4-inches long.
With the temperature cooling off as the sun dropped to just above the horizon, I pulled in the drift sock for the final time tonight, stowed it and my jigging rod/reel, and got ready to do some trolling. I got the lights on, got the rod holder in place, and set the SmartCraft controls to troll at a steady 560 rpm.
I trolled deep into Duck Bay and out into Sucker Bay. I watched as big anvil-shaped thunderstorm clouds gathered in the northeast. To the northwest there were dark clouds and I could see rain falling along the western shore of Sucker Bay. I kept an eye on the two storm fronts in case either started threatening the area where I was fishing.
The thunderhead at the northeast end of Sucker Bay
One by one the seven other boats in the area left, leaving just two or three of us still fishing. Unfortunately, I wasn't having any better luck trolling than I'd had jigging; just one rock bass hooked.
With the northeastern storm front flashing lightening and the northwestern front dropping rain on the north end of Sucker Bay, and with the onslaught of blood-thirsty mosquitoes, I decided to head ashore just before 10:00 p.m.
Once on shore I settled into a comfortable chair, picked up the book I'm reading, and had a quiet peaceful rest of the night on Leech Lake.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
July 6, 2011 -- On Leech Lake
Kathleen is planning to drive Ashley down to St. Cloud on Thursday morning so this morning I drove into Cass Lake to pick up some supplies since I'll be at the lake alone without transportation for a couple of days.
The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 73 degrees on its way to a high of 80 degrees. The was almost calm, at maybe 5 mph out of the NNW, so the lake was like glass. The clouds were the mixed -- some big, white and billowy, while others were very high and wispy.
When I got home, at just after 11:30 a.m., Kathleen and Ashley were just going out to the dock. I poured a cup of coffee for myself and joined them.
Since the water was still fairly calm at 1:30 p.m., and since it was a hot and humid 81 degrees, we decided to go tubing on the Hot Dog. Ashley asked if the neighbor boy Blake, who like Ashley is sixteen years old, could go with us. It was fine with us so Blake joined Ashley riding the tube in the 78 degree waters of Leech Lake.
The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 73 degrees on its way to a high of 80 degrees. The was almost calm, at maybe 5 mph out of the NNW, so the lake was like glass. The clouds were the mixed -- some big, white and billowy, while others were very high and wispy.
When I got home, at just after 11:30 a.m., Kathleen and Ashley were just going out to the dock. I poured a cup of coffee for myself and joined them.
Since the water was still fairly calm at 1:30 p.m., and since it was a hot and humid 81 degrees, we decided to go tubing on the Hot Dog. Ashley asked if the neighbor boy Blake, who like Ashley is sixteen years old, could go with us. It was fine with us so Blake joined Ashley riding the tube in the 78 degree waters of Leech Lake.
I pulled them all over Sucker Bay -- from in front of our house into Duck Bay past Second Duck Point then north toward the resorts and finally back to our place. I probably did three or four loops during the 45 minutes we were out tubing. We had to come ashore because Blake and his family had plans to drive into Cass Lake for the farmer's market and craft fair.
Kathleen, Ashley and I, however, were not done with our time on the water and decided to go fishing. But first we made sandwiches, got some cold drinks and other snacks so we could spend as much time on the water as we wanted.
I got the leeches and fatheads into the boat and off we went. Fish started down in Bass Bay because Kathleen wanted to some fishing for "sunnies" (sunfish), but we didn't have any success. We then moved to the Birches, where we each caught some rock bass. Finally, we moved in front of our properties and drifted past Second Duck Point, but again all we could catch were some rock bass.
With our fill of fishing, Kathleen and Ashley wanted to go for a boat ride. Since the water was still fairly calm we could go quite a ways. We went past Ottertail Point and into Portage Bay and then south out onto the big part of the lake. From there we motored west toward Goose Island. We went around the island and headed north toward Big Hardwood Point and into the heart of Sucker Bay. And finally we motored home.
Just before sunset Ashley and Blake went for an ATV ride while Kathleen relaxed and meditated on the end of the dock. After a light dinner we all went over to the game room where we played ping pong and listened to oldies on the jukebox.
All in all a fun-filled day at Leech Lake.
July 5, 2011 -- In/On Leech Lake
By 10:00 a.m. the temperature was already 74 degrees on its way to a high of 82. The wind was brisk at 12-15 mph out of the NNW with gusts up over 20 mph. There were white caps on the top of good-sized waves rolling across the lake. The sky was mostly sunny, with some big billowy white clouds, which are typical for a Minnesota summer day.
It was too windy to go out on the lake, so Kathleen, Ashley and I had fun doing things on shore. After just hanging out on the dock and enjoying the beauty of the lake, we got on our bikes and went for a ride. We only made it to a point between Harbor Drive and the community center before we were forced to turn around and ride back because the black flies were biting us. Still, we managed to get in a 5 mile ride.
When we got home we were hot from the bike ride so we jumped into the lake and swam. The water was probably 74 degrees, but we were so hot from riding our bikes that it felt wonderfully refreshing. We played and swam for about a 1/2 hour or so when we noticed that the wind was starting to die down a little and the waves were no longer as big.
Taking advantage of the respite from the wind we got the Hot Dog tube ready by filling it with air and attaching the tow rope. Then we got it loaded into the boat, got the boat onto the water, and the Hot Dog tube into the water.
This the same 3-person Hot Dog Tube that Ashley and Kathleen rode on in Leech Lake.
Ashley went on the tube first and had a blast. Kathleen then joined her on the tube (it is made to hold three adults) and I pulled the on it all over Sucker Bay. We had a great time, but the wind picked up a little so we came ashore.
We had a wonderful dinner as we watched the sun drop into the western sky on the other side of Sucker Bay. Ashley really wanted to have a fire at the cabin fire pit, so I went next door and got it going. Ashley also wanted to invite the Newman's over for the fire and to share in some S'mores.
Just after dark John, Karen and Johnny Newman joined Ashley, Kathleen and I around the fire for some fun conversation and some tasty northwoods S'mores. Finally after midnight we called it a night and all went home.
We were all tired from the biking, swimming, tubing and playing at the lake. Another wonderful summer day at Leech Lake. The only thing missing was fishing. Maybe tomorrow...
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