Bittersweet Monday

It's a bittersweet day today.  Today we close on the sale of our cabin on Leech.

Twelve years ago, we bought the cabin where our family traditionally stayed at a resort since I was a little kid.  Over our ownership we've hosted may friends and family, caught a lot of fish, and overall made wonderful memories.

So why did we sell?  A lot of reasons, but the primary being we've moved to northern Minnesota and live on a lake, making the cabin on Leech quite redundant.  Likewise, the ownership board of the resort became extremely activist, and we were looking at being forced to make significant changes and upgrades to the cabin.  The net result would be that it would no longer be our cabin, kind of in more ways than one.

The good news is that the cabin will be available for rent, which we'll absolutely do as long as friends and family choose to join us.  The bad news is that when we stay there, it technically will no longer be "ours."

It's said that under duress one should go to their "happy place."  For me, I'm about 7 or 8 years old, and I'm sitting in the living room with my siblings.  In the kitchen are parents, grandparents, uncle, and friends, and they're all laughing so hard.  While I admit it's hard to sell one's happy place, I'm not selling those memories or the hundreds of others that were created there.

And guess what?  We were renting the place when we made a lot of those memories, just as we'll do going forward.

New Walleye Harvest Rules for Leech Lake

Currently, Leech Lake, the jewel of Minnesota's walleye lakes, has a slot configuration of less than 20" fish may be kept, with one over 26", and a limit of four total.

As one that has angled for the denizens of that beautiful body of water, I know all too well the pain of turning a beautiful 22" walleye back into the water instead of into my frying pan.

Not any more!

The Minnesota DNR just announced that configurations were changing for Leech.  The 4 fish limit still applied, but now one of those four can be over 20".  That makes a massive difference, especially with multiple anglers in the boat.  It will mean the difference between empty livewells and well-appointed fish fries.  

For over a decade now, the fishing on Leech Lake has gotten better and better.  It's nice to see the walleye population now back to a level where an adjustment like this can be employed.

Get the net! 

Vacation Recap

We just got complete with the annual family trip up to Leech Lake.  It was successful all the way around.  Here's just a small taste of what transpired:

Here are my two beautiful nieces: 

It wouldn't be a vacation without the family volleyball game, and here a break is called due to a yellow dog and a tennis racquet on the court:

Just one of many fabulous sunsets we were treated to:

With her broken leg, vacation was hardest on Mrs. YDP:

My niece and one of Leech Lake's finest:

My Mom with her last day clutch pike:

My nephew with a record nasty fish:

We close with a video compiled by my niece:

Fishing Report from Leech Lake

This past week marked the Gang of Four fishing trip.  While it has not been annual, it has carried on for 4 decades now.  

Day one found us with limited wind, but enough to push us into a couple of keeper walleye and a massive amount of northern pike.  Indeed, we were able to ice our needs for our fish fry in the first day, so the pressure to produce was off the remainder of the weekend.

The next day held little wind as well, and we trekked across the massive lake in search of some kind of breeze that would push our boat and baits around.  After logging many miles, we happened to the east end of famed Pelican Island and started a drift on an ever-so-slight wind.  

It proved to be enough.

In the next two hours, we caught nearly 20 walleyes.  Not a one of them were keepers as they were all too big, but again, we already had what we needed in the freezer.  So we stayed there and caught and released fish like these (which were caught simultaneously):

Our buddy Pauly was on fire as well, and landed this beauty:

The following day, we met with massive winds, which limited our options.  Here are the boys doing their best to keep Pauly warm:

While we didn't catch a lot of fish on our last day, I did end up hooking into the biggest fish of my life.  More details on that tomorrow.

Pauly's Fish, Part 2

Last year I told you about my buddy Pauly, and his triumphant return to Leech Lake for some walleye fishing. 

Well, he came up again this year.  Indeed, the Gang of Four were reunited, just like we had been for so many years.  We ate a bunch, drank a bunch, watched Blazing Saddles, Hunt for Red October, and Under Siege for the 48th time.  And we also fished.

Here is the team.  Given JP's grin, somebody was likely just talked about.

 

The first fish?  Well, that would be Pauly.  Again.  All told two walleyes were caught as the four of us fished.  Pauly caught both.

 Pauly came a long way to go fishing with us - literately and figuratively.  Judging by the smile, I'd say it was worth it.

So we conclude another gathering of the Gang of Four.  Nobody got hurt; permanently anyway, and hurt feelings don't count.  Hence, it was a success.  No, we didn't catch enough to have a fish fry.  But judging by Pauly's smile, we did catch enough.  We did indeed.

Leech Lake Considering Reducing Protected Walleye Slot

Per Doug Smith's StarTribune article of May 5, the Minnesota DNR is considering decreasing the protected walleye slot on Leech Lake for the 2014 season.  Right now, any fish over 18" need to go back into the lake, and what's being considered is raising that to 20".

The rebound of the Leech Lake fishery is nothing short of miraculous, as the stocking efforts and cormorant reduction activity have conspired to create what is currently being considered.  Fifteen years ago, Leech was a walleye wasteland.  Now, it is arguably the walleye fishing jewel in Minnesota's crown.

Comments may be sent to Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries supervisor, 07316 State Highway 371 NW, Walker, MN 56484 or emailed to doug.schultz@state.mn.us.


Here's my letter:

Dear Mr. Schultz,

Please consider this an enthusiastic letter of support for the considered decrease in protected slot for walleyes on Leech Lake to 20".  I've fished Leech for nearly 45 years now, and have seen it at its very best and worst as far as a fishery goes.  These past few years have been nothing short of spectacular, and I'm quite confident that the fishery can adequately support the reduction in slot.

Likewise, the reduced slot will encourage more traffic to the Leech Lake area, and will be a substantive boon to the local businesses.  Given the tough year that the area will have to absorb in 2013 with "the opener that never was," something positive to look forward to in the coming year will be a welcomed distraction.

Thanks much for your consideration, as well as all you do to protect one of the state's most beloved fisheries.

YDP

Memorial Day Pig Roast at Big Rock Resort

Every Memorial Day  weekend at Big Rock Resort, there is a celebratory pig roast.  Nearly the whole resort shows up for a pot luck, with the honored guest being a pig from Michigan, provided by a bunch of guys from the same area.

The food and company is fantastic.  Here's a virtual taste:

Leech Lake Fishing Report - 2012 Continued

One word for fishing this past week on Leech Lake?  Fabulous.  Simply fabulous.  Regardless of the wind direction or the weather condition, fish were biting somewhere; all one had to do was find them.

For the first time ever on an extended stay on Leech I caught fish every time out.  Every time. 

Pictured above is my buddy Jon with a monster 31" northern that he battled 10 minutes to land.  The picture does not give it justice (it didn't help that I cut off its tail) - that fish was a monster, and in 40 years of fishing Leech, the largest fish I had ever seen landed on these waters.

Unfortunately, it all comes to an end.  We leave here with bellies full of fish, a limit and a half in the freezer, and memories of dozens of fish caught and released that were bigger than 18", with most north of 22", and four (that's right, four!) bigger than 26".

What an incredible bite on an incredible body of water. 

Leech Lake Fishing Report 2012

Fishing thus far has been good.  Not great, but good.

Two nights ago Fuzzy and I found the fish at night on the flats, and boated a good number while running Rapalas.  One of them was a monster 28"; the biggest fish I've seen on this lake in years.  I'd show you pictures but Fuzzy hasn't sent them to me (note to Fuzzy - HINT).

Yesterday the wind blew hard all day, keeping me in most of the day.  By evening I was going crazy and headed out to listen to the Twins game and tow a Rap.  I searched all over, and finally found them after dark in 5 feet of water, on the rocks.

The only issue is that the wind was still howling.  Big time.  So when I'd hook a fish, I'd first need to move the boat off the rocks and then try to play and land him.  It was dangerous, and borderline stupid to be out there by myself doing that. 

It was just so damn frustrating to know where the fish were (90% of the battle) yet be unable to catch them.

So the fight will continue today.  I'll keep the updates coming.

Pauly's Fish

Nearly every year since my high school days, my buddies and I went to fishing opener in nothern Minnesota.  The dates and locales may have changed over the years, but the constant, especially in the past twenty years, was the four of us. 

And then, five years ago, everything changed.  I'll let Pauly tell you about it in his own words:


The accidnt left Pauly massively injured.  His life had been changed forever.  Outdoor pursuits like hunting, fishing, and golfing had been replaced by years of therapy, work, sweat, and tears.

Five long years. 

And while we all thought Pauly’s fishing days were over, we couldn’t have been more wrong, as Pauly made arrangements to join us on our annual trip this year.  

We started our trip in usual fashion, with a stop at Toby’s in Buckman, Minnesota.  Now called Bottoms Up or some damn thing, it will always be Toby’s to us.  It served as the halfway point to our trip up, and was a welcomed oasis for a dry throat.  It also was the place where we learned to throw darts, and tales of our competitions are renowned.  

We started our stop in usual fashion, with a Bloody Mary and a beer, and before too long the smack talk had started and someone put money into the dart machine, and we were off and running.  While JP and I maintained our championship, Pauly was incredible, and actually closed out a game for a win; needing and scoring a tough 20.  Awesome. 

We headed up to the cabin where we tried to make Pauly as comfortable as possible, and after lunch we all got the itch to go fishing.  

We used a rented pontoon boat to ease getting around and headed off to the first spot.  Coming up with nothing on our first drift, we moved slightly and put in for a second drift.  Almost immediately after stopping, I glanced over to see Pauly’s pole bent and thumping.  I immediately said a small, audible prayer – “Please be a walleye…” 

Pauly struggled with the reeling but was making good progress, and after a short fight, had landed this beauty.  I shot this video at the end of most of the chaos.  


I have no idea how much went into that fish in terms of Pauly getting to that point, but it was simply incredible.  Hollywood doesn’t write this kind of stuff. 

Showing he wasn’t just a fluke, Pauly finished the weekend with two other fish.  Not a lot by most standards.  But the standards had changed and changed so much that it was now beyond a lot.  It was everything. 

It was awesome to be there, to share in it, and to celebrate.  

The weekend showed much to all of us.  It showed, very cleary, that so much had changed.  It also showed that so much had not changed – not changed at all.  Not one bit.    

Leech Lake Fishing Report

With my dirty-faced nephew and my boxer-clad brother in law, there is little hope for us from a fishing standpoint.  Only one walleye has been boated, which was accomplished by yours truly - a nice 19" caught while panfishing with the kids.

At least we're having a good time.

Leech Lake Fishing Report, Late May 2010

The bite on Leech has been fantastic. All species are hitting, and the action fabulous. Here's my wife with a nice 24" boated on a Rapala at sunset.

Fish are literally everywhere, but if you can find an actively feeding school, things get really fun. Here's my buddy Don with a nice 22" that was among a school in which we landed 10 fish in about 2 hours.

The funny thing was that on this spot we landed a broad spectrum of fish - too small, too large, and in the slot. It has been a fantastic year on Leech Lake thus far, and I can't wait to get up there again.

We close with another shot of my wife.  While some guys are married to a "fashionista," I'm happy to be married to a "fishinista."

Deadliest Catch - Leech Lake Edition Epilog

During our long weekend at Leech, I brought along my bike for some much needed exercise. Last year, I discovered a terrific little snowmobile trail that runs through the middle of the woods behind Grassy Point and pretty much all the way to the Stoney Point campground. It is a great trail that runs about 10 miles round-trip, with good elevation changes, stumps, bumps, and all those things that make mountain biking worth while. It is a fun little ride.

As I headed out, I wondered if I'd see any remnants of the big wind storm of the week prior. I didn't have to trek very far to have my questions answered. This photo represents one of probably a dozen trees that littered the trail.

I'm not sure if the straight line winds were centered in the area or not, but there is no questioning that they clearly had a impact. The damage this wind wreaked was awesome, and reiterated to me how lucky we were to be on the lake when it hit and to come back unscathed.

Leech Lake Fishing Report, Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Odd winds yesterday made things interesting, and velocities increased, decreased, then increased again, and locations shifted from E to NE then back to E. I found fish at Club 21, and while I was happy to be on them, the structure there is small, and the big and shifting winds made it difficult to stay on the “X.” I ended up landing three slot fish, a 21”, a 22”, and the Minnesota state record rock bass.

In the evening, Vera and I headed out to run the shore line, trolling Rapalas and listening to the Twins game. The wind was still strong out of the east, and boat control was difficult. Despite having a tough time keeping us on line, Vera put on a clinic, landing 2 nice northern, a keeper perch, and a 22” walleye. Me? Nada. Well, I shouldn’t say that. I got bit and was reeling in and immediately lost the fish when Vera started hooting and reeling in an aggressive northern (likely the one that bit me, drat it).  Additionally, I hadn’t completely reeled in when I was netting her second northern, and there must have been enough line to combine with the wind to make for an effective presentation, as when I picked up my rod and started reeling in something immediately ran and stripped line off my pole. I lost it right away, but given the depth of my bait and how the fish ran, I’m betting I likely had a muskie. Regardless, I got blanked, while my wife took me to school.

She’s outfished me many times, but I don’t think there’s ever been an episode that was so one-sided.

Deadliest Catch - The Leech Lake Edition

When we set out last Saturday, we knew that the wind would come up. The forecast called for winds to 25 MPH and a chance for storms. This was wind that was not uncommon for us, and the boat we were in, a 20 foot state-of-the-art Ranger, was built to handle all of that and much more.

Given the SE winds that had blown for the past days, we felt our best chances for catching fish were to head NW to where the wind would have corralled up the bait fish, and subsequently would have invited the walleyes in for the easy feast. The day started slowly with light winds, cloudy skies, and not much luck fishing. We moved around Ottertail Point’s flats to the NW in attempt to find the fish, but luck was scarce. That’s OK, because as it turned out we’d need our luck elsewhere.

Before long, we had been seeing the wind come up, and it soon reached its forecast velocity, so we made the decision to run back to the south side of the lake for more comfortable fishing. We headed out pointed SSW for Stoney Point, with the understanding that the cross waves from the SE would be uncomfortable, but manageable. JT was driving, with JP in the seat next to him. Fuzzy was sitting in the Pauly chair up front. Due to the waves, I stood behind JP and JT and hung onto the backs of their seats.

The ride quickly grew increasingly more uncomfortable, and JT made the decision to jog our route so that we could take the winds in a more manageable head-on fashion. The winds continued to increase well into the 30MPH+ range, but we were slowly making progress. We’d soon be hitting Stoney Point where things should be better as the waves no longer had the entire length of the lake in which to build.

That is when the straight line wind hit, as marked by the X on the map. For information on straight line winds, click here.

All of the sudden we were hit with a wind that was so high that none of us could estimate its impact. Waves soon built to 6-8 feet, and Fuzzy reported that when we were in the trough between waves, all he could see was water; no tress, no horizon. The wind was blowing so hard that it was picking up water at the crest of the waves and blowing it horizontally, making seeing almost impossible. We were taking multiple waves over the bow, and Fuzzy was battered up front. Of course, none of us was wearing a life vest. By the time we felt we needed to have them on, it was way too rough and dangerous to stop and do so. We needed to keep going.

While I knew that we were in no danger of sinking due to being swamped (Ranger is notorious for building their boats to float even when filled completely up to the rails with water), I did fear flipping. The wind was blowing so hard, and our angle when cresting waves such that a strong gust may have been able to catch the front of the boat and toss us. Multiple times in the trip I made mental notes as to how I planned to exit the boat in the event that I felt it being flipped.

Despite getting closer to home, things were getting worse, but JT was impeccable in his piloting; steering appropriately into the waves, and modifying speed up and down to optimize our path. It was damn hard work, especially when you literally can’t see do to the wall of water being blown like needles into your eyes.

We finally arrived at the harbor mouth, and JT aligned the boat and went for it. We slid into safety, and were met by most of the resort which had already come in and were standing on the “widow’s walk” watching the action. We were told that we looked like we had dinner plates for eyes. Here’s a picture of what we looked like.

We subsequently found out that tress had been dropped throughout the area, and billboards and other structures had been damaged. Power had been completely knocked out in Walker, and at the resort. Ultimately, the wind that had hit was reported to be in the 60-85MPH range. The resort itself had lost trees, and here is one example.

 

I’ve been fishing this lake since I’ve been a little kid, and have been out in terrible wind, thunderstorms, and storms that have spawned tornadoes. In all of that time, I’ve never been scared. This trip, however, scared the hell out of me. From Stoney Point home, I had serious doubts on our ability to get the boat home, and had resigned myself that I would soon be in the water and would need a plan as to how I could best try to get to shore.

While straight line winds are not predictable, we learned a lesson about proximity to home when the wind starts blowing, and about lifejacket use. Thankfully, it was a lesson that did not have to get learned the hard way.

Leech Lake "Opener" Report - 2010

The annual "week after the fishing opener, opener" was completed for 2010. It seems like every year has at least one very memorable story, and this year was no different. We went from having no place to stay (literally) and ended up just about getting killed (again, literally). In between we caught fish, ate too much, played some golf, and laughed more than folks would think wise.

Most of the walleyes that we caught were above the slot, with JT putting on the best clinic, but with JP perhaps having the biggest fish that shook off right at the boat.

We did boat a couple of slot fish late, but had a fun time hunting the big ones. We did end up with more than enough for a fish fry, and while it only consisted of expertly filleted northern and perch, it still tasted incredible. Here's JT "holding up" our catch.

Look for our horror story tomorrow.

Beautiful Fall Day on Leech Lake

The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, the sky is blue, and so is the lake. I can't believe I left this early to go to a work event...




Great year at Leech. Summer is officially over. Can't wait until next opener.

Leech Lake Anniversary, with Bonus Leech Lake Fishing Report

My wife and I celebrated our 15 wedding anniversary by spending a long weekend at our cabin on Leech Lake. The weather conspired to keep fishing to a bare minimum, but we did get out there and got on some fish. Saturday had very little wind, so we headed out to the shallow flats outside of Big Rock Reef and trolled cranks (I know, midday, but we had very little wind) in the deeper areas.

My wife landed a very nice 24" Northern and I ended up with one of the biggest Walleyes of my life – a 26 ½" that was incredibly thick. My biggest fish in length are a 28" and a number of 27"s, but in terms of weight and fight, I think this fish wins.

We did dinner at Boulders on Friday, and were really surprised at the quality of the restaurant – extremely nice. Food was really good, and wine list was solid and priced appropriately. We highly recommend it, and will be going back again.

Rain and storms kept us off the lake way more than we'd like, but that allowed for shopping for my wife and work time for me. During the worst of the rain yesterday we went to town and caught a matinee of The Hangover and loved it. Really funny.

I hate to turn around and leave, but duty calls. We got spoiled with being up here a full week a couple of weeks ago, and it feels like time went by way too fast. Regardless, it was a really nice anniversary and a great way for the two of us to spend some time together. Here's looking forward to doing it again next year (hopefully with better weather and more fish!)

Leech Lake Vacation Complete and In Photos

The entire clan got together this year for a vacation up at Leech

Artie and Ben on the troll for the elusive Walleye

Caitlin made a good Captain to allow yours truly to focus on his trolling

Barb showed she still had game

My sweetie was on fire, and shows off the biggest fish of vacation – a beautiful 25" fish

Despite the fun, it was good to be home

Leech Lake Fishing Report – It Ain’t Pretty

Fishing has been really tough on the lake thus far this week. I'm still without any kind of fish boated, and have tried multiple methods and spots. JT offers some insight but no real solutions (typical), and I'm slowly running out of vacation. The bad news is that the fish fry looks like it is an impossibility. The good news is that we're having a ball up here, every one of us.

Doing a long bike ride with my brother today, so won't be able to get on the lake until tonight, but will definitely get my time in. I envision some beers, baseball, and boating tonight to cap off the evening.

Stay tuned.