Filed under: fish, Fishing, Minnesota, summer | Tags: fish, fishing, kayak, lake, Minnesota
A weekend at the lake is all the down time I seem to be able to put together this summer. I had been hoping for another trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area but that has not fit in with anyone else’s schedule. So I settled for another week end at the cabin on Sand Lake. This weekend it was just three of us, my wife and mother-in-law, plus myself.
I spend my time fishing mostly, and the fish were again willing, if a bit small. This time it was the Northern Pike that kept me busy, although I only kept two decent ones. There were some Crappies and a Large Mouth Bass of decent size to add to the take. The best fishing seemed to be during cloudy weather and in shallow water. A cast towards shore and a quick retrieve of a 4 inch twister seemed to work best. A few Bluegill Sunfish would chase the lure if they were around, but they were too small to get hooked.
Since I mostly fished out of my Hobie Adventure Kayak it was easy to troll or work the shore. A few pumps on the “Mirage” drive and I could move along to the next part of shore, hands are free to hold the rod. The trick is always where to put the fish while taking out the hook. There is not much room except in your lap. For a small craft it is well set up for fishing. The addition of a landing net, fish basket and stringer, all hooked to the kayak, help to make fishing easier.
Sunday morning fishing was not as good as Saturday, but that was alright. I only needed to clean fish once that way. It leaves more fish for next time. Now I’m home and it’s time to get back to work. I hope you also had time to unwind this summer.
Filed under: Fishing, Minnesota, Wildlife | Tags: canoe, children, fishing, kayak, lakes, loons, Minnesota
I’m just back from a trip to northern Minnesota, into the land of forest, lakes and not a lot of people. Karen’s family has a cabin on a small lake that is usually quiet on week days, but can get busy on weekends. Most folks live there year round, but some, like her family, have places there for visits to the north of Minnesota.
Since today was my last day, and when my truck leaves the kayak and canoe leave, my daughters and I went out on the lake before all the late night revelers got up. Emily had gone first, and we saw her just sitting in the middle of the lake on the kayak surrounded by little specks of black. As we approached we realized from the chorus that she had drifted into a flock of fishing loons. As long as she didn’t move, they ignored her. We counted between 12 and 16 loons out there. The actual number was hard to come by since some were always under water.
I’ve never seen so many loons in one place. Usually each smaller lake has only one pair. A larger lake may have a pair in each bay, but never over a dozen. None of these birds had chicks so it is possible they were unmated loons. No matter what, it was a really special time.
As we drifted into the area the loons continued their displays and songs. Many times a loon would surface near us, and if we did not move, it ignored us. They would groom, talk, and fish, all as if we were not there.
I don’t know why the loon party started, or why it broke up, it just did. We saw only one fly away, but they all dispersed, and the party was over. I would like to hope that, since we were quiet and respectful, they let us in on the party. I do know that the loons were moving off before the motorboats started making noise and waves. Then, with the roar of engines on the lake, we also left the area. The awe and wonder of those loony tunes will live in our memories for a long time.
Michael
Filed under: fish, Fishing, Minnesota, School bus | Tags: fish, fishing, kayak, Northern Pike, sunfish
The day was not real busy. Yes, I had the morning bus route, and a couple of hours moving kids off to Kastle Kingdom for a few hours of play as school winds down, then what. Time to go fishin’.
Most folks around here get into a power boat of some kind and motor across the waves. I don’t have one. My fishing boat of the day was my Hobie Kayak. A Hobie Kayak has a different type of propulsion. Under the craft are what looks like penguin flippers, and you power them with your feet. It’s a great way to get some exercise and do some fishing. It really works great for trolling.
So I got all of my stuff set up, put the Hobie into the lake and I was off. Not much was happening until I came to a spot I know of as a sunny hot spot. A nice sunfish volunteered for the frying pan on my sunfish diver. I hung around for a few croppies and decided it was time to check out the rest of the lake.
My circuit of the lake yielded nothing until I got back around to that hot spot. This time a 3 pound Northern Pike took hold. Now fishing in a kayak for sunfish is OK, but put a 3 pound pike in your lap and things can get interesting. There is just no place else to put that fish. Luckily my dip net was handy and I could be sure he stayed put.
So it was a good afternoon fishing. I only kept a sunny and two croppies, plus that pike, but it’s something for dinner. I’ll have to give it a try again soon.
Michael
