On Friday morning May 17, 2024, Bob Goetz of Austin, Bors Hanson of Albert Lea and Steve Davis of Lonsdale met at the home of Paul Proft in Owatonna. Specific instructions were given by Paul to be at his how not before but a few minutes after 9 a.m. as we’re leaving by 9:30 a.m. heading for Blue Water Lodge on Leech Lake, Walker, Minnesota for a week of walleye fishing. (I was late.) Gary Oliver of St. James met us for lunch at Culver’s in Brainerd and the five of us continued on to our destination at Leech Lake arriving about 4 p.m.
We managed to get our two fishing boats in the water later, fishing for two hours. No walleyes were caught Friday evening.
We fished Saturday. No walleyes and the rest of the week no walleyes.
Lyle Schultz of Owatonna joined us on Monday as Steve left as he is not of social (retirement) security age. Lyle gave the four remaining guys a shot of enthusiasm to no avail as the total walleyes caught was nada, zero!! In one week at Leech Lake.
We thought maybe the poor fishing was due to an easy winter followed by an early spring causing warmer water earlier than normal. Thus, the walleyes and crappies were done spawning and resting and had moved out of the bay we fished in. (The thinking is rational for an excuse of no walleyes and only one crappie caught and released by Steve.)
We read in the Walker Shopper newspaper that one of the affects of the Covid virus was the loss of the ability to catch walleyes. (All six of us settled on this being our problem of no walleyes caught.)
One thing we agreed on was, “The going fishing was more important than catching fish.”
An unusual event was watching male hummers trying to get nectar out of two fishing bobbers on two different rods and reels. The bobbers were brightly colored and apparently the hummers thoought they were flowers. (This happened every day.)
We had the non-fish flue due to no fish caught.
To occupy some of our boredom, I fed birds. We saw male yellow finch and yellowish female finch, chickadees, male and female orioles, male and female grosbeaks, crows, eagles, ducks, geese and swans plus field type sparrows.
Many, many games of cribbage were played with no single person or partners as big winners.
I got to see the Big Dipper as I lay down just before snoring. The snoring was very contagious this year compared to other years fishing. I was told it gets louder with age!!
Short Shorts:
A. The temperature was warm for this time of year. There weren’t any snowflakes and no frost.
B. Long Johns were not part of the morning fishing.
C. Once again the ambiance of Blue Water Lodge is almost as great as the Great Manager Jen. (She truly is an awesome blossom Blooming Prairie High School graduate.)
D. Once again that great Memorial Day story: At a Memorial Day ceremony, a World War II veteran was asked by a small girl why he fought in a war. His answer: “Because that was when I had a little girl like you.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.