There has been much discussion about Mille Lacs Lake and the closing of the walleye season. Many folks feel that the netting of walleyes by the Mille Lacs band of Ojibwa is the culprit but I don’t really believe that it is the only culprit. According to DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr the lake has been co-managed with the Mille lacs band since the 1990’s. There are many theories as to why it happened but right now there seems to be no easy fix.

The Mille Lacs Band has suspended netting for a year except for ceremonial purposes. They have a stake in this as well as the local resort owners and local businesses. Most people drive to this large body of water for one reason: to fish walleye. When that option is taken away tourism takes a big hit. Although the lake has an abundance of smallmouth, northern and musky; these fish do not draw the same number of fishermen that the walleye do.

There are many opinions out there but I see no “quick fix” to the situation but hopefully the DNR will come up with a plan that will work and restore the lake to what it once was. Red Lake was in a similar situation a decade or so ago and has since come back to be a viable walleye lake once again so there is light at the end of the tunnel but for some resort owners and businesses the end of that tunnel may be too far away.

I have from time to time written about my outdoors experiences as a youth. This time, however, I’d like to move ahead a few years to when the boys were small and we would vacation at Big Sand Lake near Squaw Lake. My wife Jean and her family vacationed there almost every year while she was growing up. The resort that they stayed at was Anchor Inn and the fact that it is still there almost makes it unique in this day and age. Jean and her siblings will occasionally talk about the fun that they had fishing from the bridge at Anchor Inn. This resort actually sits on the Bowstring River which runs between Little Sand and Rice Lakes. You can get to Big Sand by navigating the channel between Big and Little Sand.

During the years that our family vacationed at Big Sand we often stayed at a resort called Sioux City Resort. This resort like many other “mom & pop” resorts has been sold off and is no longer there. We had many great times at that resort when the kids were younger and before we had our camper. I have many fond memories of the lake and the resort that once prospered amongst the tall pines on the west shore of the lake.

It was and most likely still is a very good walleye lake, especially early in the year. There is a large island situated directly east of where the resort once was and I can recall more than one occasion where deer could be seen swimming either to or from the island. I had actually fished the lake with my Uncle Ben when he and Aunt Marcie took me along with them for a week‘s vacation. We had driven to Deer River and stopped at an information building that used to stand along the highway in Deer River. Ben asked if there was a resort in the area that might have a vacancy and they told us that there was a resort on Portage Lake by Inger, which was on the south end of Big Sand and connected to it by the Bowstring River. The couple that owned the resort were originally from Geneva which gave real meaning to the phrase “it’s a small world”. That week we caught a lot of northern, and some dandy crappie. In the evening we would go and anchor on the Sand Lake side where the river came in and fished walleye. Using a jig and minnow we managed to boat some nice eaters and that made the whole week seem like a dream come true to this aspiring young fisherman.

When we started taking vacations as a family I usually tried to take the first full week in June which seemed to be the best for walleye on that lake. With no locator to guide me I would use trees, points and cabins to mark good fishing spots. Out in front of the old brown cabin seemed to be the hotspot almost every year. Jean would also fish and Brian was now old enough to fish while Brad sat on a blanket in the bottom of the boat and played with his Hot Wheels and coloring book. This was the only way that the whole family could get out fishing.

Those were good times and we always caught plenty of walleyes; the northern were plentiful but there were a lot of “hammer handles” and today the lake has no slot limit for walleye but a 9 fish limit for pike that are 22-inches and under. We did actually catch some dandy pike in that lake over the years.

Each year as the calendar turns over to June I think back to those days vacationing at Sioux City Resort and catching walleye on Big Sand Lake. I do believe that I have psyched myself up enough to plan on fishing Big Sand, at least for a day, on the first full week of next June.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Just this past week my wife Jean and I headed north to our cabin to enjoy a few days relaxing and watching and feeding the birds and critters while spending time in the woods. My grandson Dylan called me a couple of weeks earlier and wanted to know if I had plans to be at the cabin the first week in August. He said he would be camping with his mom and step-dad at Lake Winibigoshish and, if I was going to be at the cabin, he would like to come over for a couple of days. I hadn’t planned on being there at that time, but after talking to Jean she said she had taken vacation for that week so we decided to head north for a few days.

On the way up we got a text from Dylan which Jean replied to while I drove. He asked if he could bring his little step-brother Caiden, who is 10, along because he had seen pictures of our fishing trips and was hoping he could come along; of course, we told him no problem.

We didn’t arrive until late Monday evening and were greeted by a couple of downed trees blocking our way to the cabin. I was able to get close enough so we could carry the necessities to the cabin and get some sleep. Dylan and Caiden arrived promptly at 9 the next morning, just in time to help me cut up that tree and clear the drive to the cabin. I am definitely going to have to buy a chainsaw! After we had some lunch and Dylan had given Caiden a short tour of the cabin (it’s too small for anything but a short tour) we hooked up the boat and headed to our first lake of the day.

The first lake had been good to Dylan and I in the past, but this time it was not to be. I told the boys we would fish for a little longer and then head to another lake. That other lake was a little more productive but not that great. You have to understand one thing, that Dylan has grown up fishing with Grandpa and I primarily fish northern and bass (catch most of them fishing northern) so he also has grown a fondness for those fish with many teeth. Caiden caught a northern that first day and just seeing how excited he was made our first day of fishing a success.

After the day of fishing had ended Dylan asked if we could go to Spider the next day, to which I gladly answered yes. I told him that we would get up at 5 a.m., have one of his grandma’s fantastic breakfasts and head out. That night after supper he and Caiden were busy preparing their fishing poles and planning what baits they would use the next day. Oh, the anticipation of the next fishing day is something that makes this such a great sport for kids of all ages (even this kid).

After we enjoyed the aforementioned breakfast we were off to fish the lake that is special to both Dylan and I. To tell you what an impact this lake has had on Dylan over the years, when we would pass a certain little bay or point he would tell me, “This is where you caught that big northern” and later he was quick to point out the spot where I had caught a walleye on one of our visits the previous year. The amazing thing is he can remember the spot where he’d caught his first northern. This is just a perfect example of how the sport of fishing can have such a positive effect on a youngster.

Grandma made sandwiches for shore lunch, which has become sort of a tradition for Dylan and me the past few years. When it’s time for lunch, I will look for one of the open campsites on the lake and pull the boat up there. There are three such sites on the lake which requires no more than being the first one there to claim the spot. There is a two-week limit on each campsite and the rules are simple; clean up after yourself, cut only dead trees for firewood and don’t leave any campfires unattended. The spot we found to eat our lunch was on a narrow point with water on both sides. There is an outdoor toilet, which seemed to amaze Caiden because he kept saying, “I can’t believe there is just a toilet sitting all by itself out in the woods.” I just smiled and nodded. I cleaned one of the northern we kept while we were there because it died and we still had plenty of time to fish.

There is a slot limit on northern on Spider Lake where everything between 24 and 36 inches must be returned to the lake. You can keep one over 36, but Dylan said he wouldn’t do that unless it was big enough to mount. We caught a lot of fish that day but most were either over 24 inches or too small. We didn’t actually catch very many that were too small and we kept three in the 22-23 inch range. The pike on Spider have usually always run nice and thick, which makes for good fillets and mighty fine eating.

Caiden’s first-time visit to Spider had him talking non-stop the rest of the way home. It had to be a great experience for a 10-year-old; catching his biggest northern ever, fishing this beautiful lake, having a shore lunch and even using a toilet that was out in the middle of the woods. It was fun to watch Dylan mentoring Caiden and doing everything he could to make sure he was having fun. The look on Caiden’s face when he caught his first northern was priceless. That day on Spider was a good one and although the old teacher did catch more than his share, I was always happier when one of those boys got a fish.

I was really beat after spending seven hours on the water and Grandma could tell when we got back. Dylan said he wished he could stay another day, but Grandma told his dad on the phone that another day would probably have killed Grandpa. Even though I was probably thinking the same thing at the time, I know I would have welcomed the chance and found a way to survive. Dylan’s birthday was on Friday and don’t think that he could have gotten a better present than that trip to Spider.

Until next time, take some time to introduce a kid to fishing where they can experience a great sport that will last them a lifetime.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Here it is: it’s fair week, which to me, as a youth, signaled the beginning of the end of summer. It seems that once the fair had finished for another year the beginning of school loomed on the horizon, which for all practical purposes signaled the end of summer. I guess as a kid this was the downside to the event other than Christmas that I looked forward to the most.

Once the novelty of having all that free time to roam the great outdoors doing kid things wore off, the much anticipated fair was close at hand. The week or so leading up to the fair brought about great anticipation and curiosity as to what new and exciting things awaited us.

Usually bout the week before the big event my good friend Pat Smith and I would ride bike to the fairgrounds to scout things out. Now that brings me to another part of the story. My friend Pat had a Welsh pony that was a paint-colored horse. A paint is usually brown and white, which if you ever followed the Lone Ranger, you’d know that his faithful Indian friend Tonto rode a paint horse. Pat’s horse looked just like Tonto’s so it stood to reason that he would also name him Scout. One day Pat rode Scout over to the house and told me to hop on the back and we would ride to the fairgrounds and check things out. Although I had been around horses all my life, I’d had too many bad experiences to ever trust or really enjoy riding double on a horse. Now I have to say that Scout wasn’t too receptive of the whole idea either. We made it to the fairgrounds alright, but not without him letting me know that he didn’t particularly like me.

After spending an hour or so checking to see that all was ready for the big event, we gave it our unofficial stamp of approval and headed back to my house. After we had ventured a little ways down the hill on Bridge by Ridgeway Drive, I must have slid just a little too far back, at which time Scout decided it was time to dump the passenger. He took off running through the ditch bucking and jumping like a rodeo horse. I’m pretty sure I didn’t last the eight seconds required for a rodeo ride and I eventually flew off and came to rest on my back and neck. This is when I knew that being a cowboy was never going to be for me; I felt more like a rodeo clown than a cowboy or bronc rider.

I still rode horse from time to time after that, but whenever I’d happen to see old Scout he’d look at me with what seemed to be a mischevious twinkle in his eye. I suppose it was better than getting a horse laugh.

Pat and I would be at the fair bright and early on opening day to check out the midway and also to check the livestock. We always enjoyed walking through the cattle and swine barns, but the midway was where it was really at. One year there was a new ride called “the Mad Mouse” and as we watched intently as it was being set up the guy working on it asked if we would go find some cold water and fill his water jug for him. For that little chore he gave us an extra long free ride once it was set up and ready to go. Another time a guy running a game stand asked us to help and offered us free chances at earning a prize. As one thing led to another I ended up walking away without any of my hard earned lawn mowing and paper route money, but I did have a life lesson to show for it. Growing up in the country and going to country school I had learned to trust people, but after that experience I realized that not all folks were honest and that the challenge in life would be to recognize the good from the bad. That might sound a little deep and I know that I’ve written about this before, but I can still remember lying in bed with the window open listening to other folks having fun. It was a great leaning experience, although I didn’t actually think it was so great at the time.

I hadn’t attended the fair for quite a few years until my grandsons started to show their 4-H projects. Trevor showed chickens until he graduated and then his younger brother Grant stepped in. Both boys have done well with their poultry and the ribbons that they earned showed that their hard work paid off and made Grandma and Grandpa very proud.

It doesn’t seem possible, but the archery deer hunting season is about a month and a half away. The archery season actually begins on September 19 and runs through December 31. Hard winters really take a toll on the deer population, but the deer numbers statewide are expected to be up from last year because of the mild winter we had. I know I personally have spotted quite a few more deer in the general vicinity of our cabin this year compared to last year.

Another conservative deer season set to rebuild population

Hunters can expect another conservative deer season in 2015 as management continues to rebuild deer numbers across much of the state, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said. 

“The 2015 deer hunting regulations will be quite similar to last year, with one-deer limits in most of the state,” said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader for the DNR. “Hunters should check the 2015 regulations early, because in the majority of areas, hunters will need to apply for a permit to shoot an antlerless deer.”

Until next time, enjoy the fair and embrace the rest of summer, there is still plenty left.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Just last week I was lucky enough to spend a little quality time up at the cabin; just me and the critters. Although I didn’t actually get to do much fishing, I was able to get caught up on a few things I had been putting off. There are actually some advantages to spending time alone in the woods because the alone time seems to give me a little more incentive to work on the cabin.

As I drove those 300-plus miles those three magic little words would appear to me as if in a vision and those words, of course, were, “Road Work Ahead.” There are some who have suggested we should change the name of the summer season to the construction season. Most of us true Minnesotans take the summer construction in stride and just go with the flow, but there are a few that will ride your bumper in a work zone as if to say, “Here’s my 300 bucks, now can you speed it up?”

Some folks are always in a big hurry, which can even lead a person to have a case of road rage. An example of this was the time I was returning home from one of the fishing openers and the traffic in and around St. Cloud was backed up for miles. As I sat there slowly inching ahead with the traffic, this young guy in a Chevy Blazer passed me on the shoulder and as he drove by he gave me the one- finger salute as if it was my fault the 150 cars ahead of me were almost stopped. As this genius on wheels passed the pickup in front of me, he flipped him off also. Now, in my way of thinking you don’t do that to anyone who has the old Easy Rider Rifle Rack in the back window. As finger guy passed him, the guy in the pickup smoked his tires and jumped onto the shoulder and was fast in pursuit of the young dummy who thought he was number one. I don’t know if that guy ever caught him, but as fast as he was going I’m pretty sure he did.

The weather up north this past week was just about perfect with the exception of the strong winds which made fishing a little challenging. I was surprised to find the mosquitoes weren’t bad at all, especially with the amount of rain they had been getting. The flies were a little pesky, but even they were tolerable.

I spoke to one of my neighbors, Chris, whom I hadn’t actually talked to for a couple of years and he had to tell me about the wildlife we have around our area. He has put up trail cams around his cabin and also in the woods where he baits bear. After talking to him I found out we have a resident badger that seems to spend a lot of time walking back and forth between our cabins. He has also has pictures of two bears at his bait pile and another of the cameras showed five deer and even a wolf. When he went to check that camera he found a dead deer that had been killed and half eaten, no doubt, by the wolf. Chris said we also have a pair of fox roaming the area.

After I had absorbed all of this information it just confirmed what I had always felt, and that living in the north woods that close to nature is pretty darned awesome. When you’re lying in bed at night in the dark with the windows open you can hear the loons that reside on our little lake calling each other; that is a sound like no other. One night I awoke to the sound of something fairly good sized rummaging around under the cabin; I’d guessed it to be a raccoon, but after talking to Chis I’m thinking it may have been that badger.

I have on many occasions had a grouse jump up in front of me or run across my path. Over the years I have heard the wolves calling at night and in the fall you can hear bigger critters walking on the dry twigs and leaves that have fallen in the woods. I have also heard moose calling from a nearby slough; I actually only discovered that it was moose after describing the sound to my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson who resides in Alaska; he told me he has heard that call many times over the years.

There are so many sounds to be heard around a lake and in the woods and most intensify as the sun sets and evening gives way to nightfall. The bullfrogs seem to sing in unison and there are other critters that will join in as the night wears on. Over the years we’ve had the cabin I have heard many sounds that, to this day, I have still not been able to identify. This is what makes being close to nature so very special to me.

Until next time, enjoy the summer and get close to nature by spending a little time in the great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.