Woods & Water (267)
As I write this column I am sitting in the cabin looking out the deck door at the lake and watching the birds feeding busily at the feeders. My sister Judy and my brother-in-law Mike stopped by on their way home from their cabin, which is up by Northome, and that is about 40 miles northwest of my cabin. As we talked about different things Mike and I began discussing the different birds that we have visiting our feeders; just then a thought occurred to me – 40 years ago you’d never thought we’d be standing here today discussing birds.
It’s funny how time has a way of changing one’s priorities, I know part of it is the growing older thing but sometimes, not always, with age comes wisdom. I know some of the things that were important to me when I was younger have taken a back seat to other things. The only thing that hasn’t changed for me is my appreciation for the beauty of nature and the critters within. I’d have to say I have always been infatuated with wildlife and the habitat that is their home.
I love coming to the north woods because you can never tell what critters you may lay your eyes upon. So far this year we have had a porcupine walk under our deck on its way to the deep woods, and the last time I was up here I saw a bear standing on the edge of the woods about a mile north of the cabin. On my way to the cabin on Monday a wolf trotted across the road in front of me about two miles south of the cabin. This is what I love about the North Country and the area where we’ve built our cabin and even though it is over 300 miles from home, it’s well worth the drive.
I have written numerous times about my days as a youth and what a big part the “crick’ and the slough that surrounded it played in my appreciation of nature. I had many heroes, most fictional and some real, but they were always the guys in the white hats. My Uncle Ben was someone I always looked up to because he was the one that took me fishing; sometimes he and my Aunt Marcie would take me “up north” fishing for a week. This was about the only time while I was growing up that I actually got to experience a real vacation. They would leave early in the morning and I can remember standing in the yard looking down the road for headlights and getting chills of excitement every time a car’s headlights appeared in the distance.
Ben and Marcie had no children so that is probably why they liked taking me with them once in a while. Ben would also take me fishing for a day in the Waterville area. He taught me a lot about fishing, things that still hold true in today’s world of modern technology. To me the smell of fishing was the exhaust of that old green 5 horse Johnson as we trolled the shoreline for northern pike and bass. Basic, simple fishing that worked way back when and still works for me today.
For quite a few years I had gotten into painting landscapes and wildlife, not because of my Uncle Lloyd, but because of my Dad. He loved painting horses and when I started doing outdoors scenes and adding deer we would talk and he would give me pointers on painting animals and I would do the same for his background scenes. We fed off of each other and this gave me incentive to paint. My love of fishing and the outdoors showed in all of my paintings because I never did one without a fishing scene or, if it wasn’t about fishing, it had some form of water in it. Once Dad had his stroke and could no longer paint I lost my enthusiasm for painting and although my sister has done much to encourage me from time to time I haven’t been able to bring myself to get back into it.
My sister Judy has taken over as the family artist and has gotten very good at it. We used to vacation together with our families at Spider Lake and a couple of years ago on Christmas she gave me a watercolor painting she had done. One look at that picture and I could put myself in the boat on Spider in that exact same spot on the lake. I have looked at that painting on many a winter day and imagined I was there casting or trolling on a sunny summer day; talk about the gift that keeps on giving.
Until next time, take advantage of summer and get outdoors to enjoy a walk by a lake, have a picnic in one of our many city parks or visit a county or state park. Whatever you do, just get outdoors and enjoy!
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.
Although the calendar says we have just now started summer, it seems that we have already been experiencing summer for some time. June 21st is officially the first day of summer. My question is: where has the time gone? I guess I have always felt that if the weather turns nice and pretty much stays that way, it is summer. I have to sympathize with my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson in Nome, Alaska. The last time I spoke with him, which was only a few days ago, the high temperature was in the low 40s and he was putting another log on the fire.
When I think of summer I like to think back and remember the days of summer I spent fishing Fountain Lake. I would get up fairly early and grab my fishing pole along with the can of worms I had dug up the day before. I would then hop on my bike and ride to town to do a little fishing. I had a little treat money on me for later on that I had earned by mowing lawns and from my paper route. I would usually treat myself to a chocolate marshmallow sundae at the Northside Creamery or a cherry Coke at Northpark.
I would start the day at the dam on the Northside which offered plenty of fishing opportunities for this kid. It was fun climbing on the walls of the old waterway that ran along the north side of the dam. Fishing was always fun under the bridge because you never could tell what you would catch. Bullheads and rubber tails were the most common, but once in a great while you’d catch a crappie or a pumpkinseed. Whenever I’d catch a crappie, to me, it was like catching a gamefish like a northern or walleye because there didn’t seem to be an abundance of them.
After I’d had my fill of fishing by the dam I would move on to Katherine Island by fishing the whole shoreline before ending up at the island. The old metal bridge was noisy to walk on but a person could catch enough bullheads and rubber tails to make it fun.
My dad told me of this old gentleman who had a secret crappie hole somewhere behind the old Albert Lea greenhouse, which sat along the shore east of the beach. After hearing those stories I witnessed firsthand the fruits of this old fisherman’s labors. My dad had a service station on East Main and this old gentleman, whose name was John, drove in to put in gas. My dad asked how fishing was and he was happy to show me the bucket that held a mess of the biggest crappies I had ever laid eyes on. As I grew older I could still envision that bucket of slab crappies and, although I did on a couple of occasions try, I never was able to find that “honey hole” that only old John seemed to know about.
I have from time to time had people ask if I knew when the dredging on Fountain Lake was going to start. From what I’ve gathered by articles in the paper I don’t think that anyone has a definitive answer to that question. Some of these folks have gone on to say that once the lake is dredged, Fountain Lake will become a good fishing lake. I don’t know what constitutes a good fishing lake, but I feel that if you have a lake where you can catch nice panfish, bass, northern and walleye, then fishing is already pretty darned good.
As a kid I fished pretty much every inch of that lake at one time or another and over the years I caught crappies, sunnies, northern and bass. In the ‘80s I started to catch a few walleye in Edgewater Bay and today it is no longer unique to catch a nice walleye or two on any given day. I do feel Fountain Lake is a pretty darned good fishing lake already and there is no doubt the steps being taken to clean up our waterways is working. I also feel that making the lake deeper will increase the numbers of gamefish while cleaning up the lake.
Although I am no marine biologist and do not pretend to be any kind of expert, I have never been a fan of using chemicals on my yard because of the runoff. Over the years I have fished many of the lakes in our area and have seen the effects that runoff from manicured lawns has on a lake. When I fish a lake that seems to have no real vegetation and you reel in a jig or lure with green slime on it, I attribute it to chemicals and too many rough fish.
I do that we are headed in the right direction when it comes to cleaning up our area’s waterways, but there is no quick fix. In the meantime we can take advantage of what we already have. We have many nice parks located on our areas lakes and I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a little family time than a picnic and some fishing.
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A few observations: we are now going to take Broadway down to three lanes and add bike lanes on both sides. Before that happens someone needs to enlighten some of our area drivers of how the lanes work, especially at Broadway and Front. I have noticed quite a few folks who think the bike lane is for folks in cars that are going straight across Broadway. Luckily there is not a lot of bike traffic so the only danger would seemingly be a fender bender. Summer is in full swing and we who drive motorized vehicles are reminded we must watch out for bicyclists because they have the same rules as vehicles. This should also pertain to bicyclists when it comes to intersection etiquette and riding on the right side of the road. Speaking of roads; I know some of the sidewalks in our city are not the best, but I do wonder why some folks insist on walking down the middle of the street.
That’s enough whining for one day, so until next time, pack the picnic basket, grab the fishing poles and head to your favorite park to enjoy some family time.
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.
It doesn’t seem like we’ve really had a spring like I remember having when I was a kid. Maybe time clouds the memory or it may be that as a kid I took more time to notice things like the first crop of dandelions, the smell of blooming lilac bushes or the appearance of tad poles in the “crick.” The spring thaw which usually happened in March was followed by April showers and by May things were greening up quite nicely. I guess in a perfect world that is the general order of things, but each year nature seems to put a little different spin on the beginning of each season.
Looking back to those days of growing up north of town I can remember the excitement of the last day of school. The first order of business was going to Earl Peterson’s barber shop on the north side for my summer haircut. Then my mom would take me to JC Penney’s for a pair of tennis shoes which were to last me the whole summer. That usually wasn’t a problem because this kid wasn’t really partial to wearing shoes in the summertime. Going barefoot wasn’t without its difficulties. While getting accustomed to the first few days of summer I would inevitably end up stubbing my big toe on the sidewalk in front of our house. There is nothing like the feeling of stepping on a honey bee or discovering what the neighbor dog had left in the lawn after its last visit.
After the initial formalities were taken care of I was free to do what a kid does in the summer. Going down to the “bridge” under which the “crick” flowed between Bancroft Bay and Goose Lake was usually one of the first things I did. I do believe every kid that lived within walking or biking distance of that slough considered it their own personal stomping grounds. I would spend hours exploring the vast slough, which never came without a wet pant leg or a tennis shoe full of mud and slough water to show for it.
As spring turned to summer we would watch for the first tadpole to sprout legs and eventually evolve into a frog. How awesome was that? We could observe nature at work and see the end result. Red winged blackbirds would build their nests in the cattails so I always watched to see how many I could spot. I have always loved hearing the call of a red winged blackbird; whenever I’d hear the first one of the season it meant spring was here and summer was not far behind.
Hanging out at the bridge pretty much took up the first part of summer, but as the weather warmed and the water level went down I wouldn’t frequent the bridge quite as much. Summer usually meant we could play outside later and that meant playing games such as Tag, Kick the Can and Anti-I-Over. Cowboys & Indians and Cops & Robbers were also games we played and the object of the game was to go hide and then sneak up on someone and go “bang,” at which the person shot would fall down. There was always that kid who hated being caught so when shot said person would yell “you missed” and keep on playing. The game never really ended until we grew tired of it and moved on to something else or got called in for the night. I know that this game would not go over very well in today’s society, but I believe our generation turned out pretty darned good.
At least once every summer I would talk a couple of my friends into camping out in the backyard. My mother would give me a couple of old flannel sheets which I hung over the clothesline. I would anchor the bottom with whatever heavy objects I could find while putting the other sheet down on the ground for a floor and “voila,” I had a tent. Unfortunately the ends were open so the tent we played in all day in anticipation of sleeping in that night would eventually fill up with mosquitoes, June bugs and lightning bugs. After we had taken turns visiting the inside of my house to use the bathroom or get a drink of water we would usually end up camping out on the living room floor. I believe I tried doing this many times while growing up, but usually with the same result.
I never had a real tent when I was a kid but, I had always wanted one. My first “real job” was delivering the Minneapolis Star & Tribune for Lawrence McGill. Looking back, I started the first paper route for the Minneapolis paper in that part of town. They had contests for getting the most subscriptions and during that time I was able to win a lot of prizes. You could pick your prize depending how many points you had. Over time I acquired a sleeping bag, kerosene lantern, canteen and a first aid kit that contained a bottle of 6.12 and a most important snake bite kit. I was ready to camp now and if I happened to get bitten by one of those venomous garter snakes, I had the answer.
Although I never had the opportunity as a youth to go camping in the north woods, which was my childhood dream, I eventually realized that dream as an adult. Today I might be an old guy on the outside, but on the inside I’m still that kid who yearns to spend at least one or two nights tenting by a lake.
Until next time, summer is here so grab the fishing poles, bait and mosquito spray and head to the lake to enjoy 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.
It’s the season for tenting, camping and being outdoors
Written by Jim LutgensNow that school is out and we are proceeding into summer, it is a great time to think about spending time in the outdoors. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy the outdoors with family than camping. Whether it is in a cabin, camper or a tent, this is truly a great way for family time spent in the outdoors. If you don’t want to spend the money for a cabin, the other two options will do the trick very nicely.
The thing I really liked about tenting was it made me feel closer to nature. On the other hand, tenting in the rain over a three-day weekend can sometimes bring you closer to nature than you would like. We did have a backup plan for rainy days because we had a pickup with a topper. It was big enough for us to sleep in, but that was about all I can say for that. Looking back on those times of tenting they weren’t that bad, in fact, there are actually times when I miss the simple pleasures of those days.
Tenting is actually the most economical way to find out if camping is for you. Camping in a tent is not without a few challenges; the biggest one is the weather. I can recall a few occasions where the weather made tenting very difficult. One such time was when I had gone to Spider Lake alone for some late September fishing and had borrowed my son Brian’s S10 Chevy pickup which had a topper on it. The second night there it rained and my tent could have been used to name that movie “A River Runs Through It” because that is exactly what it felt like. I ended up sleeping in the back of the pickup on this trip. Another time was on a July trip with Brian and his brother-in-law Jeremy. Each day was rainy and cold, which lasted pretty much the whole week. We had taken a screen tent along and ended up using it to house our portable grill which we converted into a wood stove to get dry and warm up. Another time I was camping with my brother-in-law Mike and it rained every night, but the days were fishable; thank goodness we had cots to sleep on.
Even with a few hiccups, the good times spent tenting definitely outweighed the bad. Our family tented for a few years before we invested in a pickup camper which we enjoyed all the way until the boys were grown up. It’s kind of ironic that as the boys grew older the camper seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, but it still worked for us. We chose the pickup camper because we liked to fish and it only made sense to not only have something to tow the boat, but also comfortable living conditions. I wouldn’t recommend buying a camper without first testing the waters.
One of the more economical places to camp is a state park campground where prices will range from $15-$23 a night with mutual bathrooms with showers, and campgrounds with primitive toilets and no showers can go from $15-$19 a night. Campsites with electricity go for an extra $8 per night with water and sewer hookups costing an extra $6. Obviously; the more rustic the campsite, the cheaper the rate will be and a State Park permit is required and can be purchased for $25. This permit is for one year and is good for all 75 Minnesota State Parks.
State Forest campgrounds are another option and these campsites are available for $14 per night with no bathroom facilities and a vault toilet.
Voyagers National Park in Northern Minnesota has no admittance fee and tent camping fees can range from $16-$20 per night. The park is open year round. Operating hours for the park's three visitor centers change with the seasons. See: www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.
Guided boat tours are offered during the summer. See: www.www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/guided-tours.
Snowshoe hikes are offered during the winter. See: www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/winterprograms.
The two national forests in Minnesota, Chippewa and Superior, include campgrounds that cater to campers who want a wilderness, solitary experience, as well as those who don't mind camping around groups of other people. Chippewa National Forest in Central Northern Minnesota spans nearly 1.6 million acres and includes 21 campgrounds. The Superior National Forest in Northeast Minnesota covers 3 million acres and includes 27 campgrounds. It includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Camping rate: $15 per day with the maximum stay permitted of 14 days.
There are also some campsites in the Chippewa National Forest located on lakes that are free to use and are on a first come-first-serve basis. I know of at least two lakes in the Marcell area that have these campsites. There are three on Spider Lake that can only be accessed by boat.
If you like a little adventure and enjoy the outdoors, Minnesota has many great options for you.
Musky Talk News
Our June meeting will be an outing on Fox Lake, Saturday June 13th. Morning fishing and quit at 3 pm and meet at Northeast public landing.
Our meetings will take a summer break and begin 1st Thursday of every month starting in October at 7 pm, at the Eagles Club in Owatonna. (NOTE, no more Wednesday meetings.) Our meetings include; informative speakers, updates, door prizes, raffles and lots of musky talk! Good fishing.
Until next time, it’s time to think camping and fishing and get ready to enjoy 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.
Last week I was once again at the cabin.
This time my friend Mark went along with high hopes of getting into a mess of crappie. Unfortunately we were either too early, too late or in the right place at the wrong time. The first lake we fished was Bowstring, a popular area walleye lake, which happened to be the fish we were seeking on that day. This is a lake I had only fished one other time, but unfortunately for us our arrival coincided with the arrival of a cold front. I had told Mark that as calm and clear as it was that morning I didn’t look for us to have much success. Over the years I have found the clear lakes of this area are hard to fish on calm sunny days. We worked the one end of this big, clear lake hard with only a couple of small pike to show for our efforts. It wasn’t much consolation, but a couple of the folks I talked to at the landing also had similar luck.
After spending a whole morning on that lake we decided to hit another that afternoon. This was a lake that we’d fished many times before, but except for a few more northern we still couldn’t find the crappie. I believe that it was still a little early in the season for them to be where we would usually find them. With no weed cover yet I marked a lot of fish in deeper water, but getting them to bite was a different matter.
The next day we headed for Spider Lake which, is still my sentimental favorite when it comes to lakes. I have many fond memories of family vacations spent fishing and camping on that lake. Although the fishing wasn’t as good as anticipated, it is still a beautiful body of water that makes every visit a good one. There were campers taking advantage of the National Forest campsites that you can access only by boat. This is something that I have always wanted to do ,but they are first come, first serve camp spots and Memorial Day weekend would not be a time to try finding a spot.
On our last day of the trip we decided to visit a small lake that sits two miles north of our cabin. This lake has been a good northern pike lake for us over the years. The lake holds pike, bass, panfish and perch but no walleye. We tried a couple of spots that have produced for me in the past and then tried trolling the middle of this small, deep lake, which is a technique I found worked quite well last year. On our initial pass down the middle of the lake Mark said, “I think I’m snagged on bottom,” but I told him we were in 55 foot of water so I doubted that. As he pulled on the line it started to pull back and that is when he realized it was a very big fish. After fighting it for a couple of minutes it rose to the surface and slapped its large tail on the top before spitting the hook. That was an experience both of us will not soon forget. After losing a fish like that the person on the other end of the line always wonders if they could have done something different. I told Mark that he did it all by the book, constant pressure, rod tip up and no slack. I don’t think that really made him feel any better.
Another memory was seeing a black bear standing at the edge of the forest about a mile north of our cabin. We were driving to the lake when up ahead standing on a ridge along the roadside was this big black critter. As we neared it we saw it was a bear so I slowed the truck; but once the big critter spotted us it turned and disappeared back into the woods. That was just another unforgettable experience of spotting an animal in the wild.
Once again when we had some “down time” we were entertained by the many birds visiting the feeders in front of our deck. The birds, squirrels and chipmunks made sure we were never bored when sitting on the deck. There were very few mosquitoes this time so that made sitting outside an extra pleasant experience.
Even our trip home offered a little wildlife experience when three deer were standing on the side of a road ditch right next to the asphalt. I slowed down anticipating their next move, but as I drove past they just stood there and stared almost like they were watching a parade. My vivid imagination could picture them raising a front leg and waving with a little flag stuck in their hooves – probably a little too much, huh?
As I write this column I am already looking forward to my next trip north, but I am also planning on hitting a few of this areas lakes before that happens. Fountain Lake is always a good option with a great variety of gamefish to choose from. An early morning drive to Beaver or St. Olaf Lakes could also result in some good fishing. Like I have said many times before, we are fortunate to have so many good lakes in our area and the opportunity for shore fishing is endless. All of the aforementioned lakes have fishing piers and picnic areas. Fountain can be accessed from shore and at many of our area parks. Visiting any one of these lakes can make for a day of fishing, picnicking and great family fun.
Until next time, grab the fishing poles, pack the picnic basket and go enjoy 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.
It was a couple of weeks ago already, but it seems like only yesterday that my Grandson Dylan and I attended the Governor’s Fishing Opener. With each opener I have attended it always seems like the weekend of events just flies by and before you know it you are sitting at home wondering where it went. This one seemed even more so to me because I had my grandson along, and also the person who was our host and fishing guide made it extra fun for us.
Dylan was impressed with all the hospitality and how friendly everyone was, but one of the highlights of his trip was rubbing elbows with a fisherman that he had seen quite often on Linder’s Angling Edge TV show and also Midwest Outdoors. The reason he recognized him was that his part of the show featured northern pike fishing, which is Dylan’s favorite.
Last week our fishing host/guide Bill Conger made the weekend go by way too fast when he shared so many interesting facts about the area while doing a great job of hunting walleye for us. He told me about the excellent things that the Lake Vermilion Sportsman’s Club does to preserve and improve the lake. The club brought attention to how the increasing number of cormorants was linked to the declining numbers of perch in the lake. The perch are a significant part of the life cycle of the lake because they are the main food source for the gamefish in the lake. The birds are protected by the migratory bird act, but limited control of these birds is allowed in Minnesota by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2013 they devised a plan to bring the number of cormorants down while increasing the perch numbers. It appears that the perch population has grown since the plan was implemented and the planned control will continue by monitoring the perch numbers each year.
I have never kept my love of Northern Minnesota a secret and spending time there seems to rejuvenate me and put a little extra spring in my step (which I can really use). Whether I am at my cabin or just sitting on an area lake I am always on the lookout for wildlife and any time I can spot a creature doing its thing in its natural habitat, it gives me a good feeling inside.
One year as I was fishing a small nearby lake with my grandson Trevor and a couple of our friends we spotted some otters playing in the lily pads. They were swimming along the shoreline rolling and jumping in the pads; they seemed like a bunch of kids playing at the pool. We also have a beaver that resides on our little lake and from time to time it will make its presence known by slapping its tail on the water. A few weeks ago my wife and I were at the cabin when she decided to walk down to the lake. She must have disturbed the beaver because it started swimming back and forth in front of her as if it was staking a claim to its territory. One night, a few years ago, I awoke to the sound of what seemed like someone throwing large rocks into the lake. Upon further investigation I discovered that it was a beaver slapping its tail on the water in the middle of the night. I have on more than one occasion been fishing on a lake when a beaver would start swimming around the boat, chattering and slapping its tail as if trying to scare me off. It’s fun to see how different animals try to protect their territory as long as you’re not talking skunk. On one occasion I happened to be fishing a lake when a loon began swimming back and forth under the boat which made us nervous enough to reel in our lines so as not to have to deal with an angry loon on the other end. I soon discovered that we were fishing a little too close to where they were nesting, so I surrendered and moved on to a different spot.
You don’t have to go far from home to witness animals protecting their young. I can usually tell when one of the neighborhood cats is in the yard because the birds will start warning the others if danger is near. There is none better at this than the common blackbird. I know that we have all heard one of them noisily chirping as if they were scolding someone; that is about the time you will see the neighborhood feral cat slinking its way back home.
Now is a good time to do a little shore fishing on some of our area lakes. It’s still early enough in the season for the fish to be shallow and, although most area lakes are usually pretty good all summer, I still believe that spring and early summer produce the most fish. Shore fishing on most area lakes is fairly easy with many lakes offering fishing piers that are there for the public to enjoy. Fountain Lake has an abundance of places to fish from shore and both Beaver and St. Olaf Lakes have nice fishing piers.
Not having a boat shouldn’t stop anyone from packing a picnic lunch, throwing in the fishing poles and going to an area lake for a day of great family fun.
Until next time, the fish should be biting so take a little time to get out and enjoy 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.
This past weekend I attended The Governor’s Fishing Opener on beautiful Lake Vermilion, which sits just south of the Boundary Waters in Northeastern Minnesota. It has the town of Tower on the east end and Cook on the west end.
Each year the event is kicked off by an opening ceremony followed by the community picnic. The picnic is probably one of my favorite parts of the weekend that doesn’t involve fishing. There is live music, entertainment and various vendors with games and displays for folks of all ages. The people from the community come from miles around to enjoy the picnic and take in all the festivities. It is always fun to watch the people as they enjoy this event and mingle with the media folks as they gather to listen to the Governor speak.
The whole object of this opener is to bring attention to the host community and to kick off the Minnesota tourism season. Travel and tourism in Minnesota generates $13 billion in revenue each year.
You could say Lake Vermilion pretty much has it all. It is a 40,000-acre body of water with both rocky shoreline and sandy beaches. It also has hundreds of small bays and coves along with vast open water. Fishing is great on Vermilion with many species including walleye, northern pike, muskie, both large and smallmouth bass along with perch and panfish like crappie and sunfish. The slot limit on the lake is 18-26 with one keeper over 26 for walleye and 24-36 with one keeper over 36 for northern. There are 365 islands on the lake; some have cabins and lake homes and others are just undeveloped wilderness. The area has many nice resorts and some very nice golf courses. This weekend was also marked by the dedication ceremony for Lake Vermilion State Park that includes the Soudan underground mine.
This year I was lucky enough to be able to bring my grandson, Dylan, along for an experience he will not soon forget. After we had registered at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino, which was headquarters for the event, we checked in at our cabin at Bayview Lodge where we met up with my old friend Jeff Anderson, a sportscaster from Watertown, South Dakota.
Later that evening we met the person who would be our fishing host and guide for Saturday’s day of fishing. His name was Bill Conger (no relation to the town) a resident of Cook. I could tell right away we would once again be fishing with someone that truly loved the outdoors and more importantly loved the area in which he lived. He has belonged to the Lake Vermilion Sportsman’s Club, which he says is a great organization that has done much for the preservation and improvement of this vast lake. Bill has also served on the school board and has been involved in many other community activities.
He and his wife met in college and although he was originally from New Jersey and his wife from Cook, they decided to settle in the town of Cook after graduation. There was a time when he didn’t think he would like Northern Minnesota but once they decided to make it their home he said he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else
Bill works in the mining industry in sales, but with his vast knowledge of the area he could easily be a tour guide for the Vermilion area. One story he told was about an island on the lake called Gold Island which was actually prospected for gold in the late 1800s. The quest for gold didn’t pan out (pardon the pun) but it did eventually lead to the start of iron mining in the area.
On Saturday morning we attended the opening day ceremonies and then headed out in search of the wily walleye. With Bill we got the whole package. Not only did he know how to fish walleye, but he knew more about Lake Vermilion and the area than I could ever possibly remember.
The Pike River runs into Vermilion and that is where the walleye go to spawn in early spring. The Vermilion River is the outlet which flows north to Crane Lake. Bill said that when the Boundary Waters were first being formed the government wanted to include Lake Vermilion. The lake had already seen a lot of development, especially on the south side, so the residents of the area opposed it and won. The Boundary Waters actually begin about five miles north of the lake and most of the north shore of the lake is undeveloped, so there is still a lot of wilderness to enjoy.
Many of the lake’s 365 islands are small and undeveloped, but some are so large that you wouldn’t think of them as islands. There are many nice lake homes and cabins on the lake and as a fisherman I was almost overwhelmed with the lake’s beauty. The kid in me gets excited about fishing by just looking at the beauty of the lake and all of those islands. Bill said one of the things he likes about this big lake is that no matter how windy it gets you can always find a place to fish that is out of the wind. He did put us on some fish and the best part was that we all caught a walleye, which was the species we were seeking that day. We had to go quite a ways by boat to get results but it was well worth it. Some of the walleye we caught were in 45-50 ft. of water but I caught mine in 12 ft. or less. Although most of the fish we caught were in the 10-12 inch range I did manage to get a 17-incher (can you say lucky?).
Yes, this opener was a very memorable one and it was made special not only by Bill, our fishing host and beautiful Lake Vermilion ,but by the many nice folks who live in the area. My grandson Dylan probably said it best when he said, “Grandpa, I just can’t believe how nice the people of this area are.” That about says it all; so if you want to take a vacation that you will surely enjoy and create some unforgettable family memories, then Lake Vermilion is the place to go. You can find out more about the many fine resorts in the area by contacting the Lake Vermilion Resort and Tourism Association @ 800-648-5897 or go to www.explorevermilion.com.
Until next time, once the weather settles down the fish should be biting so take some time to get out and enjoy 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.
Whenever I make that first visit to the cabin, I go there expecting a few surprises. This past week my wife Jean accompanied me to our cabin for the first visit of the season. I always expect the unexpected because in past years I have been greeted with downed trees or winter damage to the roof or chimney. This time Jean and I were pleasantly surprised by an uneventful first visit. After settling in, Jean cleaned the inside of the cabin while I busied myself raking leaves and putting our small boat on the trailer in anticipation of the next visit.
One evening as Jean was sitting on the deck she called out to me to come quick because there was an animal out there that she had never seen before. I came out just in time to see this large porcupine walking away from the cabin past our wood pile towards the woods. It was definitely on a mission and never once did it look back. I had never been that close to a porcupine before so I had never realized what a nice looking animal they are. This is just another example of why I like having a cabin in the north woods. We had sighted numerous deer on the way up on this trip which should bode well for hunters in the fall. On our first day Jean walked down to the lake and was greeted by the resident beaver swimming back and forth in front of the dock.
Over the years we have seen deer, wolves, a badger, many eagles both bald and American, and a variety of birds. On this trip we had numerous visitors to the feeders including purple finches, black capped chickadees, nuthatches, three species of woodpeckers, bluejays, sparrows and robins that weren’t actually at the feeders but just hanging out. One year we arrived at the cabin late at night and as we unloaded the truck we could hear the wolves howling in the distance. We also have numerous waterfowl visiting the lake and there is nothing more peaceful than listening to the loons calling during the night. One year we did have a skunk visit the area, but luckily it hasn’t been a recurring thing.
Yes, if you are an outdoors lover, then a visit to this area of the state will definitely be worthwhile. If you like to camp there are numerous National Forest campgrounds in the area which offer campsites at a very reasonable price. The Chippewa National Forest has many nice campgrounds to visit and some lakes within the forest offer first-come, first-serve campsites that are free to use.
Our cabin sits just three miles north of the small village of Talmoon which boasts the “oldest bar in Minnesota” and across the road there is Little Turtle Lake store which is a convenience store that offers everything from gas and propane to groceries, bait and tackle, fishing and hunting licenses and souvenirs. They also have the best waffle cones in the area. I guess I am making this sound like an advertisement, but it’s not meant to be. I just appreciate the convenience of the store and the nice folks who own it.
While I was raking the yard I took a break and sat on the bench that we have facing the lake. As I looked at the trail going down the steep hill to the lake I could almost see the grandkids as they busily ran up and down that hill to fish or swim in our little lake. While they were growing up they loved to spend time at the lake and they were down there from the time they got up until darkness chased them up to the cabin.
I don’t know how many nights those kids spent fighting mosquitoes while cleaning fish by lantern, but they did it and never once did they complain because it was all good. Trevor, my oldest grandson, never did spend a lot of time in the cabin, If he wasn’t fishing he was changing line, tying on new lures or re-arranging his tackle box.
I have a few pictures of the time that I and my son Brian and grandsons Trevor and Taylor went up to clear the land so we could build the cabin. It was a lot of work, but those boys worked hard and between the four of us we got the spot cleared and were eventually able to start building. When we did start building Brad and my grandson Dylan were also there helping us. I guess this is why our cabin means so much to me; it’s been a family venture and, although it’s not a mansion and still doesn’t have running water, we did finally get electricity a couple of years ago. We actually didn’t have any plans on getting electricity any time soon but the opportunity presented itself so I had to take advantage of it.
As I sat looking down that trail to the lake a sad feeling came over me because I realized all too well that those times we enjoyed with the grandsons are gone and will not be coming back. The good thing is the memories of those times will always be there to enjoy whenever I want to dial them in.
MUSKIE TALK
The May meeting of Cross Roads Chapter 54 of Muskies Inc. was Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at the Eagles Club in Owatonna. Our meetings include updates, door prizes, raffle and lots of muskie talk. You need not be a member to attend. Bring a friend and help improve muskie fishing in Southern Minnesota.
Until next time, the weather is getting nice and the fish should be biting, so take some time to get out and enjoy 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.
As the weather becomes more spring/summer-like, my thoughts have turned to reminiscing about all the years our family spent camping. I can look back on those times and say yes, there were some trying times, but they were all good.
Before my wife and I welcomed our firstborn we would camp with a group of long-time friends and we always managed to have fun. Most of the time our outdoors activities consisted of Frisbee, whiffle ball or badminton, which was my personal favorite. This was just a lot of harmless fun that would give us a little exercise and a chance to compete without getting too serious.
On one of our first camping excursions we were with two other couples and Kenny Bauman, one of our group, had a tent that was built onto a trailer and when folded out made a nice-three room tent with a floor and a porch. It was decided that because there was room for all of us we could just use Kenny and his wife Georgette’s rig. We had decided to go to a campground in this farmer’s field on Lake Elysian. We were told the camp spots were on a first-come, first-serve basis and you paid on the honor system by depositing the money in the slot on the end of a pipe by the gate. I can’t remember for sure but I believe that it was $2 a night.
Once we were there we paid the money and picked a spot to set up camp. Setting up Kenny’s rig was not all that easy because it involved leveling the trailer and way too many tent poles and stakes for my liking. After we had finally accomplished that mission we decided it was time to gather some firewood. Besides my wife Jean and me the other adventurous campers were our friends Russ and Sue Laite. The girls decided that because men were gatherers, they would stay back and plan supper, but before that plan was put into action another camper approached us with some news we really didn’t want to hear. He informed us we were in another person’s spot and that we would have to move. We explained to him that it wasn’t just a matter of dragging a tent to another spot, but he was insistent so we began the taking it down. Eventually we had it moved, but we had to finish it in the dark.
After muttering more than a few expletives we finished the task and once again the gatherers were out pursuing firewood while the girls waited patiently for our return. We had to climb a barbed wire fence that surrounded the cow pasture and after stumbling around in the dark and finding numerous cockleburs and thistles while ripping our shirts and jeans on the aforementioned barbed wire, we were greeted by the bellering of the farmer’s bull. We hastily exited the pasture with only some scraggly branches and twigs to show for our effort. As we neared our latest campsite we were greeted by the three girls sitting around a roaring campfire. We asked them how? They said that the guy that asked us to move felt bad and offered to let them use his firewood. First more expletives but then an appreciation for the gesture he had made in an effort to atone for all of our work.
Whenever I camped I had one thing I always needed to have happen no matter what, and that was to be able to do a little fishing. It didn’t really matter what I was catching as long as I could fish. However, on this particular occasion I had visions of catching walleye off shore from the point on which we were camped. We had bought some minnows the evening before so we were up early and fishing at the crack of dawn, maybe not the crack but fairly early. It wasn’t long before we were getting bites and losing minnows with nothing to show for it. I finally had one on and as I reeled it in I knew without looking that it was a bullhead. This wasn’t just any bullhead, but one that went just a little larger than my minnow. All we caught on this trip were those little bullheads, and I have to admit this was one of the rare occasions that just catching any fish didn’t do it for me.
On another occasion we were camping with the same friends at a KOA near Owatonna and I had brought my trusty ultra-light with, just in case. There was a stream running through the campground so I just had to see if there were any fish in it and after a few casts I caught a sucker which was about 6 inches long. I went on to catch more of those fish and to say I was disappointed would be wrong. I hadn’t expected to catch anything and the kid in me was catching fish so this time it really didn’t matter to me what kind.
One 4th of July weekend our same group camped at a campground on Jefferson Lake. This time I had brought my boat along so we were able to fish both German and Jefferson but had very little success. It was a very hot weekend and the mosquitoes were biting a lot better than the fish. When we went to bed in our pickup camper you could hear those pesky little bloodsuckers buzzing at all the windows. Sometime during the night someone kicked the screen out of one of the windows and in the morning the inside of the camper looked like a blood bath had taken place. It’s like all of the mosquitoes were trapped in our camper and were taking it out on us because they couldn’t find their way out. I am starting to scratch myself just thinking about that time.
Until next time, the weather is getting nice and the fish should be biting so take some time to get out and enjoy 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.
The opening of the state walleye season is fast approaching and as I have for the past 20 years I am anxiously anticipating attending the Governor’s Fishing Opener. This year’s event will be held on Lake Vermillion and will be hosted by the Minnesota Department of Tourism and some of the Lake Vermilion area residents.
On every opener I look forward to seeing old acquaintances and making new ones. This year will be a little different because my friend Jeff Anderson of Watertown South Dakota will not be attending. We have been fishing together on the opener for several years so it will seem a little different without him being there. If I catch any fish worth mentioning I will have to make sure that I let him know.
Each year a different location is chosen to host this event and promote their particular area of the state. When an area is chosen to host this event it is not without a lot of hard work by area volunteers. They work hand in hand with the fine folks from the department of tourism to make their event special. The whole objective of this event is to promote Minnesota tourism as a whole and to bring vacationers to their area of the state.
Lake Vermilion itself is a large, beautiful body of water that offers great fishing and just about anything a person would want for outdoor recreation. Over the years I have fished many different lakes on the opener and each area has its own unique personality. I can’t really say which opener was my favorite because each one had something different to offer. If I judged each one by numbers of fish caught I would only have a handful to pick from. I can’t remember ever being totally skunked on an opener, but there have been some lean times when even catching a perch seemed like an accomplishment. Fishing the opener in Bemidji was definitely the coldest one I can remember with Park Rapids right behind because we fished a lake that still had ice on half of it.
Of all the openers that I personally remember fondly it had to be Crane Lake, not only for its magnificent beauty but for the experience. The host that Jeff and I fished with that particular day took us on an 80-mile adventure. He showed us the native drawings on the face of cliffs and told about much of the history of the lake. He then asked if we wanted to see more of the area. On this particular day there was a rain/snow mix coming down with an occasional blast of corn snow peppering us. He had a cover on his 22-ft Crestliner boat so we were pretty much out of the elements when we headed out across Crane Lake into Namikan Lake and across to Kettle Falls where we portaged into the Rainy River. To me, seeing all of that beautiful wilderness was the experience of a lifetime. The day was topped off when the sun greeted us upon our return to Crane Lake where we fished at the mouth of the Vermilion River. I was rewarded by being able to land a nice walleye at days end. I have often wondered; what if we had fished there all day instead of doing what we did; would we have caught our limit? Looking back; I wouldn’t have traded the experience that I had that day for two limits of walleye. There are times when the outdoor experience means much more than just catching fish and this was one of those times.
If waiting until Saturday, May 9, for the walleye opener seems like an exercise in extreme patience, an entirely different type of fishing can be found after a short hike to the bank of a Southeastern Minnesota trout stream.
“The Minnesota stream trout opener was this past Saturday, April 18, and the southeastern part of the state is an angler’s paradise for anyone willing to park the boat and do some walking and wading,” said Vaughn Snook, Lanesboro assistant area fisheries manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “The area has more than 700 miles of designated trout streams.”
Anglers can find all three of Minnesota’s trout species in southeastern streams: brook trout, the only native species; brown trout, the most abundant, with reports of 30-inch monsters caught each year; and rainbow trout, stocked in catchable sizes where angling pressure is high.
Places to fish in the southeast also are ample. With 221 miles of angler easements – land along streams that’s privately owned but open for fishing – access to trout streams is readily available. State parks such as Whitewater, Forestville Mystery Cave and Beaver Creek Valley also provide quality cold-water angling opportunities.
The DNR publishes a booklet of maps highlighting where to access streams in the southeast. The maps also are available at www.dnr.state.mn.us by clicking on Southern Minnesota maps.
I had a person ask me the other day if you could keep crappies and sunfish now and if so, why is it called the opener when it is only for walleye and northern? I told her that perch, crappie, sunfish and bullhead are open year-round. That was actually a good question and with different seasons for different species and with all the different slot limits for different lakes I can see where someone could get confused.
Until next time, it’s a great time to catch some of those tasty panfish and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.
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.
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Spring: what a great time of year to wet a line
Written by Jim LutgensI have noticed lately that a couple of the neighbor cats have been prowling around my yard. I don’t fill my feeders to attract birds so that these cats can lay in wait for an unsuspecting bird to land within striking distance. This has always been a pet peeve of mine because cats actually kill more birds than any other predator. When the neighbors wonder why they have no birds at their feeder they might want to look at keeping Fluffy inside. Spring is the time of year when birds nest and baby rabbits appear in our yards. With that in mind please think twice before letting your cat out for a prowl at this time of the year.
It is hard to believe that the fishing opener for walleye and northern is less than three weeks away. Crappie and sunfish are open year round along with perch and bullhead. The bass opener is on May 23 with the muskie opener on June 6. Does anyone remember the days when we had one opener, one limit and no size restrictions? Things did seem just a little bit simpler then. I know some lakes get fished harder than others in today’s world, but sometimes I think there can be a thing called micro-management.
Today a person has to be careful and needs to know the rules for each lake before fishing it. As far as I know if a lake has any restrictions they will be posted at the access. I am not saying that I long for the days of cane poles and a can of worms for bait, but in some ways those times were actually pretty darned good. When I fish I still try to keep it as simple as possible; maybe it’s because I don’t want to overthink things and take the relaxation out of the moment.
When I was a kid when I would daydream about fishing I always had this vision in my mind of a picture I once seen of Tom Sawyer sitting on the bank of a river with a fishing pole made from a tree branch with his dog laying by his side. To me this was fishing, just relaxing and enjoying the day without a care in the world. Somewhere along the way we got technology that was supposed to make things better; but did we really make things better? This is why I still enjoy fishing out of my little 12-ft. Lund fishing boat that I keep at the cabin. No fish locator, no frills, just fishing the way I always did in my younger days, troll the shoreline or drift and cast. Keeping it simple works for me; especially when I'm fishing alone.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for everything and nothing gives me more pleasure than fishing out of my big boat with my grandkids. Whenever I fish with them it’s not about me but about them because I get more pleasure out of watching them catch fish than I do catching them myself. In fact I still get a thrill out of watching my grown sons catch fish. To me this is what it is all about, being able to see some of my (limited) fishing knowledge passed on to the next generations.
From what I have been hearing the panfish are active on Fountain Lake right now. I heard earlier that the crappie were biting but now the sunnie fishing has also picked up. What a great time of year; everything is starting fresh, the trees are budding, the lawns are starting to green up and the fish are starting to bite – I will definitely have to get out and wet a line because it just doesn’t get any better than this!
Although it seems like only yesterday there was a time when folks were lining the shores of Pickerel Lake every spring catching bullheads by the bucket full. It was quite a few years ago when my wife and I were first married that we would go to Twin Lakes to her home place and ride with her mom and dad to State Line Lake by Emmons to fish bullheads. There were a few weeks each spring when the area lakes would produce some mighty big bullheads. It wasn’t uncommon for many local small town bars to have bullhead and smelt feeds. Now you don’t really see that anymore, it seems as if the bullheads are not as abundant as they used to be. I also haven’t heard anyone talking about the smelt run for quite some time. It may just be that not so many folks fish bullheads or net smelt like in the past. There isn’t much better eating than a mess of bullheads caught in that cold early spring water. Pan fry those fish along with some fried potatoes and a can of Van Camp’s pork and beans and you had some mighty good eating. Like I said I like to keep it simple - a tasty meal like that makes it even better.
Until next time, it’s a great time to catch some of those tasty panfish and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.
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.
This past week we have received some much needed rain, which is good news for the state’s lakes, rivers and streams. A lack of significant snowfall this winter has made this rain even more welcome and even with the recent rainfall we have not yet been removed from the drought category.
Last week I mentioned my bird feeders and the problem that I have with squirrels and blackbirds. The other day I decided to purchase some safflower seeds which is supposed to be a deterrent to blackbirds. It is said that they do not like them. Shortly after filling the feeder I witnessed blackbirds and starlings flocking (pun intended) to partake in a meal. It appeared to me that they had not gotten the memo about them not liking said seeds. I did not watch the feeder that closely the remainder of the day and I have not seen any of those particular birds revisiting it so maybe they figured it out.
As the 2015 fishing opener draws closer I am getting that urge to wet a line. I can envision myself catching a nice mess of perch or crappie so I will have to make that reality and give it a try. Looking back over the years the middle of April has been pretty productive for crappie if you can find them. I do remember one particular year in the late ‘70s when they were biting like mad below the dam. Now I’m not talking 8-inchers, but real slabs. This only lasted about a week at the most but the bite was fantastic while it lasted. Another good place that used to produce was that shallow bay on the west end of Edgewater by old Highway 13.
Yes the shore fishing for crappies was pretty darned good a few years ago and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be again. It’s really all about being in the right place at the right time, which is actually what fishing is all about in the first place.
In 1971, the spring after my wife and I were married, we, along with some of our friends, would fish the creek that runs into the west end of Edgewater Bay. One of our group would stop and buy some minnows right after work and we’d meet at “our spot” hoping that someone hadn’t beaten us to it. The crappie fishing was fantastic and we would usually limit out within a couple of hours. It was fun and cheap entertainment for a bunch of young folks who loved to fish. The crappies weren’t slabs by any stretch of the imagination, but they were eaters and mighty tasty to boot.
The best fishing usually lasted for about two weeks and then tapered off. I worked Saturdays at that time and had a day off during the week. On that day off I would get up early and head to that spot to try my luck; first for crappies and, as the morning moved on, I’d cast for northern. It wasn’t as productive as it had been early on, but I still managed to catch a crappie or two and an occasional pike. It was all good and I couldn’t think of a better way to start off the day. Where did I put my crappie rod anyway?
Mille Lacs walleye limit to 1; night muskie and bow fishing allowed
Mille Lacs Lake anglers will be able to keep one walleye 19 to 21 inches long or one over 28 inches when fishing opens on Saturday, May 9, and an extended night fishing closure will again be in effect beginning the Monday after the opener, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.
The restrictive walleye regulations are necessary to keep walleye harvest within the lake’s established safe harvest level.
“The new regulations reflect our commitment to improve the walleye fishery as quickly as possible and stay within the state’s 1837 Treaty safe harvest allocation yet continue to provide walleye angling opportunities,” said Don Pereira, fisheries chief for the DNR.
The 2015 regulations for Mille Lacs Lake are:
Walleye – Limit of one and the fish must be 19 to 21 inches long or longer than 28 inches. Night closure from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 11 to Dec. 1.
Northern pike – Limit of 10. One fish may be longer than 30 inches only if two fish shorter than 30 inches are caught on the same trip and in possession.
Bass – Limit of six smallmouth and largemouth bass in combination. Only one smallmouth bass may be longer than 18 inches.
Mille Lacs’ 2015 walleye safe harvest level was reduced from 60,000 to 40,000 pounds in 2015 so more fish potentially survive and spawn to improve the walleye population. State anglers can harvest up to 28,600 pounds of walleye. The eight Chippewa bands with 1837 Treaty harvest rights can harvest up to 11,400 pounds of walleye.
Last year, Mille Lacs anglers could keep two walleye 18- to 20-inches long or one longer than 28 inches.
A night fishing closure, enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., will begin Monday, May 11, and extend to Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Until next time, it’s a great time to do a little early season crappie fishing and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.
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.
This past Wednesday evening we had a much needed thunderstorm that brought us some moisture and gave us the fresh start that I look forward to starting each spring with. Although we have had spring on the calendar for a few weeks, the weather hasn’t been totally spring-like. As I awoke the next morning after that nice rain everything seemed to be fresh and clean. There is a certain smell in the air that goes along with that first spring thunderstorm which signals a new beginning for the year.
The birds even seem to have a little extra chirp as they go about their daily nest building activities. As a kid I especially loved the sound of the red winged blackbirds as they busied themselves building their nests in the nearby slough. Once the snow had melted and the running water had subsided to a normal flow, I would spend many hours at the bridge, which for the spring and most of the summer seemed like a second home to me. I would watch and listen for the first sign of those blackbirds because I knew that with their arrival spring was officially underway.
For some reason the sound of a normal blackbird never seemed to do anything for me. If I were to venture a guess it would be a numbers thing not to mention the fact that their sound is actually rather annoying. As an adult who likes to feed birds, the blackbirds and starlings are kind of a nuisance because they can clean out a feeder faster than a squirrel on steroids.
I have a few feeders up at our cabin and I found that I eventually had to put them on a wire or line strung between trees to keep the other critters from cleaning them out. Last year I thought that I had the feeder thing figured out at the cabin and I had even decided to leave one feeder, which was shaped like a barn, for the chipmunks to enjoy. Unfortunately that feeder was within reach of a family of raccoons which visited one night and totally destroyed it. When I awoke that next morning to the sight of what was left of that feeder I was not a happy camper. Over the years the raccoons and I have had our differences, but this meant war and putting all feeders out of reach was the only way I was going to come close to winning the battle.
I haven’t been up to the cabin since last fall but I am planning on heading up there in the not too distant future. The emergence of some real spring-like weather has given me the bug to head north and open up the cabin. To some, opening the cabin involves hooking up water lines and other such things, but opening our cabin involves mostly cleaning and restocking the canned goods. It’s a little different and a little easier when you have no running water. To some that may be a great inconvenience, but to us it’s just part of the package. We’ve come a long way from the day that we cut down the first tree to make a driveway into the land and it’s been a fun family venture ever since.
I don’t believe there is a more relaxing time than when a person is in the woods enjoying nature in all of its beauty. A few years ago as I went north to open the cabin and check to see if there were any trees down I called an old service buddy, Mike who lives in Outing. He drove up the next day and although the weather wasn’t the best we sat in the cabin and caught up on what had been going on in our lives. As we sat there enjoying the warmth of the fire I noticed this red squirrel busily running back and forth from one woodpile to another. All at once the squirrel stopped in its tracks and stood perfectly still under a pile of small branches. I couldn’t figure out what it was up to until I spotted the red tailed hawk sitting in a tree just a short distance from the two woodpiles. The hawk was obviously sizing up little Red for its afternoon meal. The squirrel’s survival instincts must have been pretty sharp because it never moved or even twitched until the hawk tired of the waiting game and flew on. To this day I still consider myself lucky to have been able to observe first hand, how an animal survives an encounter with a natural predator in the wild.
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Muskie Talk News
The next meeting of Southern Crossroads Chapter of Muskies Inc. will meet Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at the Eagles Club in Owatonna.
Our speaker will be Bob Schmitt of Just Encase Tackle Boxes. Hear updates, also, door prizes, raffle and plenty of muskie talk. Need not be a member to attend. Bring a friend and help improve muskie fishing in Southern Minnesota. See you at Minnesota Muskie Expo, April 10, 11, 12, At Concordia Univ., Gangelhoff Center, 235 Hamline St. N, St. Paul.
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Until next time, the smell of spring is in the air and it’s a great time to take in all the wonders that nature has to offer.
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.
As I was listening to the radio the other day, the news director told about an additive that was going to be used to get things like glue and toothpaste out of the tube faster. That news is surely going to take a lot of worry off of my mind and help me sleep better at night. With that thought in my head I recalled my days as a youth attending Hammer School north of town. It was a two-room schoolhouse that had a basement used for eating lunch and also for recess on rainy days. I remember anxiously waiting for the milk man to bring our milk for lunch each day. We had to bring our own lunches, but needed to wait for the milk before eating. I guess that was part of the nutrition program in those days. I can still smell those egg salad sandwiches that mom would pack in my lunch; they were my favorite.
The little school also had a library where not only books but art supplies were stored. Whenever there was a new art project that required colored paper and the paste that was used to hold most everything together, a couple of students were chosen to get the supplies. Now the paste (that we would call glue today) was white and kept in a large jar and the students were to use a wooden stick to put some of the paste in a smaller container for everyone to use. If you had ever gone to a country school in those days it was inevitable that sooner or later you would have your turn at fetching the art supplies and it was almost guaranteed that you would be tempted to taste that paste at least one time. It actually didn’t taste all that bad and for most of us it became a challenge to sneak a taste without getting caught by the teacher.
Things were a little different back then because it didn’t take much to entertain us. I can remember the year that the mumps were going around. Our teacher had us line up and one at a time we would come forward and eat a spear of dill pickle. This was how we were tested for mumps; if you had a sharp pain in your glands then there was a very good chance that you were coming down with them. I can still remember that feeling and the subsequent double barreled case of the mumps. Things are just a tad more sophisticated in the medical field these days. My dad never did let me forget that I had shared the mumps with him.
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Many of our state parks have some pretty good programs for folks who want to try camping and a variety of other outdoor activities for the first time.
Learn to camp, paddle and more at Minnesota state parks
Registration for I Can Camp! and other skill-building programs began March 20, the first day of spring.
People who lack the experience or equipment to go on a camping, canoeing or fishing trip should consider signing up for one of the many introductory programs offered at Minnesota state parks and trails in 2015. Reservations are now being taken for the following beginner-level programs, which start in June and continue through the end of August:
1. I Can Camp! – Develop (or brush up on) fire-starting and camp cooking skills, and stay overnight in tents, complete with air mattresses, that sleep up to six people ($50 for one-night programs or $75 for two-night programs).
2. I Can Paddle! – Get out on the water for some guided canoeing, kayaking, sea kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding practice ($15 per boat and up).
3. I Can Climb! – Experience the thrill of rock climbing with instruction provided by trained professionals from Vertical Endeavors Guided Adventures ($10 per person).
4. I Can Mountain Bike! – Learn riding techniques and ride mountain bike trails with guides from the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Club ($25 per person).
The Minnesota state parks and trails I Can! series also includes I Can Fish! and Archery in the Parks programs, which are both free and require no reservation.
“If you’d like to create some unforgettable outdoor experiences with your kids but don’t know how to get started, the I Can! skill-building programs are designed for you,” said Erika Rivers, director of Minnesota state parks and trails. “Minnesota has amazing state parks, trails and water trails, and we want to spark interest in more families to get out and enjoy them.”
No experience is necessary for any of these programs. Instruction and essential equipment is provided. Vehicle permits ($5 for a one-day permit or $25 for a year-round permit) are required to enter Minnesota state parks and recreation areas. Registration for the I Can Camp! programs includes a one-day permit.
For more information about any of the programs—including program dates, times, locations, and minimum age requirements, visit www.mndnr.gov/ican or contact the DNR Information Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Register at www.mndnr.gov/reservations or call 866-857-2757 (8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, except holidays).
Until next time, it’s never too early to start planning for that family vacation or just a weekend camping trip. You can always enjoy the outdoors; whether it’s a week’s vacation, a weekend of camping or a day trip to an area park.
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