Battling the elements in search of lunkers
Published 12:00 am Saturday, October 4, 2003
As I prepare to leave for a long weekend of fishing in northern Minnesota, I have resigned myself to the fact that it will probably be my last fishing trip north this year. I am also mentally preparing myself for some freezing temperatures.
I don’t really seem to have much luck, weather-wise, when it comes to planning fall fishing trips.
I can pretty much remember all the trips north I have made in the fall and I think most of them have fallen on record breakers.
My son Brian and I have taken a few fall fishing trips and, even though the weather was less that desirable, we still managed to enjoy it. He always says he has a good time, so he is either really good at getting me to believe him (a trait he acquired as a child) or he just plain enjoys cold, nasty weather.
On one occasion we had snow on the ground when we stayed at Spider Lake. Now this in itself is not earth shaking news, but the week previous it was in the mid-to-high 60s and the week following it got back into the 60s.
Our week? Great week-high of 38 and lows in the high 20s. Brian woke up early every morning and went bow hunting for a couple hours. After that we’d eat breakfast and hit the lake. We actually caught a few fish that week, and Brian saw some deer, but none were quite close enough to his stand for a real good shot.
Even with the bad weather and the cold it was still a great trip. I guess there was something about getting back to the warm cabin and just enjoying being away from everything. This is something that one or the other of us brings up from time to time and it is a memory of good times we will always be able to share.
There were also the years that I had a pickup camper and would go up in the fall. That little camper would get real toasty inside, and when you’d come off the lake it just felt great to sit in the warmth of the camper and plan the next assault on the fish population of Spider Lake.
I have found that fishing in the fall can be a feast or famine thing at times but when the fish are active you will generally catch larger fish. The ones that survived the onslaught of summer fishermen have grown and in the fall are now feeding to get ready for the winter months ahead.
I guess it’s like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. If you can find the fish when they are feeding in the fall they will definitely be worth the effort.
Putting up with a little cold weather is worth it if you can be rewarded with some nice fish that have been fattening up on baitfish for the winter.
There are times when the line has to be drawn between having fun and being miserable.
Knowing when to quit is the key. Staying on the water too long or going past your comfort zone can make for a miserable day.
A couple of years ago Brian and I went up to his Uncle Ron’s cabin on Wabedo Lake. It was in the fall and of course it was also the week of all-time low temperatures for that fall.
Ron left us directions on where the fish should be and where he thought we would have some luck. Unfortunately these directions were based on &uot;normal&uot; weather.
Ron is a pilot and he was out of the state at the time but he still called us to give us tips.
One call came at about 8 in the evening. In mid-October it’s a little dark out at that time. He kept insisting that this was prime walleye time and we should be on the water fishing a certain area.
We tried to tell him that the weather was bad but he kept saying this is when we should be on the lake. It was pitch dark, the winds were a steady 30 mph and, to make matters worse, it was 35 degrees and snowing. I thought that if we were going to be on the lake fishing that night we would probably be fishing through a hole.
This is one fall that I have to say the fish weren’t real active. We spent quite a bit of time on the water without having much luck. It was still a memorable time and the one thing I can remember the most is the crisp fall air and how good the sun felt every time it made an appearance.
With or without a lot of fish it was still fun just being there enjoying the outdoors.
Until next time, here’s wishing you Safe Huntin’ and Good Fishin.’
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(Dick Herfindal is the Tribune’s outdoors columnist. His column appears Sundays.)