Bob Jensen
12-14-2000, 02:44 PM
As promised, following is a report on our ice-fishing trip to the Leech Lake area. Our goal was to get several segments for our Fishing the Midwest television series, which begins airing January 6. Complete listings and show descriptions will be listed soon.
Left home Monday, Dec.11, about 6:30 a.m. Wind was blowing and snow was falling, temps below zero. Picked up producer Brian Dellis in Twin Cities and continued to Walker, MN. Snow subsided on the way, but it continued to get colder. Arrived in Walker about 2:00 p.m. Stopped by AmericInn where we were staying. Today we would be fishing with Chip Leer. Chip and Tommy Skarlis are the ramrods behind On Ice Tour. Chip and Tommy are expert ice-anglers who promote and educate about ice-fishing.
We got on the ice with Chip about 3:00, but didn't have much time. Needed to be at the new Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame by 5:30. Only got to fish about an hour, not much action. Headed to the Hall of Fame. Great place. You've got to stop there when in Walker. Admission is free. Open in the summer. Video stories about all Hall of Fame members. Really a neat place.
Had supper with Chip Leer and his wife Enica, Tommy Skarlis, and Scott Fairbairn. Scott is a walleye tournament angler. We would be fishing with Scott and Chip tomorrow. Planned to meet for breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
Temperature was about 25 below at breakfast. We planned to fish a small lake for panfish. Ate breakfast, got bait, traveled to the lake, got there between 8:30 and 9:00. Sky was bright blue, winds started out light, then pretty much died. Bluegill bite was tough, but crappies were willing to eat. Chip stayed with the gills while Scott searched for crappies. When we determined the crappies were most active, we all started fishing them.
Got plenty of tape shot in about two hours. Cold weather is brutal on camera equipment. Batteries that usually last for hours were drained in ten minutes. Traveled back to Walker, put the batteries on charge, and met with Charlie Thompson. Charlie has twenty really nice ice-houses on Leech Lake. Chip, Scott, and I would be fishing with Charlie that afternoon.
About ten inches of ice on Walker Bay. We took snowmobiles and four wheelers to the house. I fished outside in my Frabill XLTwin shelter. Great unit,,lots of room.
Charlie cooked a wonderful walleye lunch, complete with potatoes, beans, and breadsticks. Good stuff.
I had some action fishing out of the XLTwin, but as the sun got lower, I got colder and finally moved into the house. Can't take the camera in and out of the warm house due to condensation. It needs to either be inside or outside.
Fish had been starting to bite about 3:00-3:30 in the afternoon. They didn't for us. We caught a few, but one of Charlie's other houses just a short distance away caught 25 walleyes in just a short period of time. Charlie keeps moving the houses so they are over productive water. He will even move anglers from one house to another during the day to insure the best chance for a bite. We headed for the AmericInn about 6:00. Made plans to be on the ice at 6:30 the next morning.
Met Charlie and his friend Tom Johnson at the house right on time. Action was slow to start, but as the sun got higher in the sky, the perch started to bite. Some of them were really nice ones. Tom and Charlie did a great job talking about the area as well as fishing techniques.
We were experimenting with a Deluxe Pro Vista Cam underwater camera. This unit has a nine inch monitor and a soft carrying case. Does an absolutely great job. Charlie was so impressed with the unit he kept it. The Deluxe Pro Vista Cam is easy to use, and several anglers can watch it at the same time. If you're interested, contact me for more details.
The underwater camera is great to watch, but it is also a valuable learning tool. Charlie and I were using minnows on Fire-Ball jigs, Tom was using one of the new eighth ounce Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons. Our baits were maybe six feet apart, but the rattling spoon attracted far more perch. There would often be up to a dozen perch around the spoon while they ignored our jigs. It was apparent the rattling was attracting them. The perch would zoom into view of the camera directly past the jigs and straight toward the spoon. It was amazing.
Charlie Thompson is the guy to contact to rent a ice-house on Leech Lake. He keeps them clean and on the fish. Charlie and his crew will provide you with all the information you need to have a good shot at very good fishing. Call them at 218-547-1252. Call soon though, the houses are filling up fast, especially on the weekends. They also rent snowmobiles and four-wheelers.
We left Walker about noon on Wednesday. Travel was o.k. from Walker to the Cities, although snow was kind of heavy at times. From the Cities to Iowa roads were slippery, lots of cars in the ditches. Lot more snow in Iowa than in Walker.
All of our taping is done for the year, now Brian starts editing and getting shows on the air. Again, I will post times and stations in the next few days on our fishingthemidwest.com site.
Left home Monday, Dec.11, about 6:30 a.m. Wind was blowing and snow was falling, temps below zero. Picked up producer Brian Dellis in Twin Cities and continued to Walker, MN. Snow subsided on the way, but it continued to get colder. Arrived in Walker about 2:00 p.m. Stopped by AmericInn where we were staying. Today we would be fishing with Chip Leer. Chip and Tommy Skarlis are the ramrods behind On Ice Tour. Chip and Tommy are expert ice-anglers who promote and educate about ice-fishing.
We got on the ice with Chip about 3:00, but didn't have much time. Needed to be at the new Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame by 5:30. Only got to fish about an hour, not much action. Headed to the Hall of Fame. Great place. You've got to stop there when in Walker. Admission is free. Open in the summer. Video stories about all Hall of Fame members. Really a neat place.
Had supper with Chip Leer and his wife Enica, Tommy Skarlis, and Scott Fairbairn. Scott is a walleye tournament angler. We would be fishing with Scott and Chip tomorrow. Planned to meet for breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
Temperature was about 25 below at breakfast. We planned to fish a small lake for panfish. Ate breakfast, got bait, traveled to the lake, got there between 8:30 and 9:00. Sky was bright blue, winds started out light, then pretty much died. Bluegill bite was tough, but crappies were willing to eat. Chip stayed with the gills while Scott searched for crappies. When we determined the crappies were most active, we all started fishing them.
Got plenty of tape shot in about two hours. Cold weather is brutal on camera equipment. Batteries that usually last for hours were drained in ten minutes. Traveled back to Walker, put the batteries on charge, and met with Charlie Thompson. Charlie has twenty really nice ice-houses on Leech Lake. Chip, Scott, and I would be fishing with Charlie that afternoon.
About ten inches of ice on Walker Bay. We took snowmobiles and four wheelers to the house. I fished outside in my Frabill XLTwin shelter. Great unit,,lots of room.
Charlie cooked a wonderful walleye lunch, complete with potatoes, beans, and breadsticks. Good stuff.
I had some action fishing out of the XLTwin, but as the sun got lower, I got colder and finally moved into the house. Can't take the camera in and out of the warm house due to condensation. It needs to either be inside or outside.
Fish had been starting to bite about 3:00-3:30 in the afternoon. They didn't for us. We caught a few, but one of Charlie's other houses just a short distance away caught 25 walleyes in just a short period of time. Charlie keeps moving the houses so they are over productive water. He will even move anglers from one house to another during the day to insure the best chance for a bite. We headed for the AmericInn about 6:00. Made plans to be on the ice at 6:30 the next morning.
Met Charlie and his friend Tom Johnson at the house right on time. Action was slow to start, but as the sun got higher in the sky, the perch started to bite. Some of them were really nice ones. Tom and Charlie did a great job talking about the area as well as fishing techniques.
We were experimenting with a Deluxe Pro Vista Cam underwater camera. This unit has a nine inch monitor and a soft carrying case. Does an absolutely great job. Charlie was so impressed with the unit he kept it. The Deluxe Pro Vista Cam is easy to use, and several anglers can watch it at the same time. If you're interested, contact me for more details.
The underwater camera is great to watch, but it is also a valuable learning tool. Charlie and I were using minnows on Fire-Ball jigs, Tom was using one of the new eighth ounce Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons. Our baits were maybe six feet apart, but the rattling spoon attracted far more perch. There would often be up to a dozen perch around the spoon while they ignored our jigs. It was apparent the rattling was attracting them. The perch would zoom into view of the camera directly past the jigs and straight toward the spoon. It was amazing.
Charlie Thompson is the guy to contact to rent a ice-house on Leech Lake. He keeps them clean and on the fish. Charlie and his crew will provide you with all the information you need to have a good shot at very good fishing. Call them at 218-547-1252. Call soon though, the houses are filling up fast, especially on the weekends. They also rent snowmobiles and four-wheelers.
We left Walker about noon on Wednesday. Travel was o.k. from Walker to the Cities, although snow was kind of heavy at times. From the Cities to Iowa roads were slippery, lots of cars in the ditches. Lot more snow in Iowa than in Walker.
All of our taping is done for the year, now Brian starts editing and getting shows on the air. Again, I will post times and stations in the next few days on our fishingthemidwest.com site.