Outdoors

Pick a species and we’ve got some whoppers entered in the North Country Angler this week. Walleye, bass and pike are hitting at a rapid rate, with trout now heading for deeper water as summer finally arrives in the Ely area.<BR><BR>Two 10 lb. walleyes, two 4 lb. smallmouth and two northerns over 20 pounds give you an idea of how the fishing has been the past week. Great!<BR><BR>First, the walleyes. Chad Schmidt of Forest Lake, MN tops the list with a 10 lb. 2.5 oz., 31-inch walleye that took a leech from Skube’s Bait in Shagawa Lake.<BR><BR>Ted Mitschulis of Champlin, MN was using a jig and a minnow when he landed a 10 lb. walleye, also 31 inches long, while fishing in Burntside Lake. He checked the fish in at Voyageur North Outfitters.<BR><BR>Burntside was also the lucky lake for Jameel Ramon Zeno of Burnsville as a 9 lb. 8 oz. walleye, again 31 inches long, hit a leech. The fish was weighed in at Skube’s Bait.

Not everything involved with cold, windy and wet weather is bad. Certainly folks up here on a fishing vacation may curse those days when it becomes a real rain suit endeavor to venture onto the lakes as an icy torrent is beating down and the wind is churning up four-foot combers. But, then, there is cabin time.<BR><BR>Probably there is nothing more soul satisfying on a miserable day than curling up by the fireplace or wood stove in a cabin and having some fine, readable books at hand. Those of us who have lived year around in cabins are well aware that the romance quickly wears off when the temperature plunges to 40 below and snow piles up against the door. <BR><BR>But for a week or two vacation, or even a summer furlough from civilization, a cabin is a perfect place to hang out, especially on those days when the outside world is decidedly inclement.<BR><BR>Ah, but what to read?

Busted. Troy saw my column on the trail cameras and sent me his response. Not only does he get to test the cameras for the company he works for in west central Wisconsin, he’s also part of the QDM movement. <BR><BR>According to the QDMA web site, “Quality Deer Management is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints.”<BR><BR>What does that mean? Well basically it means deer hunters need to be more selective if they want to be able to shoot quality deer. You let the young bucks and spikes go and take a doe now and then instead of shooting anything with antlers. <BR><BR>QDM has a lot of merit and works well in areas where landowners and land managers agree on how the area should be managed for deer.

The weather has been a mystery for fishermen, from bright and sunny one day to cold and cloudy the next. But we’re seeing some nice entries come in, despite the changing conditions.<BR><BR>Burntside Lake is known more for its lake trout fishing, but when you’re able to tear into the walleyes, you better get ready to set the hook.<BR><BR>Teresa Wagner of Washburn, WI found the right spot and using a leech caught a 9 lb. 12 oz. walleye on Burntside, entering the contest at Skube’s. <BR><BR>William Nelson of Elbow Lake, MN was right behind with a 9 lb. 8 oz. walleye caught in Burntside on a leech and checked in at Skube’s. <BR><BR>Fishing Birch Lake, Elyite Bill Deyak landed the biggest walleye of the week. Caught on a Rapala, the fish was 10 lb. 4 oz. and checked in at The Great Outdoors.<BR><BR> Eagles Nest One was the spot to send out a Rapala and reel in an 8 lb. 11 oz. walleye for Sarah Sawyer of Kansas City, MO.

Brett Porthan said it was so windy on Basswood last weekend that he could only backtroll over a reef three times before stopping to bail out the boat.<BR><BR>For fisherfolk who dared to brave the wind, the results were worth the effort. Brett reported catching over 100 walleyes with a handful over five pounds. And all in 10 feet of water. <BR><BR>The windy weather stacked fish up on the reefs but a number of parties reported they resorted to fishing from shore rather than risk the wavy waters. <BR><BR>Warmer temperatures may have helped turn on the trout as well. <BR><BR>Top fish of the week was a 16 lb. 2 oz. lake trout caught in Snowbank Lake by Randy Mattson of Aurora. He weighed the lunker in at Vermilion Fuel and Food.<BR><BR>Some nice trout are being taken out of Miners Lake right in Ely. Jerod Gheen was fishing with worms and caught two rainbows, one 19 inches, 2 lb. 13 oz. and one 20 inches, 3 lb. 3 oz.

It is absolutely incredible the variety of phone calls and e-mails they get at the Chamber of Commerce. Just recently, they received a phone call from a lady in Mora who owns a de-clawed, de-fanged four-year-old bear. She said she had a problem. The bear lives contentedly with her family of five in a mobile home which is kind of ramshackle. The neighbors love the bear because it licks their barbecue grills clean. Yuk.<BR><BR>The Mora lady and her brood intend to move from the trailer to a new home, but they find insurance premiums very expensive because of the bear. Seems they lived in the trailer without insurance. Their dilemma is whether to absorb the exorbitant rate and keep the bear or forgo the insurance. Getting rid of the bear is apparently out of the question. <BR><BR>The lady thought that since Ely is in the wilderness, the Chamber of Commerce might know someone who would take over guardianship of the animal.

Strange sightings in the woods usually go with the line, "Sure you did." But Phil Meier of Winton has the pictures to prove his story is no tall tale.<BR><BR>Phil and his dad Dwayne were fishing on Crooked Lake and had come into their campsite with some walleyes to cook up for dinner.<BR><BR>While Phil went back into the woods to gather some firewood, Dwayne took out his fillet knife and unhooked a walleye from the stringer to get it ready for the frying pan.<BR><BR>Everything up until that point had been going just fine. But, according to Phil, it was then that some weird stuff took place.<BR><BR>"I heard something right behind me. A deer came walking probably within three or four feet away. I could've tackled it," said Phil.<BR><BR>But this deer was not interested in a guy gathering firewood, she had dinner on her mind.

The engineers are busy Those furry, big-toothed, dam builders that live along the shorelines. One thing the wet spring produced was a lot of extra work for beavers. <BR><BR>There must be something in their genes which does not let them allow water to run off anywhere. If it is a stream, they have to dam it. If it is a lake, they look for the outlet to plug. Among other activities, they like to jam culverts going beneath roadways, an enterprise which brings them into conflict with people.<BR><BR>Not far from where we live, several beavers have dammed tiny streams going under the Fernberg Road. Lake County road folk are forever at war with the beavers, unplugging culverts, removing dams and beaver houses and otherwise making the rodents unhappy. But the beavers keep coming back.

The middle of June is not exactly prime time to be out scouting for your buck, but a new wave of technology has made it much more interesting.<BR><BR>Trail cameras have been around for some time now but with the introduction of digital cameras, a whole new world has come into focus.<BR><BR>Troy, a friend of mine from college, works for a company that has just brought a digital trail camera to market. Troy’s job has included bringing home several demo models to try them out.<BR><BR>The results have been impressive. Via e-mail I get photos taken as recently as the day before. That’s the big difference between the old film camera and the digital models, instant results.<BR><BR>Plus, digital cameras allow you to take many photos and delete the ones you don’t want, keeping only those that pique your interest.

The weather continues to be a factor affecting fishing in the Ely area. This time it’s the wind that blew boats all over the lake and fish into the shorelines and/or deeper water. <BR><BR>Top walleye of the week was a 7 lb. 2 oz. Basswood beauty caught by Dick Brush of Green City, OH on a leech and checked in at Packsack Canoe Trips and Log Cabins.<BR><BR>Basswood was also the spot for Doug Booth of Lucasville, OH, with a 6 lb. 10 oz. walleye, also caught on a leech and weighed at Packsack Canoe Trips and Log Cabins.<BR><BR>And the third largest walleye came from …you guessed it, Basswood Lake as Doug Padgett came over from Tower and used a minnow to catch a 6 lb. 6 oz.