Wally Cotton
06-20-2013, 01:15 PM
I have 2 things that I want to talk about and I believe that anyone that has been going to Leech Lake for a while can relate to. The first is fishing Walleyes, I grew up fishing Stoney Point and the main lake starting 40 years ago as a little boy with my Grandfather, using Little Joe spinners and night crawlers that we would hunt for with flashlights at night where we stayed at the Stoney Point resort. Over the years I would continue to fish the traditional spots, some years were better than others, and only a few years ago with very little success. I would like to say that it is great to see that the Walleye have come back and this trip was the best I have ever had catching fish. I hunted for the fish on the main lake and tried all the spots with little success for 3 days. We stayed at "The Shores of Leech Lake" in Walker Bay and each day I would see boats 200 yards away from my dock fishing. I thought that they were crazy and didn't know what they were doing right there in my back yard, but I was curious so on the 4th day of my trip I decided to give it a try... WOW!!! For the next 3 days I drifted using my spinner rigs, that I now make myself and caught over a dozen Walleyes from 21" to 26" that I was happy to give back to continue the Walleye population, but my wife and I limited out each day and we are thrilled to fill our freezer. We caught most on red or green 24" spinners behind the lightest weight that would stay in contact with the bottom, tried nightcrawlers, shinners and the Walleyes wanted LEECHES, started in 30' of water and drifted up to 14' (anything from 14' to 10' all we got were perch and rock bass) the Walleye were hitting in 21' to 17'. For those of you fishing the main lake, you have to move to the bay... TRUST ME!
Second Point - Leech Lake earned it's reputation from the Blue Collar families that would come up to the lake each summer with their families. There were alot of resorts and the town was a fun place to be. Over the years I have watched it change as the resorts have closed up and sold out to private lake houses, with fewer resorts, even with all the campers it seems there are a lot fewer people in town. I worry that Walker is struggling and that the income that the stores received each summer to get them through the year is not there. Everything is over priced and many of the people visiting are snobs, I miss the feeling of the old Walker. For those of us who have done well and continue to carry on the tradition of yearly visits to the lake with our family, I wish that people would remember to leave their attitudes and arrogance back home. The fish are not impressed!
Second Point - Leech Lake earned it's reputation from the Blue Collar families that would come up to the lake each summer with their families. There were alot of resorts and the town was a fun place to be. Over the years I have watched it change as the resorts have closed up and sold out to private lake houses, with fewer resorts, even with all the campers it seems there are a lot fewer people in town. I worry that Walker is struggling and that the income that the stores received each summer to get them through the year is not there. Everything is over priced and many of the people visiting are snobs, I miss the feeling of the old Walker. For those of us who have done well and continue to carry on the tradition of yearly visits to the lake with our family, I wish that people would remember to leave their attitudes and arrogance back home. The fish are not impressed!