Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Recommended Posts

My son was out Friday & saw the thermocline in the depthfinder; it was gone Saturday though. I went out Sun & Mon for a while. I got 3 eater walleyes & a few northern. Everything quit biting for me after 4:30 pm both days except the sunnies & rock bass. Water really didn't look murky, but maybe not as clear as usual.

Loons are gone except for the young ones-- I've always wondered how they find their way to where they're supposed to go without the older loons to show them the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Loons are gone except for the young ones-- I've always wondered how they find their way to where they're supposed to go without the older loons to show them the way.


Thanks for the reminder. That was another disappointment in my 9/9-16 vacation to 8th Crow Wing. Being from Omaha, I always enjoyed hearing the loons.

One year, in one of the channels between the lakes, happened upon an adult (mom?) loon with the babies on her back. We were close enough to have touched them... man, what a treat that was!!!! grin.gif

But this year, not only did we not SEE one/any, I don't even remember HEARING one!! confused.giffrown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're up on 11th on summer weekends. The adults can start leaving as early as mid to late August. Sorry you missed them. I think the loons are half of the reason my wife loves going up there so often.

I was at a family renunion during the summer on the Whitefish chain. It was insanely hot that weekend and I was waterskiing behind our boat. I was busy looking around at the loons not paying attention to what I was doing. SMACK, I buried a tip in the wake. After bobbing around on the surface for 2 or 3 seconds I found myself surrounded by loons in the water. They were all singing along beautifully, and didn't seem to care I was a mere 5 feet from them. Great experience!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

I think the loons are half of the reason my wife loves going up there so often.

After bobbing around on the surface for 2 or 3 seconds I found myself surrounded by loons in the water. They were all singing along beautifully, and didn't seem to care I was a mere 5 feet from them. Great experience!


Boy, what a TREAT that would have been!!! grin.gif

So they usually leave mid-August, huh? That would explain their absence... I wasn't so much attributing their absence to "8th Crow Wing", as much as we - like your wife - really enjoy that aspect of our Minnesota vacations.

Might just have to start visiting earlier!! wink.gif

Thanks for the info...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As early as mid August, usually later. But I suppose it depends on the conditions. Maybe when the eggs were hatched and when the juveniles are ready to fend for themselves? The MN DNR probably has better info.

Speaking of which, have the lakes turned over yet? I haven't been up there since 9/16 and won't get there for the next weekend (last trip up for year). I'd like to get some good fall fishing in to distract me from all the work we have to get done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys, regarding the adult loons flying south early... From what I know loons go into their eclipse plumage and all look the same in the fall, brown. So the loons you see now are females, males, and juveniles. If you've duck hunted early season you know that the hen and drake mallards look very similiar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tippman, can you point me to some info on that? What I've read and was told, loons can't do the molting thing till after the migration south-- not enough time in the season for it along with nesting, breeding, raising young, etc, in the MN and Canada summers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here was the first web site I searched to give you an address...http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/animals/loon/lnfly.html

It's halfway down the page. I'm sure there are many others, probably more official as well. The moulting was something that I just learned from talking with others and my own experiences.

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I notice you use the Canadian/British spelling of 'molt'-- you from Canada?

You learn something every day. I didn't know they started molting during late summer. I did find that they don't lose their flight feathers though, and continue molting during migration. The main molting (where they're flightless) happens in late winter before the northern migration.

http://www.northland.edu/Northland/Soei/Programs/LoonWatch/AboutLoons/LoonID.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.