Brute’s Bleat: July 30, 2014

 

Sunfishing Wednesday was what it’s supposed to be like. I had a near limit in about two hours and if I had been keeping the spawn plump females it would have been a lot sooner. It was one of those days when you didn’t have to move once the anchor was dropped. Vanna and I had the whole south of Maple Lake to ourselves except for a loon that was diving nearby, apparently looking for its breakfast. By 10 a.m. the sun was doing a good job of loosening up my back with its warm rays; and that’s about the time my estimated limit told me to hang it up. I was one fish off, I had nineteen. I got out again on Friday with Mike Muller and George Palmer when we needed to check out Muller’s new Hummingbird depth finder which had good detail. We postponed an early morning date when the weather looked threatening and fished in the afternoon. Anyway, we fished a spot where I had caught fish before and there were still some left! Muller was using a feathered doll fly jig which seemed to be the most deadly while Palmer and I stuck with using a variety of weighted small jigs. Muller came equipped with two anchors, one a new 30-pounder, to hold his boat in case of wind. I think the huge anchor would have held the Titantic and after pulling it up one time, and barely escaping a hernia, I suggested he exchange it for a 20-pounder which he did the next day. We had roughly 20 in the livewell which we returned to the lake and it was apparent none of us were very fish hungry or it might have been none of us wanted to fillet fish!
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I had kind of a flashback Sunday morning when Vanna and I were winding up our walk in Ney Park. Two riders were getting their horses ready in the parking lot when I noticed one was a mule. My first inclination was it must be Festus from TV’s Gunsmoke fame with Sheriff Matt Dillon, but in reality it was a lady from the Hasty area. She assured me she wasn’t Festus before the two road off into the sunset, or rather the sunrise.    .     .   I’m hearing a few reports of people seeing pheasants and pheasant chicks, which is good news, while others are seeing more and more adult turkeys. Some of the pheasant chicks have been nearly large enough to fly while others were from a day to a week old.  I noticed two Canada geese dead on the Hwy. 55 shoulder just west of the swimming beach that apparently were victims of a road kill, while trying to cross the highway. Considering how busy that highway has been this summer it’s surprising it hasn’t happened sooner.
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The Lakers begin playoffs Wednesday after defeating St. Michael 9-5 in a come-from-behind victory; and losing to Moorhead Sunday afternoon 9-2 finishing the season with a 25-3 record. Chad Raiche’s home run to deep centerfield with one on kept the Lakers from being shut out by Moorhead. All of the Region C playoff games will be in Maple Lake with ML playing their first game here July 30th at 7:30 p.m. against the Cokato Kings. It’s been a great season for the Lakers and we wish them well in the playoffs. 
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Minnesota’s deer hunters will need to scrutinize the DNR’s permit areas for the 2014 season and for the most part will be allowed only one deer.  That’s a change from recent years and the DNR says, “In 95 percent of the state, only one deer can be harvested so check closely to determine if you need to submit a lottery application. Deadline for lottery applications is Thursday, Sept. 4. In 69 of Minnesota's 128 deer permit areas, hunters must be chosen in a lottery to shoot an antlerless deer. Only bucks can be hunted in 14 areas. In 38 areas, hunters have the choice of shooting a doe or a buck.
Bonus permits allowing hunters to shoot more than one deer may only be used in seven permit areas and for some special hunts.” You’ll need to get ahold of a DNR map that shows the various permit areas to see what’s happening in your hunting area.
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The fellows on the cement crew that installed sidewalks and driveway aprons were just like a swarm of bees as they moved from one spot to another last week on Linden Avenue’s street reconstruction program.  It was pretty obvious to us they all knew that time is money as they wasted little time spreading the concrete and doing the finishing work cement requires.  A week without rain will make a huge difference in what’s left to do on our avenue. So far I haven’t heard of anyone leaving a hand print in the fresh cement, although it was tempting!

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