Trapper's Landing Lodge

Leech Lake by Boat

2008-04-25T08:20:00.004-06:00

Points of Interest on Leech Lake you can reach by watercraft

Leech Lake is bigger than big. At some points it's almost 20 miles across, you-can't-see-the-other-side big. You could spend days exploring Leech by boat and never see it all, nor fish in the same square-mile vicinity twice.

Because it's so big, you should take a map with you if you don't have a GPS on your boat or don't know how to use it. Note where Trapper's Landing Lodge is, and develop a plan for your destination and return.

The little island straight out, and a little to the left, from Trapper's Landing Lodge has a name: Pipe Island. Not much there. But this little clump of land can serve as a reference point when you're out on your boat and looking for a landmark to help you identify where Trapper's Landing Lodge is along the shore.

If you leave Trapper's Landing Lodge by boat and follow the shoreline on the right, the first point you'll come to is Diamond Point.
Continuing along you'll eventually come to a narrows between Partridge Point on the right, and Bear Island on the left.

Bear Island
Say you're standing on your patio at Trapper's Landing Lodge, looking out over endless Leech Lake. Now, about three miles out, on the right side, is land that looks like the same lake shoreline that connects around to Trappers. But it doesn't. It's a long strip of land, about 140 acres, called Bear Island, and it is indeed an island. When you head over there with your boat, you'll be able to motor around it. You'll notice there are homes on the island, but no bridges to the mainland. There is no running water or electricity on the island. Bear Island has significant American Indian heritage and because of its location in a warmer lake-effected micro-climate, contains unusual plants. No timber harvesting is allowed.

Battle or Sugar Point
The northern tip of Bear Island points right at the Leech Lake shoreline called Battle Point. In 1898 the 3rd U.S. infantry was attempting to apprehend an Ojibwe chieftain named Bugonaygeshig, who violated the law by conducting a bootlegging operation, but American troops were successfully fought off at this point by Bear Island Pillager Indians.
This last scuffle, called the Battle of Sugar Point, was the location of the last Indian uprising in the United States - the last time the United States Army fought Native Americans. Six U.S. soldiers were killed; ten were wounded. Only one Indian was slightly wounded, and ole chief Buggy was never captured.

Pelican Island
About two miles dead east of Bear Island, smack in the middle of Leech and due north from Trappers is a 100 yard stretch of land called Pelican Island. As you learned in a previous post, Pelican island is where most of Leech's cormorants nest. Pelican is a protected nature reserve and nesting ground for thousands and thousands of birds, including pelicans, sea gulls and the cormorants. It is surrounded by large rocks, so you won't be able to get your boat within a hundred yards. Humans are not allowed on Pelican Island: just birds.

Traders Bay, Agency Narrows
If you pull out of Trapper's Landing Lodge and keep the shore on your left side, the first point you'll come around is Rogers Point. Shortly after you'll pass Horseshoe Bay Resort, round Stony Point, and then officially be in Traders Bay. If you head to the dead center of the bay, you'll find what is known as the Agency Narrows, which is your passageway into Agency Bay; and your quickest way to get to Walker Bay.

Agency Bay
Agency Bay, right around the narrows, is a popular boat hangout spot, as the lake bottom there is sugar-soft sand and the water is shallow for almost a hundred yards out. In summer months many boats will be anchored here all day long, and folks will be grilling burgers on board, or set up a camp along the shore.

City of Walker, Lighthouse in City Park
To get to Walker, after crossing southeast through Agency Bay, (about two miles across) bear right, and use the city water tower in the distance to guide you to the dock at city park. If you're trying to find Walker by water at night, as of this last year, there is a lighthouse in city park to guide you. The lighthouse, about 30 feet tall, was donated to the city of Walker by private residents and built last year on site at the park. It is available to rent for private functions. Call the Chamber of Commerce for inquiries, (218) 547-1313.

Pelican Island covered with the birds who live there.
Photo by Stephanie Hemphill
MPR photo by Stephanie Hemphill

Leech Lake Walleye Fishing

2008-04-08T06:42:00.014-06:00

"The good news is that walleye stocking worked. The better news is that the naturally reproduced walleye were even more abundant." */-Pat Rivers, large lake specialist with the DNR Fisheries Walker office.

This is the story of one of the greatest comebacks in Leech Lake history. You may have heard how the walleye appeared to be even more mysterious and elusive than usual in 2004 and 2005. What you may not know are the details of the massive campaign to combat this perceived decline, and how spectacularly those efforts have succeeded in restoring the number and health of the walleye in Leech Lake to previous levels of angling perfection.

How it happened
The DNR has concluded that the primary reason for walleye population decline was two-fold. First, walleye fishing was a victim of its own success. In the 1990s, anglers harvested enormous numbers of the prized fish out of Leech Lake. Second, the numbers of a walleye-gorging birds living in the Leech Lake area, the cormorant, exploded from 73 nesting pairs in 1998 to more than 2500 in 2004. Huge flocks of cormorants could be seen stalking the waters of Leech, flying low to scan for their prey and dive-bombing down to pluck another of the lake's crown jewels from the water. In this fashion, the average cormorant consumed a pound of walleye per day in the summer months. Normally, nature keeps its own balance, and holds such predators in check via predators of their own.
But as it so happens, cormorants have no natural predators.

The cormorant problem is not exclusive to Leech Lake, or even Minnesota.
After being almost wiped out by DDT poisoning 20 years ago, the cormorant itself has had a dramatic comeback in the Great Lakes area and fresh water lakes in Canada, Asia and Northern Europe. Instead of killing all their cormorants, the Chinese trained to bird to be utterly cooperative, and do all their fishing for them: after cormorants in China catch a fish, they carry them via bill pouch back to the fisherman, and spit the fish out. Why aren't we doing that? Surely, Minnesota fisherfolks have equal cormorant-training potential.

Nor is this the first time cormorants have had an effect on the walleye population of Leech Lake. In 1925 cormorants were perceived to be causing the same walleye decline, and the problem was solved back then in the same way it is solved today - people deliberately reduced the birds' numbers.

The plan
By 2005 all the communities around Leech Lake could see the writing on the wall. An unfair fight was taking place and someone had to intervene on behalf of the defenseless, adorable, and delicious walleye.
Thus, an ad hoc committee of concerned locals, calling themselves the Leech Lake Task Force, teamed up with the Department of Natural Resources and the Leech Lake Band of Objiwe and put together a 5-year strategy called the Leech Lake Action Plan, which called for the following actions:

Restock Leech with baby walleye, called fry and fingerling,

Kill off 80% of the cormorants

Limit the number of reproducing female walleyes that could be taken out by anglers.

The work
Action was taken immediately and the multi-year plan followed. Here are the details.
The number of Walleye fry (babies) stocked in Leech Lake:

7.5 million in 2005

22 million in 2006

7.5 million in 2007

22 scheduled for 2008

Walleye stock from Boy River run by Woman Lake was identified as being the closest genetic match to Leech walleye. The fish were marked with oxytetracycline, an antibiotic that leaves an identifiable mark on fish bones, enabling the DNR to identify walleye as stocked fish when they are caught later.

Cormorants were 'taken out' to the tune of:

2,993 in 2005

3,303 in 2006

2,784 in 2007, for a total near 9,000 birds culled; leaving the total number of 563 nesting pairs, plus some additional juveniles.

Regulations limiting anglers to pulling four walleye a day out of Leech, requiring all walleye from 18-26 inches be returned immediately back to the water, and allowing only one walleye over 26 inches, were implemented and remain in affect.

The results
Although the success of the 2007 Governor's Fishing Opener on Leech Lake, with Governor Pawlenty pulling multiple walleye out of Leech, was much-publicized evidence that there were walleye to be had, other more scientific tests and fish sampling clearly indicate a full walleye recovery or comeback. Since 1983 Leech Lake has been one of ten large lakes in Minnesota tested annually with variety of technologies to monitor all statistics of the lake, including fish populations, growth rates and size distribution.

The average number of walleye caught in a gill net sample in 2004 was 5. The goal of the Leech Lake Action Plan was to increase that back to the historical average of 7.5.
The 2007 gillnet catch rate was 13.1 walleyes per net was the second highest on record, and nearly double the 1983-2007 average of 7.5 fish/net.

The median lengths of the 2005 and 2006 year classes were 15 and 12 inches total length, respectively.

The number of age-8 and older fish caught in gill nets has increased from 1 in 2001, to 54 in 2007. This fact indicates that the protected slot limit is having a positive effect on the population.

The percentage of fish sampled which are marked as stocked fish has dropped from 2006 to 2007, which is an indicator that the lake has reached walleye capacity, the walleye classes indigenous to Leech are thriving and there is no problem inherent in their genetic strain.

Leech Lake as an ecosystem can only sustain a certain number of fish, and DNR biologists believe the lake has likely been restored to its most natural balance. Any further stocking would result in young walleye competing for a limited food supply, so a greater percentage of them would not succeed in putting on enough weight to survive through their first winter.

In sum, everything that could be done by man to maximize the number of healthy walleye has been done, and there are many indicators of better-than-expected success. Some serious fisherman in the area say there were always plenty of walleye. They'd just didn't stick in their usually places; you just needed to look around more.

Leech Lake's Animal Kingdom

2008-03-24T12:31:00.004-06:00

There are far, far more animals living in the Leech Lake area within 50 miles of Trappers Landing Lodge than people. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says that besides humans, those living in norhern Minnesota include: 80 different mammal species, 21 amphibian species, 29 reptile species and 428 bird species.

A partial list of those 80 different mammals includes: badgers, bats, bears, beavers, bison, bobcat, cougar, coyote, deer, fox, lynx, minx, mole, moose, muskrat, opposom, otter, porcupine, raccoon, shrew, skunks, weasels, wolves.

Before we go into details about the mammals, let's address the reptile issue first. Guess what? Great news! There are NO poisonous snakes in northern Minnesota! Isn't that another bonus about vacationing in these parts. You might come across the occasional fox snake, bull snake or gartner snake, but all are harmless and will slither quickly away from you if you come upon them. The only other reptile of consequence in these parts is the snapping turtle, which can grow up to 20 inches and weigh up to 70 pounds. I saw one that was at least half this size crossing the road near Walker. Take care not to run these creatures over with your car. Their hard shell will not save them from being smushed like a piece of fruit.

Dear
There are an estimated 1.5 million deer in Minnesota, and northern Cass County may be one of the best wild-venison hunting grounds in the continental United States. It is almost impossible for you to go on a walk in the woods, or drive down a country road here in this area, and not see a couple deer, or at least a couple of dead ones by the side of the road that tried to cross the road at the wrong moment. The largest member of the deer family is the moose, and there are estimated to be up to 7000 of these 1000 pound, elusive animals in northern Minnesota. A moose will smell you long before it sees you, and will do it's best to avoid you.

Black Bears
Hunters come from as far as Michigan to hunt black bears in Minnesota.
What part of the bear do you eat, I asked some bear hunters. Whatever part will fit in a pan, they chuckled. It is estimated that there are between 20,000 and 30,000 black bears in the north woods of Minnesota, and about 3000 are harvested every year. Black bears in the wild are actually much smaller than you'd think, weighing only between 100-300 pounds. (I say, only; as if a 200 lb wild animal with 3-inch claws shouldn't be intimidating.) If you come across a black bear, it will likely run from you, unless it is busy eating honey from a bee hive, in which case, it will ignore you and continue eating.

Wolf
The wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 1974 and before that, Minnesota was the only state in the lower 48 states that had not exterminated its wolf population. There are about 3000 wolves in northern Minnesota today. The most common cause of death of wolves in Minnesota is by other wolves: they fight over territory. The gray wolf has a sense of smell 100 times stronger than humans. Gray wolves run in packs of six to 12 animals, which makes it much easier to kill deer or moose. They can run up to 40 miles without resting.

Lynx and Bobcat
Lynx and bobcat are both big cats, but the bobcat is very common in this area, while the lynx's territory is more in far northern Minnesota. You can tell the difference between a bobcat and a lynx, as a lynx will have a white underbelly and a goatee. Yes, that's what I said, a goatee. If you're walking along in the forest in these parts, and you come across a large uprooted tree or hollowed out log, chances are, someone of the bear, wolf, or cat family has lined the area with moss and leaves, and has made a den/home for themselves there. Don't go poking your nose around such dwellings, especially in May or June when mothers may be on high alert to protect their young from the likes of you.

Porcupines
Like pigs, porcupines will eat almost anything, especially things that are salty. A porcupine's natural diet is pine tree bark, but it won't hesitate to eat your canoe paddles or your ax handle. Porcupines are a common site in this area, even close to town. I was driving along near Walker one day, saw a porcupine lumbering along the side of the road, stopped my car, and ran after it, yelling, "Wait, I've never seen one of you up close." But it went down into a culvert and I suddenly remembered my fear of quills. Heaven forbid your dog should find a porcupine and bother it. You'll be at the vet for hours waiting while long, sharp quills are pulled out of your pet's nose.

Beaver
The largest rodent in North America, the beaver, which can weigh up to 90 lb, is found everywhere in Minnesota. In the 200 acre DNR Wildlife Management Area about two miles from Trappers, I've come across whole beaver colonies, with hundreds of felled trees surrounding dirt mounds in the midst of a swamp. If you're near a lake and you hear a loud slapping sound, it's likely that sound was made by a beaver smacking its large flat tail against the water. If you're in the lake, look around to make sure you're not too close to a nervous beaver, as that's the sound they make when they get irritated by human proximity.

The Common Loon
The Minnesota state bird is the Common Loon. Not the Exotic or the Uncommon Loon, mind you, just the Common Loon, of which there are 12,000 pairs in Minnesota. The thing about the loon that makes it stand out among birds is its distinctive loon caw, or call sound it makes. The thing about loons in northern Minnesota is that it's quiet enough and there's enough of them, that hearing the hypnotic and lyrical call of a loon echo over the waters of a placid lake is something you can absolutely expect to experience if you spend more than 10 minutes in the Leech Lake area in the summer months.

Horned Owl
Another large bird common in the Leech Lake area is the great horned owl. My family awoke one morning to find a decapitated rabbit on our doorstep. We called the DNR with concern, and they casually informed us that it was surely the work of a great horned owl. Owls are capable of catching all manner of small animals, including domestic pets, so you may want to refrain from letting your small dog or cat wander about alone at night, when the owls are out hunting for their next meal.

Bald Eagles
There are 700 + pairs of bald eagles in Minnesota, and eagle sightings in the Leech Lake area are very common. Most locals can point you to a local spot or road from which you can view an eagle's nest with an eagle perched on a branch next to it. I can. But I had an up-close sighting recently that was nowhere near an eagle nest. I had just pulled into the parking lot of the SuperOne grocery store in Walker last week when I heard a flock of duck and geese making a lot of distressed honking, and looked in time to see an eagle grab a full-grown mallard duck in its talons. It couldn't fly with the duck, so it hopped into an ice patch in the middle of the duck pond, and ate it on the spot. Myself and many other shoppers watched with slight horror and resignation to the brutishness of nature. I'd never seen a bald eagle that close. We onlookers surmised that the eagle must be very hungry, to take out a duck in such close proximity to people.

I had the presence of mind to go into the store and ask the store manager to get a picture of 'the event.' Here it is.

A brief history of Leech Lake

2008-03-14T08:36:00.004-06:00

Wait. We've been getting ahead of ourselves. Let's back up, way up, and talk about life in the Leech Lake area before Trappers, before white man, and even before Indians roamed these lands and lakes.

Approximately 10,000 years ago, all of northern Minnesota was covered by a big glacier. What remains of that glacier, are the 10,0000 lakes that cover the state.
In late 2006, about 50 tool-like artifacts were found near the new Walker Area Community Center, on a southern hillside of Leech Lake. Some archaeologists believe these artifacts show evidence of being between 13,000 and 15,000 years old, which would date them toward the end of the last Ice Age - a time when woolly mammoths, mastodons and giant beavers roamed the continent. How /giant/ exactly were the beavers, you ask? About the size of a large dog.

This also would indicate that humans inhabited Minnesota more than 5000 years earlier than scientists once thought, and that this area was one of the oldest-known sites of human inhabitation in all of North and South America. While that's not been definitely proven just yet, let's just accept it as more evidence of how special this area is.

What is not in dispute is that the Dakota tribe lived in the Leech Lake area in the 1600, and Ojibwe (O jib way) settled on small islands on the lake by the 1700s. By 1847, white men got a treaty from these tribes that pushed them into Wisconsin and ceded the Minnesota territory that is now the Ojibwe Leech Lake Reservation.

The first westward-wandering white men established trading posts at Ottertail and Oak Points in the 1780s and lumberjacks came in droves to help harvest the forests. Back in those days there were few white women in these parts, and most of those followed the lumberjacks and worked in the 'service industry.'

Leech Lake as it exists today was formed deliberately in 1882 when the Army Corps of Engineers started building Leech Lake Damn, and ultimately raised the water level enough (seven feet) to connect about six separate lakes. No time was wasted in making Leech Lake a tourist destination - the first camping facilities and public launch were set up soon after.

The population of the towns surrounding Leech Lake, which support the mill and logging industries, exploded when the first railroad was built through Walker in 1896. The town of Walker is named after T.J. Walker, who owned the local mill which was then located where Walker City Park is now. Some of T.J.'s decedents still live in the area; one is the owner of the restaurant/bar in Walker called Bensen's.

In the 50's more Muskies were pulled out of Leech Lake than any other lake in the U.S., which allowed Walker to crown itself, the Muskie Capitol of the Nation.

Efforts by the Department of Natural Resources to restock Leech with millions of walleye fry succeeded in returning Leech Lake to its status as a walleye-catching premiere lake. This was in evidence when the Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener was held on Leech in May of 2007, and Governor Pawlenty and Mrs. Pawlenty both caught several sizable walleye.

Native Americans in front of home, Leech Lake.
Photograph Collection, 1900
Visual Resources Database
Minnesota Historical Society

Ojibwe landing in Walker
Creator: Edward Augustus Bromley (1848-1925) Photograph Collection, 1896 Visual Resources Database
Minnesota Historical Society

Diary of a Winter Vacation at Trappers Landing Lodge

2008-03-03T16:05:00.003-07:00

Day One: Ice Fishing
It may be cold and snowy outside, but you can always stay warm and dry when you're ice fishing from inside your fishhouse. Haul your own fishhouse to Trappers and drive it out onto Leech from the Trappers marina, or rent a fishhouse for the day. There's no better trophy of a day well-spent, and no better fresh-caught dinner than a winter walleye pulled from a clean, clear, frozen-over northwoods lake. Some folks have been known to 'bring home the fish bacon' while they were sipping a beer and watching their portable television! Ice house rental locations are listed at the end of this blog post.

Day Two: Cross Country Skiing
Northern Minnesota may not have Colorado-high hills for extreme downhill skiing, but it is perfect for downhill's good-workout cousin, cross country - which is known to be just about the best exercise a person can get. There are many groomed cross country trails within a few miles of Trappers. Some trails, like the Paul Bunyan and The Heartland, are straight-aways with virtually no hills. If you're looking for a more hilly terrain, you'll find it on the Trails at Shingobee Hill, which are marked with maps at various intervals. There is a warming lodge at Shingobee that is open on winter weekends. To get to there, drive 5 miles west from Walker on Highway 34 and park at the trailhead.

Day Three: Sledding
While you were at Shingobee you probably noticed the huge sledding hill. This hill is a favorite sledding spot for local kids and is big enough to accommodate dozens of fun-seekers. The best, or worst, part of the sledding experience at Shingobee is walking back up the hill after you sledded down. A personal trainer could not have designed a better workout for your quads. Careful though, the hill is so steep, make sure you're prepared for some serious speed on the way down.

Day Four: Snowshoeing
Deep snow; no problem. Strap on a pair of snowshoes and go anywhere! Snowshoes have been used for thousands of years to navigate successfully over deep snow. If you own a pair of snowshoes, you'll be prepared to hike on any of the trails in the area, or on the frozen lakes after a heavy snowfall.

Day Five: Indoor Rock Climbing at Deep Portage
Deep Portage is an indoor/outdoor recreational facility where you can rock climb indoors, or explore 11 miles of trails through this nature preserve on cross country skis or snowshoes, and enjoy the rifle, trap and archery range, sporting clays, and weather station.

Day Six: Ice skating at the Walker Area Community Center.
If it's too cold and blustery to be outdoors, come enjoy some indoor winter fun on the ice-skating rink at the new Walker Area Community Center. For a small fee you can enjoy open skate times, use the fitness center, play basektball in the gym, and take a yoga class.

Day Seven: Snowmobiling
Did you see my previous blog on snowmobiling? There are so many snowmobiling trails around Trappers, you could do this single activity for days.

The town of Walker is lives up to its reputation of a being a quant and cutsey little tourist town, with many shops containing original art from local artists, up-north clothing and home decor items. You could easily pass a day browsing through all the shops along Minnesota Avenue in downtown Walker.

In the evenings you could stop at the Walkere American Legion for karaoke, bingo, cribbage, or a free Texas Hold-em Tournament on Saturday nights. Or, if you want to play with the higher rollers, head over to Northern Lights Casino, just a few miles to the west of Trappers, play the slots, blackjack, or buy in to a different poker tournament every night of the week.

Also at the Northern Lights Casino, big comedy and music acts appear almost every weekend: including George Carlin, Ron White of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Air Supply, and Pat Benatar. Find more information on the events at Northern Lights Casino at www.nothernlightscasino.com.

So, you could come out and get busy up north here at Trappers, or you could stay home, see what's on TV, or maybe catch a movie. Oh, wait, you could do that at Trappers too. The Bear Pause Theater in Hackensack, just south of Trappers, has a brand new theater, with four new features playing every week, and a private VIP section you can rent to make a movie a special occasion for your whole family. For more information go to www.bearpausetheater.com.

What do you have planned for next week?

Roerick Fish House Rentals Leech Lake Area
(218) 224-2836 or (218) 760-8266 or (218) 760-0946
Ice fishing and spearing on Walker Bay of Leech Lake and other area lakes.

Walker Fish House Rentals Walker Bay on Leech Lake
(218) 547-0663Ice fishing on Leech Lake - Walker Bay.
Heated, plush houses - 2, 4, or 6 bunks with kitchenettes.

Walker Rental, Inc.
(218) 547-3656
6037 E. Ottertail Rd. NW
Walker, MN. 56484
Extreme Ice House Rentals
12-14-16 Foot houses available.

Here's the type of fishhouse you could rent - and stick your fishing 'acommodations' right outside your Trappers accomodations.

Leech Lake Snowmobiling

2008-02-25T08:20:00.002-07:00

This past weekend, while the sun was shining and the temperatures rose up into the balmy 30's, there was still snow on the ground and the lakes were frozen two feet deep. What does that translate to? Purrrfect snowmobiling weather. In case you didn't know already, Trappers Landing Lodge is located smack-dab in the middle of what may be the best snowmobile terrain and trail system in North America. Let's discuss.

Trappers is surrounded by the Chippewa National Forest, which contains over 300 miles of snowmobile trails, including the 23 mile-long Chipp Connector, that runs just south of Trappers Landing Lodge, parallel to Highway 200, connecting Walker to Longville.

Once in Walker, snowmobilers can hook up to the Heartland trail, which runs south 30 miles to Park Rapids, and 19 miles north to Cass Lake; or the Paul Bunyan trail and head all the way south to Brainerd, or north to Bemidji. The Soo Line, the longest motorized recreation trail in Minnesota, goes all the way from Cass Lake to Moose Lake. From Longville, the 'Lost Girl' trail goes to Remer, and 19-mile-long 'Triville' trail goes to Federal Dam. And if you want to keep on going all the way up to Canada - by all means, there are trails that will take you there.

The Heartland Trail is 49 miles of level-ground railroad track, converted to a multi-use trail, running through from Cass Lake, through Walker, and all the way to Park Rapids. The entire trail is groomed in the winter for snowmobiling. Pictured below is the trailhead in Walker near Lake May. This trail passes through northwoods forests and by many lakes, including Leech, providing stunning and endless vistas. The pictures below are of the Heartland Trail in Walker. The snowmobiler on foot is looking at one of the maps of the Heartland Trail, which are posted a various intervals along the trail.

The Paul Bunyan trail is a 100-mile paved recreational-use trail that runs from Brainerd to Bemidji. The entire trail is for non-motorized use, except for snowmobiles. It can be accessed from Trappers Landing via the Chipp Connector Trail. The Paul Bunyan trail passes along the shores of 21 lakes, and bridges across many streams and rivers, allowing riders to view miles of scenic wetlands. Towns along the trail include, Pequot Lakes, Pine River, Backus and Walker, where riders can find many options for lodging, dining, and gassing up.

So, clearly, you can travel hundreds of miles from your accommodations at Trappers to many different destinations in northern Minnesota on snowmobile-designated trails. However, let's not forget that Trappers sits ashore a 184 square mile, wide-open snowmobiling arena known as Leech Lake! There's nothing like having a place to snowmobile where there's not a tree, car or ditch for miles, so you can really open it up and let 'er rip. Just watch out for the occasional fishhouse.

Instead of driving your car to find a place to nosh, rev your snowmobile engine across the lake to get there. Stop in at Bensen's for Pizza and a cold draft; or Zona Rosa's for the best Mexican food in the northwoods. If you're a more finicky gourmand, four miles north of Walker you'll find The Boulders (you can see it from the Heartland and Paul Bunyan Trail); or make your way to Ivan on the Bay just north of Brainerd off Highway 371. Charlie's Up North, at the junction of Highways 200 and 371, has a Chinese food-chef cooking on Tuesdays and Thursdays, if you're looking for some more exotic flavors. Bring your own fortune cookie, but not your own libations: Charlie's is a happening bar scene too.

Maps of specific snowmobile trails are available from the DNR and the national Forest offices in Walker and Cass Lake or at the front Desk at Trapper's Landing Lodge.

Forest Service Office in Cass Lake
200 Ash Avenue NWCass Lake, MN 56633(218)335-8600 Fax: (218)335-8637

Walker Ranger District
201 Minnesota Ave. E. Walker, MN 56484 (218)547-1044Fax: (218)547-3260

A more detailed map of snowmobile trails in northern Minnesota
can be found at the link below.
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/snowmobiling/map17.pdf

Now have yourself some happy and safe snowmobiling!

2008 Eelpout Festival

2008-02-18T07:04:00.005-07:00

What is usually a great empty expanse of white, frozen lake just off the shores from Walker on Leech Lake, turns into Mardi Gras on ice for one weekend in February, with thousands of cars, trailers and fishhouses parked next to one another as a defacto city on the ice takes shape for Eelpout Festival.

Although the summer is generally thought of as the time when the population of the Leech Lake area is the most tourist -filled, Eelpout Festival is one of the biggest tourist events in the area, usually drawing in about 15,000 fishers and revelers for the weekend.

This year's 29th annual Eelpout Festival took place Feb 15-17. Although temperatures on Friday got down to a bitter 10 below, by Saturday noon the weather had rebounded into the 20's and peaked in the late afternoon at a balmy 37 degrees. It was perfect 'pout weather, as they say.

The official purpose of this event is to see who can catch the biggest eelpout. Especially if you're not from these parts, you might be wondering, "What's an eelpout?"

An eelpout is a fish from the family of perciform ray-finned fish which, in comparison to the other famous inhabitant of Leech Lake, the sleek and tasty walleye, has been judged as a lesser-than in the fish world. As the name suggests, eelpout are somewhat eel-like in appearance, with elongated bodies and the dorsal and anal fins continuous with the caudal fin. They are also notorious for doing the eel-like thing of wrapping themselves around your arm when you're trying to pull one off your line.

What's an eelpout look like? The eelpout pictured here was one that was entered in the eelpout race event. This particular eelpout seemed ill-motivated to move quickly, and meandered languidly down it's "racetrack." Kinda cute, don' t you think?

Trappers Landing Lodge was the sponsor of the big top tent located in Walker City Park (on solid ground), where bands played and a varied of events were held over the weekend: such as, the Bikini Contest, the Fashion Show, and the Karaoke Contest.

Other events taking place at the festival were: Best Encampment contest; the Eelpout Peelout 5 mile run; a Polar Plunge; Rugby Tournament; 'On-Ice" Auto Race (taking place at Garfield Lake); Eelpout Derby Pout Races; Ice Fishing Olympics; and the International Ice-Drilling Championships with hand auger divisions for men, women and youth.

Eelpout, kabobs and fries were served at the Trappers Landing Lodge tent. Everyone knows that Leech Lake walleye are good eatin'. However, locals and eelpout insiders know that when an eelpout is breaded, fried and served with a side of tartar sauce, most folks can't tell the difference. Especially if they're the typical Eelpouter, and already had a few drinks.

Adding an element of glamour and sex appeal to the festival were the Coors Light girls, who pranced about the events in matching outfits, posed for pictures, participated in the polar plunge, and entertained a tent-full of appreciative men in a Bikini contest.

Meanwhile, families and packs of cavorting adults and fishermen wandered about eating cheese curds and brats, drinking a variety of libations, trying on enormous fur hats, and touring the fishhouses on display.

This year, for the first time, a new fishing contest debuted, with a potential prize of $25,000. During the week of Feb. 11, contest officials tagged and released one rainbow trout into Leech Lake. Had any lucky angler happened to pull up that fish and bring it in during the hours the scales were open, they would have been paid $25,000 in cash. However, this fish was not caught. So if you happen to be out fishing on Leech and you hook rainbow trout with an Eelpout Festival tag, now you'll understand.

Official Eelpout Festival rules state that all fish entered into the contest must come from Leech Lake, and all anglers must be prepared to submit fish samples for DNA testing; a lie-detector test will be performed on the eelpout; and if the eelpout fails the test, one will be administered to the angler. Eelpout officials apparently have a sense of humor about the whole thing. And that is the point. Eelpout Festival manages to provide serious fun and fishing events for the whole family, all while not taking itself too seriously.

'Pout Festival 2009 will take place on February 20-22. (The Eelpout Festival has been scheduled on Leech Lake through 2020.) From all your friends in the Leech Lake area and Trappers Landing Lodge, we welcome you to come enjoy the world's biggest party on ice for many years to come.

Blog coming soon!

2008-02-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Check back for updates soon!