28 degrees out! What is with that? Coming down to the last few days of April and I wake up to the sound of the furnace running. A few patches of snow can be found if you look hard enough and far side of the lake still has ice. I know come August I will be complaining about waking up to the sound of the ac running all night and still the cabin will be to hot. But there has to be a happy medium here some where. Yesterday was just one of them forget me days, Nothing really happen at all. As a matter of fact I would be had pressed to remember what did happen. For some people it was an eventful day. Hunter for one got in some fishing and turkey hunting. Never really made much mind to the turkey hunting in these parts till Hunter set up in the Ole Mill. Looks like he is going to make a go of the place. Going to be doing some fish guiding to so that will be interesting. He will be a success at that as soon as people start following him around the lake.

The Johnson brothers have a help wanted sign up at the brewery. Looks like they are on schedule and ready to make their next expansion. Along with fishing season almost all the farmers are gearing up in the fields. The grain mill might be the most popular stop in town if you were to count the pickup trucks parked outside. Seed orders being picked up and the greenhouse out back is open for those who want to buy now and nurse them at home. My greenhouse is still full of stuff, well junk actually. Spent the winter as another storage area for what my wife refers to as " Good Stuff" I have plants growing inside the cabin but it will be awhile before I move anything outside. With a morning temp of 28 and no heat inside the greenhouse I would find nothing but dead plants. A few more weeks and I will move stuff out there and do some pot planting. Ground is to cold and to wet to do any turning over for me. The big boys, the farmers well they do it for a living and they will be far ahead of me. With the rising costs of everything a few extra rows of tatters will be planted this year and some more corn for me to share with the deer. Elmer has been out in his garden, just kicking clumps with his foot. Pepper has been at his side and together I think they are looking to see if any relatives of last years ground hog are around.

Honey do list is a mile long and I don't seem to be making it any shorter. Matter of fact now it has sub do lists to it as I keep finding other things that need to be done. Right now I am working on the fishing sub list. About half of the Puddle Humpers hull has been cleaned and I am waiting on an order of lure parts down at the Masterbaiters shop. Some of the stuff is on back order so I think others had the same idea as me and made lures over the winter that will never end. I am still undecided about what kind of boats seats to buy and more then likely will start the season off with the ones I have. Perhaps I will spend some of my stimulus check on new ones. That way I will have something to remember the check by every time I sit my behind down on them. Good or bad it will be a reminder.

Yesterday a big load of small round river rock was dumped down at the access. Skinny signed for it and it seems he signed a contract with the DNR to place the rock in the water at the access for erosion control. Later I came by and he had a sign out advertising "Skipping Rocks" for a dollar. You deposited a dollar in the box he had chained to the dock and then you could take all the rocks from the rock pile you wanted and "Skip" them out into the lake. Leave it to Skinny to find a way to make money from the tourists... Well looks to be another one of them days here at the Lake. Might warm up to fifty out and maybe the sun will shine enough that I can open the garage door and work on the Puddle Humper. Garbage day and I can hear the truck working it's way around the lake. Guess I better make sure my can is out and not dumped over . From Lake Iwanttobethere (29580)

This morning starts off with an overcast sky and an outlook of rain in the forecast. Already have been up for a few hours and into town. Had to make a trip into the Gas-N-Go for a couple of cans of tomato juice. Not for breakfast mine you but for a juice bath for Pepper. She was over at Elmers last night and on her way back to the cabin she ran across a skunk. Pepper being Pepper could not leave things alone and yup she got sprayed. Another sure sign of spring. She came to the back door and Barney and Buddy turned and walked away from her. If dogs could shake their heads in disgust they both did. So with deck lights on I lost the toss of the coin and Pepper got a milk bath and then a juice bath. Normally I keep a few cans around just for this reason but Tess has been to the house and her and the wife drink Bloody Mary's. The coin toss by the way never happen. I was going to toss the coin but the wife just said she was going to bed and turned and walked away. Smell is still heavy on the deck so something else added to today's do list. Now I am hoping for rain.

Evening the last two nights have been busy. Town Hall meeting and the Lodge meeting. I don't have the minutes for either meeting close at hand. Shannon will drop off Hall meeting today and the tattered blue notebook holds the Lodge meetings. Elmer tracks those and he just takes notes which he latter expands on when he is bored. I can tell you that already Windy is holding her own in the electricity department. We are making juice, enough to run the Lodge on except for peek times when all the deep fryers are on and Lodge is lit up. With sunset a little later everyday we are using less lights and Windy is handling it. Another advantage of the tower that Windy is on is we have set out a new AM antenna wire for the old tube radio. And relocated the CB antenna to the tower also. Elmer is in charge of that and he has been spending time in the evening tuning in them big three letter radio stations that are still out there.

Town finances are good through the first quarter of the year. Snow removal is where it should be, even after those late storms. Parking meters are generating money and Golf course should be open soon. There will be no increase in green fees. The Lodge and town work together in the park and Skinny and Hank reported that the access and park are in good shape and ready for the opener. Question was asked and answered in regards to the rock pile on the beach but that is already half gone as smelters dragging seines make good practice at rock skipping. Somewhat like the guy in the cart picking golf balls on the range. New quarter lights in the fish house have been on all night, getting a lot of use with smelters. The perfume smell is almost gone from the building now having been replace with Smelt smell.

Lodge meeting was held, average turnout. Some guys did come up from the beach in their waders to attend. We open the deck doors and made them sit out there, Water dripping from their boots. We reviewed fishing opener looked over hours for the Lodge. Discussed the reopening of the Lodge front doors and a timely time table for repair work. Right now it will be sometime in mid summer when fishing slows. Needabeer has been added to the keg list and it was voted and pass that Hamms will still be the beer of the house. And no beer can be sold for cheaper then the Hamms. A free Needabeer was passed out for Lodge members to sample if they had not already. Barley and Hopps were there to answer questions. Lodge will be sponsoring a leader board for the upcoming Fishing Challenge. Lodge may also sponsor a team. Have to wait for draft day to see who may be on it.

Corn Cob days were also discussed at both meetings. Not till later in the summer the town wants to promote this more and also would like to get back to awarding the Cob Key to the city. This was sent to committee to be chewed over some more. So the town is looking good, The Lodge is fine, except for a few missing shingles that were spotted when the antenna wire was strung to the tower. Hank will get to that sometime this week I am told. The Lodge meeting broke up and guys were taking the time to go down in the basement and pull out new rods and reels that have been hidden there from their wives. Vicki from the Masterbaiters shop was at the meeting and had a box of sample fishing line that guys could go through and spool up on. Other then Earl snagging Wilbur's waders when he was trying to leave there were no mishaps. Well maybe the fly cast demonstration should have been held outside, but we told them not to have the fans on when they did that. On the other hand Doc Burriem was able to demonstrate the proper way to remove hooks from soft fleshy areas.

So from a real and earthy smelling Lake Iwanttobethere (29791)

Elmer stands on his dock facing the wind and the waves being washed up around his boot covered feet. He has on his old yellow oil skins that are older then well they are just really old. The matching hat makes him look like he belongs on a salt box. I don't know how he does it but his pipe is lit and smoke curls out from under the hat. He turns from time to time and waves me out with his arm. I salute him with my coffee cup from behind the glass deck door but I ain't going outside unless I have to. He turns back to face the wind and waves coming off Lake Iwanttobethere. Been blowing all night, again. Rain has come and if we were on the ocean I guess we would call them squalls. My wood row boat rides the waves and bounces off the bumpers made of old tires.

A few shingles lay on the deck, I have not gotten up to repair the few from the last wind storm and now I see I have few more to replace. Mother nature is jerking us around but good this spring. No sense in trying to sweet talk her as she is not going to give us two days in a row that are nice let alone decent. Sunshine Ray has even suggested that we might have snow in the forecast for tonight. It's May already, give us a break! Fishing opens on the far side of the lake tomorrow, if they are looking for a walleye chop they are going to get it.

The old goose made his return yesterday. Came in around four or so and made a controlled crash landing in the water just beyond the dock. He paddle ashore and then climbed up on the dock to rest. Bud saw him and ran down the grass to stop at the edge of the dock. He made some short barks to let the goose know he was there and the goose honked back. There they sat. Neither giving up there spot. Reflecting back on it now I think they might have just been asking each other how they were and the goose was saying he had a hard flight and before they could start chasing each other he needed to rest a spell. This morning the goose is no where to be seen but I am sure he has a more sheltered area to go to in weather like this.

The bird feeders are all empty. If the birds didn't do it then the wind has tossed them around and scattered the seed. The one close to the deck has deer tracks in the soft ground so I know who got to that one. Got a fire going in the fireplace, ain't no way I am going to hear the furnace running in May. Dogs are all sprawled out on the floor in front of it. Kitchen table has tackle boxes emptied on it as I am sorting and adjusting things. Cats move across the table top like tight rope artists. Sniffing and pawing at things that are of interest to them but avoiding hooks and plastic worms. A red and white bobber rolls off the table and a game of soccer between the cats is played. Swatting the rolling bobber they have found a way to entertain themselves. They disappear chasing the bobber down the hall towards a bedroom.

I add a splash of hot coffee to the cup and return to the deck window. Nothing has changed. Waves are rolling in, wind is blowing and Elmer is being Elmer. If he was a kid his ma would have called him in long ago. But since he is not, Elmer is enjoying mother nature. As he puts it you never know at his age when this will be your last storm. He would rather feel it then have missed it. From Lake Iwanttobethere (29963)

Leave it to Earl. Outside of his General Store the rack was restocked with rakes and leaf bags, knee pads for planting and a box of Kites. Yes good old fashion kites. The ones with the thin strips of balsa wood and three mil plastic covered in pictures of dragons or birds or even a superman or two. Smaller plastic bags held small wood gliders and if you dug deep you could find a plane or two with the rubber band and plastic propeller. I don't know where he got them from perhaps they were in the back store room out of sight and forgotten in the inventory which is Earls mind. But here today, another windy but sunny day it was the perfect thing to find sitting in the impulse sale rack. So acting on impulse I bought four kites, and on the counter inside I found spools of white twine. I bought four of them to. In to a bag they went and then they found a spot behind the seat of the Dodge. The next time when the grand kids come to the cabin I will have kites for them to fly.

Yesterday it rained all day and today was suppose to be the same. So I slept in late expecting another lousy day. I woke to blue sky, funny I felt betrayed by the lack of lousy weather. I was so prepared to do nothing that the lack of rain left me looking for something to do. I found myself down at the general store, walking the isles looking for something I didn't have, didn't really need but knew I would find it when I saw it. I left with a wide blade putty knife and a bag of kites.

Fishing has started on the far side of the lake and walleyes were being caught, just some skinny males but they were walleyes and they were green and awful pretty. I saw them in the back of a pickup truck in the Lodges parking lot. Two of the guys had made the trip to the far side of the lake and were in the parking lot with truck and trailer. Already their boat had time on the water and they were standing at it's side showing off fish and entertaining anyone who wanted to listen to how they caught them, the walleyes that is. Like a car accident guys drove by rubber necking and then slowed down. Some pulled in and parked and walked over feinting indifference they wandered over to the boat and trailer and checked out the catch. Some continue in to the Lodge and sitting at the bar order a draft beer and gazed out over the lake. Second guessing their decision not to go fishing this morning because of the forecast of lousy weather. O well there will be plenty more days to fish and many more lousy days of weather to come. At the Lodge last night a few of the guys were debating the cost of gas and Sunday afternoon scenic drives. They have come to the conclusion that it is now cheaper to drink beer then it is to buy gas. We all had a beer to that.

Being the first week of May all the flamingoes have been gathered and power washed. Later this week they will find new homes in groups of twenty five and one group of twenty eight. We lost one over the winter. An encounter with a snow thrower. So now we have 228 After a while I left the Lodge and took the access road, the long way back to the cabin. Weaving in and out I can see my point and from time to time a kite high in the sky. A big red one and as I get closer I can see a tail made of hanker chiefs knotted one after another. I pull in the drive and lose site of the kite but it reappears above the big pines. There on his dock sitting in his chaise sits Elmer. Holding a rod in his hand with the fishing line skyward attached to a big red kite. A big smile on his face Elmer greets me. Feinting indifference I stroll over to his dock. My head tilted back I watch as the kite dips and dives and then pulls hard skyward. Elmer asks " Want to give it a whirl?" I say " Naw" and continue to watch. From time to time the drag on the reel screams a little, a beautiful sound, that of a drag talking. I have not heard it since fall.. The kite dips again and Elmer sets the kite like he is setting on a big Northern. The Kite responds and climbs skyward as it catches a gust of wind. Elmer chuckles to himself and sits back in the chair like he is deep sea fishing. The butt of the rod buried deep in his gut and both hands hanging on to the rod. His feet planted against a crack in the planks of the dock.

" Aw heck, let me have a go at it" I say. Elmer stands up and I slide into the chair. He hands me the rod and instantly I feel the rod pulse and the long line out to the kite tugs right and then left. Elmer tells me to close my eyes and I do.. It don't take much to forget that there is a kite at the end of the line and I am holding a fishing rod with Mr. Big on the end. Turns out today was not quite as bad as it started.. From Lake Iwanttobethere... (30101)

Sun is shinning here at the lake today. About time!!! Well we really have had a long winter and a spring that just does not want to get out of first gear. Looking forward to summer, I think it is going to be a great one. Yup you heard me say it right here. Even with gas prices rising and weather not cooperating I am predicting that Summer will arrive and it will be a good one. Fishing will be good as we have some water in the lakes and the landing are wet again. A few more lakes will be fished by me and the Puddle Humper as I will be able to get it off the trailer. The daughter is done with college in another week and she has been asking about fishing on an almost daily basis. She has been looking forward to fishing as much if not more then me.

As some of you may have read she is an art major and enjoys painting and taking pictures of the outdoors. She, like me walks with her head up and sees what is going on around her. I'll take credit for teaching her how to do that. She made me and her ma proud the other night as she received an award. She was selected as her colleges Fine Arts student of the year! It will look good on her resume and as she puts it she has earned a summer of fishing now.

Yesterday was a good day on the honey do list. Fixed the damage roof from the past wind storm and blizzard. Got yard cleaned and even had the fire ring burning. Took turns making hot dogs and watching Grand kids run. How did we ever survive to get old? I don't remember my parents yelling at me as much as I yell at my grand kids to watch this, look out for that. I wince when they go head over heel down the hill. Tossing rocks and swinging sticks and climbing fences. My youngest grandson has just learn to be able to flat out run, trouble is he has a problem with stopping. The stopping part ends up with him face first on the grass. #1 grandson went in the house after being knocked down by Bud. He announced to grandma that he was full of sh@* not his though. He had fallen on some dog dodo.. Cleaned up and with fresh clothes he was back outside a few minutes later to help uncle Dug change oil on the Dodge. Granddaughter was down on the dock with Barney looking at sunfish slowly moving around near the dock. When I walked up on them she turned to me and putting her finger to her lips made the shshhh sound. She did not want me to scare the fish away.

I think everything just said at once. Spring is here and we are not going to take it anymore! Seen several flights of geese flying over head. Hawks have been soaring over head also. Not seen any Eagles yet but I expect they will be flying over head soon. Deer been in the bird feeders and skunks have been out and about. Changed the flood light up high on the peek of the cabin so the wife don't have to come from the garage to the cabin in the dark anymore. After Pepper getting sprayed the burnt out flood light some how found it's way to the top of the honey do list. Reels have new line and tackle boxes are cleaned out and ready to be loaded back in the boat. Batteries are on the charger and new fish measuring board has found it's way on board. Several days in May have names penciled in for fishing dates and a few more have question marks on them. Ground is wet and soggy so tilling and grass cutting may get a late start this year. Ain't that to bad.... Will have to spent that time fishing then.. A few bays on the lake that will warm up and northerns should be back there waiting for me and the daughter.

Well I need to go after that honey do list some more here while it is sunny and nice out. License plates stickers to put on the trucks and the green house needs to get cleaned out. I might go down and spend some time with Barney just standing on the dock and watching the water. O and the kites... Of course when the kids were here yesterday there was no wind to speak of, not good flying days. But grandma had been to Earl's to and had bought four big bubble wands. So the kids made big bubbles and Pepper exhausted herself chasing and popping bubbles. So we sent them home to their parents, dirty, muddy, and tired. Peace and quiet has returned to the Lake, for now. From Lake Iwanttobethere (30354)

Almost ready to start the fishing countdown in hours rather then days. Town is a busy place today. Already traffic is on the rise and most parking spaces are occupied in front of the businesses on main street. Earl at the General Store is no where to be seen, he is missing from his spot at the front door. He is out back helping to load orders for local resorts. His son Junior has been making trips with the delivery truck all morning bring out propane tanks and bulk goods. Bell has been ringing over at Ma and Pa's grocery as order are coming in for steak and burgers and can goods. Hank and Skinny have been putting out docks all week and Hank still has a pocket full of index cards in his pocket. Both the Do Drop Inn and the Sunshine Cafe are doing a brisk morning business as eggs and hash browns are being scooped into waiting mouths as people talk of the fishing opener and if there are any empty cabins for rent or rooms at the resorts.

Gas -N- Go has two people on as one is at the register while the other is busy stocking the cooler and making sure the ice box is filled with bags and blocks. Vicki has extra help on at the Masterbaiters shop as the buzzer on the door has been disconnected. So much traffic coming and going it was becoming a nuisance. Her sister Claire is here for the week and is anchored at the cash register. Doing nothing but selling fishing licenses and answering the phone. It will be like this right up till Sunday night. Some rain in the forecast and even today a chance of showers. Everyone is in a hurry to get stuff done now before it gets wet out. Anywhere you go in town they are busy. You can just pick a store and it looks like a bee hive. The car wash is busy, no one works there just the owner who comes in and opens the door in the morning and then late at night comes and cleans it out. He replaces the soap in the drums and empties the coin box. You can't even tell he has been there except you see the mound of dirt along the side grow a little each day till Hank comes and hauls it away. Today a line of trucks with trailers and a few boats wait. Not much talking going on in the parking lot like there was last week. A lot of waving though, people still have time to wave as they drive by.

A lot of cabin owners are already here at the lake. Been a long winter and some just can't take the city anymore and have used a few extra vacation days to come up early. The past few days has seen Dick from the gravel pit hauling loads to fill in driveways. Took a long time for all the snow to melt and to reveal them pot holes that were talked about last deer season but now are felt this spring. Mark the mailman will be making his last road side mail delivery on Saturday. Come next Monday the mail will be delivered at your dock mail box. I have to add that to my do list to slap a coat of paint on my dock box and to put another bolt in the paper box as Jessie will start dropping the paper off out there soon. With fishing season here he will be able to troll as he does his paper route.

I am just sitting here on the bench under the street light in the center of town. I have so much to do that I don't know where to start, so I thought I would just take a little stroll down from the Lodge and watch everyone else work for awhile. It has a calming effect on me. I am well on my way on the Honey Do List but for each thing I put a pencil line through two more seem to find there way to the bottom of the list. I am testing the theory that if I do nothing the list will stop growing. So as everyone is busy being little bees I am sitting here enjoying a calm day, A little sunshine and the occasional flash of a naked ankle. Fishing is just about here and Summer can't be to much farther behind. From lake Iwanttobethere (30577)

Sixty some hours away from the opener. How come there is not the same tension as there is for hard water fishing? I spend some time on the fishing boards and everyone is always talking it up about getting out on that ice and catching some perch. Maybe just that open water fishing might be a little bit more laid back and relaxing. I can't see myself dangling my bare feet into a open hole in the ice. Well I don't see myself doing that off my dock for a few more weeks either. I guess open water fishing had it's own special way of life around it. For a lot of people it means that the cabin will be open and you will be making the trip there for your vacation or just up on weekends. For others it is not a cabin but the summer home and they will stay there till fall and make the trip back and forth to work. Some kids will be lucky enough to stay at the cabin for summer and enjoy a slower way of life and share memories with us who grew up at the cabin.

That way of life I am afraid is disappearing. Cell phones and computers, ear plugs for music, thank god for that as I don't hear much coming out of them things that passes much for music. Sounds like someone is getting a tongue lashing with all the swear words and here it is music that they are listening to. Would rather hear the sounds of a baseball game being called on a radio where you did not have to worry about curse words spoken just for the sake of saying them. I can't imagine that I am missing out on so much stuff that as a twelve year old I have to be in constant text messaging with my buddies. I know I can talk faster then I can type, why don't they just talk to each other? Better yet, why don't they just spend time together. Many a time I have spent laying in the cool grass under the lake willow with a bobber in the water and my best friend ( not my dog) laying next to me. Very few words were spoken but we were having good times and I still remember them years, no decades later. Ask your kid who he text an hour ago what they talked about.. "Nothin" will more then likely be the answer.

Well no one wants to hear me ramble, I am sure you came here for the fishing report and sometimes, well actually most of the time I never even write about the fishing here at Lake Iwanttobethere. If you are a first time reader and it seems that there are several new people coming to explore the lake you will see my fishing reports are pretty much all over the place. I have this bad habit of getting sidetracked. Friend of mine told another friend that when they see me coming they make sure they go to the bathroom, cuz it is going to be a while before I let them go. So I guess I do talk a lot, but in my defense I do listen a lot to. Which mean I have something to say to what they are telling me. So fishing reports, well if you are here, at the lake, we will just point to an area on the lake and tell you what is biting. Or take you to the Lodge and explain the colored markers on the big wall map in the hall leading to the washrooms. If you are a member of the Lodge then you will understand. You will understand what it means to greet someone by saying HIYA and what happens when ya do.

So back to the fishing report, I don't have one. I was on my way down to the Lodge to start asking questions when I got sidetracked. This was yesterday evening. I was pulling down the drive when looking across I could see my neighbor Elmer with his hands on his hips starring into his garage. I drove down the drive and then back up his drive. Getting out I walked over to him. He was staring down his garage refrigerator, the beer fridge. Was having problem with it keeping things to cool. So Chuck my neighbor on the other side was called as he has some experience in beer fridges and the first thing was that the fridge should be emptied. We spent most of the evening emptying the beer fridge. Never made it to the Lodge. I have no idea how the crappie fishermen are doing. I do know that Elmers beer fridge is now clean and sometime later this morning it will be restocked. The coils have been dusted and it seems to be working just fine now. Might have something to do with defrosting. Seems we have to do this several times a year and it always works well after we empty it.

Hope you are headed on up to the lake here this weekend, I can show you where to fish and of course everything is just as you remember it. Stop in at the Lodge and join our fishing contest. Vicki at the Masterbaiters Shop has shiners which are in short supply elsewhere. Amy has the best loose meat sandwiches and you can't beat the 11 egg omelet at the Sundown Cafe. Docks are out at the landing and new fish cleaning house is ready for you. Lodge is having a special Mothers Day special. Coney's and a bowl of chili and no dish washing for ma... From Lake Iwanttobethere (30814)

Tick Tick Tick... Many an office has heads watching clocks today. Guys playng with pencils while making sales calls under the humm of fluorescent lights. Some are working half days waiting for lunch and punching out for the week. Other are busy looking over their shoulders as they read articles about fishing conditions and search the gas price site. Still others have web cams up watching ice melt and wind moving water. A few wonder why these web sites don't have sound so they can hear the waves and that seagull that just flew by. Plastic bags of fishing lures and reels await in the bottom drawer of the desk. Been meaning to get them home and in the garage but now either today to tomorrow they will have to be brought home. For some it's no big deal, for others they have to get the bag past the sergeant at arms to the security of the boat locker.

Like little kids they fidget in their chairs. Checking the weather channel and bring up satellite maps of there lake, zooming in on that walleye point. Of course the picture is three years old but it does not matter. The point is there and the fish will be there come Saturday. Lunch will be here soon and out the door you will go. A few side looks from fellow employees who have to finish out the day or worse yet have to return tomorrow, the Friday before opener and work till closing. You plan on being well on your way to meet up with your buddies at the fish camp.. Fish camp, same as deer camp but now instead of going out the back door heading into the woods you will go out the front door and head for the dock.

I was out taking my morning stroll here at Lake Iwanttobethere and I sat for a spell on the bench under the street light. A little to cool for just a wind breaker on so I had to add a hooded sweatshirt under it. Overcast skies and a little breeze some dampens in the air. Lake is gray and has a nice walleye chop on it. Already down at the access and campground some of the prime spots near the waters edge have been claimed. Trailers are blocked up and rain fly's attached. Picnics tables moved closer to the fire rings and a rope strung between two birch trees to hang a lonely wash cloth. Guys with jackets sporting names of fishing reels and patches saying "Lunker Club" on the shoulders move quietly around the trailers. No kids, no women are seen. Not even any young fellers. Mostly older guys who have the vacation time to spend on being the first advance members of there groups. They come ahead to stake out a beach head and then will await the rest of their party to show up in the next few days.

Sorrel boots are long gone, as are the bomber hats. John Deer hats rule the day as farmers are in town conducting business. Pickup trucks drive up and down main street stopping at the General store and then on to the feed mill. Hammering Hank and Skinny drive by with a load of dock wood in the back of the truck. Still working on putting docks in and making repairs. Car wash is quiet, just a blue Honda coming out wet and clean. Tomorrow will be the day, tomorrow you will have to wait to cross main street. You will have to look both ways as traffic will increase with pickup trucks and campers. Shinny boats and trailers with clean black tires will be pulled behind suv's There back windows blocked out with sleeping bags and coolers. You will have to wait for a parking spot down at the Masterbaiters shop or park along the access road and make the walk. Empty bait buckets will go in and come back out leaving drops of water as they are loaded into the back seat of the waiting car. Right now they are more precious then anything in the boat.

Yup it's getting closer, fishing opener that is. If you are one of the ones who has to work till five on Friday well I'll try and keep a spot open for ya here. If you have a satellite map of the lake on your screen well zoom in to main street here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Look for the street light and the bench under it.... . I be the one waving at ya... from Lake Iwanttobethere (31187)

welll here goes all or nothing. the troll thru dock is in and the screened-in shop is up and stocked. the root beer shack is fully operational again. i cant tell ya how much work it has been to get this project done. i have been busier than a one legged man in a butt-kicken contest. tanks are stocked thanks to vicki's cooperation. and the "stop at masterbaiters on the way. I'll be here when you run out" sign has been hung as part of our "agreement". i do want to thank everyone for their help in this venture and i am sure that it will be a nice addition to the weekend scene here at the lake. i will be open tonight til midnite for those that want to hit the midnite bell. and the doors will reopen at 4am with coffee on and bait nets ready. i do have the laptop and photo printer hooked up for you to post pictures on the braggin board. and can reprint a shot for you for a small fee as well. i wish all of you a safe and happy opener. remember your pfds. DONT forget the drain plug. and remember to check your trailer lights before you hit the road. surely a ticket for them not working could cut into the bait and tackle fund. it will be a working weekend for me, however i have monday tuesday and wednesday inked in on the calander for fishing with dad. i use ink when i plan with dad cause those days are not negotciable, and will not be erased. always remember that fish stories are welcome at the shop. we love to hear about "the one that got away". i will post on the winner of the poker tourney, some time next week. it was a great game and we do have our first liwtbt holdem winner. see you at the dock or on the lake. ... paul

The calm before the storm.... Well not a storm but it is quiet here at Lake Iwanttobethere this morning. Just a little breeze and the bays are calm on the lake. About half of the campground is full and people are moving around. Smell of bacon and coffee is heavy in the air along with a few fires. The clothes line now has a few hand towels joining the wash cloth and the picnic table has a stove resting on top along with a cooler. From my vantage point I can watch as every now and then a truck pulls in with a trailer. They weave through the campground till they stop and chat it up with past friends. They find there spot and start unloading and setting up camp. Others wander from trailer to trailer and the steady slamming of the outhouse doors can be heard here at the Lodge. A few boats rest up on the shoreline, tied off to trees.

Business as usual here at the Lodge, Gus has the day off as he will be in late tonight. Extra crock pot of chili has been set up and we already tapped fresh kegs for the weekend. The big map of the lake in the hallway has been wiped clean of it wax pencil marks. It awaits new fishing hot spots to be x'd on it's surface. CB over in the corner has been crackling away. As summer resident are trickling in and giving a shout out to see who else has returned to the lake. Later this afternoon the caravan will start pulling in off the freeway to the asphalt road that leads to the lake. Some cars will continue around the lake taking the dirt roads to get down to their cabins. Others will come into town and stop at Earls or the Gas -N- Go Amy's bakery will do a very brisk business till she closes at ten tonight. She will be back at six in the morning and the smell of hot bread and rolls will fill the air again.

Smoke was thick in the Lodge last night as cigars were burning as the main conversation was where to fish on Saturday morning. I went from table to table and listen in. Tables were pretty much divided up. Northern guys were looking forward to hitting the shallows. The thought being with the late ice out the Northerns will be up shallow. If it is a sunny day spoons might be tossed and slowly wobbled across the bottom. Other will try a dead sucker laying on the bottom, a good approach for the first day as a lot of guys will spend more time talking and catchin up then fishing. Crappie guys, well they just look at them Walleye guys as getting in their way. They have been on their spots for the past two weeks or so. North end of the lake the Bass season will be open so going back deep in the bays in search of warming water is there ticket. A lot of guys will be slow rolling spinner baits or fishing jigs real real slow. Walleye guys will be searching with shiners and looking for just the right depth. Will see then stacked up off the points and at the mouth of Mystery creek. Still others will be on the pontoons dragging a line for what every they can. Common thing will be everyone will be happy to be on the open water again.

Weather looks good, not great but it will be the same through the weekend. Overcast sky's temps in the upper fifties to low 60's some wind but not enough to make it to cold. Over night temps will make you want to sit close to the fire and long underwear is a good idea for fishing in the morning. Those who will be going out right at midnight might need to dress a little warmer and a couple of thermoses of cocoa or coffee is a good idea. The Lodge will be open all night but will not be serving. But there will be a flame in the fireplace and the lights will be on. Stories are of course welcome and we will listen to everyone like it is true. Tim the sheriff will be around as well as our local C O so even if you don't see them wear your life jacket and be careful out there. We want to see all of you around the Lake this summer. From Lake Iwanttobethere have a great opener! (31524)

Can Ya believe it? Sunshine Ray has to pick the opening of fishing to end his streak of forecasting. Where was that sun and mild temptress? Where was those gentle breezes? Must have been on the other side of the lake because they weren't here. Cloudy skies and a chilly wind. Then the rain started and it dripped for most of the day and well into the night. But as we sat in the Lodge and the clock on the wall hit midnight we could hear the first of the outboards starting up. From our vantage point sitting in the chase lounge chairs on the Lodge deck we watched as the red and green lights left the dock and headed out onto Lake Iwanttobethere. Actually I think the night was better then the day fishing. Nothing to report, some small walleyes a few northerns and the new fish cleanig station was pretty quiet.

The campground was busy though. Old friends meeting up and stories told over campfires. Sometimes it is not all about the fishing but the start of fishing. Young lads getting there first taste of night fishing with dad and maybe their uncle. Guys climbing into sleeping bags and tents wishing they had one of them pull behind trailers. Guys in trailers remembering the good old days of tents and cots. Some more guys up here at the Lodge remembering tents and trailers and sitting in front of a cozy fire watching with a cold Hamms. With the steady rain some of the guys came up to the Lodge to dry out and trade tales with others. Still others put on their rain gear and headed out onto the water. Several found shelter behind Root Beer island. Might be to get out of the wind or it may have been to catch a glimpse of Mindy or Mandy.

Sunday brought some sunshine and the rain of the day before was forgotten. A lot of boats working Mystery creek and the mouth. Seems some walleye were being caught and heard reports of a few 29 inch fish. Small northern were caught back in the North bay but the water is pretty cold still. Most guys fishing back there had there stocking hats pulled down over their ears and more then a few had their hoods up. Some fish were being caught but more stories were being told between old friends. The early morning quiet was only broken by the sounds of grouse drumming back in the woods and the return of sorrel boots scrapping across the carpeted floor of the boats. Boats are scattered across the water and they seem to gather when ever a pole bends with a fish on. Some fishermen seek out the lee side of land and hopefully can position themselves with the sun shinning on them. Coolers are quickly emptied of sandwiches and twinkles, Thermoses are drained and hands are kept dry between baiting hooks. Boats motoring past each other and hands are held out wide. The universal unspoken gesture asking if you caught anything and how big. Mostly waves were just exchanged and replies of " How about you?"

Back at the Lodge we had the Mothers day brunch. Lodge was open for business and we had roses for all the ladies, compliments of the Lodge members. This way no one was forgotten in the excitement of fishing. Kids were down in the park flying kites and tossing a baseballs around. Still to wet to really get up a game and a hard fast ball made the hand tingle in the cool weather. Smell of mini- donuts in the air and a few campers had walleyes frying in hot oil on there picnic table camp stoves. A few camping spots were open as guys who came in on Friday loaded up and headed home this afternoon. A few were taken up by late arrivals who quickly set up camp and then launched there boats. For them it was opener even if it was a day later.

Tomorrow the lake will return to normal, well fishing normal. Boats hanging out the back of pickups and other boats on trailers will be a common sight around the lake. People pointing fingers and shaking heads as small compact cars with boats bigger then them tied to there roof racks will be seen. Resort owners will not be seen in town as they will all be working. Tinkers fly in service will buzz the town as he takes clients to the far shores of Lake Iwanttobethere. Out of state license plates will be common on main street and the stores will all be open late. HiYa will be spoken between residents and people will ask about the saying. The Lodge will be open and welcome Lodge members guests and new stories will be heard and told and all will be taken as the gospel truth. The wall map of the lake will get some new x's on it and the fishing challenge board will start having entries. In time the weather will warm up and guys will spill out onto the deck, smoking cigars and drinking tap beer. We will watch the loading and unloading of boats at the landing and being the experts that we are sitting here we will make comments between ourselves.

The sunsets will come and the loons will sing in the evening, campfires will burn and sparks will float skyward. The boom of Del's pizza cannon will be heard and tourist will ask what that strange noise is. Grace and Bailiff will wonder the campground checking it out and people will ask if we have a leash law and who enforces it. They will be told that the Saint Bernard and the Bloodhound are the town's rescue dog and sheriff's deputy. They will shake there heads at us country folk. We won't even say anything about Barney the fishing dog. Eagles will soar over head and the geese will go after their poodles. The loons will make controlled crash landings in the bay and the ducks will follow there boats. A deer or two will make them think twice about driving and perhaps a bear will help themselves to cookies left in their cooler. Yup fishing is here and we have been waiting a long winter for it to get here. From Lake Iwanttobethere (32196)

With the fishing opener under our belts today brought a new routine to the lake. First off in the morning I now go down to the dock and retrieve the morning paper. Jessie the paperboy has already been by and the paper in it's plastic bag is secure inside the newspaper box along side the mail box on the dock post. A little cool this morning so I brought the paper back to the cabin to read. As the weather warms up I'll bring my coffee down and read the morning paper sitting on the dock bench. Barney has already taken up position on the dock and he stares into the water his tail flicking from side to side, watching. Bud comes out of the cabin does his thing and then finds a spot on the deck in the sunshine and lays down. He watches me as I come back up from the dock. I pause to pat him on the head and then head into the cabin.

Sitting down I check the calendar, now known as the FISHING calendar. I have work to do today and tomorrow but Wednesday looks good for fishing. Of course this fishing is a planned trip. I am sure later this afternoon or perhaps even this morning I will wet a line off the dock. Sitting at my desk I have a view of the lake and Barney on the deck. Sun has been up for awhile already and robins are working across the yard. A gray squirrel is busy robbing the bird feeder and I see Bud is thinking about getting off the deck and giving chase. Just about when he is ready to roll over Pepper is let outside by the wife. She lets the screen door close behind her, sees the squirrel and the quiet is broken as she jumps off the deck in pursuit and barking away she gives chase. Squirrel makes it to the big blue spruce and Pepper zips by underneath the tree. Elmer, hearing the barking opens his cabin door and Pepper continues through the brush and heads in a bee line to him. A few seconds later Pepper is with Elmer, her tail wagging so hard you think her rear end would fall off. Elmer looks up at me and waves. He and Pepper head back into the cabin. Quiet returns to the lake.

I take and make a few telephone calls, checking in with others around the lake that did go fishing. Elmer spent time right here on his dock, he has that brush pile out front of his cabin and it is within casting distance. Well maybe mid season casting distance as we like to kid him. Him being an old man and all he don't fling them like he use to. Chuck next door took his pontoon out and just let it drift out into the bay. Not to concern with catching fish he just likes to feel the rocking of the waves. Of course the day might have gone a little better for him if he had tested the old motor to make sure it started instead of waiting till he got on the other side. Water was running quick down at Mystery creek and some ice was still coming down. Nothing big but it made you not want to put your hands in the cold water. New fishing cleaning house got more use on Sunday then Saturday. Few more fish were caught and the sunshine let people sit out on the water a little longer then the day before.

Windy the windmill already is being used as a new landmark, I heard they were biting if you put Windy on your right and line it up with the Water Tower on your left and just stayed this side of Nytelyters bait dock. There is a long point there and the walleye were stacked up on it. That is what I hear anyway. Town was busy all weekend, a lot of visitors and a lot of new people came driving through to give us the look over. From what I have seen about half of the docks are out on the lake with a lot of pontoons still on dry land. At night the shore was about half lit with cabin lights and the campgrounds had some wood fires glowing. Lodge was busy, as members have returned to the lake. Lot of conversations going on and hard to find an empty chair. Johnson boys were here on Sunday night and there NeedaBeer was flowing from the tap. Not as well as the Hamms but still a nice chaser for the Wild Turkey.

So I hope your opener was a good one, got your boat wet and maybe caught enough fish for a meal. For some of you is back to work this morning and you will be chatting up with coworkers and that 14 inch walleye will grow to 16" by lunch and maybe be 21 by quitting time. Next year you will remember it as a limit of fish caught as you battled high seas and gale winds, but that is part of fishing and fishing openers. There never really is a bad one.. From Lake Iwanttobethere (32478)

The sun will come out, tomorrow,
Bet your bottom dollar, that tomorrow,
There will be sun,
This had to be written by a fishermen. Because yesterday there was no sun, Just wind and cold and waves pounding the beach here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Today is not much different. overcast sky's and the windsock on the dock is flapping. A little while ago a pontoon came by and both the driver and his passenger had on their snowmobile suits with blaze orange stocking caps. If I didn't know better I would say that I missed summer and we went right to fall. Hard to tell, no leaves on the trees, grass is short and in a lot of places brown. But then as I walked down to the dock to pick up the paper I heard a grouse drumming. A pair of mallards swimming off the point and Bud making a half hearted chase at the old goose. Of course the date on the paper was another hint that it was only May and I have not missed summer, yet.

Another one of them days that I have to work, being the part time building inspector for Lake Iwanttobethere there are not many of them. Some residents have returned and have ideas of spending that government check on improvements to their cabins. We are pretty easy going up here and it does not take a lot of paper work to ok some new steps or a door. Most are just repairs and don't even need an ok. I spend more time just bring people up to speed as to what went on over the winter and if they missed anything. Of course it is always a two way street as I hear about how fishing was over the weekend and keep track of the grouse drumming. Found a nice covey to hunt last fall on an owners tip I heard in the Spring. Deer are being a little antsy, have to be careful driving the back roads as the deer are using them as their own highways. Might be because of all the cabins being open and more people are out walking the trails and even now the sound of a lawnmower can be heard. I have no idea what they are cutting though.

Had to restock the wood box last night, for inside the cabin. Mid May here and we should be sleeping with the windows open but that is not the case. Chuck, my neighbor spend the better part of yesterday afternoon working on his pontoon boat. With his maple syrup done for the season he is now back to doing things he should have done before he put the pontoon in the water. Elmer came over and gave him a hand and Pepper was over there to. Seems he has a few chipmunks and Pepper took it on herself to chase them. I knocked off a few things on the Honey Do List and spent time in the garage. Still sorting and cleaning and finding things I didn't know I had. I did winterize or should I say summerize the snow thrower. I am pretty confident that we are no longer going to get any snow. The thrower is pushed back in the garage under the stairs to be forgotten I hope for many months.

Puddle Humper is clean and ready to hit the water, tackle boxes have been gone through and reels and rods are ready. Fresh gas in the tank and batteries are fully charged. Anchor rope lays coiled on her deck and she is as ship shape as if she was new. Wish I could say that for the old row boat sitting in the water tied off to the dock. I can hear the boat bumping against the old tires tied to the dock. Oars in oar locks resting and the rope coiled in the front connect to the paint can filled with cement. A couple of old fiberglass rods and some old century reels lay along side and on top of the wood benches. It is long over due to be painted and sanded. It was on my list for this spring but, well we have not really had much of a spring to clean it up. It found it's way back into the water and will stay there till fall. The grand kids like fishing in it and the kids like taking it out and rowing. Just a few minutes and a hundred strokes to make it to the pads and fish for bass. No graph, no fancy seats no trolling motor. Lot of fish have been caught out of that old boat. Still a lot more to come. I do move it up on the do list though. It might look better with a new coat of Hunter Green paint on it and maybe even a new paint can of concrete. But if I do that then I suppose I should paint the bench on the dock and then the chaise lounge needs to be painted and then. Well you can see how my do list just keeps growing. Actually it just kind of blends in with the lake and shoreline the way it is, Perhaps it can wait till fall to get painted.. From Lake Iwanttobethere. (32852)

Saw this strange light in the sky today so I google it and it came back as "The Sun" temps here in the sixty's and sunshine. I am not going to say anymore because I am sure it will all go away if I talk about it. Grass is getting green but the ground is very spongy. Lots of water which is a good thing if the temps were any where near normal. Boat landings look good and I took a drive last night and did some scouting. With my binoculars and with no leaves on the trees yet I could drive around the lake and spy er I mean observe fishermen and see what they are throwing and if they are doing any catching. Already today there are several boats out on the water and I am sure that later this afternoon the locals will be out. Tess and Hammering Hank in their wedding boat will be on the water by five. Tess has insisted that Hank spend time with her and she has taken to fishing in a big way. As a matter of fact she has a pretty nice walleye already on the fishing contest board back at the Masterbaiters shop. Skinny spends most of the day heckling Hank about the fish and it is good natured. Although I did see Hank fishing off a dock on his lunch hour, alone.

Mystery creek is quiet again, smelters have all left and the walleye fishermen have moved on to what they hope is the next hot spot. Several boats scatted around Root Beer Island hoping the winter bite is still there. Elmer was out on his dock with his fly rod, I asked if he was fishing and he told me he was just practicing. Barney was sitting next to him and Elmer was casting along the line of sight that Barney was looking. So I know the two of them were fishing. Pepper was laying up by Elmers garage looking out over his big garden. Just watching and waiting, I think she is on the lookout to see if any of then groundhogs return. Deck furniture is all out and the water bowl is filled for the dogs. Was already into town today and took a visit and a sit down at the Barbershop. Bart was busy telling anyone who would listen about the 25 or was it 26 inch walleye he caught. He was being pretty much ignored except by Mickey who was getting a razor shave. You tend to pay attention when someone has a blade at your throat.

I moved on after Bart started his story over again for the third time. Next stop was the cigar shop, I went into the walk in humidor and paused to take in a few deep breaths of the heavy air. I picked up a handful of my regular cigars and a few from the top shelf. Most of the time the cigars that I smoke have a burn life that just happens to be long enough to make the drive to the landings along the lake. The ones from the top shelf burn for a little over an hour which is how long it takes to get to the far side of the lake and a little bay tucked away that I like to chase northerns in. If gas keeps getting higher that will be my fall back. I will have to stop smoking the cigars and instead put the money in the gas tank. Will have to rely on bug spray to keep the skeeters away but I think the cigars work better. If it gets really bad I'll take Chuck fishing with me. Skeeters and them little biting black flies just love Chuck. If he is in the boat with me I will have none around me but Chuck will look like King Kong doing battle with the dive bombing sketers. Hanging on to his pedestal seat with one hand and flaying away with his rod in the other.

A lot of the town will be setting up chairs and enjoying a free air show this afternoon. The country to the north of us will be doing air shows and wanted to get in a practice run before they continue on down south to the big city. Since Lake Iwanttobethere is so large they were asked and given permission to have an afternoon practice/ show here out over the lake. I will get some photos and hope they don't break any windows. Well that brings you up to speed here at the lake today. Not a lot going on but there is always something going on. From Lake Iwanttobethere (33201)

HiYa from Lake Iwanttobethere. It's a Friday and the Lake is alive with the sounds of, do I dare say Summer? The common noise ringing across the waters here at the lake is that of two stroke engines running. Lawn mowers, garden tractors and tillers the abrupt stopping of an engine and maybe a faint curse word echoing across the calm waters of the lake. Funny how them rocks appear from out of nowhere. The menfolk are busy mowing grass and tilling gardens. The women not to be out done are out on the access road pounding up sale signs for tomorrow's rummage sales. Since I tend to write mostly from a man's point of view I seldom mention what the women here at the lake are doing. This weekend marks the beginning of the yard and rummage sale season. Friday can be a stressful day for the men as it is wise to stay close by. This is when the wife makes her semiannual visit to the garage in search of things that she has determine that I no longer need. Having marked this day on my calendar I have spent the past few days building a wall of clutter and boxes across the inside of the garage. I will sacrifice things in the boxes but am protecting the "Good Stuff" hidden behind the wall.

Two down right decent days in a row here at the lake. Sunshine Ray has been forecasting rain but none has fallen. He is right back to normal forecasting again. Hauled out the new tractor and I might mow this afternoon but I think I can wait. Besides if I am out mowing then the wife will have a clear assault on the garage and wood shop. Saw a welcome sight, that being a honey bee. They were in short supply last summer and I am hoping there is a hive nearby. Need them dudes around for the garden and the flower beds. The wife left to go down and see Earl at the General Store. Looking for some new rummage sale signs I think. I took advantage of her leaving and followed her into town at a safe distance. Soon as she turn off to go to Earl's I continued on to the Lodge. Campground already has a few tents up and a few trailers. Must be a good 10-12 trailers parked in the lot and a few guys are shore fishing. The rock pile is almost gone and I think Skinny has a sign saying you can skip rocks for free now. Must have been a success as he bought a round for everyone in the Lodge the other night. Of course it was when the air show was taking place and there was just him and Gus in the Lodge.

Air show was quite a sight. Sitting in our lawn chairs the access was the center of attention. The pilots made that ground zero and all of their tricks were held out over the water right there. Lots of boats took advantage and out front was a mess of pontoons and even a few sailboats. One trick they did was come low I mean really low from across the lake straight at us on shore before going straight up. More then a few people tipped over there lawn chairs and spilled their beers. All in all a nice show and it was free which was also nice. After the show with so many people around no one really wanted to leave as it was a nice evening so conversations broke out and a few fires were started in the fire pits. The mini donut wagon was open for business and Gus took the Lodges big grill on the trailer down and starting cooking up burgers and hot dogs. Hank and Tess started bring down chips and it turned into a BBQ. Mindy and Mandy were out making deliveries and when they saw all the people they stooped and passed out free root beer. That's the thing about the Lake, we don't need much of an excuse to have a get together.

So rummage sales tomorrow, the fishing challenge has started. Grand kids will be up to help grandma, boys will be out fishing. Daughters will bake cookies and talk about things that dads don't really want to hear about. Dogs will chase each other, I am sure the old goose will get involved somehow. Smores around the fire ring and Elmer will be over to tell stories and make coins appear from behind the grand kids ears. Looks like a pretty good weekend on tap. Of course Sunday night it will be safe to go fishing as the rummage sale will be done. I hope to have a good report for you and a few true stories. From Lake Iwanttobethere have a good weekend of fishing! (33778)