But are there any bullheads?
During this time of uncertainty, playing the part of a recluse is about the best that I can come up with and I would hope others are doing the same. Not being able to spend time with my two little granddaughters is what I really miss the most.
I actually get rid of any built up boredom that I have by exercising, taking walks and taking a drive. I have already visited a couple, more like four, area lakes just to check out the wildlife and to see if it gives me the urge to do a little open water fishing. It seems to be working as I am already itching to wet a line, although it may be a little premature for crappies and panfish. April is a great time for crappies once they decide to hit the shallows.
As I already mentioned, I have visited a few of the lakes in Freeborn County just to see if I can catch a glimpse of some wildlife. I visited the public access on Lower Twin Lake a couple of days ago; it was a sunny day with no noticeable wind, so you can probably guess what day that was. The DNR or the Watershed or both are working on a waterway at the mouth of the creek running out of Lower Twin. Just a little east of that access drive is an open slough where a couple of trumpeter swans and some geese are seemingly building their nests. I have seen those swans in the same location a few different times in the past couple of weeks.
Back in the early ‘70s when my wife, Jean and I were first married, my father-in-law, Orville Johnson, would ask us to go with him and fish for bullheads. On one occasion we had driven back to Lower Twin where we caught a nice bucket full of big yellow belly bullheads. It was a fun evening and when we got back to the house in Twin Lakes we cleaned the fish and my mother-in-law, Shirley, fried them up. This was a treat because we feasted on fresh bullhead (They’re best in the spring.), fried potatoes and VanCamp’s pork and beans. It didn’t get much better than that.
In 1970 I was fresh out of the service and, when I thought of fishing, the image of a bullhead never popped into my mind. I was kind of delusional back then because I didn’t think that bullhead fishing was cool. I grew up fishing those whiskered devils, so as I got older I dreamt of gamefish like northern, walleye, bass and the wolf of the group, the mighty musky. After a few meals of those tasty bullheads, I did change my tune somewhat. They were easy to catch and the catching part is always fun no matter what species it is.
I have noticed that in the past few years the number of bullheads in area lakes has diminished drastically. There was a time when fishing Fountain Lake meant catching quite a few bullheads no matter what species you were seeking. Waterville calls itself the “Bullhead Capital of the World,” but a few years ago they had to go to the Morristown Dam to catch enough for their annual feed. This took place quite a few years ago, so I don’t know what their situation is today.
I also stopped by the access at Pickerel Lake just to check it out. I can remember when I was a kid in the ‘50s and my Uncle Harvey would take me to Pickerel Lake in the spring to fish for bullheads. The shore along Highway 69 would be lined with cars and people. Folks would drive from miles around to catch bullheads out of Pickerel Lake in the spring. It was almost elbow to elbow fishing and in looking back, this may be the reason that I am not very fond of fishing in a crowd today.
When I returned to town, the gates at Edgewater were finally open, so I cruised around the park just to see how everything looked, and the only ice that I spotted on that day was along the shore where the sun didn’t reach. All of these lakes should be open by now, so the waterfowl will be busily nesting, especially on Lower Twin, Albert Lea and Pickerel Lakes in the coming weeks.
On my visits to these various lakes I have seen geese, trumpeter swans, hooded mergansers and one day as my wife and I were taking a drive past the Jugland dam, an eagle flew right in front of our car in pursuit of a smaller bird. We thought that this was pretty cool, especially since it was very close to the car. We also spotted some turkeys, which is becoming more commonplace, on our drive in the country. Wildlife is all around us – all you need to do is take the time to look.
Until next time, stay healthy, wash your hands, keep your distance and take a little time to get outdoors whenever you can.
Please take a few moments also to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Also take a little extra time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have served and those troops that are serving today.