It was so windy this morning there were whitecaps in my coffee mug. Luckily I was driving back from Duluth and not persuading some customers out of fishing for the day.
Saganaga is a great lake to guide on for many different reasons, one of which is your ability to hide behind islands and protected shorelines while still managing to produce some good fish.
Many times when we get huge winds, walleyes are forced back into the shallow bays where you would normally fish in the spring. James Bay has consistently produced eater size walleyes in late fall while other fish are in 40 – 50 feet of water. The high winds push a lot of cooler water into these otherwise warmer unproductive areas. They will bite while the wind is cranking and seem to shut off as soon as it calms down.
My wife just returned from town with a video of a boat sinking in the Grand Marais harbor. The wind was actually coming from shore and pushing out the mouth of the harbor. There were massive whitecaps inside of the anchorage by the Coast Guard Station. Sailboats were listing hard one direction, then slowly righting themselves, only to list again on the opposite side. It was amazing footage, seeing a vessel completely on its side and yet able to correct back to normal. I would not want to be inside, but good to know your boat’s breaking point if you ever were.
Photo by Joe Carlson Manford Viker of Rochester caught this 36-inch northern while fishing with Joe Carlson of Joe’s Inland Fishing. Look closely at the fish’s side—notice the yellow float rig. It’s “the one that got away” from another fisherman!
I remember seeing a similar wind in Key West that unraveled the main sail on a 25-foot sailboat. I was sleeping in my camper/van at Peninsular Marina and heard what sounded like a flag out of control. When I ran out to help, the sailboat was under full steam while tied up to the dock. The bow smashed into the concrete seawall relentlessly for about ten minutes before someone was able to lasso the sail. The sound of crunching Fiberglas was all you could hear.
Fallen trees were blocking the Gunflint Trail every so often, but a path had been cleared before my arrival. I do not mind cleaning up some flotsam, however it is a little scary to stop along the Gunflint Trail for any length of time, especially with a chainsaw in hand. People drive too fast and there are many blind corners to deal with along this gateway to the wilderness.
Photo by Darren Peck John Zollars is one of the four “Throttle Jammers” who fish with Captain Darren Peck of Tofte Charters each season. He is pictured with the 11.5-pound lake trout he caught on September 23.
We have all seen the motionless convoy of tourists snapping photos of the moose or fox which seem to be getting more prevlant every year, but it can be very dangerous. It is not uncommon for a person to park in the middle of the road with four doors wide open on a blind corner. Don’t get me wrong, I love to see the wildlife, but safety first. Use your hazards and park on the shoulder so you do not cause an accident.
It will not be much longer before the fishing season officially comes to an end. Smallmouth bass are catch and release only on any lake north of Highway 53 and by the time you read this article the trout will be closed as well.
Fishermen will begin concentrating on the hunting seasons and I will be scrambling to get ready for winter. With some luck, I might be able to manage wetting an occasional line before it is time to break out the ice auger.
Photo by Joe Carlson Jeff Vanthournout of Chanhassen caught this 18’’ smallmouth on a jig and a minnow while fishing with Joe Carlson of Joe’s Inland Fishing Service. He said they also caught “lots of small walleyes, better than nothing!”
Cory Christianson, a 2000
graduate of the University of
Iowa, has worked as a fishing
guide on the Gunflint Trail for
nine years. If you have any fishing
reports or stories to share,
send an email to: christiansoncory@
hotmail.com or call 218-
388-0315
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