After soaking in the beautiful weather last week it is going to be difficult complaining about what comes next. Unusual weather is often followed by big winds that blow the abnormal system away, and those winds came today with tree-stripping force and rain. Judging by the creaking house with each gust of wind, our peak color change is going to be mostly on the ground by morning.
Autumn has been very enjoyable this year and it will be missed as the nights begin dropping into the 30s leaving a blanket of frost each chilly morning. I still have some guided fishing trips left this year and it would be nice to get through this season without having to shovel the boat out before departing, or having to wear my snowmobile helmet while navigating across the lake in the bone-chilling rain/snow mixed flurries that are forecasted at the end of this week.
The fourth Minnesota holiday of the season, MEA, is going to mark the end of open water fishing for me, and time to winterize the summer toys before tuning up the winter toys.
My son, Bo, cannot wait for the snow to fly so he can ride his snowmobile around the driveway. Last season he was still a little too small to control the machine but I think he will get the hang of it this winter. He loves anything with a motor but lately has been asking me, “When is it going to snow?”
“Soon enough,” I say, “soon enough.”
The moose have been making appearances in a few of the shallow swamps along the Gunflint Trail this week with sightings near Iron Lake and Loon. There was a cow and calf pair near Iron Lake this morning and a big bull spotted near the Loon Lake landing on Sunday. We have also been seeing a big cow loitering in the bay between the two narrows on Saganaga Lake that could be the same one feeding in the moose pond by Chik Wauk Museum. They are eating grass on the bottom of the swamps in an effort to fatten up in time for winter.
There are still a few remaining loons that have not made their migration south (the birds, not the cabin owners) and some eagles are also hanging around to enjoy the last of the nice weather. The entourage of birds that follow my boat to the fish gut island are now reduced to a few wellfed ravens and seagulls that seem to appreciate the lack of competition at the gut pile.
The end is approaching fast and another wonderful season will soon be history.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
Leave a Reply