Rachelle and I took a much needed vacation from the freezing temperatures (and restless children) to the island of Kauai last week— and it was incredible. The weather was perfect and our accommodations were amazing. I could have been perfectly content whale watching and soaking up the sun from our deck that overlooked the Pacific Ocean, but I am glad my adventurous wife kept us on the move. We explored the entire island by Jeep, foot, boat, and helicopter. Every day was a new journey through the vast tropical paradise where there were no wrong turns.
It was an incredible vacation and now it feels great to be back home. The four-hour time change took its toll, especially when we had to jump right back into “real life” after returning. We did spend one day recovering and reuniting with our kids at the water park in Duluth on the return drive from the cities; then back to work the next day. I found myself “dozing-off” in the ice house while guiding the next morning on Gunflint Lake.
I blame my lack of energy for getting skunked that day even though the weather was pretty bad; howling winds brought negative temperatures with a fast approaching cold front, on the back side of a full moon phase. Sounds like some good excuses to me (I have a lot more if necessary) but the fact is that ice fishing is not as consistent as open water fishing. Even the best anglers are served a big piece of humble pie every so often and Gunflint Lake can be a tough safe to crack. The couple I fished with were from Texas and had never seen an ice auger or snowmobile before so it was a fascinating experience for them, even without any fish.
Midwinter fishing is usually the toughest bite of the year. Water temperatures are at their lowest and fish become less active. In order to stay consistent with my guide business it becomes necessary each winter to start fishing the smaller, more consistent lakes for action.
Many of the best trout lakes on the Gunflint Trail are fairly easy to access if you are willing to hike a little. Leo, Moss, Birch, and Mayhew can all be accessed in less than 15 minutes by foot and are excellent lakes, especially in the early morning. Early bird gets the worm and some local anglers that do well on these lakes are usually done fishing by 9 a.m.
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.
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