Winter is here. I have said it three times already and I am fairly confident that it is now true. The 45 degree weather over the weekend took care of most of the snow up here. There is still a little and the rainfall made everything wet and muddy. It was hard to watch the snow disappear but it should help the lakes freeze up. Sounds strange, but it is true.
The high today was only 15 degrees but you would have never known it in the 25 mileper hour wind that was blowing. That is the kind of weather that makes ice. The rainfall helped eliminate the snowy blanket of insulation that was covering everything up here so things can now freeze a little faster. The next few days are supposed to have highs in the 20s and below so the ice will get better each day. It boggles my mind that people are dragging ice houses out onto Rainy Lake already. They seem to always get fishable ice before we do.
Roger Campbell and I tested the ice on a couple of lakes on Sunday the 2nd and it was not pretty. It only took a couple of jabs with the ice chisel to break through on some of the smaller lakes in the mid-Trail area. Too early for me. Each lake was flooded and black. The ice that we found was very weak and spongy, not safe at all. Roger will be heading south soon so we thought we would at least say that we tried. Maybe next weekend?
Gunflint, Saganaga, and Seagull Lakes all have open water. Sag and Seagull are starting to ice-over near shore but Gunflint is not even close. The high winds cool off the water—that is why there is so much fog this time of year.
Gunflint is such a long and straight lake that the winds have been keeping it open. Moss does not grow on a rolling stone and fast moving water does not freeze. Last year Gunflint Lake only had hard ice for three months. That was why the Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club hosted their annual Trout Derby on West Bearskin last winter. It is strange to think that a nearby lake would have safer ice. One would assume that all of the lakes in the same area would freeze at the same rate, but that is not the case at all.
Some lakes have small rivers flowing through them or springs that are feeding the lake from below. Either case will cause weak spots in the ice or open water. There are places on Northern Light and Saganaga Lake that do not like to freeze for reasons unknown. Pretty scary stuff—especially when you are above 55 feet of water. I love to fish but it is going to be a little longer before I am fishing on the ice. Good things come to those who wait and the wait should not be much longer since— winter is here!
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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