Grab your pail and head up the Trail; it’s blueberry-picking time again. The patches are just beginning to turn blue and already we are seeing some berry pickers parking along the Gunflint Trail.
Blueberries grow abundantly near the end of the Gunflint Trail and throughout the BWCA wilderness due to the rockier terrain and history of forest fires. Berry patches thrive in recently burnt areas and the end of the Trail area has seen its share of fires.
When the patches become more fruitful, I will find some time to join Rachelle and the kids for fishing and picking combination on Saganaga Lake.
Anglers continue to catch “evening walleyes” on Devil Track Lake while trolling original floating Rapalas; I plan to give it a try on Saganaga tonight with my son Bo, who has recently become infatuated with fishing. Rachelle and the kids are visiting the cabin on Saganaga Lake and I plan to meet them for an overnighter before guiding the next day.
Walleye patterns can be very different, depending on the lake; feeding during evening hours might be the only similarity our lakes have. Once the daisies growing along the roadside are knee high, the walleyes on the bigger Gunflint Trail lakes are leaving the bays and feeding on the main-lake rock piles – known as the “brown-water spots” since they are shallow.
Slip-bobber fishing is very effective when targeting trophy walleyes on shallow rock piles, and some anglers have had success trolling spinner-rigs along the larger rock piles.
These same spots will produce big walleyes during the dusk hours while trolling big shallow running crankbaits. I am talking about muskie-type lures that range from 8 to 12 inches long. They will hit a variety of crankbaits, but the biggest fish are eating the biggest baits when the bight-night feeding frenzies occur.
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. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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