An unusually low attendance for this year’s Cook County Ridge Riders Trout Derby on Gunflint Lake was not too surprising since the morning started with a bone-chilling 30 below, and just enough wind to keep anglers from wanting to participate. Thirty-some contestants braved the elements with only six fish being caught, and unfortunately I was not one of the lucky ones.
I had a funny feeling after my snowmobile didn’t want to start without a battery jump, and I pulled my reverse handle clean off while backing it up, that it might not be a lucky day for me.
I have been guiding on Gunflint Lake this past week for no other reason than it was the safest big lake to take people fishing. There have been countless stories of abandoned snowmobiles or trailers on Northern Light, Saganaga, Loon and even the east end of Gunflint. Pockets of slush have been found on all of these lakes that are swallowing up machines and leaving riders stranded. Once the machines are abandoned the exposed slush will typically freeze overnight causing next to impossible rescues.
The west end of Gunflint Lake, where the tournament headquarters were staged, was in pretty good condition and a few roads were plowed to accommodate the anglers in vehicles.
I was actually guiding a group of guys that day and we had originally planned to fish Saganaga or even Northern Light Lake in Ontario, but it seemed smarter to play it safe by fishing the Ridge Riders Trout Derby on Gunflint Lake instead.
One of the anglers I was guiding, Matt Packer, took first place with a 5.7 pounder that he landed around lunchtime. If you were within a mile of our group you might have heard his victory scream that woke me up from a nap in my cozy pop-up. I can only stare at a Vexilar for so long before the propane exhaust and lack of action cause me to snooze.
Everyone in my group was in heated pop-ups that were strategically placed on the edge of a drop-off. I try to put enough distance between my house and theirs so that they cannot hear me snoring.
Winter fishing is a much different game than being in the boat with the customers in the summer months. I usually tell the guys to give me a shout if they need me to do anything “guide-like” such as assist in landing a fish or re-start a heater but this group is pretty self-sufficient.
I was happy for Matt winning the $500 and it was the only fish caught in our group that day, so I was even happier that we did not get skunked.
I don’t have an excellent track record with this particular customer so it is nice that he is willing to keep giving me the opportunity to redeem myself each year. We have decided that eventually I will get lucky enough to get it right. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and like I have said so many times before, “The more I fish the luckier I get!”
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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