I can officially give a firsthand fishing report from Devil Track Lake after spending an hour with my son, Bo, trolling for walleyes. The hardest obstacle of lodge life has been managing our work time efficiently enough to allow family time – even if only for an hour.
Devil Track Lake is reputed to have a lot of small walleyes, and the few times I have wet a line on the lake would prove no different. The bites come quickly once you have located some fish, which is a perfect match for our family’s tight schedule. The convenience of using one of the rental fishing boats that is already in the water, assuming it has not already been rented, has been wonderful for quick fishing trips with our kids.
Trolling spinner rigs and crank baits has proven to be effective, and an easy way to learn the lake while watching the depth finder. Devil Track walleyes are currently loitering in 18-24 feet of water and the bite is aggressive – especially when the rainstorms are coming through. A short window of opportunity is all we need to get a little action within sight of the lodge. I have yet to explore the western half of the lake because my breaks are short, and there hasn’t been any reason to go further.
Closing the restaurant on Tuesday has already proven to be imperative for our sanity, by allowing us to get our highly neglected Lake Superior boat in the water. The good news is that I winterized it properly and the boat ran great, and the bad news is that we only caught one small lake trout after trolling for six hours. Superior is a big lake and it is hard to narrow down the current conditions by yourself, especially when you have little experience doing it. Regardless, it was a beautiful day on the water and I cannot wait to get back out there while the salmon are still around.
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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