It appears that all of the Gunflint Trail lakes will be mostly open for the 2015 fishing opener. The far east end of Gunflint could still have a little ice left as well as the big lake side of Saganaga, but I highly doubt it with the bright sunshine and strong breezes we are getting this week.
Two of my friends made it up to Sagonto Resort last weekend and said that the southern half of Saganaga Lake was wide open as far as Jock’s Narrows, but the big lake was still locked-up with rotten ice. The ice was soft enough to drive a boat through, so it should be history by the week’s end.
There are a lot of new special regulations to understand this season (including some of the Gunflint Trail lakes) that are printed in the 2015 Minnesota Fishing Regulations handbook. It is our responsibility as anglers to know the laws, whether we agree with them or not.
I took advantage of the last weekend possible for some much needed shopping in Duluth. It amazes me that I can navigate through miles of unorganized territory without a map yet I am not capable of navigating my way to the food court inside Miller Hill Mall without a couple of wrong turns. Luckily the mall is small enough to simply continue walking until the food court appears. Most people would refer to the convenient kiosk maps located at every entrance, but a woodsman like myself relies on the primitive method of smell.
This might sound more difficult than reading a map but the unique odors of multi-ethnic indoor fast food establishments are easy to track by nose. This aromatic blend of Chinese, pizza, chili dogs and burnt fryer grease can only be rivaled by state fairgrounds and scream heartburn.
My stomach can no longer handle these foods, but my brain isn’t smart enough to remember that. After a haircut, some antacid, and new clothes for the summer, it was time to leave. I had seen enough of the noisy, fast paced, “wireless” city for a while. The longer I live “disconnected” in the woods, the less I can tolerate anything else.
After a pleasant drive up the beautiful North Shore at sunset, I was welcomed back to the Gunflint Trail by a young cow moose near Swamper Lake. She was in stride along the opposite shoulder giving me plenty of time to slow down and admire her grace. Her coat had been mostly replaced with shiny brown hair while a little of the grey winter coat remained. I could see her ribs but she did not appear to be unhealthy, just a little skinny from the long winter. She wanted to cross the road so I slowed down to let her escape the headlights and safely pass ahead of my truck and into the woods like a giant mouse.
This is the type of traffic I can handle.
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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