The seemingly endless winter season has fought its way into the third week of April and is showing little sign of surrendering to the spring sunshine. We have seen some incredibly fast transformations before, but it will take an intense wave of heat to open these waters in time for the fishing opener on Saturday, May 12.
The last wave of snowfall left us with 6-8 inches of fresh powdery snow, much less than our neighbors to the south, and prompted a few last-minute riders to take a spin around the lake and trails. The lakes are holding up with a soft bed of snow cover, but the trails are barely covered, and the recent snowfall has masked the dangerous spots creating unsafe conditions for snowmobiling, in my opinion.
Downhill skiers can safely enjoy the slopes at Lutsen Mountain for awhile since they have extended their season. Our kids have not tried to downhill ski yet, and we are hoping to get them on the slopes before the excitement is over. Rachelle and I rediscovered downhill last season and were able to go every Wednesday morning (local discount day) before opening the restaurant for lunch. It was the highlight of our week and we regret not continuing the tradition this year. Getting the kids into the sport will help motivate us into going more regularly, I hope.
I have noticed a few tan people wandering around town, either returning snowbirds who are regretting coming back so soon or spring breakers who traded a week of freezing temperatures for warm beaches and sunshine. Regardless, we all could use a shot of vitamin D after a seemingly endless winter season.
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.
Leave a Reply