Devil Track Lake was starting to freeze when we left town for Thanksgiving vacation, but it had not covered the entire lake and was getting broken apart by the high winds each day. A few weeks later the lake has grown 8 to 10 inches of ice and getting thicker every day. Ice anglers have been fishing the usual early ice lakes safely, but it does not sound like the bite is very hot. A few walleyes and perch have been caught on Elbow Lake, with the bite being better near sunset, but the action has not been shared by many anglers. Smaller lakes, like Elbow, will freeze sooner and are already showing 12 inches of ice or better, which is plenty of ice to support four-wheelers and snowmobiles. The best mode of transportation when ice fishing is usually on a snowmobile, but the lakes are covered with only a few inches of snow making ice travel easy no matter how you prefer to travel. The Department of Natural Resources recommends at least 12 inches of ice for vehicle travel, and that is what it will take before I can get my shack out on Devil Track. The light snowfall on top of the lakes is powdery and should be easy enough to throw with a snow blower, if anyone is planning to make a skating rink on their lake. The window of opportunity is usually short before Mother Nature decides to throw a big storm our way.
I have not mentioned it to my kids, in case it does not happen, but I would like to make a small rink for them in front of the lodge this week. I have a pump that can flood the area after being cleared of snow, and the ice below is flat and hard – perfect for skating. Snowmobile trails are getting a little attention this week, but it is still too early to fully groom them. The state trails have been mowed and are slightly better than the local trails, but we need a thicker base before that is going to happen.
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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