The Gunflint Trail can finally brag about the snow this week. It began falling Saturday evening and by Sunday morning we had 6-8 inches blanketing the ground. I had forgotten how nice it is to wake up to the aftermath of an overnight snowstorm. What a welcome sight.
The snowmobile trails were in sad shape before this system hit but now they are great. It is amazing how fast the weather can change everything. I was riding on the snowmobile trail up by Sea Gull Lake today for the first time this winter and the upper trail had just been groomed. I repeat: the upper end of the snowmobile trail has been groomed. There are not many times a person can say that. The upper trail (west of Gunflint Lake) rarely has enough snow on it to be effectively groomed.
I often talk about taking advantage of the things in our own back yard and this week is a classic example. Traditionally the snowmobile trails get abused all weekend by the influx of vacationers so it is nice to take advantage of the freshly groomed trails during the week. The Gunflint Trail is forecasted to get more snow this week and so far the meteorologist has been guessing correctly. If this weather trend continues we might end up having an enjoyable season after all.
The lake trout bite has been good ever since we came out of this last cold snap. Each day that the mercury rose the fishing got better. Good fishing reports have been coming from the Big 3 (Saganaga, Sea Gull, and Gunflint) with lake trout being taken in 35-55 feet of water.
Jigs tipped with lively minnows are always a good choice but lately they have been favoring a live-bait rig. A live-bait rig can be very simple and effective. I tie a sharp No. 6 hook to the line with a split-shot sinker attached about six inches away from the hook. Set the pole in a rod holder and wait for the bite. I start out a few feet off of the bottom before playing with shallower depths. Many times this rig will work just a few feet below the ice, even while fishing in deep water. The deeper rigs that are close to the bottom get hit more often while the shallower set rigs tend to get bigger fish.
Once the live-bait rig is fishing, I like to work the surrounding holes with something noisy like a buckshot spoon. The commotion from the noisy spoon can draw a curious trout closer while the nervous minnow on the live-bait rig gets eaten. If there is such a thing as consistency in the world of ice fishing, this is as close as I have come.
I even use this method while fishing inside of my shelter on cold days. I set the live bait shallow in one hole and jig deep in the other so the two lines do not get tangled with each other. Good luck and I will see you on the water.
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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