Grouse season is upon us and there have been some pretty good hunting reports already. Early season hunting is not usually that great since the leaves are still on the trees and the birds are so well camouflaged. Even with the beautiful weather and thick foliage this past weekend, some of our relatives managed to bag a few birds each day. The grouse population is supposed to be on a downward cycle right now yet the number of birds I have been seeing along the road lately would tell me that there are still quite a few around.
I threaten to grouse hunt every year and maybe when all of my projects are done I will actually give it a shot. This is the time of the year that my wife and I are able to start working on all of those projects that have to be done before the snow falls. Cut firewood, winterize the toys, pick up the yard and the list gets bigger and bigger every year.
With the temperatures approaching an actual deep freeze at night, it is time to start winterizing sprinkler systems. Usually we would have started a couple of weeks ago, but the Pagami fire was just too close to be draining so many systems. It would take a pretty hard freeze to do any expensive damage so we decided to wait as long as we could. The fire is still a very real threat, but it has not gained any ground in the past week and it would seem that the weather forecast is finally on our side.
The sunny skies took a toll on the fishing this week, making it pretty hard to convince the walleyes to bite. We managed to trick a few each day but they were definitely affected by the rising barometer. The lake trout did not mind and actually seemed to be biting better with the bright sunshine. The season closes at the end of the month, so by the time you read this it will already be over. I could tell you that they are biting in 45 – 55 feet of water and are responding aggressively to the jigging spoons, but it will be old news.
Twice this week we had lake trout in the two-pound range get hammered by big northern pike on the way to the surface. I have no idea how big the northern were but I would have to believe they are in the 20-pound range or bigger to actively attack a twopound trout. The bloody rake marks on the trout are pretty impressive, so who knows how big the attackers are.
Fish eat big prey in the fall. They need to put on some pounds for the winter, so they focus on big meals. The ratio of energy expended to calories taken in is important for them to put on that much needed weight before the water temperatures fall.
This is a good time of the year to troll ridiculously large crank baits. My favorite baits are: Believers, Big Jakes, and Magnum Rapalas. Most of the baits are 6-10 inches in length and will dive 20 to 30 feet when using 15-pound no-stretch super-lines. These types of lines allow the baits to run deeper and will set the hook for you without even trying. Deep main lake humps are key and as always, persistence pays. Just keep driving, and you can troll at speeds up to 3.5 mph. Always check the bait alongside the boat to make sure it will track correctly at higher speeds. Some bait will turn sideways at high speeds, so make sure it looks right before sending it back to 150 feet. Wire leaders will help keep you from losing those twenty-dollar baits, and don’t think this method is only for giant northern pike, you could also catch a bonus hawg walleye as well.
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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