Tamarack are gleaming with the remaining colors of fall—for a few more days at least—and it is beginning to get colder and colder with each passing day. The sun made a brief appearance today, persuading me into believing that it was actually a pleasant day to be shingling a roof, if there is such a day.
My thermometer dialed in at 12 degrees this morning, which would explain why Little Iron Lake had a thin layer of ice covering the bay that is visible from the Gunflint Trail. What did surprise me was that Little Iron Lake was still frozen when I drove by this evening. The sun was a welcome sight while shingling the roof but it was not powerful enough to melt away the ice. I was going to call it “skim-ice” but someone had thrown a few softball-sized rocks out onto the ice and they did not break through. It think we are in for a cold whitetail season this year.
Without a warming trend or heavy winds, we could be looking at the smaller lakes on the Gunflint Trail locking up with ice very soon. I am so used to writing about how late our seasons have been this year that it has taken me by surprise to see everything firming up already. If this trend continues, we should not have to worry about ice for the trout opener, however it is a little unfortunate to be talking about this while the summer stream trout season is still open.
Preparing for winter in northern Minnesota has been a continuously evolving challenge that I hope to someday master. There is a learning curve involved with relocating from sunny Key West to the Canadian border since the only frozen water in Florida was floating in my drink. After buying all new garden hoses this year (and the year before) I finally remembered to drain and coil them neatly before the big freeze. Third time is a charm. The past few weeks we have been watching the forest critters working hard to prepare for their long winter ahead but lately I have not seen much activity— other than some snowshoe hares that are still sporting a brown and white camouflaged fall ensemble. As soon as the snowshoe coats turn white, winter is here to stay.
There have been a few moose grazing the swamps this week along the mid-Gunflint Trail. A large cow drew a crowd of spectators near County Road 92. I drove by slowly and spotted her loitering near the back of the swamp with a nervous pose for the photographers who were respectfully keeping their distance. Moose can be excitable after being in rut, unlike their lazy demeanor in the summertime. If their back hair is standing on end like an angry dog, it is wise to keep some distance between you.
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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