The walleye bite has been holding up on Lake Saganaga this past week and we are starting to see some “cigar” sized fish mixed in with the bigger ones. Every reef I fished had life on it, and the best biters were in eight feet of water. We even caught fish with our bobbers set as shallow as six feet. It makes fishing a real challenge when you are getting some fish at eight feet and others are down as deep as thirty.
Cigar sized walleye are a welcome sight this time of the year. They are not very fun to catch, but their existence proves that we will have fish in the future. The fry size walleye that were stocked this spring will not reach cigar-size for a few more years. What always surprises me is that the hawg walleyes are feeding on these exact same spots and depths. We caught three hawgs this weekend, and they were all on reefs that were also holding baby bass and walleye.
I was fortunate to see a moose cow swimming across Mosquito Bay on Northern Lights Lake with two calves by her side. Theywere spooked by us immediately and returned back to their original point of entry, but it was very entertaining. My customer had just asked if we ever see any moose or bear swimming across the water and I replied, “Yeah, but not very often.”
TheMinnesota Department of Natural Resources has been visiting the boat landings on Saganaga to discuss concerns regarding invasive species. Water plants such as milfoil are easily transferred from lake to lake, so it is very important to always drain your boat and live-well immediately after pulling it from the lake. Your boat trailer should be inspected for any weeds and even your anchors could be a culprit if not cleaned off properly.
There was a lot of talk about the spiny water flea that was accidentally introduced to Saganaga Lake. People were noticing these creepy little buggers stuck to downrigger cables while trolling for lake trout. Opinions ranged from “No big deal” to “Saganaga is becoming the Dead Sea.”
I have not seen a major difference in the lake or the fishing in the past ten years, but I have seen the fleas, and they are pretty gross looking to me.
The DNR has used many of our lakes for their own experimental studies, and I think it is very hard to design a lake. Birch Lake, the premier “Splake Experiment,” now has more smallmouth bass than trout. Obviously introduced by someone, the smallmouth have taken over the lake. Leo Lake, a true “Designated Trout Lake,” has some very nice walleyes in it. Mother Nature cannot be controlled, but humans can be with a little bit of knowledge. People do not want to destroy lakes—they simply need to know the ramifications of their behavior if they neglect some pretty simple precautions. Clean your boat out at the landing and you could be saving a lake.
Cory Christianson a 2000 Graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail for nine years. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@ hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315
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