While sound asleep after a long and exciting day on the water, my peaceful dreams were abruptly interrupted by a crack of lightning so loud my body levitated as the earth shook our entire house. I have witnessed my share of lightning storms on the Gunflint Trail, but the strength of this single crash was second to none for me.
After checking my bed sheets for any accidents I snooped around the property to make sure there were no burning trees or buildings within sight. Luckily everything but our phones survived. Thunder and lightning continued through the night as my heart slowly returned to a normal beat. “This will mess up the fishing tomorrow,” I said to myself while sliding under the covers for some much needed rest.
To my surprise the walleyes were very cooperative the next day and have been biting great all week, despite the unstable weather. Some smaller fish are lurking around 30 feet while most of the nicer fish are biting in depths between 15 and 20. Once fish descend to these depths they become much easier to find on the electronics. I spend a lot of time idling around rock piles looking for signs of life before ever dropping a bait to them. If they happen to be hugging the bottom the electronics will not see them, but those fish are typically inactive and unwilling to bite anyway.
Fishing ¼-ounce jigs tipped with either night crawlers or leeches has been very effective for both walleyes and bass. I like fishing jigs because they hook the fish in the lip which makes releasing much easier. Lindy rigs and bobbers tend to hook fish in the gut causing a lot of stress on the fish during the fight and result in difficult hook removals for the less experienced angler.
It is suggested to simply cut the line if the hook is not visible, but that advice can be equally harmful if the fish is unable to pass the hook through its system. A good set of needle nose pliers and a little pressure on the line to expose the hidden hook is a better means for extraction. It takes a little practice to safely handle an angry fish without getting stuck, but that is a responsible angler’s duty. If you choose to fish, hook removal is inevitable so be prepared and help reduce “hook mortality” rates.
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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