Cook County News Herald

Ice House Fever





 

 

I am sad to say that the 2015 Mush for the Cure has been cancelled. It was an honorable fundraiser that exceeded anyone’s expectations and raised a lot of money for a very good cause. The amount of “behind the scene” preparation that went into such an event is simply mind boggling (to say the least) and the people who volunteered themselves should all be proud of what they accomplished.

We live amongst a giving community that has shown support both financially and physically to make such wonderful things happen. Some of the key players have either moved away or spread themselves so thin that they are becoming transparent (I know the feeling well) and can no longer justify the enormous amount of work it takes to produce an event that grew larger each year. The list of volunteers is too big for this short article, but their efforts will not be forgotten. Thanks for all that you have done.

March can be the friendliest month of the winter and I think I can speak for all of the residents by saying that we hope this March will bring nice enough weather to get outside.

I am getting a little tired of ice fishing indoors; much like cabin fever I am feeling the effects of ice house fever. It is a lot more enjoyable to look at the rocky shorelines riddled with trees and smell the clean air than to stare at the walls of my ice shack while sucking in fumes from the propane heater.

Sunday was so cold and windy that my portable ice house was barely tolerable even with a Mr. Buddy heater running at full power. My portable shack has five years of “guide-tested” abuse to help explain why it looks like a hurricane survivor, but this was the first time I have worked to keep the holes open while inside of it. Next season I will have to invest in a new portable shack with insulated fabric.

Despite the frigid wind we braved the elements and fished the Canadian side of Saganaga from our portables. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of action for such a cold day. Lake trout were biting pretty good and we managed to put six fish on the ice in a few hours time, which is about all you can ask for in the dead of winter. The fish were active and willing to chase our baits as much as 20 feet off of the bottom before hitting them.

Traveling conditions were great and we did not see any slush, even in the areas notorious for such conditions.

March should be warmer than February and outside fishing will be more comfortable for everyone to enjoy some time on the ice this year. We will keep our fingers crossed.

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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