June flies

 

After a full week of fishing in winter clothing up here on the Gunflint Trail I can safely say that I am ready for summer. Suiting up in long underwear and insulated rain gear is expected during the spring season on occasion, but this week has felt more like October than May.

It seems that many things happen later in northern Minnesota than most other places and springtime cold fronts are usually to blame. For example, some years the ice barely melts in time for the fishing opener, my garden no longer gets planted until early June after the frost warnings, and the Mayfly hatch actually happens in June.

My customers this week are a father and son duo from Florida who flew into 32-degree weather in Duluth after leaving 90-degree weather in Florida. It took a couple of days for them to acclimate as each day this week became slightly warmer. The father is an excellent fly fisherman able to cast in strong winds and has caught as many (or more) fish on flies than his son and I have with live minnows and leeches.

The smallmouth and northern pike have been very “fly friendly” this month since they are hanging around shallow waters chasing minnows, crayfish, and a variety of bug hatches. The tried and tested live-bait rig with a leech has put most of the walleyes in the box, but not all of them. One eater was caught on a fly and a few crappies as well. It is a pleasure watching an experienced fly fisherman at work, especially in the wind.

We have had three moose encounters this week while fishing and twice they have been cows with two calves. One of the cow and calf trios was wading through the shallow waters outside of James Bay on Saganaga Lake. I used the electric trolling motor to get close enough for some photos before mom discovered us and scurried into the woods with her two babies.

The other trio came crashing out of the woods on an island 50 feet from the boat and scared a yelp from all three of us. They must have been there the entire five or 10 minutes we had been fishing the shoreline until we got close enough to startle them from their hiding spot. It was a cool experience for me so I know the Florida guys enjoyed it as well.

The Trail is full of life both on the ground and overhead. There are teams of Canada geese migrating north in big flocks of 50 to 80 birds flying in a perfect “V” formation. Mallards, woodies and of course our beloved state bird, the common loon have all been making appearances as well as a blue heron that jumped out of the moose pond at the Saganaga boat landing.

It is a great time to head up the Trail—just remember to pack some long johns.

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.