This could be the buggiest year ever. If you plan to spend any amount of time outdoors, then be prepared to get eaten by both mosquitoes and biting flies for the next couple of weeks. On the up-side, fish seem to feed when the bugs do.
Walleye fishing on Saganaga Lake has become noticeably better the past few days with reports of 15 to 20 fish per day, most of which are 20 inches or better. Not great for the table since they don’t fit inside the slot, but a lot of fun to catch. Twenty-plus-inch fish are the backbone of any walleye fishery and the best fighters.
Northern Light Lake has been hot as well with a slightly more diverse variety in size. The bigger fish have been between 25 and 27 inches and the keepers are usually around 14 to 17 inches long. It is a little more work to get there, but the rewards are usually worth the trouble.
Now that we live on Devil Track Lake it might be easier to drive around through the border than portage across Saganaga Lake – especially now that it is paved the entire way.
Devil Track and the surrounding lakes have been pretty darn slow to start but should turn on after the big mayfly hatch subsides. It took a long time for the water to warm this season and it seemed to really shut off the bass and walleyes. The trout lakes have been hot since they prefer cooler temperatures, especially during the open-water season.
I think the walleyes are going to stay in the bays for a couple more weeks on the big Gunflint Trail lakes, since the water temps are staying in the mid 60s, before moving out to the rockpiles. Once the daisies are knee high, start looking outside of the bays.
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. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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