The past few days have been cold and windy—which are perfect conditions for making solid ice on the lakes. High temperatures have been in the single digits, with overnight temperatures in the negative teens amplified by a blistering wind that feels more like 40-below.
I noticed snowmobile tracks entering Devil Track Lake from our lodge earlier this week, and was amazed that only five days prior there were waves lapping against the shoreline. The tracks were claimed by our local conservation officer, Darin Fagerman, who took it upon himself to check the ice thickness in different areas of Devil Track Lake. He stopped in for coffee and reported a solid 6-8 inches throughout the entire lake, which is plenty of ice for snowmobile and ATV traffic— but not enough for vehicles or large ice houses.
The Gunflint Trail lakes are mostly ice covered with the exception of Gunflint, Seagull, and Saganaga lakes. These deeper lakes take longer to freeze over, and are usually safe for travel by New Year’s Day. It will be neat to watch Devil Track Lake this winter since I am used to the less frequently traveled lakes on the Gunflint Trail. There have already been a few snowmobiles stopping by looking for lunch, but that will not start until New Year’s Day.
We are supposed to get 8-10 inches of snowfall on Christmas Day, which could not come at a better time. It takes a heavy snowfall to allow the trails to be groomed properly, and the ground is frozen enough to keep it from melting away as it sets up the base for the rest of the winter.
There have been a few Nordic skiers, “skating” along one of the gravel roads that I plow near Little Ollie, en route to the Banadad Trail. They are going to have a tougher time returning now that I have plowed the road, but I am sure they will not be surprised since there were about three inches of snowfall on the Gunflint Trail this morning. I am guessing since they can “skateski” down gravel roads, they are no strangers to exercise, so a little hike at the end of their ski should not be too tough for them to handle.
Happy Holidays!
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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