The days are getting longer and the water temperatures are slowly climbing into a range that makes fish active. Soon there will be bug hatches happening below the surface as the sun warms the muddy lake bottoms, activating a chain of events known to anglers as the dreaded mayfly hatch, that often carries into June on Canadian shield lakes.
I was fortunate enough to sneak a couple of days of guiding in this past weekend before the restaurant consumes me for the rest of the summer. The weather could have been nicer, and the rain could have been a little less intense, but the walleyes cooperated enough to make a great trip – despite Mother Nature’s cold touch.
The walleyes on Saganaga Lake are perfect 18- to 19-inch footballs, as suspected. The predominant school of fish we have been catching the past few years has grown a little more than an inch a year and are now mostly within the slot limit. There have been a few smaller walleyes as well, which is a great sign for the future of the lake.
Guiding anglers to trophy walleyes on Saganaga and Northern Light Lake is all I have known for the past 20 seasons, and I am not sure how I will adjust to life on land – especially in a hot kitchen. Instead of trying to guide and run a resort, I have decided to farm out some guiding to a couple of local fishermen who have been fishing Saganaga Lake since they were in diapers.
Lance Huskey and his cousin, Shane Smith, are now joining the ranks of Gunflint Trail fishing guides, to help show anglers a good time while chasing walleyes. Their photos and profiles can be seen on my website at www.gunflintfishingguide.com.
I have written a few articles in the past expressing my concern about the future of fishing guides on the Gunflint Trail, and it feels right to help some new guides get a foot in the door ensuring a future for such a unique profession. Twenty years ago there were a lot more guides to compete against, but they eventually retired or left and now there are less than half as many active guides. It took me a long time to build a client list, and now I am helping Lance and Shane build their own client list.
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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