October is a busy month on the Gunflint with hunters, anglers and tourists. Add in some homeowners who are up here to winterize their property and it adds up to a fair amount of people driving up and down the road. Still too busy for Rachelle and I to dine out.
October is also the month when you no longer need a day-use motor permit for Saganaga Lake. The boat launches no longer collect for parking and you will not be able to eat a Trail’s End Burger until next year.
I keep trying to convince Mark Darling into delivering his burgers next summer, but he just laughs. I can see the logo, “Guaranteed delivery in 130 minutes or less!”
This is a great opportunity for people who would rather not deal with the “extra hassles” that are required to use Saganaga Lake. The Boundary Waters rules still apply, but the permit system is reduced to self-issuing.
The season might be slowly coming to a close but anglers are still catching walleyes and whitefish. I have also heard excellent reports mid-Trail on stream trout fishing right from shore. Anytime you can fish a lake from shore is nice.
Props to the leaf watchers who have been hiking the numerous trails this past week for perfect timing. The warm sunny days and brightly colored leaves have been spectacular. Any of the days that I am not guiding, I have been winterizing sprinkler systems from Saganaga Lake to Greenwood and anywhere in-between. Needless to say the windshield time has been stellar.
I saw a nice bull moose and plenty of grouse this week, but I am not telling where. I will tell you after the seasons are closed, maybe.
The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse by the week’s end and the leaves will likely start to fall with the impending temperatures. This season is coming to an end and many of us are scrambling to get the last remaining projects completed. I feel like I say this every year.
Our family has high hopes of building a muchneeded garage this fall amongst a mile-long list of chores, including cutting and stacking firewood. It is so nice to finally get some time to work on our own place. I long for it all summer. The family time is great and every day we get one step closer to being finished with our home. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with our rapidly changing family, but we manage. Life happens fast, even in a slow-paced community like the Gunflint Trail.
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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