Devil Track Lake finally opened up May 15, three days after the fishing opener and nearly a week behind the big Gunflint Trail lakes. I thought for sure it was the last lake in the state to have ice until some Greenwood Lake residents came in and reported solid white ice at their place.
Last fall the Devil Track and Greenwood areas froze earlier than the big Gunflint Trail lakes giving them more time to make ice before getting record-setting snowfalls. Heavy snow insulates the lake ice and hinders production resulting in less ice to melt in the spring. We were drilling through four inches of ice on Devil Track last Thanksgiving while Gunflint was still wide open.
Opening reports have been as expected; cold weather, slow fishing, and already there are mosquitoes biting. I have yet to wet a line this season. There are many cabins to open before Memorial weekend, and the window of opportunity is small this spring. It feels great to be spending time outdoors on the Gunflint Trail each spring.
Much of my summer is spent in the restaurant, so it is nice to reconnect with the wilderness even if it is only for a short time.
Seeing the rivers and streams flow hard from the melting snow as winter energizes spring is very inspiring. Everything seems fresh, even the local wildlife who drunkenly forage around while sometimes crossing the Gunflint Trail as if they had completely forgotten the potential wrath of an automobile while hibernating all winter. Lucky for them, I brake for wildlife.
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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