Opening weekend in Northern Minnesota is anything but predictable. It could be sleeting sideways or hot and miserable with anything in-between. This year was hot, calm, windy, cold, and rainy with very few fish biting. That is about the most consistent information you can expect for these parts.
The sun was bright in the cloudless sky this walleye opener and fishing was tough. So tough, that I did not even go. I spent the day provoking black flies while digging fence posts in my back yard. Our dog needs her own space where she is safe from wolves, and it is one less thing my wife has to worry about right now.
The winds were blowing 30 mph on Sunday so we did not get out on the water until Monday. Rachelle, Sophia, Emily Forseth and I went up to the family cabin on Saganaga to start up and test their sprinkler system for any breaks that might have occurred over the winter. Other than a few downed pines—which can be expected every spring—the cabin looked great.
I gave everyone a quick tour of the Minnesota side of the lake before spending an hour trolling for trout. Emily caught a nice lake trout for dinner so we headed in. Young Sophia does not have the patience for fishing yet, so we try to keep the time in the boat fun and productive.
Saganaga has long been known as a trophy walleye lake but is slowly becoming known for lake trout. They are aggressive year-round and seem to be plentiful.
Opening week is a great time to troll surface baits—my favorites are in-line spinners tipped with small minnows. I troll them around 1.5 mph with a couple of split shots to keep them under the surface. Let out a ridiculous amount of line or use planer boards to keep the baits away from the boat. The lakers spook easily and hit aggressively. Copper and Silver blades are good, but any color could work.
It is now Tuesday and the wind is screaming by at 20-25 mph hour again. Either I am getting softer, or the elements are getting tougher. It is easier to come up with an excuse to not go fishing than it is to actually get out there and do it.
Of course my wife is nine months pregnant and ready to give birth any minute, so we have been fishing on the calmer days for now. I try to scare her into labor at least once a day, but so far I have just been making her mad. If you mess with the bull be prepared to get the horns.
Last week I raised some concern about the dying spruce trees up the Trail and have yet to find very much information. The trees still look dead and their needles fall off easily. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources sent out an e-mail raising concern about the “new fuel” present in the forest, but did not explain very well what to expect. High temperatures in March caused some trees to begin growing without an ample water supply from the frozen ground. The bright reflection off of the snow caused them to dry out as well. Time will tell if they survive, but right now they still look very dead to me. 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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