I spent a couple of half-days fishing on Gunflint Lake this weekend with a fair amount of success. We caught six lake trout each day, nothing big, but the action was nice. Winter fishing is fickle and I am pretty happy seeing some bent rods for a change.
We saw some other anglers setting up camp on the west end of the lake. They would fade in and out of sight with each passing squall. Opening weekend on Gunflint Lake is usually busier, but there isn’t a plowed road like the past couple of years so accessing the lake isn’t as easy. I might plow a road for a friend who wants to drop a shack on the lake, but I would like to see some more ice first. There were 12 inches in the center of the lake and I was told there are 12 inches at the east end as well, but I would like to see a little more ice yet.
Friday before the opener we hiked into the B-Dub and caught some really nice lakers in South Lake. Boundary Waters lakes are easier to fish but the tradeoff is that they are harder to access. We hiked about 30 minutes into South and 50 minutes out with the added weight of six lake trout tugging on my shoulders. South is a beautiful lake surrounded by steep rocky shorelines and it boasts a nice population of eater-sized lake trout. We did land one that went 15 pounds but the rest of the fish were under 2 pounds.
The little fish were biting in the shallows while the big fish was taken in 35 feet of water on a Buckshot spoon. It took about 15 minutes to land the fish with multiple attempts at directing its massive head through the hole in the right direction. Big trout are fun to catch in deep water because they like to dive hard for the bottom where they tend to run sideways in shallower water which is hard to control through a hole. It was a great fight and a beautiful fish. Nothing good comes easy.
If you were anxiously speeding up the Gunflint Trail this weekend you might have noticed our random speed bumps along the way. The brunt of the heaves are located in the same areas the moose like to loiter, so it is possible the bumps might actually protect the moose from speeders this winter season while they lick the salt off of the road.
The moose have been seen nightly between Swamper Lake and the Clearwater Road as well as a few around County Road 92 near Birch Lake. If you see tracks on the shoulder of the road— give them a brake!
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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