As we enter the second week of August I can’t help thinking that it doesn’t feel like we are on the backside of the summer season. The weather has been beautiful all week with an occasional rainstorm to nourish the forest and my vegetable garden, with no signs of summer wanting to end.
The road construction project is complete and the smooth blacktop is such a pleasure to drive on, but I was surprised to see a 55 mph speed limit sign by the Cross River pit since the previous signs all read 50 mph on the Gunflint Trail. The increased speed limit worries me that people will travel too fast. Just because the highway is wide and smooth does not mean that the wildlife will stop wandering out from the shoulders onto the highway. There are enough animals being hit on the Gunflint Trail while traveling at 50 mph that it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to increase those odds, especially in an area where a lot of deer are seen. (A lot of deer for up here at least!)
The weather this summer has been fairly unusual, as expected, and it has been interesting to follow the walleyes through the diverse patterns. Very soon after the walleyes spawned this spring they began descending to some of the spots we would normally find them in the latter months of summer. I was catching nice ’eyes in 24 feet of water throughout the month of July when they would normally be in depths closer to 10 feet, and now we are finding them up shallow like it was June — very odd.
This week with the stable and warm weather the walleyes decided to jump back into a traditional pattern and are being caught on top of the rock piles in 10-15 feet of water. I even had an avid fly fisherman catch a walleye on a fly while trying to hook a big smallmouth in 6 feet of water this week on Northern Light Lake. It was the first time he had ever caught a walleye on a fly rod and it was a very cool surprise for all of us. It goes to show that anglers fall into patterns more than the fish do. I will try fishing much shallower today.
The weather is great, blueberries are ripe, and the bug populations have receded to a more tolerable amount. It is a perfect time to get into the woods and explore. Judging by the over flowing parking lots at all of the major outfitters, it is pretty safe to say that the BWCA and Quetico are receiving a fair amount of visitors this week. Whether you prefer a cabin or a tent, it is a wonderful time to take advantage of the Great Northwoods of Superior National Forest and the BWCA.
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.
Leave a Reply