If you even remotely enjoy Northern Minnesota, right now is the time to be here. The fishing is great, the bugs are tolerable and the fishing is great. Saganaga has been giving up a lot of nice fish and Northern Light Lake in Ontario has been on fire. Sound familiar? Saganaga and Northern Light are two lakes that give up a lot of big walleyes. If you live up here, and you have not yet been fishing on these lakes, you need to give it a try.
Realize that I am biased in my opinions, but fishing is one of our greatest natural resources. The Minnesota State Record walleye was caught in our back yard and her grandchildren are caught and released every day. I always tell people, “We are famous for trophies, not limits.”
Taking home some fish to eat is common and there is a legitimate chance of catching the biggest walleye of your life. Roger Campbell’s customer caught a 34 ¾ -inch walleye a couple of weeks ago. The biggest walleye he has ever seen. That is a true “pig.” There has been a lot of wind up here lately and tonight they are forecasting gusts to 50 mph. Big lakes get dangerous quick and that water is still pretty darn cold. We saw a lot of canoes on the lake today and it was blowing 20, and gusting up to 25 mph. I was concerned in the boat at times so I am sure those paddlers were terrified.
The nice thing about Sag is that there is always somewhere to fish. You might get beat up on the ride between spots, but there is a lot of protected bays that hold fish. Red Rock Bay has been giving up some big walleyes. James Bay and Devil’s Walk have been holding a lot more eater-sized fish. A loon with one baby has been hanging around the narrows on Saganaga lately, but I have not seen any others this year. This one was dark and already swimming and diving. There were some predictions that our loons might not survive the flooding and oil spills down south this year but the populations seem pretty normal to me. They migrate to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts for the winter months and return north to breed.
The common loon we see up here in Minnesota has many predators. Their young get attacked from above by sea gulls and ravens, from down below by northern pike, and their nests get hit by skunks. You do not see them on land very often because they can barely walk. They can weigh as much as 12 pounds and grow up to three feet long in their 35-year lifespan.
The bays that we have been fishing on Saganaga lately are full of minnows. As you approach the shallower water, the depth finder is showing a lot of little “hooks” suspended out from the shore. The loons are feasting in these same areas. They are carnivores and can dive up to 200 feet if necessary. They are excellent swimmers and can stay under water for a long time. When I used to travel to Key West in the winter and people would give me a hard time, I would tell them, “Even your state bird has enough sense to leave for the winter!”
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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