Little Iron Lake is now open and many of the smaller mid-Trail lakes will soon follow. Leo and Hungry Jack are still showing a large amount of ice but the high winds we are getting this week should begin to shake things up. We have been working on a roof on Hungry Jack Lake and every time the wind gusted it sounded like glass breaking out on the lake.
I have not been out on any of the bigger lakes yet, but I know some anglers are fishing open water on Sea Gull and Gunflint lakes unless the wind shifts and the ice pack encloses the public landing. Poplar still has some ice but I would guess it will be gone by this weekend. The fishing opener is not as important to me this year as finishing my list of chores that was abandoned last fall, and it is hard to get out of the house on Mother’s Day weekend.
Rachelle and I spent her day with the family and had a picnic by the Cross River. The weather was perfect, despite the forecast, and the fast moving river was fun for the kids. I wanted to go up to the end of the Gunflint Trail campground to look for spawning walleyes in the Sea Gull River, but the Cross River campsite was more convenient. It was nice to spend Mother’s Day with Rachelle but I might not be available every year, especially if there is open water to fish. We might have to start celebrating Mom’s Day a week early at the Christianson house.
There has been some talk about changing the catch limits on the Sea Gull and Saganaga lakes chain, including Gull Lakes and the Sea Gull River. So far it is still just a discussion and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be posting signs at the boat landings to gather public input. Special regulation lakes typically become that way due to local concerns and scientific research from netting and surveys. I agree that the Sea Gull/ Saganaga fishery has had some hard times but I am not entirely convinced that special regulations will help.
It is hard for me to believe that fishing pressure is the cause for the decline in fish population but I will agree that it might not hurt to try. There used to be a lot more anglers up here keeping a lot more fish and we had a healthy self-sustaining fishery, now there are less anglers and less fish.
The proposed walleye regulations would be a bag limit of three fish with a 17-inch minimum length (and one can be over 20 inches). At first it worried me since we mostly catch smaller walleyes (14-18 inches) on Sag anymore making it harder to keep many fish, but the face of angling is evolving.
Ten years ago, a limit of walleyes and a hawg were the criteria set for a good day of guiding and now most people are happy with action and a few fish to eat. It is more about making memories than filling a cooler. A beautiful day on a Canadian Shield lake is entertainment enough—the fish are just a bonus.
If you want to voice your opinion to the Minnesota DNR just e-mail steve.persons@ state.mn.us or call the Grand Marais DNR fisheries.
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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