Football, moose hunters, and the changing leaves can mean only one thing— October is here. Unlike the past few years, October so far has actually been very pleasant. The days are still warm enough for short-sleeved shirts and the black flies are even a nuisance at times.
The Minnesota Vikings are not much fun to watch, I have no idea why we still have a moose season and the leaves are almost gone, but I am not complaining. Last year November was nicer than October, so all is well.
Soon it will be Daylight Saving which means driving to and from work in the dark. If I get off work around 4:30 p.m. right now, there is still time to sneak in a couple hours of fishing before dark. But those days are numbered. We live close to Loon Lake so I like to drag really big crank-baits around searching for the next state record walleye. It is a pretty lake that is not over-populated with cabins. Peaceful.
Loon Lake has a reputation for not being incredibly productive but it boasts some of the biggest fish on the Gunflint Trail. I have my wife convinced that catching the next state record walleye means we will no longer have to work. It could happen.
You just have to make sure that you are using equipment made by companies with a lot of money. I use G. Loomis rods, Shimano reels, Power Pro line, and Rapala baits. This will guarantee some promotional money when the big one decides to bite. Either way it is still fun to try.
Lately there seems to be a lot of wildlife running around. It is a little early for the rut to be happening, yet the deer I am seeing along the road are easily spooked. Usually when deer are loitering in the ditches they do not move when you drive by them, but the past few days they are running before I even get close. It appears they have been up all night running from either wolves or horny bucks. I know hunting season is approaching soon so maybe they are just tuned into the time of year and being very cautious.
I saw that someone painted the road with a porcupine the other day by the Magnetic Rock trail head. I am not pointing fingers, accidents happen and this is the time of year that wildlife seems to be everywhere.
Fox, wolves, deer, grouse, and even the few remaining moose that we have can all be seen crossing the road at any given time or place up here. I have hit two moose in my 18 years on the Trail. One lived (I think) and the other died. The one that died was from me simply not paying close enough attention. It came out of the woods and ran straight into my passenger-side headlight. My two friends who were riding with me both saw it before I did, which led me to believe that I was spacing off. I totaled the vehicle and the moose. Sad day.
The other moose was kneeling down licking the pavement on the only stretch of road covered in ice. No way, no how, was I going to miss it. I slammed on the brakes. She stood up, turned away and proceeded to sit down on the hood of my car while leaving a deposit of droppings on my windshield. It was a slow motion deal and the impact speed was minimal. I watched her run off into the woods, appearing to be healthy. I was left with a dented hood covered in doo-doo. I left it on the hood so there was no argument from the insurance adjuster. He was thoroughly convinced. Both incidents were quite a few years ago and I was not speeding during either accident. It took some years, and some lectures from my friend Rudy Wimmer, but I finally realized that if I am doing 50 mph in the dark on the Gunflint Trail, there will be a time when I cannot stop fast enough to avoid a collision with an animal. I had to learn the hard way.
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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