It was a surprise to see the Gunflint Trail stripped to gravel this afternoon on my drive down from Saganaga Lake. I think this means that I can now join the ranks of those who remember the Trail when it was a dirt road. I’m told that the dirt was so fine on the original Gunflint Trail that it would destroy trailer bearings and the ride was rough enough to rattle your teeth. The Trail would sure be a different place if it was still gravel.
Trail Center was called Trail Service back then and sold more hardware and trailer bearings than burgers. Long time Trail visitors usually comment on how much the Gunflint Trail has changed over the years and I always thought it would be neat to have a glimpse of their memory and see the “Old Trail” through their eyes.
My wife remembers her childhood vacations to her grandparents’ cabin on the Canadian side of Saganaga Lake. The only stop they typically made was at the Blue Water Café to eat dinner before finishing their “long” journey up the Trail. It must have really felt remote to drive from St. Paul to the end of the Gunflint Trail and continue the journey by boat for another few miles to the cabin. Jump ahead 30 years and Rachelle’s family can now leave St. Paul by noon and make it to the cabin in time for dinner.
If you are trying to make it to your cabin in time for dinner you might want to know that the construction zone begins at Fox Ridge Road on Loon Lake and currently ends near the Cross River. So far I have not had to stop for very long but I imagine there will be some added delays while the road is being re-paved.
This section of highway was in bad shape and the hassle will be well worth a smooth new road to drive on. The winter heaves have taken a toll on the pavement and the potholes were almost resembling any given street in Duluth—“almost.”
Walleye fishing has been getting better each day, especially across the border. Minnesota Saganaga has been fun as well, but mostly with some lake trout action and a few big walleyes. There is a big population of 22-28 inch walleyes on Northern Light Lake this year and they have been fairly easy to find with the wind and rain coming through. Bright days with no wind are a wicked combination this time of year since the fish are mostly shallow (4-8 feet) and are heavily affected by the weather. A little wind and clouds are all an angler needs to find a few hungry fish in the month of June.
Catch & release results this week:
June 6
. Scott Dickman
29” walleye
Northern Light
. Cory Christianson
28” walleye
Northern Light
June 7
. David MacLean
28” walleye
Northern Light
. Cory Christianson
30” walleye
Northern Light
June 9
. Russell Freeman
30” walleye
Saganaga
June 10
. Bradford Freeman
32” walleye
Northern Light
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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