Fishing this weekend was a true testament to an angler’s dedication to the sport. At one time I could not see the gentlemen sitting next to me in the boat as we accumulated an inch of snow on the deck—and yet we continued to fish through each winter squall. You would think our insane efforts would have been rewarded with actively feeding fish, but no such luck.
The walleyes had lockjaw and I cannot say that I blame them. The minnows were even sluggish with their bellies pinned to the bottom of the bait bucket, and I would guess the walleyes were doing the same thing on the bottom of the lake. We had a 10-degree drop in surface temperature overnight on Saganaga Lake and the fish were not liking it any more than we were.
It was so cold on Saturday that we decided to take a break in our heated vehicles before returning to the boat for round two. This is not something I am used to doing, but the much-needed break was a savior as I began to slowly feel the blood flowing to my extremities once again. Normally I would be dressed much warmer, but I did not think it was going to be that cold, nor am I used to the customers being so determined.
Round two was also slow fishing but we were rewarded with a 30-inch walleye that went 12.2 pounds on the scale. This pig took about 15 minutes to land and even longer to revive for the release. I rubbed her forehead before shooting her down—like a torpedo—and watched her descend under the boat on the depth finder. The big walleye staged at 20 feet for a minute before slowly working her way to the bottom in 42 feet. I think she was all right.
The hawg walleyes are so impressive in the fall with their enormous girth. The healthy ones are aggressively feeding on smelt in order to gain some winter weight. This same fish would most likely weigh around 10 pounds during the summer months.
Releasing fish in deep water can be tricky, especially if they are brought up too quickly. As soon as I know it is a big fish I get the angler to slow down the fight while still keeping some pressure on the hook. The slow ascent is less damaging which makes it much easier to revive the tired fish for release. Sometimes, even when you do everything right, they will not go back down. It happens. You can try to put them in a live well for about an hour to see if they look any better, but chances are they will die. The small fish seem more resilient to depth changes as long as they are played correctly.
Our fingers are crossed for a warm streak in the near future, but you never know. If the weather warms up again, the fishing should too. On Saganaga the walleyes will descend to their winter haunts in about 55-65 feet of water. They usually average a bit small, but they are big enough for the plate. I still have one more group on the books for guiding this season and with any luck we will not have to bring along a snow shovel.
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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