The chill of autumn is in the air as each night dips slightly closer to the freezing mark. Noticeably shorter days are taking a little longer to warm up and the overnight humidity that covers our vehicles could pass for rain each morning.
Night owls who enjoy stargazing have had a lot to look at this week as the Northern Lights have made multiple appearances on the clear evenings. I watched them dancing across the sky while driving up the trail this week after returning from a dinner engagement in Grand Marais. Ironically, I was amazed at the fog bank resting above Lake Superior as I descended from blue sky country at Pincushion overlook, into a blanket of fog at the water tower. Vehicles were stopping midway to take photos of the thick fog that looked more like a horizon of snow capped mountains.
Grouse hunters and leaf watchers have also been enjoying some beautiful days this week with temperatures peaking in the upper 60s. I have been finishing some projects like building docks, and surprisingly enough the water temperatures are still in the upper 50s. Too cold for swimming, but not too bad for wading around in insulated bibs while throwing rocks into a crib.
I also have a few more guided days of fishing left on my calendar this season, weather permitting, and then it will be time to winterize our fleet of boats.
The walleyes have been biting well on Saganaga Lake, and are exclusively eating minnows. Save the night crawlers for the shallow lakes, because the walleyes that are found in deep water are only eating minnows.
I canoed into Crocodile Lake last week while guiding a few campers, and we caught a bunch of small walleyes in six feet of water using jigs tipped with a half crawler, just like it was opening day in May. If this is happening on bigger lakes, like Saganaga, I am not able to figure out where. The schools of walleyes that I follow on the lake continue to descend throughout the year, and their stomachs are full of minnows, and only minnows, when they reach 30 feet.
Hopefully the forecasted weather will not blow away the leaves this week, and we can continue to enjoy the beautiful fall colors for a little while longer.
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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