There was a good turnout for the Trout Derby on Gunflint Lake last weekend and there were about a dozen fish turned in. The temperature was warmer than we have had but the wind was annoyingly chilly and kept a lot of folks tight to their shelters whether that was a tent, icehouse, or truck.
The Cook County Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club did a great job plowing some roads for people to fish from and a majority of the fish were caught on or near those roads.
I did not get a chance at a fish that day but Rudy Wimmer caught a 2 pounder out of my ice house while I was home helping the kids get ready. The early bird usually does get the worm when it comes to fishing. The trout was not big enough to pay but it was one more fish than I managed to catch, and despite my morning delay I had a hook in the water long enough that I should have at least had a bite or two, but no such luck.
The water is cold enough in the winter that lake trout can be in shallow water, deep water, or anywhere in-between. Jordan Ekroot took first place with a nice fish that was just under 9 pounds. And I heard that he caught it in 8 feet of water, which is much shallower than I ever think of trying. One of the great things about fishing is that you never stop learning: if you do it is because you have stopped paying attention.
Most of what I know about fishing in this county I have learned from the anglers in this county.
This week started out very warm and we are seeing the “Spring Meltdown” a little earlier than expected. As I am writing this column I can actually watch the driveway exposing more gravel by the minute which means that it is warm outside— and that I am easily distracted.
We fished Mayhew today and the lake was nice and firm in the morning hours, then sloppy by noon. There was a little slush to contend with near the portage on the southeast side of the lake and I would expect it to progressively get worse each day this week. The action was good but most of the lakes are going to be sloppy until they melt down to ice.
Lake trout fishing is open until March 31, which is also the ice house removal date for Minnesota/Canada border lakes, but if it gets any warmer my ice house will be off of Gunflint next week. The areas that were fished for the tournament flooded the next day and my house is currently sitting in six inches of standing water. No big deal, the water will all make its way back into the lake soon enough. I am just relieved to be able to drive to the house again and hopefully the nights are cold enough to keep some ice for a while. We have all seen the lakes melt down fast and it is looking like it could be one of those years.
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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