Tails from the Trail

 

Another week of high winds and cold temperatures are making the fishing a bit unpredictable. If you are lucky enough to time the weather correctly you could see some banner fishing days. The wind needs to come out of the same direction for a good two or three days before the fish will get stacked up. Right now they are a little bit scattered, but at least they have been willing to bite.

The Gunflint Trail is starting to get a little greener, and the woods between the road and my house are filling in quickly. I don’t know which is better, for me to no longer have to see the road directly, or for passersby to not have to see my construction site from the road! The house is coming along nicely, but I don’t expect to be putting up siding until the end of the summer, so it will be an eyesore for a little while longer. Heck, there are some houses that never did put on any siding so what is the rush?

All of the animals of the forest are out scavenging, including an abundance of Bald Eagles.

I watched a mother (I’m assuming) Bald Eagle feed its young in the nest last week. The little birds would screech for more when she left the nest, but she would not give in to her whiny little children. I think we could learn a lot from natural animal behavior. The mother would perch high in a nearby tree and eat her own meal, almost taunting her young to "come and get it" if they really wanted it.

There has also been a family of fox living somewhere near Birch Lake. There is a litter of more than five, but I cannot seem to see them all at once. Unfortunately, they love to play on the Gunflint Trail, so watch your speed up here and keep an eye out for the wildlife.

There seems to be a slight decline in the tourist population recently. The lodges are a little busy, but not like they usually are at this time of the year. I think business will be better for me than last summer, and hopefully next summer will be even better.

I plan to do some more advertising this winter, to try to get people more excited about the Gunflint Trail and everything it has to offer. It amazes me that most people that contact me from other states think that the Gunflint Trail is in Ely. Simply because they consider Ely to be the Boundary Waters destination.

In my opinion, we have the best entry points, but we do not market ourselves as well as they do. Granted they are more "touristy" and we seem to be more natural or unorganized, but we should be as well known as Ely. We should be recognized as the more peaceful side of the unorganized territory.

Good luck on the water, and I will see you up here.

Cory Christianson, a 2000 graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide at Seagull Creek Fishing Camp for eight years and worked for Almost There Charters in Key West for nine years. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an e-mail to christiansoncory@ hotmail.com or call 218 388-0315.