December 26th is the official re-opening date for both Trail Center and Hungry Jack Lodge. They will both be on a regular schedule, serving food and drinks. Hungry Jack has a great new menu and a full service bar including beer and liquor. Trail Center will be offering the same great menu that we have all fallen in love with.
Things should come back to life up here on the Trail very soon. Lately it has been extremely quiet and peaceful. The sounds of snowmobiles will soon be buzzing the air and the resorts and lodges will be in full swing again.
We have been collecting an inch of snow per day this week and it is certainly accumulating nicely. The ground still needs a better base on top of it, but that will probably happen with the snow expected this coming weekend.
Many of the larger lakes are iced over, but I still would not feel very comfortable on them. Gunflint froze over on the 16th and should be getting thicker every day. The temperatures have been peaking in the twenties and dropping down to just below zero in the evening. Thecalm, still nights have been cold, but very comfortable.
I cannot confirm that Saganaga Lake has iced over, but I did see some snowmobiles leaving the parking lot at County Road 11 the other day. I can only assume they were going up the lake from there but I do not know for sure.
I have heard some mixed reports from fishermen. Some anglers have been successful while others did not get a thing. If the walleyes are biting, it has mostly been a low-light bite before sunset, but that seems to be the case every year.
The smaller lakes being fished have ice in the 12-20- inch range which is very safe to walk on. I do not plan to drown any minnows until after the holidays, but it is nice to hear that some diehard anglers are giving it a shot.
I discovered some more new gear this week including a floating jacket and parka from Arctic Gear. The set runs about $325 and will keep a 250-pound person afloat should he fall through the ice.
I also found a product called the “hook-set tip-up” that actually sets the hook for you. I do not know how well it will work on lake trout, but they are having some success with the walleyes. Lake trout tend to run away with the bait before actually swallowing it. There are three different settings for the amount of force involved with the hook set so that it can be adjusted to the depth of water that you are fishing in.
I hope everyone is enjoying his or her Christmas vacation. See you on the lakes real soon!
Cory Christianson, a 2000
graduate of the University of
Iowa, has worked as a fishing
guide on the Gunflint Trail
for nine years. If you have any
fishing reports or stories to
share, send an email to: christiansoncory@
hotmail.com or
call 218-388-0315.
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