If the fish are biting, I would not know. The due date for our next child is the 21st which is when I write this, and we are on high alert around the Christianson household. Rachelle has been pacing the property in an effort to convince the little man that it is time to join us. We were hoping he would come early since the guiding season is ready to take off, but no such luck.
Rachelle, Sophia, and I have been staying close to home this week doing a lot of yard work in our newly landscaped back yard. We built a fence so that our dachshund Maggie would have a safer place to be outside, and it will protect the raised bed garden. I never thought I would want a grass lawn while living on the Gunflint Trail, but a small groomed yard will be nice. I have not been the best green thumb in the past, but I read a book on gardening recently so we are going to give it another try.
I really enjoyed staying home and working in the yard this week—until the swarms of black flies started attacking us. Young Sophia suffered some swollen bites to the neck, despite the bug spray, and my legs look like I ran the weedeater over them. Bug nets are the best defense against black flies but it is too hard to keep a 17-month-old girl in a headnet. I was recently told to use Listerine Mouthwash as a repellent. I would try any repellent once—and if it doesn’t work on the flies you could always use it as mouthwash.
The bug repellent that we buy today is much safer for our skin and environment. Citronella-type sprays seem to help fend away the black flies momentarily, but nothing works all day long.
Can you remember the old 100 percent deet repellent that was so strong you had to wash your hands so it would not melt your fishing line? We used to bathe in that poison while camping. It might have taken some years off of our lives, but it sure kept the bugs away.
A helpful trick while hiking is to raise something like a baseball cap or shirt above your head with a stick. The swarm tends to hover around the highest object, which is now above your head.
If this were my only line of defense, I would rather strip down and cover myself in mud or jump into the nearest freezing cold lake. Anything would be better than scratching those bites all night.
In a week or two a massive mosquito hatch will join the black flies. The big slowmotion mosquitoes are around right now, and they are tolerable enough. The smaller highspeed “super mosquitoes” are the ones to watch out for. These highly evolved pests can land, extract a pint of blood, and take off before you have a chance to swing. If you stay out on the water, you can avoid all of the bugs. Sounds like a good excuse to go fishing.
The much needed rainfall we received this past week caused a lot of bugs to hatch and gave our woods that boost it needed to start growing. The birch and aspen leaves have exploded this week, filling the voids with their bright green leaves. Every year it amazes me how thick the woods can become with foliage. Lakes and cabins disappear along the Gunflint Trail behind the summer growth until winter reveals them once again.
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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