The trees have begun their annual transformation from summer to fall, displaying brilliant shades of yellow and orange with an occasional splash of red. The Gunflint Trail is located in a boreal forest that technically should not include maple trees, but we are seeing more appearing amongst the native trees each year. They might not be native but they make a great contrast to the orange and gold hues of the aspen and birch trees that are beginning to peak.
I get asked what I enjoy most about guiding on the Gunflint Trail and without hesitation I reply with, “the ability to spend every day on Saganaga Lake and watch it change.”
Many of the annual changes are obvious, like the lake levels or fall colors, but there are a few transformations that most people are not even aware of. The fish that swim the waters below are very in tune with the changing seasons and their behavior can often be an indicator of what is going to happen above the water, like an approaching thunderstorm.
An indicator that the weather is beginning to turn for the cold each autumn is the depth that the fish are loitering in, which is currently 35-40 feet of water. They will also start eating oily prey such as dwarf herring and smelt on the bigger lakes which provides more calories for the fish to consume before water temperatures plummet along with their metabolism and energy levels.
When walleyes have stomachs packed full of baitfish, like they do right now, it won’t be long before they settle into a semi-dormant state for the winter ahead. The fall bite is hard to beat on the bigger lakes at the end of the Gunflint Trail since fish are able to be located on the graph, the scenery is incredible, and the fish are both hungry and bulky.
This has been an exciting year to guide on the Gunflint Trail. The action on Northern Light and Saganaga lakes has been incredible. I would like to think that I have gotten that much better over the years, but everybody else has had a pretty good year as well so I will credit the lake instead. The Trail hosts a variety of first class fisheries but my heart has always been on the bigger lakes hunting the elusive trophies. As I look over my schedule and see the guided trips coming to an end, I cannot help but wish we had a little more time to enjoy such a beautiful season.
Get out there before it is over.
Hawg Report – Catch & Release
. Cory Christianson Sept. 20 30” walleye Saganaga Lake
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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